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

A baby with diaper rash will not be shy about letting his or her parents know that they have a situation on their hands. This, along with the readily decipherable signs of the problem, does mean that it can be treated at an early stage, and hence treated effectively and decisively. Treating diaper rash is not something that takes too long, and the results tend to be swift. Of course it could be almost instantaneous and any parent would still feel that it was an eternity, but it needs to be said that a parent who has a child with diaper rash is not a bad parent at all, just unlucky.

In cases of diaper rash, it is important to change your baby even more regularly than you currently do. It is something inside the diaper that has caused it, and this same thing will either aggravate it or retard its eradication if left unchecked. Keeping your baby clean and dry will prevent the conditions in which diaper rash thrives. If your child has scope to play outside or on a surface that wipes clean, you may even leave their diaper off for a time, as the flow of air around the area will speed the healing. If you use disposable diapers, using a different brand free from fragrance and additives may also help, especially if the rash is a symptom of an allergy.

After three days the diaper rash should be more or less gone. If it still persists, then a cream for treating fungal infections will be well employed.

Finding out your pregnant is the best news of all. Well, second to hearing the grand proposal of a lifetime. After a successful wedding ceremony, hearing that your love has borne fruit is the icing on the cake. For first time expecting mothers, it is a difficult and herculean task to search and look for all the right stuff and equipment the baby will need. Moms-to-be need to list down all the things the baby would need at the soonest possible time so that little by little, each item can already be purchased and readied for the baby’s arrival. But there is another easy way to almost have it all, without getting too much headache over it. The solution is to hold a baby shower party! The only headache mom-to-be would have is the menu she would have to prepare on that day and that is easier for her.

Now the burden of searching and looking for baby stuff is passed on to the invitees. But another concern is raised. How will the baby shower go about? The best answer there is, is to have a theme that would guide the flow of the baby shower. There are several ways of choosing and deciding on a theme. Do you want it to be based on color? In case you already know the gender of the baby, pink or blue is used to universally represent a baby girl or a baby boy. Or baby items such as a pacifier or a baby bottle? How about character-themed baby shower such as the Sesame Street, Power Puff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory or the Looney Tunes? It could also be a time-of-the-day baby shower whereby each invitee is tasked to bring something the baby would need or use during that time of the day.

From www.best-baby-gift-guide.com, it suggests wonderful baby shower gift ideas such as a baby gift basket, a layette gift set, vital baby equipment, beautiful baby linen, a baby massage set, or a baby gift certificate. Each gift idea is unique. For the baby gift basket, some ideas they suggest is to create your own baby gift basket or go for the classical clothing baby gift basket where you can never go wrong. You can also go for monogrammed baby gift baskets, fun baby basket, mother and baby basket, gift basket for twins, or a pampering baby gift basket. They also have different suggestions for baby girl and baby boys. For the complete descriptions for each item, just visit their website and read on to find fantastic baby gift ideas.

Once the baby shower is finished, take stock of what is already there and not. For those items still missing from your list, make the necessary arrangments to have it readily available once the baby arrives.

Just some last few tips for a successful baby shower: hold it four to six weeks before the due date, establish a theme, write down the guest list, set the tone and size of the baby shower, plan the games, plan the menu, create baby shower party favors, and last but not the least, set the time and location, if it will not be held in your residence. Remember, baby showers are a fun way to welcome the baby that would be coming soon enough.

Author: Barry McDonald – Visit [http://www.babyinfirstyear.com] and learn things like when your baby will need to see the doctor and what immunizations she will receive. How to introduce solid foods into your baby’s diet and how to make your home safe for baby as he grows and much, more…

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

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

Quite simply, organic baby food is that which is processed without the use of artificial pesticides and/or synthetic fertilizers. While many note organic food as being either store-bought, garden grown or gathered in the wild, the correct association is certified organic foods, which are produced and labeled according to strict regulatory standards. In a number of countries, including the United States, the use of the word ‘organic’ in the commercial market, without the proper certification, is prohibited by law.

Organic baby food is most commonly found in a supermarket and will be labeled accordingly. Because of it’s nature, organic baby food is more expensive than other types. Processed organic baby food typically includes only those ingredients that are organic and has no artificial food additives. While there seem to a number of benefits to using organic baby food, the most common reason for purchasing this type of product is the overall quality. Increased nutritional value, the absence of residues from artificial pesticides and better taste are all positive benefits of organic baby food.

