Another consideration is when you are buying essentials like diapers, tissues and the like, do you go for the cheaper products or is that false economy. Well, as for tissues, we can tell you that if you are using them for wiping/drying after changing the baby, it’s better to use the cheap supermarket tissues as they are tougher and less likely to tear if wet. The more expensive tissues are softer and more suitable for wiping the nose.

Concerning diapers, it’s a bit more complicated. Yes, the cheaper ones will ultimately do the same job, but because the system for keeping the wetness away from the baby’s skin isn’t as good, you may find the baby will be more prone to rashes, which means using more cream…and spending more money. Another problem is the cheaper diapers can leak during the night which will result in more sleepless nights. In our opinion, if you can afford it, go for one of the leading brands.

Another example where you may want to avoid the cheapest route is bottle sterilizers. At first we used a container where you soaked the bottles in a solution of water and purifying tablets. We found that it could cause the bottles to smell like chlorine and also, after a while, it could affect your hands and make them dry, even bleed. Using a steamer type sterilizer was quicker, easier and kinder to your hands. It does cost a bit more but you will be using it every day for months and months to come.

Talking of essentials, the kind of items mentioned above would be ideal gifts to give at a baby shower (a party where gifts are given to a parent or baby). Sometimes people spend lots of money on elaborate gifts which may never get used.

If you know anybody who has recently had a child then it is really worth asking about their experiences with various products, your parents may also be a good source of information. You will find that you may get many different options, they may not all be right for you, including some of them in this article but you will at least have a range of options and you can make the decision you feel is best for you and your baby.

Tags: newborn baby, baby gadgets, products for baby, baby products

A birth plan is a simple, clear, one-page statement of your preferences for the birth of your baby. Having a copy for every person involved in the birth will help each person understand each other and work out communication issues before the big day. Because there are so many aspects of birth to consider, it is best not to wait until the last minute to create your plan. You will want to discuss it with those who will support and care for you.

Try to remember to be flexible, because deviations may be necessary. You will also want to remember the goal: a safe birth of your little bundle of joy. Keeping the goal in mind, the following step-by-step guide will help you create your birth plan.

Compile Considerations:
Find out ALL the routine policies and procedures for “mommy care” in your birth setting. If you do not agree with something that is a routine part of birth at your particular setting, you may want to talk further with your health care provider. As you learn about the typical care provided, you will realize areas you want to mention in your plan.

You may want to consider one page for an uncomplicated birth/postpartum and a second page about how to handle complications should they occur. The following list of questions may seem overwhelming, but now is the time to think them through. If a question does not pertain to you, cross it off the list, then prioritize the ones that mean the most to you.

• Who do you want to be there?
• Do you want a Doula?
• Will there be children/siblings present?
• Do you want mobility or do you wish to be confined to a bed?
• What activities or positions do you plan to use? (walking, standing, squatting, hands and knees)

• Would you prefer a certain position to give birth?
• What will you do for pain relief? (Massage, hot and cold packs, positions, labor imagery, relaxation, breathing exercises, tub or Jacuzzi, medication)
• How do you feel about fetal monitoring?
• How do you plan to keep hydrated? (sips of drinks, ice chips, IV)
• Do you want pain medications or do you want to avoid them? Do you have preferences for which pain medications you want?

• Would you like an episiotomy? Or, are there certain measures you want to use to avoid one?
• What are your preferences for your baby’s care? (when to feed, where to sleep)
• Do you want a routine IV, a heparin/saline block, or nothing at all?
• Do you want to wear your own clothing?

• Do you want to listen to music, and have focal points?
• Do you want to use the tub or shower?
• For home and birth center births, what are your plans in case of hospital transport?
• If you need a cesarean, do you have any special requests?

Consult Health Care Provider:
Most of the time, health care providers have a set routine of how things are done. They have been trained and they want what is best for the birth as well. However, they may or may not be welcoming of your birth plan. They might feel it is a list of demands, or that you may be setting yourself up for failure and disappointment if everything doesn’t go precisely as planned.

