I am not a Dr but I would not recommend it. I was told by Alex's Dr to wait until he was 4 months old before giving him any kind of cereal and I was told to put the cereal in a bowl and use a spoon to feed it to him. This, to me, is the only way a baby should eat cereal. There are myths that is helps with getting baby's to sleep through the night but that is not a fact. My answer would be just be patient and feed it to your baby from a bowl when your Dr suggests it is the best time.

Labels: baby food, baby questions

When you get frustrated with your baby, which believe it or not will probably happen at some point, don't feel like you are a bad parent. Sometimes all you need is a little break. Going on a date with your husband/wife or girlfriend/boyfriend is a good way, this way you are not gone very long but it is long enough to just get away. If your baby is still an infant with colic or is just crying and you have done everything and you can't figure out why they are still crying, then get a baby monitor and walk outside. Just get some air and recollect yourself that you are less likely to get angry at something that nobody can control.

Labels: baby questions

Trust your gut!! This is so important. You are the parent, and if something is going on that is making you fell uncomfortable then take you and your baby out of the situation. Your baby can pick up on how you are feeling, so when you are uncomfortable chances are so is your baby. It doesn't matter who or what the situation, if it doesn't feel right then you don't have to be there or do it. Your baby comes first and they can't tell you what is going on, so you have totrust your instincts!

Labels: baby questions

Infants really don't need a lot of toys, but ones that are good for them are ones that are black and white. They can see that better than they can colors. Infants don't care all that much about toys yet, but they will in a very short time. Other than black and white I would also suggest music toys. Infants can hear very well, so soft soothing sounds are great!

As the infant gets a little older I would suggest toys that encourage tummy time. Just make sure that the baby is being watched very closely while using them.

Labels: baby questions, baby toys

I love the Holidays! It is a time to be with family and be grateful for what you have! I have been asked a couple of questions on how to spend time together that isn't involving the TV. So I'm going to share with you some craft ideas that I plan on doing with Alex this year!

For Thanksgiving we did hand turkeys. Tracing his foot and using that for the body, then tracing his hands and using those as the feathers. It took about 6 of Alex's hands to go all the way around the body, but they turn out so cute! The body was brown paper, and the hands were red, orange and yellow.

Now with Christmas coming we are starting with the hand wreath. This one is the easiest as it is just a circle of green hands. Then add a bow to the bottom! You could use glitter to decorate too (Alex is too little for that).

There is also the hand and food reindeer. I like things that involve hands and feet!! Trace the bottom of your child's foot using brown paper. Then trace the hands using either tan orange paper. Put the hands "antlers" on the top of the foot! Add eyes, a red nose and a mouth and you have a reindeer!!

These are just some of the many activities that are out there! Get started and have a GREAT time!!

Labels: baby questions

Being pregnant is such a special time, so that is how your pregnancy should be treated...special. A lot of people think that they are being selfish when doing things for themselves, but when you are pregnant it is not just you, you are doing things for your baby too! So eat better and get lots of rest, and most important, enjoy having that new baby grow inside of you. It is the most wonderful feeling that only you can experience.

Go to the Dr, which you will be doing pretty regularly. Keep the daddy involved too, it is a special time for him as well. Encourage him to go the the Dr with you and have him read to the baby while in the belly. It will be good for the baby to know the voices of the people around him/her.

Labels: baby questions, pregnancy

I had this same problem last year when Alex was just starting to walk so he was into everything! Sometimes you feel like there is just no stopping them! There are two ideas for where to put the tree.
1) In a playpen and then put the presents in the playpen around it.

2) Putting tree somewhere that can be blocked off with a gate.

If you keep it out in the open just be prepared to do a lot of chasing and possible some re-wrapping of presents.

Labels: baby questions

This is different depending on the age of the baby, and who the baby is. Once Alex got out of the newborn stage he took two little hour naps a day. One in the morning around 11 and then another around 2 or 3. Now he takes just one nap a day after lunch. He will nap anywhere from 1-2 hours. It is important to have your baby nap though, because he/she will be so much happier throughout the day if he/she is rested. For some baby's all it takes is a 30-45 minute power nap! Every child is different!

Labels: baby questions, baby sleep

I am still going to be switching to WordPress at some point, but it looks as though it will be close to the Holidays, so bare with me if you notice that my blogs are not posting timely. Thank you!

On to today's question, there are so many reasons that is important to talk to your baby, and yes even your new born. Baby's learn how to speak by listening to people to talk. If it is just you and your baby at home and no one is talking, it could take them longer to learn the language. If you are feeling weird about talking to someone that doesn't talk back (yet), then read to your baby. This way they are still hearing the language and hearing new words, and spending quality time with you! It is a win win!

