Posts Tagged ‘baby’

Do you sometimes feel like it is just impossible to run a few errands with your baby?  It can be overwhelming at first to simply go to the grocery store or even out to eat like you used to.  Here are a few tips to help you with your outtings with your little one. 

Let’s start with the grocery store, the quick in and out runs you made before you had a baby are long gone, but this doesn’t mean you have to make it an errand to dread.  Everyone has to do go to the grocery store and you can still do this with your baby.  Start small, instead of hauling the baby to the store for hour long, $150 shopping event, take her to pick up milk, bread, and what you need for dinner.  Your confidence will rise and your baby will get used to the routine.  As time goes on, start your trips by grabbing the essentials first in case you don’t make it through every aisle.  Timing is also important, try going on the weekday mornings if possible, when your baby is well rested and fed.  If you work, try for the same early hour on the weekends.  Try parking near the carts corral and not the store, so you can get loaded up and settled without feeling rushed.  Try to remember an extra layer for your baby, it can be extremely cold in grocery stores even when it is 90 degrees outside.  And lastly, don’t even think about the self checkout lanes.  Take advantages of the store’s services, bagging your groceries, pushing the cart to your car, and putting the bags in your trunk. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes it can be difficult to get your children to understand the effects that sun can have on them, but it so important to teach your children how to be sun smart.  By teaching them, the will have a lower risk of skin cancer.  Many people today wish they had been more cautious while in the sun in the earlier years. 

One idea on how help your child learn about being sun smart is to consider sun safety to be like a seat belt.  You wouldn’t explain a car accident or gingivitis to your young child, but you still get her to let you buckle her into her car seat and brush her teeth.   If you make sun protection part of your routine of non- negotiable things that you do in order to stay safe, your child will be more accepting. Read the rest of this entry »

Figuring out the best way to say good bye to your baby’s pacifier and bottle can sometimes be a dreaded or difficult task.  Here are a few ideas of how to go about weaning your baby from their “ba-ba” and paci. 

Toddlers who drink from a bottle for too long can tend to consume more milk than necessary.  This can cause your baby to have little appetite for the variety of solid food they need to eat, or they may be consuming too many calories from the liquid.  When kids drink from a bottle, the milk pools around their teeth and can create a major cavity risk. 

Between 12 and 15 months is a good time to wean your baby from the their “ba-ba.”  This is when babies can drink well enough from a sippy cup and should go completely bottle free.  If you wait more than 18 months, the bottle will have become a habit rather than a necessity and your child will cling to it even harder. Read the rest of this entry »

Getting your baby to sleep can be a very stressful task at times.  You want nothing more than to make sure your baby gets the amount of sleep that he needs.  When a baby won’t sleep, especially at night, it can take a toll on the parents as well.  Lack of sleep can lead to losses in concentration and lower productivity.  Your performance at work can become effected and it can make it very hard to get through the day.  It is important to overcome any baby sleeping problems as fast as you can.

Your baby’s feedings has an effect on his sleeping patterns.   If you feed your child until he goes to sleep, he will soon begin to realize that you feed him at bedtime.  This will then become something your baby expects before they go to sleep including each waking throughout the night as well.  Try feeding your baby, then have playtime for a little while before you put your baby down for a nap.  This will help the baby not depend on a feeding to go to sleep. 

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It can be overwhelming when you head out to find your new baby the right car seat.  There is certain criteria to look for when shopping for that perfect car seat.  What really matters is to choose the car seat that bests fits your vehicle, your budget, and your baby.  Here are some ideas to follow when you are looking to purchase a new car seat. 

Safety is one of the biggest factors.  All car seats must pass the same federal crash tests.  Proper installation is the key to a car seat.  Some car seats have extra features such as clicking in when locked or not-twisting straps.  These features might also add peace of mind that you know you little one is locked in properly.  But remember even the cheapest car seat with no extra features have been through the same  basic crash tests. 

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A short while ago, we wrote an article examining some tips for signing with your baby. In this article, we cover more tips for signing with your baby to ensure you have a successful and rewarding experience teaching your baby to sign.

Pay Attention to Baby’s Perception

A baby is constantly seeing new things. For better success in teaching your baby to sign, be alert to what your child is perceiving. If you are aware of what your child is perceiving, you will know what to sign when. By the time your baby’s eyes and gazes start to connect with yours, he is ready to start learning to sign. Get down on your baby’s level, literally and figuratively. When we are cognizant of what our children perceive, we are better communicators and teachers. Read the rest of this entry »

There are so many questions on what is best for your new bundle of  joy when you first come home from the hospital.  Making sure you properly groom your baby is so important when they are new to the world.  There are numerous products today to make this easier on parents. 

A couple important items to have are small scissors and baby clippers to give your baby mini-manicures.  Your baby’s fingernails grow so fast that they can actually be a danger to her.   Having the task of cutting those tiny nails can be very nerve racking to a new parent.  The best time to trim your baby’s nails is after a bath when her nails are soft or when she is sleeping.  When your baby is sleeping she won’t even realize you are cutting her nails and she is more apt to not move which makes it easier on you.  You can also use a soft emery board to smooth rough edges between trims.  Keeping her nails short will help prevent those scratches on her face that you hate to see!  There are also small mittens available to put on their hand to help prevent your baby from harming herself. Read the rest of this entry »