Baby Care

Archive for December, 2009

If you have a pet, especially a dog, before you are going to bring home baby there is some caution to be taken depending upon the breed of the dog.

Most dogs integrate happily with a new baby and it is up to the parents to be sure that baby is welcomed home by everyone in the household.

Before Baby’s Arrival

While the baby is still at the hospital it is a good idea to bring home a blanket that the baby has slept on while in the nursery.
This gives your pet a chance to get a whiff of the new member of the family. When the baby comes home the dog will already be familiar with the baby’s scent.

When Baby Comes Home

Your baby will threaten your dog’s place in the pack and you must do all you can to show the dog that you can still love him and the baby as well. When you are feeding baby don’t chase the dog away.
Let him lie at your feet or sit near you so you can pet him while baby is being nourished. Some dogs will welcome a baby happily while others will regard the new arrival with suspicion.

Experts recommend that in the weeks before the baby is to arrive you begin to spend less time with your dog so that they will not be surprised that you are not at their beck and call as before.

Many people feel that showering the dog with affection before the baby comes home is the way to do it but that will only cause resentment when baby comes home and the attention they were receiving is cut off.

Your Friendly Fido

If your dog has any behavioral problems that may affect the baby in a negative way it is best to take care of them before baby comes home.
You can hire a dog trainer and explain what is happening and they will guide you through the steps to make the baby’s arrival a happy occasion for everyone.
You don’t have to give up a pet just because a new baby is coming home. Love grows and moms and dads and pretty soon babies will be playing, loving and bonding for their lifetimes together.

Contact an animal expert if you have any concerns about your pet and your new baby so that you can have peace of mind when the time comes for Fido and baby to meet in person.

Babies cry. It is a simple fact of life.

A lot of this has to do with the fact that crying is the only way the baby has to communicate with you that something is wrong.

Here are six tips to soothe crying babies.

1. Address the problem.

Try to figure out why your baby is crying and address the problem.
Does baby’s diaper need changing? Is she hungry? Is she tired? Is she sick? While all cries may sound alike to you at first, if you pay attention you will soon discover that cries that mean different things have different sounds.
A high shrill cry, for example, usually means pain, while a whining cry is usually more indicative of being tired. The better you can understand your baby’s problems and address them, the less your baby will cry.

2. Cuddle baby closely.

Before your baby was born, she was in a small space, and felt your touch all around her. Let her experience that same closeness now by cuddling with her.
Try swaddling her in a blanket. Let her feel your touch, and smell your smell. Your baby is uniquely attuned to her mother, and she will be comforted by close contact with you.

3. Rock your baby.

When you were pregnant, your baby was used to the frequent movements of your body. Your baby will still be soothed by movement. Try rocking your baby, or patting her gently in a rhythmic fashion.
If you have a birth ball, try sitting on the ball and gently bouncing up and down. Babies who like movement and physical closeness often do quite well when worn in a baby sling.
Baby might also like going outside for a walk, weather permitting, either in a carriage, baby carrier or sling, or even a stroller. There are a number of seats for babies that rock or swing that can be used indoors.

4. Sing to baby.

There’s a reason lullabies are so popular: babies love the sound of a human voice. Your baby spent many months listening to the sound of your voice before she was born. She will be comforted by your voice now.
Try singing to her, whether it is a lullaby or just your favorite rock song at a slower tempo. Right now it’s the voice, not the words that are soothing to her. You can also just talk to her in a reassuring voice, and making soothing sounds.

5. White out.

The womb is a noisy place. Babies hear a lot of thumping and whooshing, which makes white noise a natural soother.
Consider using a white noise machine, a small fan (aimed away from baby), a machine that produces atmospheric effects like rain or surf, or even playing a CD of appropriate sounds.
There are even special baby toys that reproduce womb sounds that some babies find very soothing. Some moms swear by running the vacuum cleaner or washing machine!

6. Pucker up.

Babies have an instinctive need to suck. Try offering your baby your breast if you are breastfeeding, or a bottle.
Your baby may not need a full meal; she may just be thirsty. You can also try a pacifier to help meet baby’s needs for comfort sucking.

When you think for babies bedding at first you have to choose a perfect room. Your baby’s room must be hygienic and ensure day light is available. The room should be a center place where everyone can monitor the room easily for your baby’s security. Safety is the most important part when you plan to decorate babies room with different sorts of furniture, various essential accessories and other home equipment. You should buy the best one for babies as your budget to ensure the baby feels more comfortable.

When you design or decorate baby’s room you cannot think imagine it without a crib. You may also purchase easy chair, table, dressers, diaper holder, toy boxes, wastebaskets, clocks, nightlights, clothes hamper etc. when you decorate any baby’s room, put the crib in the center of the room and other furniture set up all around it so baby can easily get all set-up around it.

