Entries from March 2009 ↓

Choosing a baby name for your child is almost like choosing his identity. Ever heard about the association of a person’s name with his personality? That’s how our names really work. A name molds a person’s identity like a cookie-cutter. So, better get that best baby name for your son or daughter. Read on for some tips on how to provide that best baby name for your little angel.

1. Stop it already with the dictates of your family’s tradition. Choosing the right baby name does not have to always rely on what your elderly relatives deem to be the best baby name. It is your baby’s name, not theirs. So, better act like it. Once your baby is born he will be stuck with that baby name for life. That means it’s not wise to just settle for any baby name that will suit your grandma’s or auntie’s taste.

2. Take a look of a picture of his future. You don’t want your baby to be always called with a monicker that will forever ridicule him or will allow his playmates to make a big laughingstock out of him, right? Research about the meaning of the baby name you are eyeing to give to your baby. Don’t consider Beelzebub as a prospective baby name just because you heard it from a TV show and you find it cute. Don’t use Rodelfa just because a certain Mexican TV show’s hunky lead actor is called Rodolfo. Just plainly saying yes to your gutfeel, thinking of the people that pops into your head upon hearing somebody spout a certain name, trying to follow a fad by naming your baby a certain celebrity’s (sometimes notorious) or NOT THINKING AT ALL in giving your precious one his or her baby name are huge no-nos!

3. Consider reading the initials of the baby name you are planning to give your baby. Make sure they don’t stand for anything funny, disturbing or something utterly stupid. Christine Sue Irving? What will happen on the next episode? Alvin Stephen Stuart? He’ll surely remember not to get near any hole. Fran Ursula Catherine Klein? Uh-oh! See? Can you imagine the sickening situation you may put your child into when he or she grows up?

4. Go check your family tree once and for all. Some can’t still get away from some traditions regarding baby name decisions, especially when they have a special bond with a certain family member that they want that person’s name to be a part of their baby’s name. If your planning to still follow the tradition of putting a part of your elder relatives’ names on your baby’s name, you have to know whether anybody else in your family use that name too. You don’t want to confuse people when they’re calling a name that’s owned by two. Ask around.

5. Don’t go for the overkill. Being too creative on thinking of a baby name can backfire, I’m telling you. Examples are too unique spellings. It will be hard for the kid to keep on spelling his or her name to people who only know the common spelling of such name.

6. Decide with your partner in coming up with the best baby name for your sweet baby. It wouldn’t be nice to be always blamed when people ask who chose that awful baby name, right? Okay, kidding aside. Sharing on this kind of decision-making is a good way of furthering your bond as a couple, not to mention the possibility of coming up with a better baby name. Remember that the “two heads are better than one” thought also applies to dealing with the troubles of finding the most suitable baby name for your baby.

Sound, appeasing relatives and friends and avoiding embarrassing initials and discovery of disgusting meanings are some of the major concerns that should be considered in your quest for the perfect baby name. You might find them a bit taxing. But in the long run, you’ll see that doing your homework will make your baby thank you when the right time comes. Happy baby naming!

50. storing milk correctly
Once the formula is mixed and shaken, take the disc and ring off the bottle. Put the teat in upside down, but don’t let it dip in the milk empty some out if necessary. Reseal the disc and ring. Fill all the bootles and put the caps on. Store them in the fridge, ideally on a tray so they don’t fall over, and not inside the door. Do not store for long store for longer than 24 hours.

51. getting the bottle ready
For each feed, take the bottle from the fridge and turn the teat the right way up. Warm the bottle in warm water, or at least bring it up to room temperature. Never warm the bottle in a microwave oven because the milk may become dangerously hot.

52. giving bottle feed
The beauty of bottle feeding is that it allows mother some time off from the relentless feeding duties, and gives father and baby an ideal time to cuddle and bond together. Whoever is giving the bottle feed – parent, childminder, or grandparent – needs to hold her close and talk and smile at her. Put a bib on her. Lie her half-sitting, cradled in the crook of one arm, your hand supporting her buttocks and legs. Stoke her near cheek which should start the sucking reflex. Give her the teat.

