What It Means To Train Your Baby to Go To Sleep

There’s much talk about sleep training and several methods taught to help train your baby to sleep. Sleep training is convenient for both the mother and the baby. When your baby learns to sleep in a specific schedule and sleeps through the night, he or she processes the things that she learns throughout the day. Sleep disturbances could hinder that learning. For moms, sleep training their baby means having to spare some time during the night to cater to self-care and have enough rest to be ready for another day. There are several methods that experts suggest. Two of these methods are “crying it out” and the “no tears” method.

The “cry it out” method means letting your baby cry out when he or she wakes at night and allow your baby to go back to sleep. This encourages independence although the first few days or weeks of training could mean that you have to endure the cries of your little one until he learns to self soothe and go right back to sleep by himself. There are a few factors to consider before starting out with this method. Crying is your baby’s way of communicating and could mean that there is something wrong or he might be in pain. Make sure that you consult your pediatrician before starting out. Those cries could indicate an underlying medical condition that needs quick attention.

If the “cry it out” method does not work out for you, the “no tears” method would probably do. This method means responding to your child immediately when he or she cries. It could also mean cuddling your baby until he goes back to sleep. During the first few months of life, a baby needs to be cuddled as much as possible for trust to the primary care giver to develop. This is based on the psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson.

Other parents prefer to sleep train their babies in their own way. An incorporation of various methods could be done to cater to your baby’s specific need. Other methods include:

• ·         Swaddling
• ·         Have your baby sleep in his own crib or space
• ·         Ensure proper room temperature (not too hot and not too cold)
• ·         Be consistent with your bedtime routine
• ·         Set a specific sleeping schedule
• ·         Pay attention to your baby’s sleeping signals (yawning or rubbing the eyes)

Most of the time paying attention to your baby’s signs works wonders. Looking for signs of readiness from your baby will also help. Sleep training could be done as early as 6 weeks when your baby has adjusted to the world outside your tummy. Be patient with your baby because he might not get it the first time or the second time. It is important to be consistent.

Remember that sleep is essential to you and most especially to your baby. A good night’s sleep also guarantees a happy and an un-grumpy baby.

Tips To Reduce the Cost of Raising a Baby

Many couples set aside plans of having a baby because of the cost. The cost of diapers and formula milk can really be overwhelming, not to mention the additional cost of clothes and other accessories. But raising a baby should not be that costly.

As a first time mom, having my very first baby was a challenge. Not only in the area of testing my mothering skills but also with saving enough money to be able to provide for a new human being who is entrusted to my care. Then suddenly the thought of losing my simple pleasures and guilty pleasures came to mind. There is this fear of not being able to prioritize the needs of my baby because of my selfish needs. I was also concerned if my husband and I are earning enough to be able to provide for our baby’s every need. But through reading other blogs of awesome mothers, I learned that raising a baby is really not that expensive. Here are some tips that helped me got through my very first mommy experience and helped me to save a lot for guilty pleasures too.

·         Don’t buy a lot of baby clothes. Babies grow up fast. If you buy a lot of clothes, your baby might not be able to use all of it. Newborn babies only need a few sets of clothes because a few weeks later, it might be too small for your baby to use. You can also save a lot if you make use of hand-me-down clothes. Just make sure that you laundry it well and add bleach. If you do decide to make use of second-hand clothes, make sure that you know where it came from and who the first user was. It is to ascertain that no unwanted harmful bacteria could probably be handed down to your little one.

·         Invest In Cloth Diapers. I am an advocate of using cloth diapers. It helps you save money and save the environment as well. Disposable diapers are really convenient but think of how much disposable nappies your baby could use before he or she is potty trained. Cloth diapers can be reused. Therefore, this lifts the guilt of you and your baby contributing to the tons of non-biodegradable trash all over the world. Cloth diapers that are of good quality are as efficient as disposable diapers. It doesn't leak plus you are sure that what touches your baby’s buttocks is not synthetic and comfortable.

·         Do Breastfeed. Formula milk is expensive. Breastfeeding would save you thousands of dollars plus you are giving your child the most nutritious milk there is.

·         You Don’t Need Too Much Fancy Toys. Babies need toys to stimulate their brain but you don’t need to buy the expensive kind. There are cheaper ones which will serve its purpose. Make sure that you check on the safety precaution that comes with each toy.

Commercialism made having a baby expensive but it is actually not. Having your baby will change your life but it changes life for the better. Babies do not know the difference between the expensive and the cheaper stuffs. So, if the quality is the same then, smartly spend your bucks on the ones that cost less.