Babies spend most of their time sleeping. Therefore bedding play more vital role than toys and other furniture. For baby’s bedding  it is better to choose cotton material or fabric because cotton is helpful for human skin and body as well as its comfortable for babies. Cotton beddings are easy to wash and comfortable to carrying and its durability is longer than others. You may use mattress, which should be firm not hard and it should fit in the crib tightly. It must be adjustable to pick up your baby easily. You may use special water proof cover to protect bedding. On the other hand, always keep in your mind that all the furniture, walls, and bed sheet must be in same color combination because it gives babies more pleasure and comfort but you may use different type of color combination as your requirement.

A newborn baby’s skin is very sensitive and susceptible to becoming dry and irritated.

Daily skin care will keep your baby comfortable and clean, without irritating her sensitive skin.

The best time to care for your baby’s skin is either when you are dressing the baby in the morning, changing the baby, or getting ready to put the baby to bed for the night.

Some babies find their skin care routine or bathing stimulating, others find it relaxing.

See what works best for your baby and time their skin care accordingly. While your baby won’t need a bath every day, your baby will need skin care every day.

You will need a bowl of clean, lukewarm water, a towel, and a baby washcloth. Make sure the room where you are cleaning baby is warm so that baby will not become chilled.

Some babies enjoy having their clothes removed, while others don’t. If your baby does not like having her clothing removed, undress and redress her in stages. If your baby likes being naked, just make sure that she stays warm.

Begin by cleaning your baby’s face. Using the warm water, dampen the baby washcloth. Gently clean around baby’s eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

Be sure to clean baby’s scalp, and carefully clean the baby’s neck and chin, where there may be many folds of skin. Using the towel, dry baby’s head and face. You can use cotton swabs to clean baby’s ears, but do not insert them into baby’s ears, or any other orifice.

The next step is to clean baby’s chest, underarms, arms and hands. Pay special attention to any skin creases. Again, dry baby as soon as you are finished, and keep baby covered with the towel so that she stays warm. If your baby still has her umbilical stump, avoid getting it wet. If you do, pat it dry gently. The cord itself does not need to be washed.

Next, clean baby’s legs and feet, paying special attention to skin creases and tiny toes. Again, dry baby right away and keep baby covered with the towel to stay warm.

Finally, remove baby’s diaper and clean baby’s genitals and bottom. Dry baby, apply diaper cream, baby lotion or baby powder as desired, and replace baby’s diaper.

Right after baby’s bath is a good time to apply baby lotion or oil and do a bit of baby massage if you are so inclined. Just make sure to be gentle, and do not let baby become chilled.

After applying baby lotion or powder if desired, put baby into clean clothes. This is also a good time to gently brush baby’s hair.

It is a good idea to get your baby used to oral hygiene early. Using a clean, damp washcloth, gently clean your baby’s gums.

Breastfeeding is so highly recommended by doctors and specialists, but a lot of moms don’t do it. And most of us don’t think why many moms don’t do it.

Do you ever think about working moms? One of the challenges of going back to work after baby is breastfeeding. If they don’t know the proper way or arrangement time of breast feeding then their baby may go into weak health condition. But following a proper way, if you’ve gone back to work or school full time, you can still breastfeed your baby. Talk to your employer before your baby is born. Request your employer to provide break times and private space to express milk. In various working places there have special place and scope for breast feeding. If breastfeeding at work is not an option for you, there are a variety of breastfeeding alternatives available.

* If you live very close to your work, or if you have a relative near your place of working, you can breastfeed your baby during your lunch hour and keep bottles of milk for other feedings throughout the day.
* You can find a day care centre near your place of service. And can do the same things.
* If these two are not possible then you must need preservation of your milk.
1. Buy a breast pump. This will give you the suppleness to maintain your milk supply and also feel connected to your baby even when you’re away. Electronic pumps can be a great choice. One of the most important savings you can create if you are going to carry on breast feeding while working is in a good breast pump. You can store this milk in the refrigerator.
2. Fresh refrigerated breast milk can be used for up to 48 hours after its expression. Don’t waste it by leaving it out at normal temperature.
3. Make it warm before feeding, but never use a microwave oven to defrost breast milk.
4. Throw away any defrosted and warmed breast milk that the baby doesn’t drink.
5. Try to regulate your timetable in order that you are pumping at approximately the same time every day. This will assist to prevent leakage at mistimed times when you are in the office.
6. But always keep in mind, feed infants with expressed milk using a clean and sterilized bottle.
* After returning home, breastfeed your baby as soon as possible