Keeping in mind that every birth is different and that a “normal” birth may have a wide range of definitions; use wording like “birth preferences,” “our wishes for childbirth,” “as long as birth progresses normally,” or “unless there is an emergency.” Make an appointment with the labor and birth area of your hospital or birthing center to have staff look over your plan and provide feedback and suggestions. Kindly request to spend time in an empty birthing or labor room to get a feel for where you will be and what you might want to add to your packing list, like extra pillows, pictures, music.

After this step you will feel more confident about your birth plan and have greater confidence in your choice of birth location.

Confidence & Control:
During childbirth, many women feel like they are loosing control. A birth plan helps you to feel confident, in control as much as possible and helps you feel part of the decision making, even if unexpected events occur.

Try to plan for the unexpected by using phrases like, “If a cesarean becomes necessary…” During birth, if you feel pressured to comply with something you are unsure of, ask if this is an emergency situation; ask if you can have more information on any alternatives and time to think about it. See if they can check back with you in a little while.

The Power of Positive Thinking:
Try to have your birth plan focus on the positive, instead of a list of what you don’t want. Use words like, “We hope to” or “We plan to” or “We anticipate.” Try not to use phrases like, “We don’t want” or “We want to avoid.”

Here are some examples:

“Regarding pain management, I have studied and understand the types of pain medications available. I will ask for them if I need them.”

“Regarding an episiotomy, I am hoping to protect the perineum. I am practicing ahead of time by squatting, doing Kegel exercises, and perineal massage. I would appreciate guidance in when to push and when to stop pushing so the perineum can stretch.”

“Immediately following the birth, I plan to keep the baby near me. I would appreciate the evaluation of the baby be done with the baby on my abdomen, with both of us covered by a warm blanket, unless there is an unusual situation.”

From : American Pregnancy Association

Tags: Birth Plan, Preganancy, Birth, Baby

Relax…You will be tired and there may be times you feel like giving up from the exhaustion, but I’m here to tell you that the joys of taking care of a newborn baby will outweigh any negatives ten-fold. Here are some of my top pointers when it comes to bringing home a newborn baby.

• As any experienced mother will tell you, sleep when the baby sleeps. An invaluable piece of information yet completely ignored most of the time. There is no societal rule that states you must wake at 6am, stay up all day, and then be in bed by 10pm when you bring a baby home. Allow your body and yourself to wake and sleep with the baby’s pattern for the first one to two weeks. In time, the sleeping pattern will adjust to a normal day and night routine and you’ll start to feel less like a zombie and more like a glowing new mom.

• The feeding schedule of a baby is really no different than any other newborn. Expect to breastfeed or bottle feed your baby as often as every two to three hours and sometimes as frequently as every hour. Your baby will tell you how often he wants to eat. And yes, you will feel like your entire day and night is spent feeding your baby but it’s a wonderful time to bond with your baby and you will realize just how worthy you are to be taking care of this special person in your life.

• You may see lots of new mothers out in public literally days after they’ve given birth, toting their babies around to stores and going shopping, but when you have a newborn baby, the best thing you can do for yourself and your baby is to take it easy and enjoy the comforts of your home while you and your baby are getting acquainted and adjusted. Sure, it’s a nice feeling to have complete strangers congratulate you down every aisle and want a peek at your new addition, but don’t feel like you have to run your errands or make public appearances with a new baby. Do what feels right for you but don’t bend to any pressures. Allow family and friends to shop for you.

• Here’s one for the little boys. If you have found yourself in the debate with your partner over whether to circumcise your newborn boy, then you are not alone. This is not an easy decision for everyone. There are many debates as to whether this is beneficial for the baby’s health in the long term. Others will say it’s simply cosmetic. The decision you make most likely will not be based on just one or two factors alone so do the research and feel good about the decision you make.

• Lastly of all, having a baby is emotional, tiring, and joyous all at the same time. Whether you’ve watched hundreds of TV shows or known many other women who’ve had babies and appeared like the 3 C’s (calm, cool, and collected) after they brought their baby home, please know that crying is normal, feeling like you want to give up is normal, and experiencing emotional train wrecks is all very normal. The hormones that regulate these feelings are running wildly through your body after you give birth so don’t deny yourself the ability to acknowledge these feelings. Talk to your doctor or partner for support and remember…you’re never alone.