Away With Nasty Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are war scars that means that you have survived the battle of pregnancy and delivery. It ought to be a symbol of victory and strength. But not everyone finds this victory scar pleasant to look at. Not all women have them though. There are a few lucky ones that do not develop any marks after pregnancy. It could be because of genes or the right preparation before or during pregnancy.

Stretch marks develop because the skin is stretched. When the growth of a certain area of the skin grows faster than the skin could keep up with, stretch marks develop. It could be anywhere in the body more commonly in the thighs, abdomen, buttocks, legs, and even in the arms. With stretch marks, prevention works best.

How could stretch marks be prevented?

·         Keep watch of your weight gain during pregnancy. 25-35 pounds of weight gain during pregnancy is ideal. Going below 25 pounds or above 35 is not healthy. If you keep watch of your weight and the food that you eat, you also prevent complications that may arise during pregnancy. Some complications due to weight gain or unhealthy food consumption includes gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia (caused by an increase in blood pressure during pregnancy).

·         Proper hydration. Water is good for the skin or you can also make use of fruit juices. Healthy skin means improved elasticity. Hydrating yourself also prevents you from eating more than you should. Studies show that thirst could also be interpreted by the brain as hunger.  Proper fluid intake prevents you from taking unnecessary snacks.

·         Moisturize your skin. This is found to be the leading method of prevention that reduces the appearance of stretch marks in most pregnant women. It improves the elasticity of the skin that enables it to tolerate much stretching so that the elastic fibers of the skin are not likely to be damaged. Apply a moisturizing oil or lotion after taking a bath to keep the moisture trapped in the skin.

Make sure that your moisturizer does not contain ingredients that are not good for pregnant women. It would be best to use a lotion that has all natural ingredients or organic content. You should look for the following ingredients: Vitamin E, Elastin, and Collagen. Another alternative to lotion is moisturizing oil. Also, to make sure that the lotion or oil is properly absorbed in the skin, take some time in slowly massaging it into vulnerable areas like your thigh and abdomen.

What to do with itchy stretch marks after pregnancy?

Apart from the streaks of white or violet lines, stretch marks could also appear red and raised. Scratching it could make the condition worse that it could also leave black marks. Applying Betamethasone helps with the itching. Follow it up with a good moisturizing lotion after five to ten minutes of betamethasone application.

Dark stretch marks will eventually lighten over time and some could not even be noticed. Applying a whitening and hydrating lotion on the area could help even out the color of the stretch marks and the surrounding area of the skin. To fight stretch marks, make skin moisturizing a habit.

When To Use Shampoo on My Baby’s Hair?

To shampoo or not to shampoo? That is that question! Whenever I have some confusion with how to take care of my baby, I consult my pediatrician or the internet, in case of doubt. It has proven to be an effective routine so far until my shampooing problem began. I searched through the web and got no direct answer so I made my own conclusion. When should baby’s hair really be shampooed?

My Pediatrician’s Point of View

The baby’s skin including the hair and scalp are sensitive. Babies especially the newborn should use the most neutral baby wash there is. My pediatrician even gave me the option of not using a baby soap and told me it was ok (at the time of consultation, my baby was just a few days old) for the mean time. Other baby shampoos may contain harsh chemicals that could damage the baby’s skin. Some can trigger an allergic reaction. For the first few weeks, using a shampoo for the baby’s hair is definitely a NO (and I believe him). Most newborns are born with thin hair anyway so shampooing is not really necessary. My baby was born with a head of thick hair and at 3 months old it started to smell bad at the end of the day. Still, the pediatrician told me to avoid the use of shampoo.

Mommies Point of View

Now that my baby is 8 months old, her hair smells bad even a few hours after taking a bath. Still, no hair shampoo was used. After reading through forum and searching through the World Wide Web for answers, I did not get a straight ‘go for it’ sign. Some moms shampooed their baby’s hair after several days of delivery, some waited until their babies were older while some avoided shampooing baby’s hair just yet.

What I Did?

Followed my gut feel. All babies are not the same. One baby may have a different need from the other. Although learning from the experience of others and following expert advice is a great help but moms know what’s best. I chose the mildest kind of baby shampoo there is and used it on her hair every other day. I made sure that I apply just a little amount of it and dilute it with water before I put it on her hair. However, if there is really no need to, avoid using shampoo as much as possible.

 

How to Choose A Baby Shampoo.

Make sure that the baby shampoo you use on your baby’s hair do not contain the following harsh chemicals (possibly carcinogenic):

·         1,4-Dioxane

·         Formaldehyde

·         Quaternium-15

Choosing A Baby Bottle: For Confused Moms

Are you a new mom? Being a new mom means facing a lot of decisions that you have to make not only for yourself but for our little one. Being an advocate for that tiny new being puts the pressure on you and pushes you to give only the very best. The first few choices that you have to make will make you really confused, but do not worry, because it decision making will get better in time. When I was a new mom, I’ve had my share of troubles, and the one thing that really troubled me and my baby was choosing the right baby bottle.

