Having a sick baby can be really hard, because you feel like nothing can please them. However one of the greatest things you can do is just to six, relax and cuddle with your little one. Give all the love that you can! If your baby is anything like Alex when they are sick they probably want to sleep most of the time, so just rock your baby and hold them extra tight. Make sure they know that you are there for them.

Labels: baby health

Before you begin trimming make sure to gather everything that you will need, such as the nail trimmers and a bright light. After bath time is the best time to trim because the nails are the softest then and the baby is usually the most calm after a bath.

Hold your baby with his/her head rested against your arm pit. If you are right handed put the baby on your left arm and visa versa. Use one hand to hold your baby's hand and fingers and the other hand and the other hand to use the trimmers. Fingernails should be trimmed following the curve shape of the finger, and try not to get all the way to the skin, or to bite or tare the nail, as all of this could hurt your baby.

With toenails message the baby's feet so he/she wont feel as ticklish and instead of doing the curve shape go straight across to reduce ingrown toenails.

Labels: baby health

There are so many toddler soaps out there, from Johnson's and Johnson's, Huggies Clean Team and Pampers Kandoo. I like That they all have separate body wash and shampoo and even hand soap! I think that the bottles are decorated to where young children are excited to (try) to do things themselves.

I studied all of the bottles and decided on the Kandoo because it was the tear free and smelled good. I didn't see a tear free on the Huggies, and I was scared to try Johnson's because they had so many items on the list of Cancer causing chemicals. Check here to see more.

Labels: baby health

With us being in the cold season your baby will probably get or has already had a cough or a runny nose. What every you do please don't give your baby any type of cough medicine. I have gotten some really good reports on how well the vapor rub works when it is applied to the baby's feet, so give that a try. I know a lot of people don't want to take their child to a Dr. when they have a cold since there is really nothing that a Dr. can do, so please don't try that cough medicine.

Labels: baby health

I have heard of a lot of people saying that they don't need to tell their children that they love them because they already know. In some cases that could be true, but who doesn't like to hear that they are loved? Especially a young child or baby. Don't put a limit on how much you tell your child that you love them because there isn't one. My husband and I tell Alex ALL the time! Sometimes it is in the middle of a movie and we just look at him and tell him. We also do that with each other. I think it is an important phrase to say and isn't said often enough. I think it is also important that your children know that you are proud of them! It will help your baby to have a healthy self concept.

Labels: baby health

I get asked how I punish Alex and I get strange looks. I do not spank him, for now we use time outs and they work very well. The key to my time outs are that as soon as he does something out of line we go straight to time out. I put him there for about 30 seconds (not for long because he is not quite 2) and then I talk to him about what happened. I firmly believe in talking to your child at every age. I may not understand Alex all the way yet, but he understands his daddy and I.

When I was studying in my child psychology book I learned that when you spank a child it only corrects the right now aspect. It could really hurt them long term, especially if it is done often. It teaches children that violence is a way to solve problems. I know I will probably have a lot of people disagree with me on this topic, but this is what I read in my school book, and I have seen it to be true with other children. Just try the time outs and talking, see if it helps.

Labels: baby health

It is almost impossible to keep from getting a cold during the colder months, especially if you have a toddler, or even worse, a school child. You can help from passing the cold around by cleaning with disinfectant. Using Lysol on the doorknobs, things that get touched a lot. You want to be careful with this though because you don't want your baby to put to ingest it. The safest way that I use is just washing your (and your baby's) hands A LOT!!

Labels: baby health

I'm going to share a true story with you today in hopes that everyone will see just how important it really is to read to your baby.

Jacob was born 10 weeks early, weighing only 3 pounds and 1 ounce. His mommy, Tara, who is an English teacher began to read the Harry Potter series, with the first chapter of the first book being "The Boy Who Lived." Tara would read every day for hours at a time. By the time they began the fourth book it had been 5 weeks of being in the hospital.

She and his father, Mike, are able to hold their son now which cuts into reading time just a little bit, but the nurses noticed that when the mommy reads to her son that his oxygen-saturation levels go up (which is a sign that he is calm and he is breathing better!)

This family is still in the hospital an in the fourth book. They hope to be home in a month and that baby is gaining weight! He was 5 pounds 8 ounces with only 1 IV as of Wednesday!!

This is a great true story! You don't have to wait for something like this before you begin to read to your baby. Once your baby is born, or even while in the belly, read. They will hear you!