I hope you will find these tips to be helpful when you bring your new baby home. Spend your time focusing on enjoying every little waking minute with your baby as he grows and melts your heart with every smile, finger squeeze, and giggle. Congratulations to every new mom out there!

Tags: baby, parenting, new mom, bringing home a baby, new mother’s experince

I have been an infant researcher and educator for more than 15 years now and I would not suggest showing these types of videos to babies and toddlers. In order for a DVD to be helpful for babies and toddlers, all of the following conditions must be met:

• The DVDs must be interactive — not passive.
• The DVDs must be multi-sensory. In other words, what the babies see and hear should go together logically. In addition, babies and toddlers should be encouraged to say words and do physical actions related to what they are seeing and hearing. This multi-sensory approach is very important because infants and toddlers have tens of thousands of new synapses forming every second. Many of these new connections go from the visual cortex to the auditory cortex and to and from the somatosensory cortex, if the babies do some action. Many of the baby DVDs actually show infants visual images while playing sounds (usually classical music) that do not go with those images. This means that the new synapses would not go together in a logical way.
• The DVDs must teach the children something of lasting value. If you watch many of the baby videos, you will see that there is very little content of any value to the baby besides an entertainment value.
• The DVDs should be designed to teach babies language skills. The videos mentioned in the recent study have very little spoken or written language. There are only a few dozen spoken words in most of those videos compared to hundreds or even thousands of words in some other baby videos.
  While I was studying infant development at Indiana University, my first daughter was only a baby. I did not like any of the video options that were available at that time, because they were too passive and did not teach enough language skills, so I designed a video that would teach her receptive, spoken, and written language while she was at the babysitter’s house. The Your Baby Can Read! videos are designed to be interactive, multi-sensory, educational, and language-rich — all of these factors would be more likely to increase a child’s vocabulary.In the recent study that was released, it stated that babies learned fewer words watching Brainy Baby and Baby Einstein videos, the study was actually a telephone survey for both the TV viewing time and the number of words that the child knew. I am not surprised that babies who only watched entertainment videos would score lower on verbal scores. These videos have very few spoken words, so watching them would give the children fewer opportunities to learn words compared to children who were watching videos with more language or who were doing other learning activities besides watching TV. It is also important to realize that this study could not have shown a causal relationship due to the way it was conducted. It does not show that watching those videos caused their vocabularies to be lower.

  A considerable amount of research shows that infants and toddlers have a natural window of opportunity for learning language. While most of the other baby videos have little language in them, our Your Baby Can Read! DVDs are actually designed to teach the babies and toddlers written, spoken, and receptive language.

  • Studies show the earlier the child is taught to read, the better the child reads.
  • Studies show that the earlier the child is taught to read the more likely the child actually wants to read.
  • The gap between the early readers and the later readers tends to increase over time, showing the long-term effects of early reading.
  • Lower IQ children tend to benefit the most from learning to read early.
  • We have many thousands of parents who have written us notes telling us how well their babies and toddlers are reading after watching our videos.

  Baby DVDs can be used as a great learning tool — especially if the parents watch the DVDs with their babies and interact with their babies appropriately.

   

There are so many books and websites that are dedicated to names and their meanings; however, while these things are helpful, they can often make the process a little overwhelming. Here are some great things to think about that can help you sift through the never ending list of names and choose the perfect one for your little one.

A great way to try to figure out a name for your child is by thinking about the names or your family and friends. If there is a person close to you who has greatly influenced you and/or your partner, you may want to think about using their name or a derivation of their name. It may also be a good idea to talk to relatives about ancestors and any names that have been passed down or belong to important members of your family.

Think about whether or not you want to bestow an unusual name on your child or if you would like to give them a more traditional name. If you decide on an unusual name, it would be helpful to think about the consequences that may come with it. For example, naming a baby something cute such as “Apple,” may seem fun for the first couple years of their life, but will it hinder them as they take on the adult world.

It’s also helpful to think about what kind of nick names may be derived from the name you have chosen. While you may think it sounds sophisticated, children can be mean and the name you choose may bring on years of teasing and tormenting from classmates.

As soon as you start thinking of names, it’s a good idea to start making a list. Making a list will allow you to continue to add or cross of names throughout your pregnancy. Keep your list with you at all times that way if something pops into your head you’ll be able to quickly jot it down.