Another wonderful reason to talk to your child as babies is because when they get older they will know that they can talk to you. If you don't talk to your child they may remember that. They may feel the only reason you talk to them is to lecher (I'm talking about in the long run).

Just give it a try, your baby will be responding before you know it, and by talking to them you are helping their growth so much.

Labels: baby learning, baby questions

This really depends on your baby. If your baby does not cry when they are wet (they make diapers pretty good these days) then I would go ahead and change them about every 3 hours during the day. In my case I changed Alex after he ate. Now that he is getting bigger and is eating meals instead of a bottle ever three hours I change him after snacks, meals, and naps.

Labels: baby diapers, baby questions

Until Alex was a year and a couple months old we put him to sleep at 8:00, and then we went to 9:00. The 9:00 seemed to fit him better, he went to sleep easier and took a better nap in the middle of the day. When you are trying to see what time will work for your baby give it a couple of days to see if it is helping, it is hard to tell after just one night. Whatever you decide just make sure you have a routine and I'm sure it will be good.

Labels: baby questions, baby sleep

This is a sensitive subject because this could be happing for many reasons. For example, if you are more likely to do things for the older children maybe the youngest child is driving you crazy as a way to get attention. Try spending more quality time with just the two of you and see if the craziness dies down. Keep in mind that kids big and small pick up on stress and tension, but if you are not acting that way to the older children the youngest one will start to blame themselves and think they are a bad kid.

You didn't give me much detail to the situation which is fine, but this was the best answer I could come up with given what I knew. If this is the situation, please, just try spending more time with your youngest child. This could be really hurting them too.

Labels: baby questions

In my eyes you cannot spoil an infant. When you are comforting them when they cry then to me you are doing your job! When babies cry it means that they need something, they just can verbally tell you what it is that they need. Babies grow up so fast that I think you should enjoy all the cuddles and love that you can get!

To me spoiling doesn't come until later, when the baby thinks that they can have everything they touch. Just be careful not to over do it then. But for now give your baby all the love in the world!!

Labels: baby questions

There are a couple of tricks that I would suggest:

• Pack extra diapers, wipes, bottles, formula (if not breastfeeding), passys, and a change of clothes. You never know if or how long a plane will be delayed.

• When the flight attendants offer to preboard, don't do it! If you are traveling as a family, have one of you preboard with all of the luggage, and the other wait with the baby. You want your child to spend as little time possible in the plane so that they don't get board.

• The safest place for any child under two is to be strapped into the seat next to you, in a child seat. However most parents feel better holding their baby, and if this is what you choose to do, pick an aisle seat so that you are not climbing over people when your baby wants to get up and move around.

• If you are going over seas, your baby will need a passport, this one is often over looked.

Something else that I would like to add is that if you do a lot of traveling in the car, AAA is a wonderful thing to have. The provide 24 hour roadside assistance, if you run out of gas, or get a flat tire they are there.

Labels: baby questions

There are a couple of other things that you can do to help prevent SIDS. While not putting your baby to sleep on his stomach or putting him in too much bedding or pajamas are the big ones, there is also not smoking in the house or really anywhere near the baby. When the baby inhales the smoke it makes the baby's lungs not function as well. Also smoking and drinking while you are pregnant can lead to SIDS as well as poor prenatal care. Some other things that can contribute are low birth-weight and mommies that are under 20.

Labels: baby questions, 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

They will probably make you wait until you are about 8 weeks along until you go in, and once you do they will ask you questions about your family history. In most cases they will want to know about the fathers family history too, so think about having him come if you don't know all his family history. Then they will measure your belly and do a pelvic exam to see how far alone that they think you are. You will probably get to see an ultrasound and hear the heartbeat! You should be going to the Dr about once a month, then once you get closer to the to the due day they will see you more often. Every 3 weeks, every 2 weeks and then every week for the last month!! You are on your way to a very exciting journey!! Congratulations!

Labels: baby questions, pregnancy

I would say yes on this one. Even when they are toddlers they really still need at least one nap during the day. This helps them have more energy and to be less grouchy. If you have a little one that has not taken a nap all day by the time you get to 6 or 7 at night there really isn't anything that you can do to please that child. Even putting them bed is going to be a challenge as they are much more likely to fight sleep.

Alex takes one nap during the day and it is right after lunch and he sleeps for about and hour and a half to two hours. I have also met kids his age that take two 30 minute naps and are much happier that a child that hasn't had a nap at all.