Organic baby food, because it is believed to be fresher, often carries an improved taste over other baby foods. Because organic farms are small, their products are most commonly sold close to home. Therefore, organic baby food and other products feature a fresher taste simply because they are fresh.

By 2003, organic food products were available in 20,000 natural food stores and 73% of commercial grocery stores. While many believe that organic baby food is helpful, others are not as certain. Some believe that farming and organic fertilization may carry it’s own risks that may be passed along in organic baby food.

The main debate lies with the better approach to manufacturing organic food. Is it more healthy to use artificial and synthetic products in food processing or natural fertilizer and organic farming methods? There are both sides to any debate and the questions surrounding organic baby food is no different. There is legitimate concern over contamination and safety of organic food and products, but an exact determination as to which side of the table is right has yet to be decided.

The information in this article is to be used for informational purposes. It should not be considered as, or used in conjunction with, professional medical advice or recommended feeding for your infant, toddler or young child. Prior to beginning any food preparation involving the use of organic baby food, consult your child’s physician for additional information and/or a recommendation regarding the use of organic baby food as part of your child’s food intake.

About the Author: A. Pruder – Want to learn more about organic baby food? Make sure you visit our site at: http://www.organic-baby-food-guide.info for access to additional organic baby food tips and information.

Article Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com

The mother of a baby is the most busy person on earth, when she is not very gathered about her daily routine vis-à-vis the baby.

Breast feeding

Everyday she has to bother about the baby’s feeding, sleeping, clothing, changing and bathing. It is the best to feed your own milk to the child. Please do not forget to give her the first milk of yours because that would contain colostrums, which is vital for the immune system of the child. Mother’s milk will always create the body resistance and the child will be a healthy one in future.

When you are breast feeding your child, the food that causes problems in your body may be communicated to the baby as well. Foods that cause gas or cold should be avoided or the baby will have uncomfortable state or congestion.

Bottle feeding

If you are bottle-feeding your baby for some reasons, then make sure that the bottles are well sterilized and clean. Scrub them with washing liquids. Boil them for 25 minutes to kill unwanted organism that may have developed in it due to the fermenting milk. Steam sterilizer and cold sterilizer methods are also there, about which one has to consult with an expert and should see to it that those are readily available in the market.

Baby sleeping

The materials needed to put the baby to sleep are a good, firm mattress, sheets and blankets. Keep one feet distance from the nostril range of the baby if you are lying along with your baby on the same bed. There should not be unnecessary clothing or clothes around the baby’s body and bed which may cause temperature rise and heating. The baby is not going to talk about it, and you should be sensitive enough to remove the body coverings as much as possible. There should be a mosquito net, or at least a netted covering around the baby to keep away the flies and the mosquitoes.

Clothing

Summer clothes should be light cotton ones. When the baby is taken out, make sure that his head does not get the direct sun. In winter, there may be sweaters, trousers and other woolens.

Changing

The baby’s diapers should be regularly changed. The intervals should be fixed according to the baby’s routine of potting and wetting. Despite the routine, the baby may need changing because of untimely nature calls at times. It is the baby’s right to feel dry at every moment. See to it that the bed is not wetted and the smelly clothes and bed sheets are removed.

Bathing

The baby needs a mouth washing with cotton. A bath tub large enough to hold it and is easy to wash should be made available. The baby should enjoy the water which can be assessed if leg splashing which is very distinct. The baby should be rubbed with baby oil and baby cream. The nail clippers should be used at bath time. After bath, the baby should be thoroughly dried and should be applied with a baby powder.

Immunization

The baby should be immunized against Small Pox & Measles with BCG within 3 months of its age. The first DPT (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Psertussis, Polio, HIB, Meningitis C) is due within the first 2 months followed by the 2nd and the 3rd one at one month intervals. The MMR vaccination against Measles, Mumps and Rubella should be done within 1 years of age. The boosters should be taken after the baby is 4 years old.

Training and Education

Though regular training and teaching should not be started before the age of three years, the child’s habits and sense of discipline is cultivated through the discipline the mother maintains. When the mother is calm against odds like the baby fever, or baby dysentery while making sure of the treatments, the child gets the idea to be calm against disastrous times.

The most important babycare tip

The parents should find enough time to spend with the baby.

Author: Tania Jain writes on baby care and baby items, pregnancy week by week and beauty tips.

Article Source: http://www.articleworld.net/articles/8080/1/Baby-Care-Tips

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

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. For all that we may fear the onset of diaper rash in our children, there is no certainty of absolute and total prevention – but there is a lot that can be done to make it far less likely, and it revolves mostly around keeping your baby dry and clean as far as is possible. Your baby will not be shy about letting you know when it is in any discomfort. This can prevent diaper rash from developing, but would obviously not be a way of preventing it before it begins.