Are you proud of your heritage and ethnicity? Is it something that you celebrate on a regular or semi-regular basis? If it is, then you may want to choose your babies name accordingly. If this is important to you, it may be helpful to look at a book of baby names and find out which ones come from your particular background.

Talk to your partner about anything important in your lives together that can lead to a name. This can include places you’ve been, favorite artists, writers, etc. It’s probably a good idea to practice a bit of discretion when choosing from these names. Make sure you choose something that really does have meaning and doesn’t carry any bad connotations.

When you decide on a few names that you like, use the names in your everyday life. Refer to the baby by using the name you have chosen. Ask yourself how it feels. Using the name you have chosen, pair it with the babies last name and any middle name you may have chosen. Using the name in everyday life will also help you determine if there are any nicknames that are attached to the name and what kind of impact they have.

Other articles about baby names on this site : Choosing baby names

[tags]baby names, baby boy names, unique baby names, cute baby names[/tags]

Consolidate & reduce existing debts - It’s easy to accrue debts on credit cards, store cards and personal loans. Why not consolidate your existing debts into one place to reduce your monthly interest payments. You can consolidate debt from credit cards using a balance transfer offer such as 0% on balance transfers for 6 months. During these 6 months you should focus on reducing the debt as much as possible.

Make extra home loan repayments - If you have a home loan and are both currently employed you should use your dual incomes to make as many extra repayments on your home loan as you can manage before dropping to one income. Make sure your home loan has a free redraw facility so that you can pull any extra repayments back out at a later date should you need it. Even if you pull most of the money back out after you have the baby you will still of reduced your interest payments in the meantime and further reduced the principle balance.

Check your Health Insurance cover - Having a baby can rack up some big healthcare bills especially is there are any complications. If you don’t have private health cover you should consider taking it out in advance of getting pregnant as many funds have a 12 month wait before they pay out for maternity expenses. If you already have health cover, check the policy and ensure maternity cover is included. If not, you may need to upgrade or shop around for another policy.

Protect your income - While an additional expense, it is seriously worth considering income and life insurance should the worse happen. The upbringing of a child create a large financial repsonsibility. You need to be confident that your home loan could be paid off and essential costs such as education and living costs covered in the event that an income is lost or something happens to one of you.

Save for your future - Think about saving for education and other future costs by starting a high interest savings account. Online only savings accounts often have higher interest rates and lower fees than tradtional banks. If you looking for bigger returns with a long term investment then you could look into managed funds or shares.

Think ahead - is your retirement plan working for you - Make sure you have your entire retirement plan in one place to avoid paying multiple account fees. Look for retirement plans with low fees and strong performance results. The thought of your children growing up may seem a long way ahead but you need to get your money working for you now to ensure a good financial position for yourself when they eventually flee the nest.

Try out living on just one income - It can be a shock moving from a dual income household to a single income household when you have a baby. To make things easier why not try and live off one income for a while before the baby is born. The other income can be put towards extra home loan repayments or reducing debt as suggested in the other tips.

Don’t spend money when you don’t have to - The great thing about having a baby is that friends and family are keen to help out. If you’ve have friends who have had babies before you why not see if they have toys, clothes or equipment that they don’t need anymore. Ebay, online classifieds and your local newspaper are also excellent places to find baby goods second hand. To save money of expensive toys that your baby will soon grow bored of you can use local toy libraries for a small cost.

Babies can save you money as well! - While there may be no shortage of costs around bringing up a child, you’ll probably notice you spend less money on entertainment such as going out to restaurants and bars, especially in the first years after having a child. They will provide you with plenty of ‘entertainment’ and keep you occupied day and night.

One of the biggest complaints is that dreaded morning sickness feeling. It will more than likely pass after the sixteenth week of your pregnancy, but there are ways that may lessen the symptoms. Try to avoid spicy foods, or even some of your favorite meals that may have you feeling ill. Also eating more frequent meals on a regular basis throughout the day can help a lot. If you wake up feeling ill and are vomiting, you may experience dehydration during the day. Be sure to carry water with you throughout the day and sip on it at regular intervals.

Another common complaint amongst pregnant women is headaches. Some women may find relief by applying a cool cloth to the forehead. You may also want to rest and lie down in a dark room. Acetaminophen may bring relief, but be sure to take only the recommended dose.