Labels: baby health

The following is a list of medicine being taking off the shelves due to accidental overdose for children under two. Most of these say "consult a doctor, or just not to use for children under 2. This is VERY important, children under two should not be taking the medicine. I'm going to copy a quote that I found: The trade group stressed in a statement that the “medicines are, and have always been, safe at recommended doses.”

• Dimetapp Decongestant Plus Cough
  Infant Drops
  
• Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops
• Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough
• Little Colds Multi-Symptom Cold Formula
• PEDIACARE Infant Drops Decongestant (containing pseudoephedrine)
• PEDIACARE Infant Drops Decongestant Cough (containing pseudoephedrine)
• PEDIACARE Infant Dropper Decongestant (containing phenylephrine)
• PEDIACARE Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough
• PEDIACARE Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough (containing phenylephrine)
• Robitussin Infant Cough DM Drops
• Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant
• Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant Plus Cough
• TYLENOL Concentrated Infants' Drops Plus Cold
• TYLENOL Concentrated Infants' Drops Plus Cold & Cough

Labels: baby health, baby safety

Well you didn't give me the age of your baby, but infants under 6 months really should not have juice at all. If you give your baby that is over the age of 6 months juice then it should be in a cup, not a bottle (this way the sugar is not staying on the teeth as much). Limit how much your baby is drinking, and give him/her 100% juice, children from 1-6 should only be given 4-6 ounces of juice a day. A good trick to use is to dilute the juice with water, and every time you give your child another cup just keep putting in more water than before.

Try giving her/him the real fruit instead. If she/he likes grape juice, give he/she grapes. A lot of kids are drinking too much juice and drinking juice can be associated with having cavities, having diarrhea and not eating as well as they should.

Labels: baby health, baby questions

If you start introducing healthy food alternatives to your baby now, you are giving your baby the head start that they need. Rather than rewarding them with candy and other foods, reward your baby with an activity, taking him/her to the park, or if it is cold outside, then you could read an extra story that day. Having food as a reward could lead to eating disorders later on in life if its is done all the time.

Give your baby the benefit by giving them healthy snacks, have grapes instead of a sucker, or strawberries rather than a candy bar. In Alex's case he loves green peppers, so that is what we give him instead of the sugary snacks.

Labels: baby health

Keep in mind that baby's cannot yet talk, so the only form of communication that they have is through crying. Which means that this is how they will tell you if they are hungry, in need of a diaper, hurt, mad, or even just uncomfortable.

After you hear the cries for a while you will notice that each cry sounds different from one another. Once you learn which cry goes to what feeling you are in good shape. Don't just ignore it thinking that there is no reason for them to be upset. It could be something as little as your baby being too cold or hot. Maybe they just want a hug!!

If you find that you are having trouble making your baby happy try rocking back and forth, or singing a nice song, even try burping to see if that could be the trouble. If all else false, try a nice warm bath (Alex's favorite!!!)

Labels: baby health

Teething is a painful process for anyone! When your baby is teething it could cause them to wake up in the middle of the night, and you will notice them trying to bite down on anything that they can get a hold of. A lot of the time they will have swelling gums and A LOT of drooling.

When you see these signs there are things that you can do to help. keep all those teething rings that you have in the refrigerator or the freezer and let him chew on those. Get some teething cream and rub it on their gums. Them once the come through, don't forget to brush them twice a day. Something that helped me remember, I brushed Alex's gums after breakfast, and then again before bed so that we already had a routine. This way when it was time to brush with a real tooth brush we were both already prepared.

Labels: baby health

It is really amazing what being a patient parent can do. When you have patients you are more likely to talk to your child about what they have done wrong rather than use physical punishment. When you do this it decreases the changes of your child being a delinquent.

I am a firm believer in talking to your child/baby/toddler. I think that you all benefit from the outcome. They will feel more comfortable talking to you when things go wrong, rather than hiding this from you because they are scared of how you are going to react. This is just one of the many benefits that talking to you child has.

I am taking a early childhood development class so I will be sharing many interesting facts along with my experiences as a mommy.

Labels: baby health

If you are starting to use timeouts and your baby is under 3, try not to use the one minute per year guideline. They need to understand what a time out is for it to work. If they are two by the time they have been there two minutes they are not going to remember what they did, and they will just be restless. Also if your baby is 18 months old, they maybe a little bit too young to begin the road of timeouts.