53. when baby wont let go
When your baby has finished drinking the milk, pull the bottle firmly away. If she still wants to suck, offer her your clean little finger. However, if she doesn’t want to let go of the bottle, slide your little finger between her gums and alongside the teat. This will break the suction of the teat.

54. sleeping during a feed
If your baby dozes off during a feed, she may have wind which is making her feel full. Sit her more upright and burp her for a couple of minutes. Then offer her more milk. Remember to tilt the bottle at an angle so that the teat is full of milk, not air. She’ll decide when she’s had enough.

55.switching from breast to bottle
Even if you want to bottle feed, breast-feeding for at least two days will give your baby valuable antibodies to help fight infection. You can then switch from breast to bottle if you decide not to carry on. But if you start by bottle-feeding, you cannot then switch to breast feeds. If you do change over, give baby time to adjust. Replace a lunchtime, breast-feed with a bottle every third day. Moisten the teat with a few drops of breast milk to help. After three days later a third, then the night feed.

56. burping your baby
Allow your baby the chance to burp up any swallowed air, or “wind”. That wind may make her feel full. If she doesn’t burp after 30 seconds, don’t worry its still good for both of you to pause, relax, and slow down at a feed.

46. What you need to bottle feed
To ensure that bottle-feeding is a happy experience for you and your baby, you must be scrupulous about hygiene, and have everything you need-the formula milk, equipment, bibs, brushes, cleaner and sterilizers – ready in advance. Make sure you have enough bottles, teats and caps to make up feeds for a 24-hour period. To save time prepare all the feeds for 24 hours in one batch and store them in a refrigerator. Make up fresh feeds when you are down to two bottles of made-up feed in the refrigerator.

47. washing & sterilizing equipment
Milk is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which could make your baby very ill, so you need to sterilize all bottles, teats, and caps by one of the methods shown here. But before sterilizing, all items must be washed out thoroughly using a bottle brush with warm water, liquid detergent, and then rinsed well. If you rub the inside of a teat with salt, the scraping action will remove any trapped milk traces from the teat. Then allow all rinsed items to drain on kitchen paper, not the draining board. Don’t warm the feed until you need it, or try to keep milk warm in a thermos. After a feed, discard any milk left in the bottle.

48. managing a bottle-feeding routine
Bottle feed your baby when he seems hungry, not by the clock. Newborn babies often need as many as seven to eight feeds a day, taking about 50 ml (2 fl oz) at each feed. So put at least this amount of feed into each of the six bottles to begin with. By six months you will be making up feeds of 200ml (7 fl oz). as a rough guide, your baby will require about 150 ml of milk per kilogram of body weight (or 2,5 fl oz per 1 lb) every 24 hours. Before you begin, check the flow from the teat (three should be several drops per second), and the heat of the milk (which ideally should be at room remperature). Try a few drops on your wrist first to make sure it is not too hot. After six months on infant formula, your baby  may need supplement of iron of vitamin D, or may need to be put on follow-on milk which has extra protein and vitamins. If in doubt, check with your surgery.

49. making up a powder formula
Infant powder formula usually comes as a powder in tins, which you mix up as needed. You will need to have a supply of made up bottles in the fridge ready to give as soon as they are needed. Make up the correct levels following the instructions on the tinexactly. You can do one bottle, or a batch of bottles, at a time, whichever is more convenient for you. With the measuring scoop from the formula pack, add loosely filled scoops to each measure of water as directed. Always start with fresh cold water from the mains, boiled, and cooled once. Never use mineral water. You can mix the formula directly into the bottle(s), or via a jug. Once poured, seal the bottle with the disk and ring, but not the teat, and shake well to mix.

Continue to Bottle Feeding 2

37. Getting comfortable
Breastfeeding is absolutely natural, but it still has to be learned. Much will depend on “reading” the signals your baby gives you. But you can make things far easier by getting settled for a breastfeeding session-which could last for an hour. Lying down is ideal for night-time feeds. For other sessions, seek good back support, such as sitting on a low chair with no arms, or lying up against a bed headstead with plenty of pillows behind you.

38. Guiding your baby to latch on
Once settled, take a deep breath and relax your shoulders. If in private, take off your top to make it easier for baby to “latch on”, that is to be correctly placed on your breast and sucking efficiently. Use your baby’s natural reflex to “root” (seek out) and to suck. If you or baby, take another deep breath and start again.

