Babies Tale

When you figure you’re going to go through approximately six-thousand diapers in the first two and one half years of your baby’s life, it makes sense to spend some time focusing on what you’re going to use for diapers. There are three alternatives, disposable, cloth diapers that you launder yourself, and diaper services that supply and launder cloth diapers for you, and offer pick-up and delivery service.

Since you’ll be going through about sixty-five diapers a week during the first year, it makes good sense to use a diaper service, which could save you either laundering time or the extra expense of that many disposables. During the second year, when laundering cloth diapers don’t require the extra rinses that may be necessary for some hypersensitive newborns, laundering your own diapers might be more practical. Then, in the third year, until toilet training is complete, disposables will be handy and lessen your impatience about the training process, taking the pressure off your child. When it is all over, the old diapers make wonderful cleaning rags!

Regardless what you use for a diaper, you’ll inevitably run into diaper rash. It’s caused by a combination of moisture, warmth, and contact between the skin and irritants in urine and stool. Plastic or rubber aggravates it; cool, dry air makes it better. Most experts assert that disposable diapers, which don’t “breathe” like cloth ones, lead to more frequent and more severe diaper rash, so if you’re using disposables and your baby gets diaper rash, you might want to switch to cloth for a while.

Another diaper danger is the substances that your baby might eat or inhale in the process of diapering. Usually what happens is that the “diaperer” hands the baby something for entertainment or the baby grabs it himself. The baby then ingests or inhales the baby powder, the ointment or cream, or the baby wipes. Symptoms can include coughing, wheezing, choking, shortness of breath and vomiting. It’s important to keep these products away from the baby while diapering.

Disposables

Environmentalists have raised a lot of questions about disposables because they are not biodegradable and can’t be recycled. They also cause a public health hazard, since viruses present in excrement can be spread to those who collect the trash. And after disposable diapers are dumped at a landfill site, viruses can be carried into water supplies.

Some disposables [particularly generic brands] keep the skin warmer and moister than cloth diapers [no brand has been found that really keeps a baby dry], and may cause more frequent and more severe diaper rash. Disposable diapers in general can be expensive-up to thirty-two cents per diaper.

On a more positive note; disposables do save a lot of work, and more convenient. They eliminate the need for plastic pants, and they’re much easier to use when traveling. Because there are no pins, less experienced family members are often more willing to change them.

If you choose disposables, here are some guidelines:

1. Sample different brands. Start with a variety in the newborn size until you find one that fits well and has the softness and quality you like. Name brands will usually be more consistent in quality.
2. Don’t use brands that clump, shred or bunch up when wet, since your baby could ingest paper pieces.
3. Brands that don’t allow any plastic to touch the baby’s skin are better for preventing rash.
4. Once you find a brand you like, shop around for a good discount, and then buy by the case.
5. Inspect each diaper for impurities, discoloration, and foreign materials in the paper padding.
6. Create air holes. Since air circulation is the biggest problem with disposables, pinch out a piece of the plastic liner in the seat area. This will allow air to circulate and will also make it easier for you to tell when the baby needs to be changed.
7. Use the weight and size chart to determine fit. Diapers with elastic legs aren’t necessary but they do prevent leakage. As you fasten the diaper, make sure the leg holes are not too constricting.
8. Some disposables supposedly have parts that can be flushed. These don’t work well. Nonetheless, you should try to flush as much from the diaper as possible. Then tightly roll up the diaper so the soiled area is not open to the air, and seal the diaper with diaper tape before throwing it out.
9. Garbage cans should be lined with plastic bags, which should be tied and sealed tightly for disposal. Garbage cans that have locking lids are good; they keep curious tots out.
10. Diapers with refastenable tape are convenient, but not necessary if you keep a small roll of strapping or masking tape and safety tipped scissors handy.

Becoming a big brother or big sister can be a challenging time for a toddler. It is hard for toddlers and young children to fully understand the concept of a new baby. It is important to prepare your child for the new arrival and continually be sensitive to the fact that without the proper attention the new baby can be threatening and even scary for your toddler. Here are a few ways to make this transition easier on your toddler.