At first, I thought baby bottles were all the same. Turns out that there are a handful of baby bottle brands and types that you can choose from. Here are a few tips that I was able to gather as I went through choosing the right baby bottle for my baby:

1. Try to breastfeed as long as you can. Breast milk is best for babies. If you are a new mom, avoid the use of breast pumps and bottle feeding as long as you can. New moms often produce little milk in the first few weeks. Letting your baby suck on your breast stimulates the production of milk.

2. Consider whether you want to combine breastfeeding and bottle or bottle alone. If you prefer a combination, make sure that you choose a bottle with as close to the form of natural breast as possible. You do not want your child to have nipple confusion. Most of the time, babies will prefer bottle nipples and may not want to be breastfed anymore. Nipples close to the form of natural breast often have a wide base and short nipple tip.

3. Avoid buying a lot of baby bottles before your baby have tried them. You do not want a lot of money put to waste because your baby prefers another kind. Try buying 2 bottles first and then add a few more when your baby is ok with it.

4. Choose a bottle that reduces air bubbles. Breastfed babies are not likely to have colic and become fussy after feedings than bottle fed babies. This is because bottles especially in the past are not airtight. Air can get in during feedings that causes colic. There are bottles that have built in vents or tubes that redirects the air outside the bottle.

5. Make sure that you choose a nipple with the right nipple flow. When you buy a baby bottle, check that the nipple that comes with it is appropriate for your baby’s age. Younger babies especially newborns should use a slow flow nipple to prevent choking. If your baby is still having problems with the nipple flow, there are nipples especially made for premature infants. These nipples have the slowest flow.

6. Let your baby decide. In the end, your baby is the boss. Listen to what your baby tells you and you are sure to make the right decision.

Preventing Global Warming: How Can You And Your Baby Contribute?

Who haven’t heard of the devastation brought by super typhoon ‘Haiyan’ in the Philippines? The typhoon washed out hundreds and thousands of houses leaving approximately 4000 lifeless (as of the latest count) and thousands of people injured and homeless. Global warming is a theory that is now becoming a fact, what is happening today sheds light to a once unbelievable and even idiotic idea. Our planet and its inhabitants are now facing a war against global warming and everyone can help fight this war, even you moms and your babies!

So how can we help? First is to eliminate the heaps of non biodegradable items that you and your baby use every day like disposable diapers and wet wipes.

Go Against Disposable Diapers

I am sure that you have already read about the pros and cons of using disposable diapers as compared to the reusable cloth diapers. There are a lot of advocates who are passionate about this and are doing what they can to help raise awareness that a disposable diaper is non-biodegradable. It takes a lot of energy and trees to make one and some hundreds of years for one to decompose. The recent catastrophe caused by super typhoon ‘Haiyan’ now puts more weight on choosing between cloth and disposable diapers. Now it’s time everyone knows that a simple day-to-day decision making such as this could greatly affect the existence of a nation, especially countries that are surrounded with large bodies of water.

For most families and for the longest time, the use of disposable diaper is synonymous to convenience whereas, cloth diapers are nothing but unsanitary and well, just inconvenient. However, there are now cloth diaper modifications that prove otherwise. I chose to use disposable diapers for my baby from birth to 8 months old but, summing up the amount of money that was spent, and the volume of trash that it contributed to society made me realize that it’s time to give cloth diapering a try. The thought of dealing with leaks and getting myself soaked with urine made me almost change my mind but, the determination to help the environment and prevent more horrifying natural calamities gave me that push. To my delight, our first day of cloth diaper use was perfect! There were no leaks and baby had no problem with it. No rash, no irritation and most of all, it was guilt-free!

You can use a cloth diaper type that works best for you and your baby. There are cloth nappies that have magic tapes on the side and there are also cloth diaper shells with snap buttons that are adjustable. This will allow you to use your cloth diapers through all their diapering days. Plus, they come with really cute designs that you can choose from.

Eliminate Wet Wipes

How many sheets of wet wipes do you use per day? Your wet wipes are as non-biodegradable as your disposable diapers plus, adding up the packs of wet wipes that you use throughout your baby’s non-potty trained years could cost a fortune. Guilt free alternative?  Use a wash cloth. It is reusable, non-irritating, and cheap.

Make helping nature a habit and teach your kids while young. You can do it! The change starts with you!