39. Managing your milk flow
Your baby doesn’t just suck. She “milk” the breast by pressing on your milk supply at the base of the areola (the coloured area around the nipple). Don’t worry about “supply”. Your baby’s sucking stimulates “demand”. However, when your milk comes in, your breast may become engorged and sore for a few days. This makes the nipple go flat so it is hard for baby to latch on. Try these steps to help baby latch on and quickly relieve any engorgement.

40. Changing over during a feed
Let your baby suck for at least 10 to 15 minutes on one breast at each feed. After you’ve burped her, or she has had a short nap, slip a finger between her jaws to break her suction and offer her the other breast. She may be hungry enough to drain this one, too, or she may just suck for comfort. In either case, let her suck till she falls fast asleep.

41. Coping with leaking breasts
Your breast may leak a lot between feeds in the early weeks. You cannot prevent this, but it will diminish as your breasts settle down and supply matches your baby’s demand. To cope with this problem – and protect your cloches – wear disposable or fabric – washable breast pads inside your bra. These will absorb some of the dripping. Change the pads frequently, as wetness near your skin may make your sore.

42. Soothing sore nipples
Sore, red nipples usually result from your baby not latching on properly. Check that she takes the whole nipple and areola area into her mouth, and that her temples and ears are moving (that is, her jaw muscles are working hard). Cracked nipples give you shooting pains during feeding, but don’t stop feeds, as you may become engorged and make the problem worse.

43. Expressing milk by hand
Expressing your own milk means you can freeze it (for up to one mouth) and someone else can give it to your baby – which allows you greater freedom and flexibility. It is an easy and painless process. Help the flow of milk  by applying a warm flannel first.

44. Expressing milk by pump
Expressing with a purpose-made pump can work far quicker and be less tiring than hand expressing. Choose a “syringe”-type pump where the outer cylinder converts into a bottle. First soften your breast with warm water and massage them as if expressing by hand. The feeling an your milk ducts should be like your baby’s jaws.

45. First-year feeding routines
How long should a feed last? How many feeds should I give my baby in 24 hours? Can I tell when she is going to be hungry? Such question are all part of the emotional and practical worries of feeding a baby in the first year. Bear in mind the following tips when planning a feeding routine.
BREAST FEEDING TIPS:

• Always feed your baby as often as she seems hungry. And give her as much as the wants
• For the fist month at least, do not try to establish an inflexible routine.
• If you started off in the first two weeks by feeding your newborn 10 times in 24 hours, this should be reduced to eight feeds, then six, after a further six weeks.
• By two months expect to be feeding about every four hours.
• By three months plans for five feeds a day plus two night feeds.
• By four no five months plan for four feeds a day plus some solids.
• By six months your routine should be two breast-feeds a day: early morning and bedtime.
• By nine months you should be beginning a bedtime feed only.
• If you both want to, you can continue to breast-feed well into your baby’s second

31. essential home clothing
For the first six months the all-in-one stretchsuit, sleepsuit, or romper suit will be indispensable. Make sure stretch toweling clothes are machine-washable and are made of natural fibres to help regulate body temperature. Have at least six outfits, including vests for underneath-one on, one in the wash, one spare, and three more.

32. clothing size

This is an average clothes sizing guide
Age                                Height (up to)                                  Weight (up to)
New baby                   55 cm (22 in)                                    4 -5 kg (10 lb)
0 – 3 mths                   62 cm (24 in)                                   6,5 kg (14 lb)
3 – 6 mths                   68 cm (27 in)                                   9 kg (17,5 lb)
6 -12 mths                 76 cm (30 in)                                  11 kg (22 lb)
12 – 18 mths             85 cm (34 in)                                    12,5 kg (25 lb)

33. put on a vest
Dress him in a vest in a warm room, away from draughts. A baby feeling the air against his skin is likely to cry; do not get flustered by this. Try to make this a fun time, and use eye contact and caresses to soothe him. Dressing will get easier so try to be patient and gentle.

