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The Importance of Well Baby Checkups

In case you weren’t aware, first-time mothers have a tendency to be a just a bit nervous about their babies. They tend to regularly count fingers and toes to make sure they’re all there, bundle their baby’s up to make sure they’re nice and warm and wonder at every cough and sneeze if the baby’s catching a cold. Most overdo the worry factor just a little too much.

On the other hand, if a new mother isn’t worried about their baby, it might just mean that they don’t care, or at least don’t care enough. Babies are delicate creatures and they do need lots of care. It doesn’t take much to harm one, even inadvertently. So, I guess all that worry is good for something.

Part of taking care of your baby is to make sure you take it to the doctor for regular well baby checkups. Before you left the hospital, they gave you a schedule for this. While you might imagine every cough or sneeze means something ominous, it’s only our health professionals who can really tell. Taking your baby to be checked isn’t about being worried, it’s about being a smart mother; letting someone who is knowledgeable and unattached check to make sure your baby is fine.

While most of the things you worry about might not mean anything, there is always a chance that some little detail you’ve noticed can be a symptom of something the doctor needs to know about. Since the doctor can’t ask the baby if there’s anything wrong, they need this sort of input from the person who’s most likely to notice it, you.

Another thing you need to be sure and check on while taking your baby for checkups is the normal developmental milestones that are in your baby’s life. While not all children start these activities at the same time, there is a common age range for each of them. You and your doctor both need to know if your baby is within that range, in order to know how well your baby is growing and developing.

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

Have Kids? You Should Have Life Insurance

Parents want to do all that they can to protect their children, but many of them focus only on the immediate things. They don’t consider what might happen to their family if they were no longer able to provide for them, or if they were to pass away before their children were grown. It’s a lot of responsibility to be a parent, and part of that is having insurance to protect everyone in the family. Life insurance is the best way to do that, and there are two different kinds: whole life and term life. Whole life insurance builds cash value that you can pull out of the policy later, but the monthly premiums are also significantly higher. Term life insurance has no cash value and is good only for a specific term, after which you must renew it. The premiums are much less expensive each month.

Only you can decide what kind of life insurance would be best for you and your family, and you’ll all have to come to a decision as to how much the life insurance policy will be for. You can compare insurance quotes in order to find the best deal, which will allow you to look at the policies side by side and see which one is really providing you the most (and best) coverage for the money. There are usually exclusions to policies, so read all of the fine print and make sure that you understand what you’ve read.

It’s generally very easy to get life insurance, especially if you’re young. In a lot of cases, you’re not even required to take a medical exam. Of course, that depends on the company that’s issuing you the policy and how much insurance you’re asking for. People who want large policies are more likely to need medical clearance before they can get the policy they desire.

Filed Under: Financial Advice, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Feeding Your Youngster Right

Mix dried fruit
Image via Wikipedia

You know how important it is for your youngster to eat fruit and vegetables instead of constantly reaching for cookies, candy, or other “junk” food. Sometimes, however, the very appearance of certain types of fruit or vegetables is enough to turn your child off from eating them.

This is when food dehydrators can be a tremendous asset. Dehydrating food removes the moisture from foods, thus changing its appearance. However, simply removing the moisture does not take away from the nutritional value. The vitamins and minerals that are so important to your child’s diet are still in the dried fruits and vegetables.

If you buy several food dehydrators, you can use them to dry separate groups of food. This way, you don’t have to worry about your fruits tasting like the chicken or beef you dried last or your green beans tasting like peaches.Another advantage to using food dehydrators is that dried fruit does not turn brown. You know how unappetizing a brown apple, peach, pear, or banana looks to you, so think about how it must look to your child. Dehydrated fruits retain their natural color.

Food dehydrators make it easier for you to provide your child with a balanced diet. You can prepare “TV dinners” by removing only the portions of meat, vegetables, and fruit you need for your child’s meal and rehydrating then reheating them.