Later into your pregnancy, you may experience heartburn. This is the result of your growing baby pushing more on your stomach and resulting in acid reflux. Try and set your upper body above your stomach when you are lying down. The foods you eat also give you heartburn, so try and control your portion sizes. A full bloated stomach and a baby are not likely to go well together. You can also ease some of your discomfort with medication. Maalox is one of the better choices and if you are not sure then contact your doctor.

Expectant mothers-to-be can also experience feeling hotter than normal. It is important to dress comfortably and in layers. This will allow you to put on or take of clothes as you see fit. Summer time can prove to be challenging for many pregnant women with the increase in temperatures. Try and stay in air conditioning or near a pool while you get through these hot months.

A soothing massage by your spouse or partner can help to alleviate some of your discomforts. Get them to give you a nice overall massage to help relax those tensed muscles or aching back.

Finally, ask your pharmacist about if there are any over-the-counter prescriptions that you can safely take to help in some of your discomforts, such as yeast infections. If you still don’t find relief after trying these tips, or after consulting various websites and forums, then you should talk to your doctor to give you advice on what other things you can try.

Tags: stages of pregnancy, morning sickness feeling, pregnancy problems, pregnancy

Many first time mothers develop sore nipples. This can be an especially difficult time for both baby and mother. Sore nipples can make every breastfeeding session excruciatingly painful for the mother. The resulting stress and anxiety can be sensed by the infant and can cause an infant to be fussy during feedings. Sore nipples can also be a health concern for the mother if the skin is not treated appropriately. Women who experience sore nipples should consult a lactation specialist or experienced breastfeeding mother for suggestions on topical lotions and home remedies to treat sore nipples before the skin becomes cracked and opens the mother up to infection.

Some mothers experience a slowing of their milk supply. Inadequate milk can make breastfeeding difficult and many women are tempted to give up breastfeeding when this occurs. Seeking the advice of a breastfeeding specialist can help mothers continue to breastfeed while supplementing with formula until their milk supply is restored. A slow milk supply does not have to mean an end to breastfeeding.

Lactation consultants are available through local La Leche Leagues as well as most hospitals. Many obstetricians will employ or recommend a few local lactation consultants for mothers who are new to breastfeeding or those who are experiencing problems during feedings. Lactation consultants are specially trained medical personnel who are passionate about breastfeeding. It is important to be honest about your lactation problems and questions in order for the lactation specialist to assist you and your baby properly.

Learning about breastfeeding can seem like an overwhelming task. Seeking breastfeeding support can greatly reduce stress and allow for a more pleasant breastfeeding experience for you and your baby. The more you know about breastfeeding the better. Joining a breastfeeding support group, online discussion forum or chat group can help you stay connected to others who share your enthusiasm for breastfeeding. Once you have learned the facts about breastfeeding you may find yourself offering breastfeeding support to other mothers struggling with breastfeeding difficulties. Helping others is a wonderful way to contribute to your community and providing breastfeeding support and advice for new mothers can help promote breastfeeding advocacy in your community.

You have to remember that you will never be able to choose a baby name which will please everybody, the main thing is to choose a baby name that is right for you and your partner, not for your friends or family, it’s your baby after all.

Rather than picking just one baby name, try to think of 2 or 3 for both a girl and boy. You may find that as the time draws nearer, you may go off your first choice; possibly you might meet someone you don’t like with the same name. Even if you know what gender the baby will be due to scans, it’s still wise to pick baby names for the opposite gender as scans are not 100% full proof.

If you can’t agree 100% on a baby name with your partner, and it is also important to you to tray and go some way to please parents, then you could think about using their choice for a second name. If the name is only one syllable and the other choice has two then you may find your partner will agree it is best as a second name anyway.

This is another consideration for the baby name, does is flow when spoken, try saying it out aloud and see how is sounds. For example, Christina May flows well whereas Christina Alexandra is a bit of a mouthful. Also make sure that the baby name is easy to pronounce, it can be very irritating if you have to keep correcting people.

Another problem is the baby name may rhyme with another word which kids may pick up on at school, someone called Duke might be called Duke the Puke for example. You may also consider whether the name takes on a new meaning if joined to the surname. Classic examples are Ivor Biggin or Rusty Bracket.

