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Breast Feeding Benefits

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A baby having milk from a bottle. 

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You may be well aware that breast feeding can be better for your baby but here are some of the benefits you may not have considered. Not only is it an excellent bonding experience, there are other benefits as well.

Health Benefits

There are many health benefits associated with a mother’s breast milk. For one thing, there is nothing on the market like it. There are plenty of formulas that do have similar attributes but natural milk is best if possible. There are antibodies in the mother’s milk that help your baby from a variety of illnesses and diseases. In fact, studies have shown that breast fed babies help the mothers too. Mothers who breast feed typically have lower rates of diabetes and breast cancer so not only are you helping your baby but you are helping yourself as well.

Cost Benefits

There is also the issue of cost. Breast milk is free while formulas can be very expensive.

Closeness and Bonding

One of the best benefits of breast feeding can be the bonding experience you develop with your baby. Even the baby’s father can grow closer to his baby by helping with bottle preparation and simply being near when the breast feeding is done.

Not every mother can breast feed due to a variety of reasons and that’s okay too. However, if you feel that breast feeding is right for you and your baby, you can certainly see the benefits of doing so. Breast feeding is universally accepted and you’ll love the benefits.

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Best Kept Secrets in Infant Care

May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Poopy bath 

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What can you do to help your baby remain healthy? What are the tricks of the trade that won’t cost you a royal mint? What do babies really need when it comes to every day care?

Get the answers, here.

  1. Teething might not be first on your “what should I do list” but it’s a good idea to be prepared. Try bagels, teething biscuits, or a cool bottle of water when your baby begins teething.
  2. Try lemon to remove spit-up stains. Fill a pot of water on the stove and boil a couple of slices of lemon with it. Once the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and place the baby clothes in the pan. Soak for at least an hour. Launder as usual. If you’re experiencing a nice summer day, hang up your baby’s clothes to dry—the sun is a natural bleach.
  3. If your baby has colic, try playing soft music or switching the formula you use. Make sure you’re not over feeding your baby by keeping to a regular schedule. If you’re breastfeeding take stock of what you’ve been eating; spicy food contributes significantly to colic in babies.
  4. Want to save money on diapers? Ask for them when folks want to know what you can use. Focus on store brands, they’re usually cheaper, and don’t hesitate to look for diaper sales, coupons or rebate offers.

Grandmothers may not have the most up to date information on whether or not you should sanitize baby bottles, but they may give you some grandmotherly advice that you can use. Listen, you just might learn something.

 

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Tips for Parents on Teen Moving Out

May 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
The Eiffel Tower.

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You’ve raised them since they first opened their eyes. You saw their first steps, picked them up when they fell down and watched them grow into young adults. For all of the time spent taking kids to soccer practice or dropping off forgotten homework assignments, many parents wished for extra time for themselves. However, when that wish is granted, and their children move out, many of these same parents don’t know what to do. If you are one of these parents, try to keep the following in mind:

Remember When…

Even though it might not seem like it, there was a time before you had kids. Prior to a devoted career as a parent, many people had different dreams or interests. Now is the time to indulge. Ever dream of seeing the Eiffel Tower in Paris or want to complete a marathon? Now is the time to do it!

Absent But Not Gone

Once children are on the way to live their own lives, parents might feel a void. For parents suffering from empty nest syndrome, remember: even though your kids are out of the house, it does not mean that they are out of your life. Continue to act as a mentor. Help your kids find the best deals on apartments for rent. Meet with them frequently to ensure that the transition is working for both of you.

The transition is always difficult. However, if, rather than allowing feelings of emptiness to linger, parents take the opportunity to find something else to fill their lives while maintaining a healthy parent-child relationship, it can become a positive change for all concerned.

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What to Tell Your Teen Kids When They Move Out

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
青少年 

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The day has come, your teen is moving out. What can you do to prepare them—and you—for the necessary transition?

These ideas should help.

  • Have one last “at home” talk. Speak with your teen about the responsibilities incurred with moving out. Sure, they may fight you a bit on this one, but be assured, they will thank you later. Make sure you let them know of your love for them; and your confidence that they can do this on their own.
  • If your teen is moving in with a roommate, discuss the pros and cons of such an arrangement. Sure, rent is that much cheaper, but will your son or daughter be able to get along with their chosen roommate? Suggest that they work up a contract that entails the duties and responsibilities of each party and what will happen if either party doesn’t follow through.
  • Know that you’ll be excited for your teen’s freedom, and the reverse will certainly be true. What you may not expect is to shed a few tears upon their departure. And don’t be surprised if a few weeks down the road you don’t receive a “lonely” call from them.
  • Keep the lines of communication open. Once your teen’s moved out, don’t force your opinions or place guilt on choices your teen has made that you don’t agree with. They’re on their own now. If they don’t ask for advice, don’t give it.