34. Take off a vest
After lying him down, reach through the armhole, or sleeve, to hold one elbow inside the vest with one hand. Ease all the fabric over his fist. Do the same with the other elbow. Then gather up all the vest in your hands, so there is no spare fabric that might scrape over his face. Stretch the opening as over his face to his crown. Now slide your hands underneath his head and neck and lift his upper body to slide out the vest.

35. putting a stretchsuit
Have all poppers undone. Pick your baby up and lay the clean atretchsuit out flat underneath him. Put him back on top of the laid-out garment. Insert his legs first, then his arms. His neck should lie just above the collar.

36. taking off a stretchsuit
Undo the poppers first and, as you bend his leg, pull to garment away from his toes. As his leg comes out, be careful not to snag his toes. Repeat with the other leg. Put your hand inside his sleeve and hold his elbow. Grasp the cuff and pull the sleeve off, keeping his arms bent. Be careful no to catch his finger when trying to pull his hand through the cuff. Repeat with the other arm. Slide your hand under his head and neck and remove the suit.

23. What you need for bathing
The most important piece of equipment is the baby bath: it must be sturdy and stable. If using a normal bath, get a rubber mat to stop baby slipping. Use only baby toiletries: these are designed to be extra mild, gently moisturizing, and have very low irritancy for delicate skins. Do not try to economize by buying adult shampoos, soaps, lotions and creams. These have far too many additive and chemicals.

24. washing a young baby
Bathtime should be funtime, but first baths can seem daunting. Your baby may dislike the feel of water, and could hate feeling wet, naked and slippery. You may also be over-axious about dropping her. All this is perfectly normal apart from cleaning, your main aim is to make sure your baby doesn’t catch cold. So, for face, head, and hair washing a newborn keep her wrapped in a towel.

25. washing baby in a big bath
When your baby is a few months old, you can put him in a little water in the big bath. He will have more room to kick and splash around. As with a baby bath, pour cold water in first, then add hot water till it is just warm. Make sure the room is warm and all you need is at hand. Never leave you baby in the bath or let go of him completely.

26. hair washing without tears
You should wash your newborn baby’s hair every day. A clean scalp and hair will help prevent cradle cap. You will need hypo-allergenic, nonsting baby shampoo, or newborn shampoo wipes(or extra mild bath lotion), a sponge, and flannel. You can also buy a specially designed plastic “halo” that fits around the hairline and prevent suds running down the face while rinsing.

27. baht-time safety
The most important safety feature is you: never leave your baby alone in the bath and always hold on to a very small or young child.
-    place a non-slip mat in the bottom of the bath to prevent nasty slip and slides.
-    Always check the water temperature first by putting in your elbow or inner side of your wrist.
-    Turn off the taps tightly. Even droplets can be scalding. cover the hot tap with a cool flannel.
-    Never top up with hot water while baby is in the bath. You can add warm water with a mixer tap.
-    Do not bathe your baby in a cold room
-    Do not set the water beater thermoustat too high.

28. Giving a sponge bath
Many babies hate having a bath or having their hair washed. If this is the case with your baby you can avoid using a bath by sponge bathing him on your lap. Start by “topping and tailing”, that is, dabbing his face with fresh, moist cotton wool. Use cool, pre boiled water for his face and warm tap water for the other parts. Before sitting him on your lap have everything within reach.

29. trimming baby’s first nails
For the first few weeks the nails are so soft that you can bite them off gently yourself. Or you can try baby nail clippers or scissors. Use whichever technique. Makes you less nervous. With an older baby, sit him facing forward. Hold one finger at time and cut the nails with the scissors or clippers, following the shape of the finger tip. For toes, cut the nail straight across.

30. First teeth and gum care
Once your baby has two or more teeth, wipe them and the gums every evening with a damp handkerchief. Introduce a baby sized toothbrush at 12 months. Clean his teeth for him after breakfast and teatime. But let him play with his toothbrush at bathtime. This should take care of the first teeth (also called “milk” teeth). Add fun and games to brushing teeth, especially by brushing your own teeth too. This will encourage your baby into the habit over time.

This is serieal 101 of baby tips and next series of napping baby.

Welcome to Nappies

Continued post from handling your baby in previous post.