If you want a baby name that is unique then you may want to invent one of your own, it could be an amalgamation of two other names. However, don’t make the name too wacky, it may sound good now but your child may not appreciate it when they are older. For the same reason, be careful of names that are suddenly fashionable.

You may want to look up what the name actually mean, this is especially important in say the Chinese culture where they put as much importance on the meaning of the name as to how it sounds. What may have a nice sounding name could have a very strange meaning indeed, or vice versa.

Bear in mind that a baby name can determine how they will be perceived before somebody meets them. If say you are meeting somebody called Charles or Bartholomew, you may expect them to look and speak differently to if they were called Dave or Nick. Try and pick a name which you think will suit your child and their environment.

In this day and age of email, it could also be a consideration to choose a name which isn’t hyphenated, email address can often be spelt incorrectly as it’s not always clear whether the name should be hyphened in the address or not.

Making your own baby food is easy and delicious. It is healthier and doesn’t take much time to prepare. First, start with organic vegetables, if at all possible. Get yourself a steamer and begin cooking.

Clean your vegetables thoroughly. Most baby’s love homemade carrots and sweet potatoes the best. You can also use squash, peaches or apples, whatever looks good for the season. All of these can be steamed together to make things quicker. Put some water in the bottom of your pot, put in the steamer and add cut up veggies and fruit. Steam the food until it is soft and let cool.

There is no need to season or add salt to steamed food as fruit and vegetables are naturally seasoned. Pick out any seeds or fibrous strings that could choke your baby.

Separate the steamed food and put each separately in a food processor, adding a little bottled or filtered water when needed to soften food. As your little one grows, you can leave larger bits of food in the mix. But for your baby, keep it smooth and creamy. Rinse the processor after each batch you make.

You can buy little jars or containers to use or even use ice cube trays to store your food. Freeze the steamed food in little portions so you won’t waste any during feedings. These can be thawed overnight in the refrigerator or warmed in hot water. Always mix well and stick your clean finger in the food to look for hot spots. It is not a good idea to microwave the steamed food, as it can overheat and burn your baby.

When feeding your baby, never put the spoon in a jar full of food. The saliva on the spoon will break down the food and you will have to throw out the rest.

Keep your food in the freezer by date, with the newer batches going behind the old. The food can be frozen for three months. Once you see how rich in color these steamed foods are, you will never want to go back to jarred, store-bought baby food.

There are many things that can impact your pregnancy and stress is one of the more common problems many pregnant women face. Usually minor stress is not always a bad thing to experience but prolonged stress can have a damaging effect to your pregnancy.

Here are tips that you can do to help relieve some of the stress you may be feeling:

• Do not feel that you are imposing on others when you need help. People want to help you so you should not feel afraid to let them know you can use a hand. You do not have to manage everything alone during pregnancy and if people offer to help you out and relieve some of the burden you are facing, accept it as you would a gift. You receive something of value and the person giving it to you feels a sense of enjoyment from helping out a person that they love.

• Take some time to pamper yourself as much as possible and give yourself some extra time for rest and relaxation during the week. You can go for a walk, take a long, soothing bath, spend time on your hobby or do whatever it is that you like to do that makes you feel happy. When you are happy, your baby is happy!
• I feel the most important thing you can do to relieve any type of stress you are feeling is to exercise on a regular basis. Anything you choose to do is a benefit and you should feel better about things by the end of your workout. This will also help you at night since your mind will be able to relax enough for you to fall asleep. You can swim, practice yoga or participate in a low-impact aerobics class to name just a few things that you can do.
• If you are the type of person that likes to be in control then keep in mind that there are many things during your pregnancy that will be out of your control. When you feel stressed out and you can recognize that it is because the situation is not in your control then take a moment to inhale a few large breaths or you can stop and count slowly to five or ten. Doing this will help your mind take a step back from the situation and you can approach it from a fresh perspective.
• Maintain close ties and open lines of communication with your friends and family. Since this is an emotional time for you, do not hesitate to reach out to someone for support, comfort and guidance. The more you seek the support of the people around you, the more secure you will feel and this will help you manage your stress & pregnancy.