Based on your baby’s health and size, the pediatrician at the hospital will generally be able to help you work out a feeding schedule for them. This is important, especially for first-time parents, as getting the hang of feeding at the right time and in the right way can be a hit and miss process, and with a lot of other things to keep track of it will make a big difference in terms of your quality of life. You can be the most devoted parent in the world, but you will need your own sleep and down time in order to really make it count. This is no criticism, just a fact of life.

As things stand, a baby normally wants to eat fairly regularly, but there are special cases that can make the usual advice a little bit less useful. In these cases, you will have to work to make things tick over in the way you want them to. For example, you may not be producing milk in quite the way that you would hope. This is not through lack of intent or effort on your part, but because the human body is a complicated organism that often does not do what you want it to. The pediatrician will be worth their weight in gold in this respect.

With your intent and good will, and the advice of experienced individuals, you will become completely au fait with the best way of doing things and, before too long, the regularity which makes any process easier will kick in, so you can get on to the enjoyable aspects of parenting.

If you’re looking for a creative and different way to honor new moms- and dads-to-be and help them get ready for their baby, consider throwing a baby safety shower instead of the usual “blankets and snugglies” shower.

Traditional baby showers are great fun and they offer new parents an opportunity to prepare their “nests” for the arrival of a new baby. Usually a baby shower is intended to give new parents a leg up in acquiring essential items like baby clothing, bath supplies, bottles or nursing equipment, toys and games, and special blankets or other treasures like silver cups. I’ve always viewed baby showers as one of the best ways that a community can come together around the birth of a new child. It reminds me of one of the best aspects of the “old days” when a town, village, or neighborhood considered the birth and caring for a new child its responsibility, too.

A baby safety shower is in keeping with these old communitarian traditions. It’s more than just fun and games, it’s really a learning experience for the whole community where all the activities revolve around baby and home safety. Parents and caregivers certainly have a great time, but they also leave with a higher awareness of ways to keep their new babies safe at home.

The shower’s theme may focus on a variety of safety issues (see the Baby Safety Checklist below), including child-proofing one’s home, nutrition or health. Also, you can arrange a baby safety shower for as many people as you can fit in your party space. At bigger safety showers, all of the moms and dads in attendance–not just the couple being honored–can visit a variety of exhibits where safety-savvy parents illustrate home safety information with games, puzzles, songs, prizes, and other activities. At smaller showers, it might work better to have one person lead the group in discussions and safety games.

Usually baby showers involve a collection of family and friends of the new parents, but safety showers are also a good way to create and promote partnerships within the broader community. By offering, for example, to distribute baby products donated by local stores, or by providing information from local community health service providers, you can enhance your ties with the local business community and build your relationships with local health and social service organizations. All this creates goodwill in your community and it provides your invited parents with welcome information, products, and services.

Use your creativity to create a baby safety shower for your personal situation. The key to throwing a safety shower that will be rewarding for all involved is providing important safety information in a festive and inviting setting. So–have fun, and learn about the all-important matter of better safety practices for your household.

BABY SAFETY CHECKLIST

The guidelines below were developed by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It’s important to remember that, while these standards are based on sound principles, certain parents may disagree with some of them. For example, the bedroom guidelines state that a baby should never sleep in the same bed as an adult. However, from the Attachment Parenting perspective, sleeping with one’s baby is considered an important aspect of bonding and is even believed to possibly lower the incidence of SIDS. Therefore, I recommend using the following guidelines as just that, guidelines, which should be examined carefully in light of your own views and beliefs about baby care giving. Always consult your pediatrician if in doubt of the best way to proceed.

Baby Safety Checklist

In the bedroom:

Put your baby to sleep on her back in a crib with a firm, flat mattress and no soft bedding underneath her. Follow this advice to reduce the risk of suffocation and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). To prevent suffocation, never put babies to sleep on adult beds.

Make sure your baby’s crib is sturdy and has no loose or missing hardware. This will prevent babies suffocating or strangling by becoming trapped between broken crib parts.

Never place your baby’s crib or furniture near window blind or curtain cords. This will prevent babies from strangling on the loop of the cord. To prevent falls, keep children away from windows.

In the bathroom:

Keep medicines and cleaning products in containers with safety caps and locked away from children. This will prevent children from being poisoned.

Always check bath water temperature with your wrist or elbow before putting your baby in to bathe. This will prevent burns to a baby’s delicate skin.