When your teen moves out, it’s quite natural to feel a mixture of joy and pain. Change is rarely easy, but if you follow the helps above, the shift will be that much easier to take.

 

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Keeping Computers Safe, Keeping Children Safe

February 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Tom and Marsha have a son in the second grade and a daughter that is three years old. Tom recently got a raise at his job and he and Marsha are considering replacing their computer. Shortly after Tom and Marsha were married, they received a hand-me-down computer from Marsha’s parents. Now that Tom is making more money, they feel that they can afford a new computer. They want their computer to last.

First, they should install an antivirus and a spyware software program. These programs keep track of suspicious websites and block them from installing viruses or spyware. They also monitor links clicked on in an e-mail message or software downloaded from what might be a disreputable source. It deletes the virus or quarantines it so that it cannot damage your computer. Installing a PC antivirus software program will keep Tom and Marsha’s computer safe from viruses.

Tom and Marsha’s also want to keep their computer safe from their children! A registry cleaner like PC Tools Registry Software will enhance the computer’s performance, in addition to using antivirus software. Tom and Marsha should also help their children go to appropriate sites. There are sites on the Internet that are designed especially for young users. When Tom and Marsha’s children enter those types of sites, they are in a safe and controlled environment. They can only access the sites that have been approved. There are 2 million kid-friendly sites that have been checked and approved by experts. Children can play games, learn, and have a good time. They will not stumble upon pornography nor will they come in contact with online predators. Using systems like this (antivirus software, registry cleaners, and basic ground rules on computer use) give Tom and Marsha the peace of mind that their children will have safe experiences while using the computer, especially when they go online.

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Helping Your Baby Sleep

February 24, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Did you know that babies sleep before birth? I’m sure you did. But, the environment in which they are used to sleeping changes drastically at birth. Instead of being cuddled in a nice, warm, cozy womb, they suddenly find themselves in a brightly lit, noisy, confusing world. No wonder babies can have trouble sleeping; they don’t know where they are.

The easiest way to help a baby sleep is to try and give them an environment that’s as close to the one in which they have been comfortable for the last nine months. So, what does that environment include? Well, we know it’s warm, dark and moves around while they are sleeping; we know that they can’t move a whole lot; and we know that the thing they hear the most is their mother’s heartbeat. Oh, one more thing, they are used to being in an environment where they are in contact with another human being twenty-four/seven.

Okay, so how do we re-create that environment? Actually, a lot of thought has been put into that question by companies that manufacture clothes, furniture and other products for babies. There are a myriad of products available on the market, to help you help your baby sleep well.

With our children, we’ve found two things that were very helpful. The first is to have the baby sleep in something that is moving. I don’t know how many baby swings we went through, but I’m pretty sure we had more swings than we had kids. My favorite one had a bassinette to start out with for the baby and a seat for when they got a little bigger. All we had to do is put our children into the seat, and it would lull them to sleep.

The other product that helped a lot was one of those teddy bears which play a recording of the sounds from the mother’s womb. That always seemed to comfort our babies, helping them get to sleep. Between the two of these products, we had a lot of peaceful time with babies asleep.

Filed Under: Childhood, Parenting Tagged With: ,

Trying to Get Enough Sleep

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Newborn baby

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Once you bring that new baby home from the hospital, you find that your whole world changes. All of a sudden, that baby is making demands upon your time, your attention, and your energy. Nor can you tell that baby, “not now” like you can other people. Babies only know “right now” and expect everything they want at the moment they want it.

Unfortunately, those moments aren’t always when it is convenient for us. In fact, all too often, it seems like those moments are at the worst possible time for us. Take the middle of the night for example. Pretty much everybody knows that newborn babies don’t sleep all the way through the night. That’s such a big deal, that most couples are thrilled when their baby manages to sleep all through the night for the first time. We look at it as a major step in getting some normality back into our lives.

But, what about before that time comes where the baby actually makes it through the night, without waking us up? How can we manage that time, without pulling all our hair out or turning into zombies?

The reality is that most mothers of newborns don’t get enough sleep. They try and make it thought the night with the minimal number of interruptions, then get up in the morning and go through the whole day as if they had slept through the night. Let’s figure the math on this. You start out with your basic eight-hours-of-sleep night, then you subtract the time it takes to get the baby, change their diaper, feed the baby, and then try and get back to sleep yourself. That’s probably 45 minutes to an hour. Oh… and what if the baby gets up twice in the night? Now you’re losing somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours. Your eight hours of sleep just turned into six. No wonder you’re tired.