9. Cleaning Essentials
Changing a nappy is not as daunting as it may seem, but you really need to have everything ready and all within reach before you start. You must have either a changing mat or folded towel placed on the floor of warm room (if using a changing table or bed, make sure she cannot fall off). Dispose of soiled nappies, nappy liners, cotton wool, and wipes in nappy sacks; use these also to carry soiled terry nappies. Make sure you have baby wipes, or cotton wool broken off in pieces with a bowl of warm water, plus zinc and castor oil barrier cream or petroleum jelly, and a new, clean nappy.

10. what are disposable nappies??
Disposable nappies are nappy, liner, and plastic pants all in one: they allow moisture to soak through a top layer sheet into an absorbent filling, which is protected on the outside by a waterproof backing. Key features include elasticated legs for a snug fit, and refastenable tapes so that you can check if the nappy needs changing. Buy the correct size for your baby’s weight; these are more expensive than toweling nappies but are quick and easy to put on and remove and you save on washing and drying costs. You will be changing around ten nappies a day at first, so buy at least 70 per week.

11. Different disposables
Nappies come in different sizes to fit a growing baby. They range from newborn 4-5 kg (up to 10 lb), right up to “junior” size at 25 kg (55 lb).There are nappies for boys with more padding at the front, and for girls, with more padding at the centre, and unisex varieties, with different absorbencies for day and night use. Choose ones with plastic waist barriers which help prevent moisture passing from the waist onto baby’s clothing. “Ultra” nappies are slim, have more absorbency, but are more expensive than the bulkier standard nappies.

12. What are toweling nappies?
Toweling nappies come in muslin or toweling (terry) material. You will need at least 24 of them, and you should buy the most expensive you can afford as these will be more absorbent than cheaper varieties. You must buy one-way liners to help keep baby dry, and plastic pants to prevent leaks. These are a one-off cost, but remember to account for washing and sterilizing costs after every use.

13. Check the nappy contents
Babies on milk-only diets procedure very loose faeces.
-    for breast-fed babies, mustardy-yellow, dreamy stools are normal.
-    With bottle-fed babies, look for pale brown, more formed and smelly stools.
-    Greenish, curd-like stools are also normal for a pre-solid-fed baby
-    Consult a doctor if the stools are very watery, or contain blood.

14. preventing nappy rash
Any sign of redness (with or without spots) around the bottom area is called nappy rash. The main cause is a baby being left in a wet or soiled nappy too long. So regular checking and changing is the best prevention. Make sure you clean all the skin creases and dry completely. Allow the area to “air” without a nappy for a few minutes. Wash and rinse fabric nappies thoroughly.

15. dealing with nappy rash
Don’t feel guilty or alarmed if your baby gets nappy rash – its very common. At the first sign of redness change of nappy use a medicated baby wipe or damp cotton wool, or wool with lotion, and apply a protective cream such as zinc and castor oil ointment. If using fabric nappies, try more absorbent liners and avoid plastic pants.

Tips :
Nappy rash symptoms
-    redness, sore-looking skin; broken skin in leg folds; smell of ammonia
-    rash starting around the genitals rather than anus.
-    Spotty rash all over genitals, bottom and groin
-    Small blisters all over the nappy area

Likely causes
-    not allowing the skin to dry well enough
-    urine breaking down into ammonia
-    more severe form of ammonia rash
-    heat rash from sweat in skin creases

what to do
-    for all forms of nappy rash, start with careful drying, don’t use plastic pants. Allow time for a baby to air its genital area and bottom. Don’t use powder, but use barrier cream. If his doesn’t work see a doctor.

16. changing a disposable nappy
Have everything ready before you start: the changing mat, a clean nappy, cotton wool and warm water or lotion or baby wipes, disposable or carrier bag for dirty nappy, barrier cream, and fresh clothes if needed. Try to make nappy changing a fun routine. It’s the perfect time for some one-to-one contact, tickles, nursery games and songs. Allow time for the cleaned nappy area to dry off naturally.

17. cleaning a girl
First wash your hand and put your baby on the changing mat. Undo her clothing and open out the nappy. Wipe off the worst of the faeces with a baby wipe or damp cotton wool; with a fabric nappy use a clean corner to wipe away from the vaginal area towards her bottom, not the other way round. Do not try to clean inside the vaginal inner lips.

