Baby Care and Parenting Tips

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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

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

Women have been breastfeeding for centuries, many without all of the knowledge, instruction and tools that mothers get today. In some cases; however, too much information can lead to a little breastfeeding paranoia.

There are so many wonderful reasons to breastfeed, that sometimes it seems like the ONLY option. In truth the only option is to do what is best for your baby and sometimes that means your breast needs a little help. Many new babies could benefit from supplemental feedings, but this is a scary proposition for new mothers who have heard too much about nipple confusion and how overall breastfeeding success is greatest when it is exclusive from the moment of birth. So, what to do when your baby needs to gain more weight and you are feeding/pumping with all your might and it is still not enough?

The folks at Medela developed the Supplemental Nursing System to give the baby what it needs without compromising future breastfeeding success. This particular one is geared for short-term use; however, there is another model that can be used as a long-term solution. Either formula or pumped breast milk can be placed into the container which is connected to a very small tube.  This tube is taped down to the mother’s breast so that the extra fluid drips into the baby’s mouth while he/she is already nursing. It is a great way to provide the nourishment your child needs without switching to a bottle before good breastfeeding habits have been developed.

You already know it is important to eat a well-balanced diet, but it is more important when you are pregnant. Remember now you are eating for two. Whatever you eat, the baby eats as well. In fact the baby actually takes your nourishments so you must eat enough for both of you. The healthier you eat the better it  is for the baby and you.

Never miss a meal while you are pregnant, especially breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and your baby has probably been waiting since  he/she woke up in the middle of the night. You may learn that if you wait so long before eating you start to feel sick, this is your body telling you to eat. Do it!

Make sure you are getting enough food you need daily.  It takes 4-6 servings of dairy a day for a healthy pregnancy, this include some cheeses, milk, yogurt.  This provides the baby with calcium which it’ll need to develop healthy growing bones. Adding extra calcium to your diet wouldn’t hurt you either, especially your teeth and bones.

Don’t forget about fruit and vegetable servings. Lots of green is a good choice, so are sweet potatoes.  Not only will you be giving your body what it needs but you’ll start to have more energy. Try laying off the sweets for a week and replace them with healthier items and you will feel better.

Foods to Avoid
Not all foods are safe during your pregnancy, there are a few things you should avoid eating:

-  unpasteurized  products- brie
-  Certain fish- exotic, shark, swordfish, anything high in mercury
-  Raw eggs
-  Undercooked meats- lunch meats. If you are buying a deli sandwich you can ask for them to eat the meat up a little.
-  Caffeine- soda, chocolate. If you find this difficult you can wean yourself off, but the less caffeine in your system the better it is for the baby.

If you are ever unsure of the foods you can eat you can ask your doctor for a list of items to avoid during pregnancy. They’ll be more than happy to share this with you. You may also learn that your stomach won’t handle certain foods that it would before. Some of those foods may include foods that contain grease, fast foods, meat, and certain foods that have a strong odor.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to cut out all the fun in your life, you can still treat yourself from time to time. Go out and get a frozen yogurt or a  smoothie. The baby will thank later because you have give her/him good nutrition. Who knows that you really enjoy eating healthier and continue it even after the pregnancy.

When new parents find that their baby may be getting to that age where solid foods should be introduced, a whole new list of panics start to form. There are so many questions that new parents have about when to give their child solid foods. Also, there is great concern on what they should or should not be starting their baby out on. There is probably a lot of advice coming in from friends and family, especially the grandparents, but how does a person know if they are getting the best advice.

Sure, maybe your parents gave you full hot dogs to chew on when you were a kid but that does not mean that it was safe. Back in the day, many people had their babies sitting on their lap in the front seat of a moving car. That was considered okay back then but that kind of behavior would land you in jail today. This type of example is a good reason why it is important to make sure that you are double-checking the suggestions you are given by your parents and other people. It is much better to be safe rather than sorry.

So what is the appropriate age to introduce your baby to solid foods? Doctors say that you can begin to introduce your baby to solid foods anytime between four to six months depending on how quickly your baby becomes ready for it. Now on to the next concern. How do you know when your baby is ready for solid food? You first have to make sure that your baby has good head control. If you start to notice your baby doing a little chewing motion with his or her mouth then that is another sign.

You may also notice that your baby has suddenly an increased interest in the foods that you are eating. If you notice him or her trying to reach for your food then it is another sign that your baby is ready to try a little solid food of his or her own. Weight gain is another sign that your baby is ready to move on to the good stuff. It is said that your baby needs to have at least doubled his or her birth weight and be at least four months old.

Now that you are ready to introduce your baby to solid foods, do you start with the rice cereal or the steak? While that may seem like a funny question there are a lot of parents out there who truly have no clue what to start their baby on and this is generally because he or she is their first child. Rice cereal is the general rule of thumb. As your baby gets used to the idea of solid food you can add in things such as mashed potatoes and applesauce. These are foods that will be very easy for the baby to handle without too much of a risk of harm to the child.

Just take it slow and allow your baby to move at his or her own pace. If you find that your child is not ready right at four months of age, do not worry. Babies are different and he or she will eventually be getting their face covered with food before you know it.

by Amanda Isbitt

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