You don’t really have to worry about heating the dehydrated food if you don’t want to. Your child will enjoy eating vegetable “chips” or “sticks” such as carrots or green beans and gnawing on a piece of “jerky”. Later, they can simply toss their banana or apple chips down their throats while watching TV or doing their homework. And, when you consider that heating sometimes breaks down or destroys vital nutrients, you are making doubly sure your child is getting all the nutrition they can from their meals.

Filed Under: Parenting

Baby’s First Morning

Baby’s first morning, sometimes referred to as baby’s first sunrise or dew, is the what is called the first time a baby dirties his or her diapers. While it sounds cute, the actual event is somewhat, well, sticky. When a baby goes in its diaper for the first time, it is essentially releasing material that has been in his or her system for the entire pregnancy. It is scary for new parents for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that the mother knows that there was no way the baby had eaten that much since birth, so where did it come from. The second reason is that it is almost the consistency of pitch, and is nearly the same color. This is scary because as adults we are told that if our stool looked like that, it meant blood was present.

After the initial shock of seeing baby’s first morning, parents realize that it is not a normal consistency, and that in fact the first morning is really tough to clean up. Here are some tips on handling that so that you do not hurt baby’s skin while trying to use elbow grease to get your baby clean. First, instead of going straight to the wipes, ask the hospital, if still admitted, for a warm cloth. This will help loosen up the material. Just set the cloth on baby’s bottom, and let it sit for a moment, then when a gentle, one direction scrub motion, wipe as much off as you can. This truly sounds easier than it is, because baby’s first whatever you want to call it, does not come off easily. Do this a few more times, to get the brunt of it off. The warm towel will be a nice sensation for your baby, and really does help loosen. Once the majority of it is off, you can use wipes, and finish cleaning.

Filed Under: General Care, Parenting Tagged With:

Holding And Handling Tiny Babies

Newly born babies are so small when they are born, and most mother are grateful for that, but with that comes some extra caution when holding and handling them. Case in point, their little neck muscles are not that strong, and will not be strong for some months. It is important to always hold the back of their head to it, because if they lean back, they will not be able to pull themselves forward again. As they get a little older, say two or three months, they begin to jerk backwards in an effort to look around. This is a scary new phase because it happens so suddenly. While baby is getting stronger, and jerking back is a way of working out those little neck muscles, they still have no control over where there head goes. If doing that while being held, they can actually fall out of your arms backwards if you are only supporting them with an arm under their bottom. It is important that until they can balance on your arm, that you either lean back to force them to rest on you, or that you always use two arms to support them with.

When they are first born many doctors provide suggestions on how to hold them without causing undo stress on your back or neck. This is especially true if you have had a Cesarean and you need to watch the amount of weight your are carrying or holding. The recommendation is that you hold your baby like a football, with their head in your hand, and the rest of then on your arm, and tucked in between your arm and your body. You will be able to spot a mom who has done the before because they have a tendency of holding regular objects that while doing, what appears to be, a million other things.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: ,

What They Won’t Tell You

Being a new mom is so exciting. Whether it is something that has been planned or is something that became a part of your life, it is very exciting. There are some things, though, that many new moms have not been told. There are so many times when you hear, “how come no one said anything, I had no idea this could happen.” It is truer than ever because people feel like certain topics are not their place to talk about, or they do not want to scare new moms. For instance, how many people like talking about the belly button phase with a newborn? Don’t know what I am talking about?

This is the phase that last about 10 days that a newborn still has part of the umbilical cord attached to their belly. There are certain things that you need to do in order to care for the navel area. Such as, do not allow it to get wet, swab rubbing alcohol around the belly button to dry it out, and do not try to take it off yourself. By trying to rush the processing of the belly button coming off, you can actually create a condition called distended belly button. It basically means swelling and discomfort, but does need medical attention to make sure there are not internal issues. The baby’s belly button is still attached to the inside of their belly and the falling off of the belly button marks that severance. Remember, that connection is how the baby survived for months while in utero. In fact, when babies are born with health issues that are significant in nature, doctors can use the umbilical cord as a portal for life support for a baby. There have been cases where doctors actually kept a baby on umbilical life support, for up to a month, while they recovered from a heart surgery, or development delay; this is seen mostly with premies.