18. cleaning a boy
The same principle of wiping from the front down towards the anus (to prevent germs reaching the genitals) also applies for boys. One big difference is not to forger the small skin areas underneath the penis and below the testicles, which often harbour traces of urine or faeces. Also, it is quite common for baby boys to urinate just as you remove the front of the nappy, so pause with the nappy held over the penis for a few seconds. Then open out the nappy and wipe any surface faeces with wipes or cotton wool, and drop the into the nappy then fold the soiled nappy down under him.

19. folding fabric nappies
Have your fabric nappies ready-folded before you start changing your baby. There are several ways of folding, but all are designed to produce the maximum thickness at the spot where the most urine collects. Don’t worry about precision as long as the nappy stays up and appears comfortable. “triple absorbent folds” are the most useful for newborn and very small babies. “kite” folds suit larger babies.

20. put on a triple absorbent nappy
Fold a day’s supply of clean fabric nappies ready for use, together with nappy liners. Liners help contain the main bulk of soling but they don’t prevent staining. Keep the ready-folded nappies where you normally change your baby. At night use double nappy with liner which may save your a nappy change before morning. Also keep  bucket of bin bag to hand to throw in the soiled nappy to dispose of the next day.

21. put on a kite fold nappy
First lay your baby on the nappy. Bring up the centre point between her legs. Take up the two sides, overlap, keep taut, and pin. When your baby’s size prevent the two overlaps from meeting in the front, fasten the nappy with two pins, one for each corner. Re-pin if it looks baggy.

22. hygienic nappy washing
Wash nappies thoroughly as any traces of ammonia will irritate your baby’s skin, and faecal bacteria could cause infection. Wash with pure soap flakes of powder only. First soak soiled nappies in sterilizing solution, then wring out and hand or machine wash. Wet ones require only a thorough rinsing in hot water after sterilizing. Use plastic tongs or wear gloves to lift out nappies from a sterilizing bucket. Wash plastic pants in warm water, with a little washing-up liquid and let them air to dry.

Once baby born, probable thought of things these you ‘about going to need. However it is important that you identify some things these you ‘about going to need for your newborn while they arrive at the house. These are the points which can help you to be calm and fresh while you come to the house with your new-born baby. While you ‘about preparing to you will be able to have the months first easier and best.

The first thing, you must have enclothing and covers for it or him. You always point out that this would owe enclothing and covers which are prepared for a new-born baby. They should be strong, comfortable and washable. Gift ‘loss of T your money and time on the expensive use that him or it will have the escape of shaped nappy or throws it upwards. You always point out that your new-born needs ‘for S are comfort; safety and you must offer all that.

You will need the shaped nappies for your baby too. You point out that your newborn will develop and it or suits him to require the shaped nappies. You the ‘VE to maintain its size and its weight in the spirit when you choose the shaped nappies and to put immediately ‘purchase of T a too great number. All the times that you go with fabric shaped nappies or the disposable ones, should take asse’ constantly to you as you must need them and be laid out so that the new-born baby develops very quickly.

You will have to prepare some bottles even if you ‘about nursing for your new-born baby. These bottles should be made for a new-born infant and should be the suitable size for him. There are many various marks and they each make their own philosophies about what is the best for the new-born baby. You should do yours explore while it arrives at your conclusions right about what will be the best for your newborn once it comes in bottles. You can as well want to have some peacemakers in hand since they can be useful while anything else can help.

There are the extra informations which can be important for the life of your newborn. You will have to prepare the soap, the washcloths, and the pickling solution of aspiration for your new-born nose ‘of S. should also have to You the soft q-tips and lotion for the baby in hand. You always point out that you should always employ the things which are prepared particularly for new-born babies so that you ‘about not applying the things which are meant for adults or animals with your new-born baby.

You should maintain in the spirit which your new-born baby will have need for enough cognitive stimulation as well. You always recall that it ’s important to obtain brilliantly coloured rattles and other things so that your new-born brain ‘of S can develop as well as it can and so that you can help with developing cognitive for your newborn. Keep the not very sure articles behind the doors locked out of the baby of the ‘hand of S and have with proportioned provisioning so that you can have to only go on short journeys to the store.