For your baby between 18 months and 3 years old using a time only for 5 to 10 seconds should do the trick. It is just long enough for your baby to calm down.

If your baby is resisting so to where they are and sit down with them on your lap. Keep them there until they are calm. I have to use this method on Alex some and it seems to work.

Labels: baby health

If you are anything like me you probably spend a lot of time in your kitchen. Whether is it cleaning, cooking, making snacks or just getting a drink. I have some tips to help keep our kitchens as safe from bacteria as we can!

~Try to keep to towels clean, the ones that are hanging up, and the dishtowels too.

~Separate utensils for raw meat & cooked meat and raw meat & veggies.

~Keep your fridge at 32-41 degrees F to help prevent getting bacteria.

~When you have a cooked meal put it in the top of the fridge and the raw meat in the bottom. If they are put close together the bacteria from the raw meat can get into the cooked meal.

~Your baby really shouldn't eat leftovers because of bacteria.

These are some helpful tips that I have used, if you can think of more please let me know!

Labels: baby health

By nature babies are very active. Once they can walk it is almost like they are unstoppable!! That is a great thing, so encourage it! Turn off the TV and go outside. Play ball, take a walk, let your little one wonder around and explore.

If it is cold out or you just want to be inside, turn on some music and dance. With you by their side they will fell like they are on top of the world!

Labels: baby health

In general people that have a good and positive attitude are not just happier, but are also healthier and tend to do better in school!

There are some ways to help your baby develop the positive, "you can do it" attitude. When they do something well, don't just compliment them, but tell them why it is good. Point out what good thing happened because of their action.

For example: if you notice that you little one shared a toy, compliment them on it! Point out that they had fun with the new friend that they made by sharing their toy.

A great way to make sure you are doing your best to raise an optimistic baby is to have a positive attitude yourself! The glass is always half full!!

Labels: baby health

If you notice that your baby has stopped eating as much as he/she usually does, this is normal. babies go through phases where they don't eat as much. The first time that Alex went through this phase I was so worried about him not getting enough food. The first cause of Alex going through this phase was because it was very hot outside and he just didn't want it. Another turn to this is when you feel like they are always hungry, which could be caused by a growing spurt. It is perfectly healthy and normal for this to happen.

Labels: baby health

When you take your baby out into the sun make sure you put on that sun protection! Make sure that you read the back of the bottle before applying sun screen on to babies 6 months and younger. On all the ones that I have seen is says to ask your Dr. before putting it on them.

Labels: baby health

Tips on keeping your baby's baby teeth healthy:

1. Sippy Cups:

Once your baby is about one year old you should try to move away from using a bottle and towards using a sippy cup. Why? Sippy cups are better for their newly developing teeth.

(click on the photo below to purchase the Dr. Brown Natural Flow Training Cup from BabyCenter.com)




2. Cut Down On Juice Intake:

Another thing that is harmful for baby teeth is too much juice because of the high sugar content of juice. Many people forget how much sugar is in juice. Along with being bad for the teeth too much juice as well as too much milk will make your baby think they are already full when it is time to eat.

3. More Water!

Water is a great thing to offer instead of juice and milk. It's a great thing to get your baby used to drinking lots of water now so they will have this habit throughout life of thinking it's natural to drink water when thirsty instead of sugar drinks like soda. It shouldn't need to be said but you should never let your baby drink soda.

Another good idea is to water down your baby's juice so it's not so sugary.

4. Starting A Toothbrush Routine:

When Alex started teething we started the routine of brushing his teeth twice a day. Now it doesn't bother him at all, in fact, he is trying to do it himself! We just had to make it fun, and we'd let him watch us while we brushed our teeth.

(Click the photo below to buy this baby toothbrush set from BabyCenter.com)

Labels: baby health

Coughing Cure: Apply Vick's vapor rub on the bottom of your baby's feet before bed, then cover them with socks.

***Please note that you should NEVER give a child under 2 years old cough syrup.***

Labels: baby health

The cancer causing chemical is called "1,4-Dioxane" and has been found in baby bath products such as Hello Kitty Bubble Bath, Huggies Baby Wash, Johnson’s Baby Wash, Scooby-Doo Bubble Bath and Sesame Street Bubble Bath.

Please check this link for more information on this important topic.

Labels: baby health