Baby Skin Care

Baby Skin Care

Your infant’s soft skin is super sensitive. Here’s advice on how to care for it.

Massage Moments 

Massage can act as tactile stimulation and what better than mom’s touch. Wash your hands and use gentle strokes, says  Dr Neelam Kler, chariman, Pediatrics, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. She recommends cold pressed coconut or olive oil. Give a massage half to one hour before bath.

Bath Basics

Keep baby’s bath short and quick. "Use warm to tepid bath water. You may not need soap except to clean up private parts," says Dr Preeta Mathur, consultant, Pediatrics, Columbia Asia Hospital, Pune. Wrap your baby in a sof towel and dab dry. Use a lotion only if you fnd the baby’s skin dry, says Kler. Try Pigeon Baby Milky Lotion, Cetaphil Baby Lotion, Sebamed Baby Lotion. Talcum powders aren't necessary.

Dress Right

Dress baby in soft hosiery cotton clothes that are buttoned on the front. In winter, woollen clothes should be worn over it to avoid skin rashes.

Diaper Drama

Diaper rash is caused by dampness combined with irritation. "Check your baby’s diaper every 2-3 hours, remove soiled ones immediately, pat her bottom dry and let her spend some diaper-free time to let her bottom breathe," says Kler. Use cloth nappies as far as possible. Wash them in a gentle detergent, rinse well and let them dry in the sun. Also, keep the area hygienic. "As far as possible, clean the area with a gentle stream of tepid water each time your baby poops. Else, use  a soft, damp cloth to wipe it clean," adds Mathur.  Let the area dry before you tie on the nappy. "Diaper rash cream is prescribed to treat a rash," says Mathur.

Baby Products

Babies need minimal products because their skin is naturally soft and clear. "Get perfume-free, pH-neutral products," says Kler. "Anti-bacterial soaps and products, unless prescribed, are a no-no." Watch for allergic reactions (skin rash) even when using baby care products.
From : PREVENTION Magazine

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Baby Feeding Bottles - Dangers of BPA, Bisphenol A

Baby Feeding Bottles - Dangers of BPA, Bisphenol A

BPA, also known as Bisphenol A, is a toxic chemical found in many popular plastic baby feeding bottles that can affect the developmental, neural, and reproductive structures of you baby. Now I’m not trying to scare you but you should be concerned. After all, your baby deserves to grow up in a healthy environment.

There has been much debate about this chemical but there isn’t any reason to take the chance. Research has shown that certain plastics break down and leach BPA in to any liquids or foods it comes in contact with. The U.S. Center for disease control and prevention found that BPA was present in over 90% of the people they tested. But that’s not all. They also found that Bisphenol A in humans is in a higher concentration than the animal studies conducted that lead to cancers, bad immune systems, early onset of puberty, obesity, diabetes, and other problems.

So what are the options? The good news is that there are brands that make BPA free baby feeding bottles. Here are a few plastic bottles for you to consider:

Medela Baby Bottles - They have always made with baby bottles BPA free. They are good for breast milk storage and formula. Really, these are the “all in one” type bottle.

ThinkBaby Bottles - Not only are they BPA free, they are also lead, nitrosamines, and pythalates free. They’ve mimicked a breast by using a larger base which is convenient for your baby when switching over. They even have a venting system built in to the nipples.

Playtex Drop-Ins - These are BPA free and disposable. Again, they contain many features as the previous two.

But what if you don’t want to use plastic all together? Glass is the perfect alternative. At first you might think this is dangerous but I assure you, they are perfectly save and you may prefer them after you’ve used them. Glass baby feeding bottles are built with babies in mind. They are definitely strong but can be a bit hard to handle, especially for a newborn baby. To avoid accidents, we recommend purchasing a silicone cover. This not only will give the glass some gripping surface, but it will help protect the glass from accidental drops.

Evenflo and Dr. Brown bother make glass feeding bottles so you don’t have to be concerned about chemicals leaching in to your baby’s diet.