Labels: baby questions, baby sleep

Labor can take very long time. I think for a first time the average is about 12 hours. So you want to stay at home were it is more comfortable for as long as possible. If your contractions are coming 5 minutes apart, or it the pain is getting to much to handle. Also if your water breaks or if you have any bleeding, then go to the hospital.

Do what makes you feel the most comfortable, if you aren't sure then call your Dr and explain your symptoms and ask them if they think you should come in.

Labels: baby questions, pregnancy

Well I think this question would change depending on who you asked. Some people like having all off there kids close together, but since you asked me, I would say that I like only having Alex right now. When he gets older, maybe in kindergarten, we will think about having another. I feel pretty strongly about this, of course if something were to happen and I got pregnant earlier than that it would be OK. I like the idea of having Alex old enough to where he had all of mommy's attention when he was a baby, and now when he is at school I could give the new baby that kind of attention too. I would like to have Alex out of diapers too, I think it would help a lot.

Also I think that when they are older the enjoy being the older brother/sister to where they can help out their parents, and teach the new baby how to do things. I have an older brother that is 6 and a half years older than me and I wouldn't change a thing about the relationship that we have. Maybe that is also why I'm partial.

You shouldn't change when you think it is best for you to have your second child based on anyone else opinion. When you feel you are ready and your other child is ready, go for it and best of luck to you!

Labels: baby questions

Well I am sure that you have heard "you will know when you are having contractions." When I was pregnant people told me that and wouldn't tell me how I would know. My labor was induced so I did not have to wait til they were a certain time apart before I went to the hospital. To me at first the felt just like my belly was tensing up. To be honest I wouldn't have known they were contractions if the monitor had not been on. The nurse then came in and told be that they were going to break my water so that they would come closer together and stronger.

After a while of just feeling like I was cramping I would get a pain so strong that I couldn't talk. It felt like I was just my cramping into a ball, but since I had back labor I was trying to keep my body straight. It truly is an indescribably feeling. The key is once you start getting really sharp "cramps" that stop you in your tracks that are coming 10 to 5 minutes apart, go to the hospital.

Labels: baby questions, pregnancy

My opinion in the question would be, never unattended, and not while you are sleeping too. The thought of this would make me nervous, just because it would be so easy for a baby to suffocate. If your baby is still where he/she can't roll over alone, and you are talking about sleeping with you through the night, be really careful. When you move so does the bed. If you move to much it could cause waves in the bed, which could then roll the baby. Again I am not a Dr. and you should double check with yours, but if it were me, I don't think that I would take a chance.

If you want to keep your infant close, bring a bassinet in your room and put it near your bed. Maybe this will prepare you more for when your baby needs a crib, and will be in his/her own room.

Labels: baby questions, baby sleep

This really depends on your son. He needs to really be ready so that he isn't going back and fourth from pull ups to diapers. Make sure that he has used that potty at least once, and isn't scared of it. Then have him pick out some underwear and pull ups that he likes (and get a lot of them). That way he will want to wear them.

Once you do start the potty training, don't give up on him if he has some accidents. Just know that it is going to happen. Chances are he is going to be embarrassed enough that he did, so don't add to it. Just change him, and start again.

PRAISE is a key to potty training! Make sure that you are giving him a lot of praise when he goes to the potty!! He will love the feeling that he is turning into a big boy and making mommy and daddy proud at the same time!

Labels: baby diapers, baby questions

No, you don't have to get rid of your cat, but you do need to have someone else change the litter box. The litter box contains a lot of bacteria that get to your unborn baby, and if could actually cause birth defects. Also if you spend a lot of time petting your fuzzy friend make sure you are washing your hands frequently!

Labels: baby questions, pregnancy

This seems to be a very common question. My Dr. recommended waiting until Alex was 4 months old before he got any kind of solids. We started him out with rice cereal. Once I did that he told me to feed Alex the same food for 3 days to make sure that he didn't have an allergic reaction.

We went through all of the cereals, then all of the veggies, then all of the fruits. I have Alex veggies before fruit because I thought it may help him like his veggies if he hadn't had sweet fruit yet. So far he is a big fan of both.

You should check with your Dr. so see what she/he thinks.. Every baby is different, but this worked very well for Alex!

Labels: baby food, baby questions

When I first felt Alex moving I was about 9 weeks along. Generally it happens after 7 or 8 weeks, but with him being my first it took a little bit longer. When I first started to feel him moving it felt like butterflies!

I was 20 weeks along before I felt Alex kick. Kicking normally happens somewhere between 16 and 22 weeks. Once you start to feel your baby kicking you will notice that you don't feel it all the time. You may feel it all the time one day, then not at all the next. Once you get a little farther along the will be more regular and a lot stronger.