You can start to prepare your toddler for the new baby from the very begging. When you find out your pregnant start talking to your toddler about babies in general, once your toddler has been introduced to the idea of babies tell them that you are going to have a baby. Throughout your pregnancy show your toddler pictures of the baby from the sonograms and explain that the baby is inside of you. Show your toddler pictures of them when they were newborn and tell them the story of their birth at the hospital or home and let them know that it will be similar with the new baby. Get your toddler excited about the new baby; try to guess what it will look like and if you know the sex of the new child tell them they are having a little brother or sister. Take them to doctor’s visits and let them hear the babies heartbeat or feel the baby kick. The more you include your child in your pregnancy the easier the transition will be.

Once your new baby is born it is important to understand what your toddler may feel. They may feel jealousy toward the new baby; they may feel like you love the new baby more because it needs so much attention. Things that you do and don’t do can send the wrong message to your toddler so here are a few strategies on how to facilitate your toddlers adjustment:

• Set aside special time with your toddler every day and focus only on them, even if it’s only for half an hour while the new baby is sleeping. Your toddler is accustomed to having all of your attention and you may now find it impossible to give the same attention to them. By spending special time with your toddler if they demand your attention later in the day when you do not have time to give one on one time you can remind them of the special time you had earlier or that is coming up later in the day.
• During the first few months friends and relatives will bring gifts for the new baby and your toddler may feel left out. So have a few inexpensive gifts ready to give to your toddler so that they feel loved as well.
• Talk to your child about what it means to be an older sibling, let them know that the baby will learn from him or her and look up to them. Include your toddler in helping with the baby’s everyday routine like changing diapers of feeding time.
• A smart idea is to have a big kid box set aside for times that you will be busy with the baby and cannot entertain your toddler. A big kid box could be a shoe box filled with a few independent activities for your toddler. When you need to send your toddler to the big kid box make sure to join them as soon as you’re done caring for the baby.
• Don’t blame the baby if you are unable to do something for your child. This could make your child resent the baby. For example if you can not pick up your child while pregnant tell your toddler it is because your back hurts not because you are pregnant.

Whatever you do to plan for your new baby make sure to include your toddler in the plans as well. Make sure to talk to your child and answer any questions or concerns they may have about the new baby but don’t bring up concerns that your toddler doesn’t mention. By helping your toddler to feel secure and understand what will be happening when the new baby arrives you can ensure that this wonderful time can be shared with everyone in the family.

Over the last few decades, most of the experts have said that letting your baby sleep in bed with you is a bad thing to do. Yet, every new mom knows, especially if she breastfeeds her baby, that he is not going to fall asleep, nor will he stay asleep, unless the source of his nourishment is firmly fixed where it belongs - in his mouth.

Mother may walk him to sleep, which works until she is so weary she cannot stand up. She may rock him to sleep, sometimes accompanied with her singing. This works until he gets restless and wants to get down on the floor to play. That is what my daughter liked to do at two o’clock in the morning, after waking me from the only sleep I had been able to get all day. Then of course, the mother can nurse her infant until he just dozes off, and gently, oh so gently, ease her nipple out of his mouth, lay the dear baby down in his own little bed, put the blanket over him just so, turn out the light, tiptoe out the door, and listen to him howl in rage.

He is not where he thought he was. The world has insulted him. The world is unfair, and he will make certain everyone in it knows this.

“Let him cry it out,” my friends and in-laws advised. I was generally good for not much more than ten minutes of that. From the time my children were two months old, they could belt out their protests for hours. It was a matter of who had the stronger character, and generally I lost such tugs-of-war.

Yes, a screaming baby may well make the ugliest sound in the world. Our first instinct is to do anything in our power to calm the infant down. We need to remember that what has been called the ‘family bed,’ is not necessarily wrong, just foreign. People in other parts of the world routinely have their children in bed with them. The very notion that anyone should sleep alone would appear to be a form of torture to them. Their children grow up healthy and feeling loved and accepted in ways most of our children may not.

Most of us want to maintain those private times with our husbands, keeping them absolutely private. Yet still, the infant wails in the night, and will not be comforted except with the warmth and nourishment only his mother can give him. The plush bear in his crib can only offer so much comfort. Should we be made to feel guilty for permitting ourselves to fall asleep with our infant nestled beside us? Some of my most precious memories of my children are of those times when, weary from the day, I curled around my soft warm baby, and let him nurse until we had both drifted off to sleep.