Now that we have uncovered BPA and some alternatives to avoid it, we can check off one less thing to worry about. Remember to check online for information about your baby feeding bottles to see if there is a potential problem. Now it’s time to worry about more important things!
Read More :  Baby Feeding Tips

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Baby Feeding Tips - Baby Care Baby Love

Baby Feeding Tips - Baby Care Baby Love

Feeding your baby doesn’t just mean pouring formula or milk in to a bottle and letting them have at it. There are other things to consider so let’s look at some baby feeding tips below:

a)    Before you feed your baby, change his or her diaper. This will allow them to become a bit more energetic and alert for feeding. Changing a diaper is not a pleasant experience for the baby. By doing this before hand, it will let them rest after feeding and fall asleep peacefully.

b)    Prepare any formula or milk a head of time and put it in the fridge. If you need to warm it up you can put the bottle in a bowl of warm water to bring the temperature back up.

c)     Use bottled or boiled water to mix with the baby formula. If you use boiled water, don’t add it hot to the formula as this will scaled it and cause chunks. Allow it to cool before adding.

d)    Don’t heat formula in your microwave. Microwaves tend to create hotspots which can burn your baby. Always test the temperature of the formula before giving it to them.

e)    After one hour of feeding, milk can grow incredible amounts of bacteria that came from your baby’s mouth. There for it is important to dump it down the drain.

f)     Sometimes gas inside your baby’s stomach can trick them in to thinking they are full. Wait until they have stopped, relaxed for a moment and then begin burping them. Once they get rid of that extra gas they will most likely want to feed some more.

g)    Babies love to sleep, especially when they are warm. Even during an active time they can fall asleep at the drop of a hat if they are cozy. Try removing a few items such as a jacket or coat to keep them awake but not so much that they catch cold.

These are just a few things you can do when feeding your baby. Remember, as a new parent nobody is perfect and it does take practice. The time and effort you put in will help you with future babies and for friends who need advice.

See More : Baby Feeding Bottles for Newborn - Baby Care Baby Love

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Baby Feeding Bottles for Newborn - Baby Care Baby Love

Baby Feeding Bottles for Newborn - Baby Care Baby Love

Are you currently using, or considered using a baby feeding bottle for your baby or newborn? As a mother, a baby is your number one priority and it is important to provide him or her with the best nutritional, educational, and safety choices possible. But there is so much to remember that sometimes we can overlook the small things that can harm your baby.

There is much debate about whether to breast feed, use a pump, or a bottle. Most mothers don’t have the time to breast feed or feel embarrassed doing so. But either way, you end up using a baby feeding bottle as they get a bit older. So let’s look at some what you will find here on our site.

Your baby isn’t born with a powerful immune system and it takes a number of years before it can handle even the simplest of germs. Therefore it is important that all toys, clothes, baby bedding, feeding materials, and anything else that can fit in their mouth is properly sterilized. The most important one is the feeding bottle. There are many ways to sterilize your baby feeding bottle, Sippy cups, and rubber nipples. For a more in depth look at sterilizing your baby bottle, please visit our article page on the sidebar.

Are you familiar with Bisphenol A, otherwise known as BPA? This chemical is a neural, developmental, and reproductive toxic substance. It can be found in a lot of different plastics, including your baby feeding bottle. Even some of the top brands of baby products contain BPA. Since your baby’s health is extremely important, it might be a better choice to use a glass bottle with a silicone covering to help prevent accidents. Avoiding this chemical as much as possible may prevent your baby from developing problems later in life.

There are other common problems that your baby may encounter such as BBTD, baby bottle tooth decay. Letting your baby fall asleep with their baby bottle or Sippy cup can result in tooth decay. Their tiny teeth haven’t got the protective enamel and bacteria can do a lot of damage to them. It’s important to not let bad habits become habits, so we will look more in depth on this as well.

A mother’s job of caring for a baby is extremely difficult. We can strive for perfection but in the end, we are only human. If you are considering using a baby feeding bottle or have already started, please bookmark our site and be sure to check out all of our articles from BPA, BBTD, sterilizing, and other tips you will need as a mother.

