Baby’s Space…The Nursery

The Nursery…Baby’s Space and Mom’s Too

new babyBecoming a parent for the first time or the third time brings new challenges. Preparing a friendly landscape for you and your child is important for a seamless arrival home.

Whether you have a separate nursery or just a dedicated space in your own room for your new baby, it is essential to make it friendly, safe and welcoming.

Ideally, it is good to anticipate what you will need and where you will put it before the little one arrives in your home. Avoiding unnecessary chaos in those early days after baby’s homecoming is both relaxing and time-saving. There really is nothing like being ready when it comes to a new family member that has so many unique needs.

I have found a helpful guide that could help you through setting up your baby’s nursery.

How to Organize a Beautiful, Functional Nursery

 

Weekend Picks from ParentingintheLoop

Weekend Picks from Parenting in the Loop

Here are my favorites for this week. I cannot believe that in two weeks it will be

Labor Day Weekend. Where did the summer go?weekend picks

I Am “The Good Wife” circa 1955 in Spirit | Today’s Grandmum

What a fascinating funny article that first appeared in 1955 when I was a child! Was this really what was expected of women in those days? Here is what I remember as a little girl from that era.

The Best Way to Put Baby to Sleep

If you want a restful night’s sleep and you have a baby you might find this helpful. Everyone’s baby is different but there are some things that can definitely help a baby to self soothe and actually become a good sleeper. A rested baby will help make your weekend more restful.

Dr. Judith Owens, a pediatrician who is the director of sleep medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, told me that she would focus here on what she termed “sleep onset associations.” That is, on helping the children learn how to fall asleep independently at bedtime, which should then generalize to an ability to fall asleep when they wake in the night. So it’s lovely to use the song at bedtime as a going-to-bed routine, but it’s important that the actual moment of going to sleep should be after the bottle (and ideally, after brushing teeth after the bottle) and after the song. It may be that the baby who wakes and cannot soothe himself is actually falling asleep with the aid of the bottle and the song, and then finds himself without those props in the middle of the night. “What they want to do is clearly demarcate the soothing intervention on the part of the parents, the song and the bottle from the actual act of falling asleep,” Dr. Owens said. That probably means moving the routines a little earlier, so that after the song is done, the babies get to fall asleep by themselves. And that, in turn, probably means some difficult nights. You can separate the twins for this transition period if you want, or keep them together; whatever you think would make it easier. Co-sleeping — unless it’s something you believe in and want to practice over the long term — may just leave you with another sleep problem to solve down the line. But you want to get through this to a new equilibrium where you can all enjoy the song and the bedtime ritual. “Learning to self-soothe in regard to sleep is a real developmental skill,” Dr. Owens said. “It can be taught, and it’s an important milestone in self-regulation.” Do you have a health question? Submit your question to Ask Well.

Source: Ask Well: The Best Way to Put Babies to Sleep – The New York Times

Should you salt your child’s food?

A really good question since your child will be eating salt in various foods for a very long time. How young can a child start eating table salt on his food? Admittedly, I do not add salt to anything I make for my almost year old grandson and although the veggies, meats and starches taste very good unsalted they just might have a bit more of an enticing flavor with some added salt. I was happy to see this post in the NYT which helped me with my dilemma.

Is it safe to add salt to a 5-year-old’s food? Reader Question • 175 votes A Yes, in moderation. High salt intake is linked with an increased risk of high blood pressure, and the American Heart Association and other groups recommend that children limit sodium intake to 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams a day (a teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 milligrams of sodium). But kids typically get far more than that, usually from restaurant fare and processed foods, which account for 77 percent of the sodium in Americans’ diets. “

Source: Should You Salt a Child’s Food? – The New York Times

Have a good weekend everyone and enjoy some moments of gratitude.

Parenting in the Loop Weekend Pics

 

Parenting in the Loop Weekend Pics

Mindful Parenting

The Fourth of July Weekend is upon us. So how about some outdoor play. The New York Times has this wonderful suggestion from its pages with a great reference to “Mindful Parenting” by my friend Kristin Race.