Filed Under: Education, Medical Care, Parenting Tagged With: ,

Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is an event that many new mothers find themselves experiencing. In fact, research has shown that nearly one in three women suffer from this episodic event after giving birth. This has been an issue that many new moms feel upset about and wonder why it is happening to them that they have never dealt with depression before. There are many reasons that perpetuate this event, and there is nothing to be ashamed of. The best thing you can do for yourself as a new mom is be honest about how you are feeling, so that you can get the proper help. The good news about postpartum depression is that it is over almost as fast as it comes on, and is not something you need to be worried about having as a part of your life.

When dealing with postpartum depression, there are triggers that can set it off, or it could just be hormonal. For some mothers, when certain expectations are not met, the mother can be thrown into a depression, or it can be a bonding issue. This means that for some reason or another the baby and the mother are not bonding. This can be mentally traumatic for the new mother. This is not the fault of the mother, but rather just something that can happen. As a result, the depression can essentially prevent the mother from being interested in her baby. While this sounds very serious, it is easily remedied with medication for a temporary amount of time. Doctors, if there is a history of this happening with the other children, can have a standing order of anti-depression medication for the mother. The dosage is safe and can be taken while the mother is nursing. The time of this depression can last anywhere from a month to six months; once the initial depression lifts, mothers report feeling fine.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With:

Infant Care

After having a brand new baby, there are safety and health concerns that need to be addressed right away. For example, a new mom will need to be attentive to feeding schedules, amounts to feed her baby, and if the baby is handling feeding alright. The next thing to address is sleeping. The old rule of thought was that if you place a baby belly down, then when they spit up, they will not choke on their own spit up. Then it changed to having babies on their backs because there were so many cases of SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, as a result of suffocation from being on their bellies. Today, it is encourages that babies be laid on their side.

In fact, there are special pillows made that help to have the baby laying up, partially on their side, while laying on the back on a wedged shaped block of foam. The thing to remember with newborns is that they are so weak, that whatever position you place them in for sleep, is the position they will stay in, until you pick them up again. Another pillow that has made things more comfortable for babies is the boppy pillow. This should be used during supervision, but this allows for a baby to sleep nearly sitting up. While your baby is sleeping, it is important that you either watch them, or have a monitor set up in their room for listening. This will allow you to see or hear if there is any movement, or if the baby needs your attention.

For feeding, it is best to follow your pediatricians guidance. Most recommend either breast milk or formula for the first six months. This is due in part because baby’s stomach cannot handle semi solid foods at this point in their development.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With:

Tips For Packing A Diaper Bag

You are a new mom, and you are holding your new baby. Before long you realize that your baby has a lot of stuff. Diaper bags, strollers, wipes, spit rags, on and on. For new moms especially, it can be hard to figure out exactly what to pack in a diaper bag for your new baby, and before long, you realize that you are lugging around a 50 pound bag of stuff, for all those potential just-in-cases. For instance, it is a common mistake for new moms to bring the whole formula can, or an entire pack of wipes. There are is no need to pack like that unless you are packing for a trip. For just everyday outings, things can be much simpler, and scaled down. This will help when you are carrying a bag around everywhere you go, the weight of the bag will become an important factor.

Some of the things that you can use to make life easier is baggies. Baggies are your new best friend. The reason is because if you pack clothing, or something soft in them, you can squeeze all of the air out, making them smaller and creating a bulky diaper bag. There are so many different types of container for new moms, and many of them come in sets so that they can easily interlock, or fit together, so that again, the diaper bag is not so bulky. Another key tip is picking out a diaper bag. Today, there are so many types available, that the choices can seem endless. Look for the types that have specific pouches for things like dirty diapers, clean diapers, food storage, or extra clothing storage. Some bags come with compartmentalized sections that have thermal insulation for food or milk. Having the organization help will payoff in the end, and you will find that you have a pre-packed bag at all times.

Filed Under: Parenting Tagged With: ,
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