Read More :  Baby Feeding Tips  , Dangers of BPA, Bisphenol A

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Benefits of Outdoor Activities for Kids

Benefits of Outdoor Activities for Kids

You must have noticed that kids have a natural preference for outdoors as compared to indoors. This is in fact as nature planned it. At this stage kids are driven to have the desire to find out the abilities and limitations of their bodies.

Outdoor activities including but not limited to swimming, skating, swinging, and biking satisfy the kids need for exploration and discovery while at the same time building their confidence. This is in addition to the obvious advantages of these activities to their body’s development.

The following are a few of these advantages of outdoor activities for kids:

Interaction with nature

When at a young age that is the time that man is most strongly connected to nature. This is the factor that makes kids naturally be attracted to the outdoors to interact with. They should be allowed to do this provided there is adult supervision. This experience will help the kid to love nature and even in the future understand the purpose of protecting it.

Social skills

The child will learn proper social skills by the interaction with playmates and even with adults. They will learn to respect the preferences of others by understanding that it is not all times where they will get their way. They get to learn that contrary to the atmosphere created at home when they were babies, the world does not revolve around them. Also interaction with adults helps the adult to be able to impact the right values in the child while realising in time if the child picks up any negative values.

Psycho motor development

Due to the numerous often straineous activities that kids carry out outdoors their muscles develop in strength. Again due to the variety of activities they engage in, they greatly streamline their muscle-nerve-mind co-ordination due to their continued use. As compared to other activities like watching television where only the optical nerve and the brain are stimulated, outdoor activities use a myriad of muscles and nerves concurrently. This helps to improve the co-ordination of these systems of the body.

Personal independence and spirit of competition:
Most of the outdoor activities that kids engage in are often a competition of some sort. They are either in teams or each works on his own. These activities culture in the kid the realisation that there are times in life where you have to either work independently or as part of a team to get what you want to achieve. In addition the spirit of healthy competition is cultured in them which will make them grow into ambitious adults.

General health

Due to regular exercise and detoxification through sweating, the bodies of kids who are actively engaged in outdoor activities are found to be less susceptible to attack by disease. This is because their immune system becomes stronger as their bodies produce more blood and in it more white blood cells. So allow your kids out more often and you might not have to use that ehic renewal card so often.

Stress reduction

Contrary to what most people believe kids also have issues that disturb their minds. In fact due to their limited view of the expanse of the world they are disturbed by very many issues despite how small they may seem to an adult. Adequate outdoor activity however ensures that the stress remains at manageable levels.

Outdoor activities have numerous advantages and should be encouraged especially for kids. It may be the best way to ensure good and all round development of your child. So as long as they have adult supervision and they have their sunscreen on let them go out, have fun and grow.

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Milk-Teeth appearance of your baby

Milk-Teeth appearance of your baby

The baby grows its teeth after sometime, perhaps around becoming a toddler. The first set of teeth is called milk-teeth which are twenty in number. The milk-teeth protrude in pairs with the lower jaw seeing a faster growth than that of the upper jaw.

The first milk-teeth appears when the baby is six or seven months old and the last set of teeth appears between the twentieth and the thirtieth months.

It takes a year and a half for the baby to develop its first set of teeth. However, this process, the duration and the order of the growth of the teeth differs. The development of the baby’s teeth is a natural process which might turn out to be a painful one due to the errors in the feeding, nursing and the overall health of the baby. The milk-teething period is the most crucial period of the baby’s transition to childhood.

The baby is subject to danger during the first dentition which conscientious mothers should look after to reduce the dangers associated with teething in a baby. It is advisable to prevent the whole of difficulties or dangers associated with teething. Here are a few tips which you may find useful to prevent your baby from getting involved in any sort of danger. These symptoms are part of natural teething.

Symptoms of natural teething

If your baby has remained healthy with proper and natural diet which means the milk from its mother alone, the symptoms of teething will not be severe and will remain mild and you’re your caretaking efforts will also remain easy. Natural dentition has a few symptoms like more of saliva secretion, swelling and heat of gums and flushing of cheeks occasionally. Thumb-sucking or putting any other objects available into the mouth.