Never, ever, leave your child alone in the bathtub or near any water. This will prevent children from drowning. In addition, keep children away from all standing water, including water in toilets, 5-gallon buckets, and pools.

In the kitchen:

Don’t leave your baby alone in a highchair; always use all safety straps. This will prevent injuries and deaths from the baby climbing out, falling, or sliding under the tray. Be sure to use safety straps in strollers and baby swings.

Use your stove’s back burners and keep pot handles turned to the back of the stove. This will prevent deaths and injuries from burns. In addition, keep children away from tablecloths, so they can’t pull down hot foods or liquids on themselves.

Lock household cleaning products, knives, matches, and plastic bags away from children. This will prevent poisonings, bleeding injuries, burns, and suffocation.

In other living areas:

Install smoke detectors on each floor of your home, especially near sleeping areas; change the batteries each year. This will prevent deaths and injuries from fires.

Use safety gates to block stairways and safety plugs to cover electrical outlets. This will prevent injuries from falls and electric shocks.

Keep all small objects, including tiny toys and balloons, away from young children. This will prevent choking and possible death.

Additional Information and Resources

If you would like more information about baby safety or about how to organize a baby safety shower, including specific tips on planning, organizing, and coordinating one, please write to the Office of Information and Public Affairs, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, DC 20207. The article above was adapted from a report prepared by the Product Safety Commission.

Author: Scott Corbett is a writer, entrepreneur, and father of two. Please visit his designer baby blankets and baby bedding store at http://www.sleepytimestore.com and check out his parenting blog at http://www.babytalkblog.org .

Article Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com/articles/Scott-Corbett-1151/baby-6882.php

With a newborn baby in the house, especially if it is your first, there is so much to learn that you simply cannot replicate with classes, books and additional parenting aids. Every baby that is born will have its own unique traits, and although you can learn a lot from other parents, from books, from TV and a wealth of other sources, there is always the fact that what works with one baby may not necessarily work with another. However, this should not be viewed as an apocalyptic warning. As a parent, you will learn quickly how to deal with your baby, and they will form an attachment to you.

The question of how often to feed a baby is one that often arises for new parents. With regard to how often they need feeding, it seems to differ slightly but is generally between two and three hours between feeds. At this stage of their life, any baby is programmed to sleep for short periods and awaken to be fed at such intervals. This is why parents will talk about sleepless nights at the early stage of parenthood. As the child grows older, they will of course begin to go longer between meals, but at an early age, with no ability to articulate their needs nor understand what people are saying, they will find their own way to make things clear to you. This regularity of needing to be fed is why many parents keep the baby in the same bed as them in the early stages.

Author: BabyCareCorner.com
Article Source: PLR Articles

Initially, your baby will want to feed between eight and twelve times a day. This is because it has a very small stomach and can only eat a small amount at a time and – as you will become aware very quickly – it will process the food very quickly into its diaper. As he or she grows, however, so will their stomach and the time between meals will become longer. As a parent, the most welcome effect of this is that they will begin to wake less often in the night wishing to be fed. However, real life is never so simple, so you may have a few false starts before you eventually reach the stage where your child is not waking you most nights.

Part of this process is weaning your child. There will inevitably be some resistance from the baby in this respect. They have become attuned to being fed at a certain time each night, and a change in this routine will be an unwelcome one – they are babies after all, and the concept of change is in a lot of respects a completely alien one for them. Sooner or later it has to happen, and the best way to ensure it is a success is to schedule things so that they are fed shortly before you go to bed for the night – thus hopefully encouraging them to sleep through to the morning.

As your baby grows, you will find that they can eat more at one sitting, so take advantage of this by making each meal time more thorough and letting them eat their fill each time.

To give your baby a decent bath there are a few things that you must stick to, aside from which you have more or less free rein to do as you wish. The potential for mishaps is taken as read, and no parent will want to take undue risks when washing their baby, so staying away from those is more or less self-explanatory. For simplicity, it is necessary simply to avoid lifting the baby too much – soap and water do not make for easy handling, and dropping your child is a constant and terrifying fear for parents – prevention is, in this case, a straightforward matter.

In the first six months of your baby’s life, a water depth level of approximately five inches will be fine. The temperature should be somewhere in the region of body temperature – slightly above is best (around 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit) as the water will cool from the moment it is in contact with the bath. You can then put your baby in the bath, using one hand to hold up his or her neck and head and avoid it getting bumped. You then wash him or her with a soft handcloth and a small amount of soap. Moistened cotton wool should be used to clean their face, and to moisten any dried mucus before wiping that away.