This is not to say that my babies did not have their own beds and their own rooms. It does mean that no one rule is right for all parents and all children at all times. We have to use those wonderful minds God gave us and make the best decisions for ourselves and our children that we can.

Many babies urinate minutes after birth. This is an important milestone and is recorded in your baby’s medical chart when it happens.

The first bowel movements of a newborn baby are called meconium, which forms in the intestine long before birth. In fact, some babies pas some meconium while still in the uterus. It mixes with the amniotic fluid. While this is usually harmless, when your doctor spots meconium in your amniotic fluid during labor, he or she will be concerned that the baby not inhale it deeply with the first breaths after birth. If meconium is breathed deep into the lungs, it can cause breathing problems, if meconium is present, deep suctioning with the mucous trap is done before the baby breathes.

Many parents are unprepared for their babies’ strange bowel movements. Your baby will have a meconium bowel movement within a few hours after birth. Meconium is black and sticky and difficult to clean off. Some parents think ahead and rub olive oil on their baby’s bottom before it happens. It is then much easier to clean off.

As the baby begins to fed, the bowel movements become runny and greenish-brown. Once the colostrum has changed to milk, a breastfed baby’s bowel movement becomes yellow and liquid and nearly odorless. Breastfed babies normally move their bowels anywhere from once a week to once each feeding. Formula-fed babies move their bowels less frequently, and their bowel movements are dark, firm, and strong smelling.

Baby Keepsakes - Gifts for a Lifetime

Over the course of our lifetime, we accumulate “stuff” that represents our history, experiences and the good and the bad events that have occurred during our journey through life.
I suppose I am overly sentimental and obsessed with ensuring my own children have keepsakes from their babyhood and beyond. Perhaps it is because I do not have momentos from my babyhood and toddler years that I place a huge importance on ensuring that my children do have treasures that they can appreciate as the years pass by. Call me a pack rat for my kids!

Photographs

Photos are a fabulous means of recording the life of a child.
For each photograph I take of my children, a copy is put into a special box for each of my child. The date and place is recorded on the back of the photograph in addition to additional names of others that may be in the photo. When my children turn 18, I will pass these photographs to my children for their own keeping.

Videos

A wonderful, realistic means of recording actions, words and developments of babies, toddlers and up.
The camcorder is an absolutely fantastic electronic device that I have become close friends with since my first baby. Not only do I take videos, but I also utilize video editing software to record music and sounds to the video clips to make it all the more personalized and interesting to others and my children. A copy of all videos is also put into safe keeping for each of my children.

Clothing and Toys

One cannot keep every single piece of clothing or toy, however, I have kept a piece of clothing and a toy from their newborn stage that has been given by a special person in their life such as grandma, grandpa, aunts and uncles, mommy and daddy and other special family members or friends. As the years go on, I am sure the collection will grow with favorite toys that they have cherished through their childhood or other “stuff” that will bring back fond memories.

Baby / Toddler Record Keeping Books

Recording the particulars of baby’s birth, date of their first steps, the first word spoken, a clipping of hair from their first haircut or all the “firsts” will be a wonderful keepsake for children when they are older. Every person is curious to know what they were like as a baby, what their favoritie color or song was, etc. Remember, even parents forget such things and record keeping books are a great method of looking back and remembering your children.
Yes, I am probably Clean Sweep’s biggest nightmare but it is so important to me that I give my children a part of their history and I believe that they will be grateful when they are older and obtain these special treasures.

Personalized baby gifts and gift baskets are among our most popular gift items for newborn babies. Security blankets, baby blankets, plush toys and more embroidered with baby’s first name and birthdate are an excellent baby gift idea. Not only are they enchanting but are a fabulous keepsake gift that will last a lifetime.
Start your little blessing with a gift that will represent their babyhood and start in the journey of life.

When I moved into my first apartment I remember feeling so overwhelmed because I was running out to the store to get important things for my new living space at least once a day. All the little things that your parents had that you took for granted like shower curtain liners, pots and pans, toasters, spatulas, whisks, condiments, clothes hamper, etc. I always needed one little thing to finish what I was doing and it was hard. I can only imagine what it will be like trying to buy what I need for a new baby and avoid running to the store for a small but important forgotten item.