Increase in thirst, wanting to be breastfed more often, fretfulness and restlessness, crying often, vomiting, loose bowels are some of the symptoms that precede teething. Such symptoms often show up before several weeks before teething, disappear and recur while the teething eventually happens.

In such cases, no medical assistance is required and you may take the child out in open air, clean up bowels with castor oil, use flannels to wash and wipe the baby and breastfeed often to alleviate thirst and keep the gums retain moist. The mother must also forego stimulant drinks and food.

The irritation and unease in the gums can be taken care of with coral, orris-root, scraped liquorice-root or ivory flat ring but usage of confectioneries to soothe the teeth and gums is highly risky.

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Care for your Baby - Baby care Baby Love

Care for your Baby

The first time a baby comes into your home, you feel overwhelmed as this is something you so much longed for. The baby is innocent, knows nothing about the whole world and needs your help and attention each and every minute.

Would you fail to help your baby as it needs you for each and every moment? Now that the baby wakes up, looks at you for the very first times in its life, you feel an overwhelming sense of love.

Probably, that is way too melodramatic but the fact is we do have the earnest of emotions for the baby and want to care for the baby in each and every turn. All that the baby can do is to recognize the shades of movement around her, or him, and will try to have the first glimpse of its mother. Too delicate to imagine, a mother can handle the baby but even a father cannot. The Fontanel (the soft part in the middle of the head) is a place where the skull has not fully developed to be harder and it takes time to ossify.

The fontanel is touchable as a tough membrane protects the baby’s head. Then, the baby’s neck is even more delicate and lifting the baby has to be done with so much precaution. Being aware of the fact that the baby’s head will not be supported by the neck of the baby is very important. You can also be helped by a caregiver on how to lift the baby. The ultimate happiness of having a baby is to touch it and lift it.

The wrinkle in the baby’s hands, skin, beneath the eyes and the feet draw even more of lines as the baby shows each and every possible expression that it can. The heartbeat of a baby could also be felt for you to feel that you are handling a tender life that needs love, care, attention and affection. Babies love being touched and you nurture the baby to grow as you touch the baby more and more.
Do you think your baby cannot understand what you talk? It does hear your voice, you can speak to the baby and it will sure listen to you. You can talk whenever you want with your baby but the baby wants to communicate its needs to you. What is worse than your not understanding your baby’s needs? Does your baby talk? No, it doesn’t but it can cry distinctly to let you know that it feels hungry, bored, disturbed and frightened. Be receptive to the cues of your baby and take extreme care on the growth of your baby.

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Tips For The Best Baby Health Care

Tips For The Best Baby Health Care

Taking care of your baby is what every parent wants to do. There are some basic things you can do to practice good baby health care. To learn about those things, we encourage you to keep reading. So, let's start with the first thing that you can do to work on this.

One of the first parts of making sure that your baby gets the proper health care that they need would be getting them the vaccinations that they need. These help to protect them from getting the diseases that have been known to attack and kill babies. This is something you can prevent. Babies don't have the immune system like you or I so therefore, they need things to help keep them safe.

Another thing that is involved in making sure that a baby gets the proper health care that they need would be to make sure that they get a balanced diet. Now, to make sure that they get this, it might depend on their age. If they can't have grown people food, then talk to your doctor about getting them the best formula so that they can get the nutrients that they need. If they can eat this sort of foods, pay close attention to the food pyramid.

Something else that you will need to do is ensure that their temperature doesn't get too high. Every person has a maximum amount of body heat that they can stand. The whole thing that you have to do is make sure that you bring the fever down. You want to do all you can to alleviate any symptoms they have of getting illness.

Last of all, when it comes to getting health care for your baby, you need to make sure that they go to the doctors every so many months. This ensures that your baby is healthy and is reaching their full potential in terms of growth. For many, they start out really well with taking their child to the doctor, but that doesn't last long.

So, when you want to make sure that your baby is healthy, then you need to make sure that you are giving them the best health care that you can get them. You need to make sure that you have a health care plan to greatly reduce costs as it does cost a lot to make sure that you get your baby the best health care possible.