Just as babies need naps, mommies do to. In fact, I’d have to say that mommies need naps more than the baby does.

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Stimulating Your Baby’s Awareness

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Babies can be fun; it’s fun to watch them learn and explore. It’s fun to be part of the process of discovery. It’s fun and exciting to be there when they hit those milestones of development.

As parents, we have a lot to do with how our children grow and develop. While insuring a proper diet will help their bodies grow, insuring good stimulation for their brains is just as important. From the time your baby first opens its eyes, to the time it graduates from college, you need to be helping it learn about the world around it.

Babies learn by using their senses. They learn to move by feeling their body and experimenting with it, trying to copy what they see others do. They learn to talk by hearing the people around them talk and trying to mimic them. They learn what the world is like by seeing, touching and even tasting everything they can.

The first level of learning for a baby is by seeing, before they even know how to control their bodies. When they first open their eyes, a tape recorder turns on, working to remember everything seen through those new eyes. A computer turns on and works to analyze the images coming through those eyes, looking to find meaning in those images.

Interestingly enough, the first thing that a baby recognizes by seeing are human faces. It doesn’t matter whose face, whether it is in color or black & white, or even if it’s a very good rendition, they recognize it as a face. Shortly after that, they become attracted to colors, especially bright colors. That’s why so many things made for babies are bright colors; it helps stimulate them.

These visual stimulants are important for a baby’s developing awareness. It helps them learn to focus their eyes, and start recognizing things around them. Even from that first time that they open their eyes, they need this stimulation. Build them an environment that stimulates their mind, it’ll be worth it.

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Your Diet Affects Your Breast Milk

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Women who are pregnant are always advised by their doctors to eat a healthy diet, not to smoke, and to stay away from alcohol. As part of that admonition, the doctor always explains how the things that you eat and drink can and will affect the baby.

Giving birth to that baby doesn’t mean you can suddenly go on a binge though. If you’re going to breast feed, you still need to watch your diet, avoid alcohol and be especially careful about any over the counter or prescription drugs that you take. Many of these things can end up directly in your breast milk and affect your baby.

You have to realize that your body is working to produce the entire nutritional necessity of your baby. Not only that, but it is adding antibodies and other health factors to the milk it is producing. All of this is important to your baby’s proper growth and development.

If you are lacking in some type of nutrient in your diet, your baby will end up lacking that nutrient as well. Take calcium for example. Calcium is necessary for the growth of bones. If you aren’t taking in enough calcium, how can your breast milk have it for your baby? While that baby was growing in you, it would literally take calcium from your system, if necessary from your bones, in order to have what it needs. But now that the baby is born, it only receives what you give it in your milk.

I realize that most women want to lose the weight they gained from the baby, but you have to be careful about that. A balanced diet is essential to insure that you are giving all the necessary nutrients to your baby. That doesn’t mean you can’t lose weight, just that you have to be careful how you are doing it. Cut out carbohydrates and sugars from your diet, but don’t cut out proteins, vitamins, fruits and vegetables, both you and your baby need them.

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Making the Most of Visitors

February 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Don’t feel guilty if you feel worn out and wish that someone would take your baby off your hands for a couple of hours. Every mother feels like they need a break now and then. Let’s be real here, babies are a lot of work. They can and will take every bit of time and energy you’ll give them.

As a mother, especially the mother of a newborn, it can be hard to get that break. Your baby needs you there to feed it, hold it, change it’s diapers, and watch over it. The constant need for vigilance, in and of itself, can wear you out. But, if you don’t get a break, you can burn out. That isn’t good for you or for your baby.

Here’s a way of getting a break, without having to leave your baby behind. Actually, you don’t even need to leave your house in order to get this break. Ready? Okay, here’s the idea. Have your friends come over to visit. Hold on a minute! Before your mind starts going a hundred miles an hour, thinking of all the extra work that having friends over entails, hear me out.

I’m not talking about having your friends over as in entertaining them. You don’t need to clean the house, fix a meal, and make sure everything looks like you belong on a magazine cover. Your friends know you’ve had a baby. Many of them have, or have had babies, so they know how much it can wear you out. They know how much extra work you’re doing. They understand if the house doesn’t look like a magazine cover and you don’t look like a supermodel. They even understand how appetizing a bologna sandwich can be, just because it is easy to prepare.

What I’m trying to suggest is that you let your friends come over and help you out. If nothing else, having them hold the baby for a while gives you a break. You need a break, let them do what friends do and give you that break.

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: , ,
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