I have often thought that while apartment shopping it would have been nice to have a checklist of things needed. It also would have been nice to know what I wouldn’t need as well. I found myself buying things I thought I needed but didn’t, like that orange juicer that I have never used. I am sure that even with preparation, having a baby will sweep me away into the never-ending ocean of “especially for baby” but necessary items. But even still, forward thinking, I have done a little research and prepared a list of things that every expecting Mother needs and a few that you could probably go without when deciding what to buy for your new baby.

So what CAN you live without?

• Baby bathtub - People seem to have trouble with these, either because they are hard to use, hard to store or the baby doesn’t like them. It seems just as easy to take the baby into the bath with you.
• Car bottle warmer - A good idea, but they don’t tend to warm up quickly enough on quick trips.
• Cradles/Bassinets/Cribs - It could be that the trend toward the family bed is giving people an alternative to cradles and bassinets, but many mothers said they took up too much space and babies were rarely, if ever, happy in them.
• Pillows are NOT RECOMMENDED, babies do not need them, and furthermore pillows are associated with crib death.
• Diaper Genie - most people find these frustrating to operate.
• Changing table - They take up a lot of space and don’t allow for the most versatile storage. Many parents find it just as easy to convert a bureau to a changing table or just change the baby on the floor.

So what CAN’T you live without?

• Car seats - are not items to skimp on. Unless you know the previous owner very well, car seats are not good items to get second-hand. Manufacturers advise that any car seat that has been in any kind of accident, no matter how minor, must be replaced. Car seats are carefully constructed to protect their precious cargo, and any compromise to the structure could limit its effectiveness.
• Stroller - Many infants do well in a sling, but if you’re talking about long walks or shopping, a stroller helps manage all your bundles.
• Carrier/Sling - Keeps baby close while keeping hands free.
• Floor gym/Playpen - Because sometimes you need to go to the bathroom.
• Onsies for summer babies and Jammies for winter babies - It is wise to resist the urge to buy “outfits” at this stage of the game. Babies spit up, drool, and wet themselves a lot so the best thing to have on hand is lots of onsies for summer babies and jammies for winter babies. Newborn infants must have their heads covered outside in all but the warmest summer months (when they should stay out of the sun, entirely) so be sure to have plenty of cozy stretchy hats on hand, too.
• Diapers, Medicine and General Care Items:
  • Several packages of diapers in newborn and infant sizes.
  • Several giant packages of wipes.
  • A stash of small wash clothes - and a plastic dish for water for sponge baths on the changing table.
  • Diaper rash creams.
  • Infant ibuprofen and acetaminophen - (Tylenol and Motrin)
  • Anti-gas drops.
  • Nasal aspirator - (babies can’t blow their noses so the aspirator may be necessary to help clear congested nasal passages. There are different kinds out there and the hospital will give you one. They all work differently, so it’s nice to have the variety to experiment with.)
  • Rubbing alcohol and cotton balls - to clean the belly button stump (and to help sterilize clippers, tweezers and nasal aspirators.)
  • A grooming kit - with soft hair brush, comb, tweezers and infant nail clippers.
  • A rectal thermometer - Fancy pacifier thermometers and under-arm patches, in-the-ear thermometers and forehead strips don’t do the job. The most reliable way to take a temperature is rectally. Have your health practitioner show you how to do this on your baby so you are confident that you can take his or her temperature in the middle of the night, if the need arises.
  • Hand soap and anti-bacterial wash - (if you prefer it) for the bathroom for folks to wash their hands before touching the newborn. Hand wash in the diaper bag for the road.

Ask your friends what tools they couldn’t do without and plan the amount of space you have to devote to your baby’s gear. For gear the baby might reject, like swings, borrow one before buying one. Collecting hand-me-downs from relatives or friends is a great help. Another source is a baby shower. You will receive gifts from friends and relatives for you’re soon to be newborn. After all this is collected, you can sit down and take stock of what you have and don’t have. Make a complete listing of what you need before you go out and shop, otherwise you may go over budget and get things that you really don’t need. If you do forget something its ok it is good to buy what you need when you need it. It’s easier and cheaper than buying everything and then disposing of things that don’t work. The number one thing your baby will need is your love and attention; if it has that everything else is just a detail.