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How to Choose the Gift for New Baby

How to Choose the Gift for New Baby

After sending out the new baby cards, parents are going to expect a response from each recipient, usually in the form of a gift.  Some good ideas that generally work well for new baby gifts are: baby clothes, diapers, baby supplies, heirloom gifts, and homemade meals.

New Baby Clothes - You can select a nice outfit for the new child.  Most baby gifts come in the 0 - 6 month range.  New babies get so many of these clothes that sometimes they can only wear a particular outfit 2 or 3 times before the baby outgrows the outfit.  So, if you decide to purchase a new outfit, select in the 6 - 12 month size range.  The baby will be able to wear the outfit longer before outgrowing it.  Or, instead of a single, nice outfit, some parents appreciate the more practical gift of several plain onesies.

Onesies are body suits for infants.  They usually have snaps to open between the legs for easy diaper access, and they’re made of durable fibers which can handle stains and frequent washing.  And, chances are that a pack of 6 onesies will get a lot more use than a velvet jumper with a duck embroidered on it!

Diapers - A large supply of diapers is always a useful gift for a new baby.  It is not a glamorous gift but it is useful.  You can purchase several boxes for the baby and parents to use over the course of a couple of weeks.  These are an excellent way to help the parents have new baby savings.

Baby Supplies - Other useful gifts for the new baby are:  baby bathtub, baby bathtub ring, Swaddle Me Blanket, Happiest Baby on the Block DVD, blankets, a bouncer seat, and an exersaucer each are useful baby supplies that make nice gifts.

Heirloom Gifts - Purchasing an heirloom gift is also an option.  This type gift may be a silver spoon, a silver cup, silver baby rattle, or a silver piggy bank.  Additionally, it may be a ceramic piggy bank with a silver dollar in it to kick off the new baby savings account.

Homemade Meals - The first couple of weeks of a new baby’s life and the life of the baby’s parents is very hectic and accompanied by little sleep and much stress over the care of the baby.  If you live close by and can cook fairly well, taking a homemade meal or two to the new family will be a meaningful gift.  To dress this gift up a bit, wrap the food in a baby blanket, put it in a decorative basket, print a menu out on decorative paper or cardstock, and include the new baby card you selected.  This will make the meal look much more appealing.  But, honestly, the parents will be so glad you thought of them and brought them food that they probably will not care what it looks like when it is delivered.

There are also several places online that you can choose Unique and Personalized Baby Gifts.
Choose one of these and you probably won’t go wrong.

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How to Plan a Baby Shower

How to Plan a Baby Shower

It’s time to start planning a baby shower for your special friend or family member! You might be feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed at this moment, but there is no need to be. There are a lot of great tools and ideas out there to help you plan your party. Your Baby Shower Guide is here to help!

 

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan4th/5419651998

Planning Your Budget

When planning a baby shower, don't forget to set a budget. Generally the person(s) hosting the shower pay the cost. How much you spend will depend on the size, and the style of shower you are hosting. Take in consideration the costs of decorations, games (if any) and prizes too.

Setting the Shower Date

    When planning a baby shower before the baby's due date, start organizing it a good six to eight weeks before the chosen shower date. Set a clear guest list by talking to the expectant mom to see who she’d like to have at her shower. If it is a surprise shower, contact the couple's family and/or friends to help with the guest list. Make sure to get everyone’s address, phone number and email address.
You could also wait until after the baby arrives to hold the shower. This is becoming increasingly popular as it allows more gender-specific items such as clothing to be given. As well, it gives the new mom an opportunity to show off her little one to family and friends. You should check with the mom-to-be to see when she would prefer the shower.

The Day of the Shower

If your shower is being held somewhere besides your home, you should arrive at least 30 minutes a head of your guests. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and have someone assist you with the last minute details. As your guests arrive be sure to introduce them to one another. If you plan on having a seating arrangement, place people who know each other or have common interests together. To lessen the stress for the mom-to-be arrange a friend or family member to pick her up and drive her to the shower. Most importantly relax and enjoy the celebration!