If you are to the point that you are feeling the stronger more regular kicks (normally second trimester) and you stop feeling your baby moving as much , let your Dr. know. They may decide to do a stress test. If your baby's movement stays about the same chances are the baby is fine!

Also in my case once we got about two and a half weeks away from Alex's due date I almost never felt him move. I was really scared, but as it turned out he just didn't have any room to move, and he was preparing for delivery.

Labels: baby questions, pregnancy

Heart burn is a very common symptom of pregnancy. Not everyone will get it and there are ways to avoid it. Stay away from spicy foods and large meals. Talk to you Dr. about what antacid is for you. Antacids can really help, and are normally safe to take during pregnancy.

Labels: baby questions, pregnancy

There are so many diaper brands to choose from it can be confusing. When Alex was a new born we tried 3 different brands before we found the one that worked for us. I found that Pampers Saddlers work the best for keeping him dry, a lot of the other brands would leak at the top and sides.

Once he got to size 3 we switched to Pampers Cruisers and I swear by them! The cruisers are by far the most absorbent diapers that I found. Alex has still not had diaper rash.

Every baby is different so it may take going through some different brands before finding the right one. Just wanted to share what worked with Alex.

Labels: baby diapers, baby questions

Baby proofing just means making your house safe for your baby. You should go ahead and start the baby proofing processes before your baby is getting around on his/her own. In all reality, it will feel like you are always doing something in your home to make it safer for your little one. Some key things you can to do start baby proofing:

~keep ALL chemicals and medicines in a locked cabinet
~get a smoke alarm, and check it pretty often to make sure it is always working. Also think about a carbon-monoxide alarm. I got one when Alex was born, and I'm thankful I did.
~put in window and cabinet locks where needed, and don't forget the outlet plugs!
~don't leave lighters or matches laying around, put them in a safe place where they baby can't reach.
~Keep your loose change in a jar out of reach

These are just a few of the many ways to begin the process of keeping your baby safe! If you can think of any to add please do so!

Labels: baby questions, baby safety

If you let your baby keep the passy for too long it can not only delay language development, but it can cause damage to their teeth. Also you want you baby to be able to sooth themselves rather than needing a passy.

The older your child gets the harder that it will be to take it away. Alex was a year and four months old when we took it from him. He woke up one morning and couldn't find one, so we just never gave it back to him. I think that he was young enough for the out of sight out of mind idea to work! It got hard at night when it was time for Alex to go to bed, but we got through it.

If your baby is older than that it may take a lot of patience! I was watching Nanny 911 and saw on there the passy fairy. What they did was took all of the passys from this little boy and put them in a bag and hung them from a tree. The next morning, there was a big boy prize where the passys were. It was very cool because they got the little boy excited about it and told him that all the passys needed a new home! He helped put all the passys in a bag and everything!

Labels: baby questions

Question: What age do you start potty training?

Alex is almost a year and a half and we haven't starting trying to potty train him yet. You don't want to start them too early, because they might not be ready. Some things that may help you decide when to start are:

*watch them to see if they recognize when they are potting in the diaper
* they have to know what you are talking about when you show them the potty, so explain it to them.
*watch to see if they are coping you when you use the potty, even if they are not really using it.

When you decide that the time is right and make sure that you take your time. Expect accidents because they are going to happen. Don't rush them to be ready, just watch for the signs that they give you!

Once we start I will let you know the method we try and let you know how it works!

Labels: baby questions

Question: How do I get my child to stop hitting?

Answer: In the first year of your child's life you might notice that they begin to hit. Alex's phase of this started around 14 months. This is actually very common thing for babies to go through, but that doesn't make it okay. How my husband and I handled this was by calmly telling Alex "no hitting, hitting hurts mommy/daddy". Then we move him from where ever the hitting took place. Even if this happened in a store, one of us would have to walk outside with Alex. It takes a lot of time and patience. We are using this method rather than spanking because we felt that would just reinforce the hitting behavior and as he gets older we don't want him to use violence as a way to fix his problems.

Labels: baby questions

Answer: Yes. My son is 15 months old and I give him a bath every night before bed. I have been doing so for months now! I do it every night because he LOVES bath time! If you have any other questions please let me know!

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Send your questions to MyBabyAdvice@GMail.com

Labels: baby questions

Do you have any baby questions? Please send your questions to MyBabyAdvice@GMail.com! I'll try to answer every question I get as soon as I can.

Thank you so much for reading my baby blog.

Labels: baby questions