Dirty Works: If you’re a parent, you know poo. Not Winnie the Pooh, though you’ve probably encountered him once or twice, too. Poo poo, the real deal. The stuff of legend.

Every parent has a good poo story. There’s that time Isabella’s diaper somehow split open in the car seat or when Justin took his diaper off by himself in the restaurant? That was fun. No matter how good your story is, though, I promise I’ve got you beat. I did time as a preschool teacher.

You think you’re prepared for this stuff going in, really you do. Maybe you have kids of your own, or you’ve babysat tons, or you have lots of little nieces and nephews and you just love taking care of them. But nothing, really, can ready you for the big diaper leagues: the industrial-strength stenches of an institutional setting; the staggering diversity of recycled foodstuffs (oh my goodness, what was he eating!); the places that stuff can go-as if it had locomotive power of its own sometimes; the sheer, weighty, volume of it.

Now, I didn’t start out as a preschool teacher completely unschooled. I had kids of my own; I went for a year of training and certification-with some very specific instructions on diapering, I might add. I had expectations and the qualifications that justified them, so I thought. Then I started work.

My career began the day after a hurricane hit our area and knocked out the power. School went on since we had lots of windows and wonderful natural lighting, and no electrical toys and gadgets anyway. What we didn’t have, however, was a window in the bathroom.

My very first professional diaper I changed by flashlight. And it didn’t go well. Somehow, in the dark and amidst the general odor, I didn’t notice the-relatively-solid mass that had fallen to the floor as the diaper was removed. Suffice it to say, we both needed a bath by the time that child was changed-and I didn’t even know it.

But that’s not even the worst story. Another school I worked for had a lovely, fashionable, and very clean bathroom for toddlers. A long, low row of sinks, a row of stalls without doors to reduce fears and encourage peer encouragement, beautiful pastel colors and white wainscoting. A very inviting place, really. We also had a pair of toddlers who liked to go together, and since our school philosophy encouraged independence, we encouraged them. And they encouraged each other.

When I found them, they had completely, well, redecorated shall we say? It was a (recycled) food fight. It was just about everywhere-and oh, did I mention, we had a ceiling fan in the bathroom?

Yup, the stuff actually hit the fan.

Back when you first knew you were pregnant you suspected that nothing would ever be the same again. And pregnancy did slow you down a bit, but not enough to force you to stop doing most of those things that were important to you. Yes, you did have some pretty serious questions about the labor and birth experience, and may have spent a lot of time preparing for it.

But, there was no way anyone could prepare for the full-time responsibility of taking care of a new infant. You would not have believed, if anyone had told you, the many things you would have to give up to insure that this child would have a good start in life.

Time is chief among them. Time to sleep in with your husband on Saturday morning, making love in a leisurely fashion, when neither of you was too weary to enjoy it, and neither of you had to be anywhere else right away. Time to get together with a friend to see a new movie, or take another class towards your degree, and actually do the studying for it. Time just to sleep through at night.

For the past year, your attention has been centered on an area - as one woman put it - about the size of a receiving blanket. Your baby’s needs came first, and being able to take care of your needs has almost been a thing of the past.

You were there every day, slogging through the constant rounds of feeding and changing and cleaning up after your little one, in between those times when you were feeding, changing and cleaning up after him. Many of you have even figured out how to juggle your baby against a demanding work schedule-no small trick, that.

And now, it’s your baby’s first birthday. If anyone tells you that your child will hardly know what is going on, that a cake and presents would mean little to him, they’re probably right. Still, it is fun to see how he responds to a cake with a candle in it-will he really be able to blow the thing out? And after you have finished cleaning the cake and ice-cream out of his hair and off the floor, you will still have the precious memory-the look of discovery in his eyes as he opens his first present.

But let us not forget that this day should really be a celebration of you, the mother. This is the day when you deserve to be fully congratulated for having made it through this year of initiation to motherhood. You have done well. That secret, alchemical change from young women to mother has been taking place during this time. You know you will be a good mother to this child, as he grows and his needs change. All you have to do is look at that eager little child of yours to know that.

This is your day, Mom. Don’t be afraid to pat yourself on the back, you deserve it. Get together with some friends and celebrate.