Baby Shower Checklist

Using a checklist when planning a baby shower can help you with each step of the process. They suggest when you should mail out your invitations, order your food and cake, and purchase your decorations. More importantly, a checklist can help keep your organized and ensure you don’t forget any important details.

Creating Special Touches

When planning a baby shower, it is sometimes the special touches that help make a baby shower special. Not only can your shower run a little smoother, but your mom-to-be and guests will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

When you are planning a baby shower for a close friend or family member keep these ideas in mind.

• Place helium balloons outside your front door to greet your guests and expectant mom. Or visit an Outlet Store with Party Supplies that provide customized memory banners to welcome your mom-to-be.
• When decorating, don’t forget the guest bathroom. Adding a little extra touch with a scented candle or special soap and lotions can add warmth to the room.
• As your guests arrive be sure to introduce them to one another. If you plan on having a seating arrangement, place people who know each other or have common interests together.
• Arrange a designated driver to pick up your mom-to-be so she can feel pampered and relaxed on the way to and from her shower.
• Ask someone to be the shower’s designated photographer. Have them take a picture of each guest with the mom-to-be. Consider having someone video tape the shower too.
• Insure there is a designated gift recorder to keep track of who gave which gift.
• Provide your expectant mom with a guest list (including last names and addresses) to help with thank you notes. You can take this one step further and create a game. As guests arrive have them write their name and address on envelope and place them in a bowl. Later draw an envelope where the winning guest is given a prize. These envelopes can then be passed onto the mom-to-be all ready for her thank you cards!
• If you are hosting a Jack and Jill shower, ensure there will be plenty of men in attendance for the dad-to-be. When picking invitations, decorations and party games keep the men in mind and stay away from lace, the color pink and anything overly frilly.
• Ensure you have enough favors on hand for all your guests. It maybe a good idea to have a few extra just in case.
• When it is time for your expectant mom to open her gifts, have each person come up and hand her their present. While she is unwrapping she can introduce the gift-giver to the group and tell a little story about how she knows them. This is a great way for everyone to get to know one another.
• Surprise your expectant mom with a special keepsake from her shower. Frame one of her shower invitations and display it at her party. After her shower let her take it home as a gift

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Types of Baby Showers – Baby Care Baby Love

Types of Baby Showers – Before you begin planning a baby shower, you will need to look at the different types of showers being hosted today. No longer are traditional ladies-only parties the norm. You have options! Today different types of baby showers are being held for every occasion. They include second babies, adoption showers , Jack and Jill showers and more. Even the guest list has changed as expectant dads, and young children are often invited to join in the festivities

The traditional ladies-only parties are no longer the norm. You have options! Even the guest list has changed as expectant dads, and young children are often invited to join in the festivities.   
With baby showers becoming more relaxed and less traditional, we find they can be tailored towards the expectant mother’s personality and needs. Pot luck get-together, family out-door barbecues or a fun sleep over with mom’s best girlfriends are becoming more common.

The purpose of your celebration is to shower your expectant mother with gifts and love. How you chose to host the shower is up to you. So don’t be afraid to get creative. Talk with her family and friends. Find out what baby items she requires, what type of shower she may prefer and how to make her shower a day to remember.

When you are reviewing the different types of baby showers, consider the following:

Shower Style:

If you have chosen to host a lady’s only brunch you may want to keep things elegant. If it’s a family affair including the Dad-to-be, Uncles and Granddads, you might want to consider a more casual setting such as an outdoor barbecue.

Shower Size:

How many guests will you be inviting? Will your party be a small intimate affair, or a large group of 25+ people?

Expectant mom:

What type of baby shower would your mom-to-be prefer or feel more comfortable in? Would she look forward to dressing up and being treated to a formal elegant afternoon? Or would she enjoy a casual buffet dinner with party games and activities?

Your Guests:

Who are your guests and do the know each other? You maybe throwing a colleague a shower and your fellow co-workers are your only guests. Or your party will include family members and friends who may have never met. You will want to plan accordingly to help ensure your guests are comfortable and have an enjoyable time.

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