Rinsing away all soap and any remaining dirt requires a clean facecloth, and then you can dry him or her with a small towel which you can use to wrap him or her. Then you can use a mild moisturizer in order to keep his or her skin soft.

If you are out and about on the move with your baby, there is every chance that you will need to change their diaper at some point – it is not ideal, as anyone will tell you, to change a diaper in a setting that is outside your home, but sometimes it is simply unavoidable. In this respect, you will need to be prepared. Any trip that you make out of doors with your child will need to be planned with a good deal of awareness of what it takes. The first thing to be aware of is that you will need to take quite a few things, but they need to be easily portable – so taking just the right amount is crucial.

Firstly, you will obviously need a clean diaper. Ideally, before going out you will have changed your baby to put on a disposable diaper. The reason for this is one of disposal, as throwing away a soiled cloth diaper means you have one less in your rotation, but carrying it around is of course less than desirable. Also for disposal, you may want to carry a bag – not indispensable, but nicer for whoever has to empty the garbage pail in which you dispose of the diaper. As well as this, some moist wipes will help with cleaning your baby’s affected area. A change of clothes is also advisable, in case the old diaper has leaked and soiled the outer clothing. The change should, of course, take place in a public washroom for reasons of privacy and practicality.

When choosing a baby carrier you have two basic options. These two options include the standard baby carriers that often resemble a backpack (worn on either the back or front) or the baby sling. More often than not, a parent may select the traditional style baby carrier because they are not sure about the many benefits a baby sling can provide. Another drawback is that since many parents aren’t familiar with the baby sling, they may not feel it is secure enough to hold their baby. However, baby slings can be just as secure as a traditional baby carrier, yet hold many more benefits in the long run.

One of the main benefits of a baby sling is the way the baby is positioned close to their parent as opposed to the backpack style of carry that the typical baby carriers offer. The sling carry is more convenient for infants who need constant attention. Being close to mom or dad offers that special bonding time while allowing the parent to tend to her daily routines such as housework or taking care of older children in the home as well.

Another huge benefit of the baby sling is the way they help alleviate back pain for mom or dad. Parents know that carrying around their little one can wreak havoc on the back, causing back pain or irritating an already existing problem. Since the baby sling distributes the baby’s weight more evenly, you are less likely to position your lower back in uncomfortable positions to accommodate the weight of your baby. The traditional carriers often mean carrying your infant on your back and after a couple of hours, you will begin to feel the discomfort on your lower back. The baby sling will help reduce back discomfort enough to where it may not even be an issue.

The best benefit of all when it comes to the baby sling is the closeness you will have with your young one. Infants need the constant touch and attention from their mom or dad. Being close to your child at this early stage of their lives is not spoiling the child which is a common myth. This closeness and bonding is a critical time for both parent and baby. Rather then leaving your infant alone in their crib to fuss or cry while you do housework, you can spend that time bonding.

Other little benefits include the calming effect of being carried regularly. This can prove beneficial if your baby is colic and is extremely fussy and crying. You may find that carrying your baby in a baby sling actually decreases the amount of crying on a daily basis. Your baby will also benefit from being up and about, rather than lying in a crib all day. Your baby will be more alert, reacting to the things around you both such as interacting with others or noticing new sounds and colors.

A typical baby carrier cannot offer these types of benefits. While they are great for long treks around town, they cannot offer the same closeness and face to face interaction with your infant that a baby sling can.

Author: BabyCareCorner.com

Article Source: PLR Articles

Breastfeeding is without any doubt the most excellent means to nourish your newly born baby. It has got a lot of benefits as compared to feeding with a bottle and barely any drawbacks.

1. Fat provides the calories necessary for growth and essential nutrients required for brain function. And Fat contains the vitamins A,D and E, which are essential to many of our bodies; processes. When babies are breast fed, over 50 percent of calories come from fat.

2. Calcium and other important nutrients in human milk are also better utilized by babies.

3. Antigens in cow’s milk can cause allergic reactions in a newborn baby, whereas such reactions to human milk are rare.

4. Human milk also promotes growth, largely due to the presence of certain hormones and growth factors.

5. Breast fed babies have a very low risk of developing meningitis or severe blood infections, and have a 500 to 600 percent lower risk of getting childhood lymphoma. Breast fed babies also suffer 50 percent fewer middle ear infections.