The prevention of diaper rash is something that requires no small amount of diligence, as well as some luck. But there are some simple rules which can make the process a lot more straightforward. Firstly, you must change your baby’s diaper as soon as it is obviously soiled. This will prevent the infection from having somewhere to live. In the same spirit, it is important to clean your baby in the affected area after it has become soiled. Allowing the area to dry before putting on a fresh nappy is essential. A thin layer of ointment on the affected area will kill off germs while preventing others from taking hold. And applying the fresh diaper loosely will give room for the skin to breathe. Finally when your baby moves on to solid foods you should take a few days between introducing new items. This will help you determine if the infection is down to a food allergy.

Written by Linda L Kinyon (AKA:Countrymom)
CWAHM who enjoys time with my family,freelance writing, gardening and more. Available for hire please send me a msg. Please visit my website www.freewebs.com/countrymom1

Article source: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1494322/preventing_diaper_rash.html?cat=25

There are no small amount of health scares that persist in this day and age – as adults we see them ourselves in cases of epidemics and “epidemics”, some of which are credible and some which are, to be charitable, less than helpful. In the case of babies’ health there is no less controversy, and there have been more than a few scares that have been shown to be unfounded. This has the highly unfortunate and undesirable effect of making people naturally skeptical, which can cause harmful indecision in times of genuine illness. Pediatricians are understanding and well-trained, so if you have a cause for concern it is worth taking it up with them.

One example of scare mongering having a negative effect is one that happened in Britain, when a medical paper written collaboratively by several doctors included a single line that raised the possibility that the MMR vaccination that had been in circulation for quite some time may be linked to autism in children. Although this line was written by one doctor, who had not even definitively claimed that the link was real and provable, the national press picked up on it and made it into a huge story. Although the other doctors involved in the study distanced themselves from the claim and it emerged that no evidence existed for any such link, the press had their story, and many parents were understandably reluctant to have their child immunised with the vaccine. When it comes down to it, getting medical advice from the media is not advisable.

Author: BabyCareCorner.com
Article Source: PLR Articles

Way back when in the days of Home Ec, one favorite class was ‘how to diaper baby’. Turning a flat piece of absorbent cotton into a comfortable, well-fitting nappy was a trick that seemed to require the dexterity and legerdemain of a trained magician. Worse, diapering the baby clumsily came with the very real fear of jabbing a squirming infant with a diaper pin. Generations of mommies suffered pinpricked fingers rather than risk a scratch to baby’s delicate skin.

All that changed with the advent of disposable diapers. Even the unfitted, flat, uncomfortable first generation disposables were worlds above typical cloth diapers for convenience and ease of use. Just unfold the back, pull the plastic up between the baby’s legs and smooth it against his belly, and tape the back to the front. Voila! Instant diaper. Even better – no need for washing. No dirty diapers soaking in a pail of borax. No smell, no fuss, no laundry service – just un-tape, wrap the diaper up and toss it in the trash.

For mothers of my generation, Pampers was the dividing line between ‘back then’ and now. I can’t count the number of mothers, grandmothers, aunts and older female relatives who started off a tale with ‘Of course, we never had Pampers, WE had to…”

The advantages were obvious: disposables were cleaner, more sanitary, more convenient. They did away with hours and hours of laundering and drying, making time for lots of other things. If you were the least bit conscious of disposal, you could completely eliminate the dirty-diaper smell – just wrap it up tight in a plastic bag in put it in the OUTSIDE trash. And no more wrestling with a squirming baby while you tried to pin his nappy closed, nor having the whole thing slip off his adorable little butt because you missed a layer of cloth when pinning.

The disadvantages were not so readily apparent, but they were nonetheless real. The major point against disposable diapers is a potent one: disposable diapers may be great for mother, but they put an enormous strain on Mother Earth. Some facts:

* Over 19 billion disposable diapers annually end up in landfills – where they do not degrade.

* Disposable diaper makers use more than a million tons of wood pulp every year.

* The manufacturing process creates waste that contains dioxins, heavy metals and industrial solvents.

In a world with limited resources, disposable diapers consume resources and create pollutants and hazardous chemicals. Is the convenience worth the damage to the Earth?

On the face of it, the debate does seem to be one more instance of man – in this case mommies – putting their own convenience above what’s best for the world.

But there’s yet another side to the debate – disposable diaper.