6. Research also indicates that breast fed babies are less likely to become obese children. Bottle-fed children have far higher concentrations of insulin, the chemical that stimulates the laying down of fat cells. Obesity in childhood is known to be a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease in later life.

7. Studies have found that infants who were breast fed have much lower rates of ear infections, rashes, diarrhea, allergies, hospital admissions and other medical problems than babies that were fed formula.

8. The infant will get a sense of security from this and will form a better attachment with the mother. Nursing is a source of comfort and warmth to a baby.

9. Breastfeeding helps moms lose weight and get back to their pre-pregnancy size.

10. Breast milk is free — you save a lot of money not having to buy formula. And it is readily available.

11. Breastfeeding is effective in combating postpartum depression

12. Colostrum is the first food available to breastfeeding newborns, and is tailor-made to meet the nutritional needs of newborn infants, breastfeeding babies do not require the large volumes of fluid required for bottle-fed babies during the first few days of life.

13. Colostrum also contains high concentrations of antibodies called immunoglobulins which protect them against bacteria and viral infections.

The decision to breast-feed is yours. Take at least as much time to learn about breastfeeding as you did when you picked out your babies crib; more if you can spare it. Arm yourself with knowledge and then make a decision. Only you can decide if breastfeeding is right for you family.

Author: Farrell Seah – Click Here to Find Out More About Bovine Colostrum At : http://www.BuyBovineColostrum.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Farrell_Seah

In the early days with a new baby, a new mother will often feel a bit daunted by the idea of breast feeding, and may struggle with the decision over when to use the bottle and when to use the breast. As the saying goes, “breast is best”. This is true in that there are more natural nutrients in breast milk than will ever be found in bottled formula, and it enables the baby to grow up in better health than would otherwise be possible. There is, it goes without saying, some drawback to this. But there are drawbacks to everything, and it is how you address them that is really important.

A baby will require feeding at regular intervals, and for a mother who is breast feeding this can present a few interesting challenges. For one, there is always the concern of whether the baby will need to be fed while you are out for one reason r another. Breast feeding in public is still frowned upon by many, and in some places you will be asked to leave if you do it. This limits where you can go and what you can do, and although you can express breast milk to be served from a bottle, this affects the temperature.

Additionally, some mothers feel that breast feeding causes unreasonable pain in the nipples. Expressing milk is a partial answer to this, but achieving the right temperature is only part of the problem there. Some people feel that feeding directly from the breast is the only way to establish the closeness that a mother and baby should have – anything less and you will have to deal with people asking you why you are not doing it, and regardless of your reasons they will keep doing so.

Author: BabyCareCorner.com
Article Source: PLR Article

Preparing for any special occasion takes a lot of forethought and organization. A baby shower planning guide is the ideal tool for keeping all of the details in order while working towards creating a very special event. This helpful party organizer should be the very first item you buy.

The host of the shower has a lot of responsibilities and a lot of decisions to make. Sometimes having too many ideas and options can be very confusing. In order to streamline the process, the party planner can use a baby shower planning guide to keep focus.

Without the party guide, the planner may find herself swirling around too many different ideas, each of which is equally appealing. However, this may lead to the even wandering off in to many directions. There are so many wonderful details to consider that it takes an organizational tool to keep things in line.

The first thing that the planner will request is a general theme. One problem that many party organizers face is having too many attractive options. For example, the theme of the party might be Precious Moments. This is a lovely theme for such an event but there are also distractions that may occur.

The Precious Moments theme is available in plates, napkins and other baby shower party supplies. An organizing tool can help you keep in line with this theme. Without one, you may find that you are drawn to a number of different party favors and decorations that are appealing but do not fit the general theme.

In addition to keeping with a theme, the baby shower planning guide will also help you make some very important decisions. Some showers are thrown a couple months before the baby arrives while some are given after the baby is born. There are benefits to each of these approaches and it is best to get a feel for what the mother-to-be prefers.

Of course, including in the organizational party book is the guest list. This can be a tricky undertaking especially if the celebration is going to be a surprise. Finding addresses and phone numbers can be time consuming. The organizing tool is ideal for keeping this information in order.

The organizer will also help you create a doable menu, choose party favors and work within a realistic timeframe. The very first step in planning this kind of special event is the purchase of a baby shower planning guide.

Author: BabyCareCorner.com

Article Source: PLR Articles