Why be intentional about this most relaxed of times? Summer goes by so fast. One minute, it’s June, and we have all the time in the world for ice cream, drive-in movies and bike rides. The next, it’s August, and too often, we’re left wondering where it went. We want to avoid regrets over missed opportunities. Every week, we’ll offer research-based suggestions for ways to set this season apart from the rest of the year.

“Kids who are used to more structured activities may not know how to create these things on their own,” said Kristen Race, a psychologist and the author of “Mindful Parenting.”

Source: The ‘Intentional Summer’ Challenge: Play an Outdoor Game – The New York Times

weekend summer fun

 

Questions about sunscreen for kids of all ages ….check out this link to help you decide what is best for your kiddos.

The skin is the largest organ of the body, proportionally larger in the smallest children, and protecting it properly needs our care and attention.
Source: Sunscreen and Bug Spray: Children’s Summer Skin Care – The New York Times

 

sleeping Colin

Getting enough sleep these days as parents? Probably not!

What are your baby’s sleep onset associations? Check out this post from the NYT and set yourself up for success when getting your baby to sleep on his own. Why not start this weekend?

Dr. Judith Owens, a pediatrician who is the director of sleep medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital, told me that she would focus here on what she termed “sleep onset associations.” That is, on helping the children learn how to fall asleep independently at bedtime, which should then generalize to an ability to fall asleep when they wake in the night. So it’s lovely to use the song at bedtime as a going-to-bed routine, but it’s important that the actual moment of going to sleep should be after the bottle (and ideally, after brushing teeth after the bottle) and after the song.
Source: Ask Well: The Best Way to Put Babies to Sleep – The New York Times

Nothing like a three day weekend to mark the beginning of summer.

Make it a safe one!

Baby Development: 4 Months and 3 Weeks

Baby Development at 4 months and 3 weeks

It is so exciting to watch baby change and grow into a socially interactive little person.

baby development

one moment in time

At this age he is still crying to communicate his needs like hunger and “change me” but he’s starting to show you his sense of humor when he laughs at surprises. He might like a quiet game of peek-a-boo where he will share some giggles!

He is now also enjoying various sounds. Try making noises for him like whistling or create your own animal sounds and see how he interacts with you. These are true moments of joy!

Learn more fascinating facts about your 4-month-old’s baby development.

Encourage your baby’s laughs, giggles, and smiles with funny faces and lots of general silliness. You don’t need special toys or instruments to create them.

Source: Your 4-month-old: Week 3 | BabyCenter

Since it is winter there are germs around that cause RSV or respiratory syncytial virus. It starts with cold-like symptoms which can lead to ear infections, bronchiolitis (infection of the small airways), pneumonia or later development of asthma or other respiratory problems.

Many babies get RSV before they turn 2 years old but it can be more serious for babies under 6 months old with medical problems and premature babies whose immune systems might be weaker.

Symptoms of RSV in baby

  • Baby develops a mild
  • Cough gets worse over a few days
  • Breathing becomes labored
  • His nostrils may begin to flare when breathing
  • Excessive expansion of his rib cage
  • Tightening of his abdominal muscles
  • Grunting when breathing
  • Wheezing when breathing (High pitched whistling sound when breathing)
  • Quickened breathing (More than 60 breaths per minute)
  • Blush lips, nails
  • Feeding problems

If you suspect your child has RSV

  • Call you child’s doctor
  • RSV is a virus so there is no antibiotics for it
  • However if your child is having trouble breathing the doctor may prescribe some breathing treatments
  • Keep him away from smoke and fumes
  • Keep him well hydrated
  • Cool mist vaporizer can help
  • Saline nose drops can help
  • Flu shots may be recommended in the future by your doctor

Baby development is slow and deliberate. It is like watching a tiny chick hatch from an egg. It seems to take forever for each little peck to crack the protective shell. Your baby is trying to tackle his environment with of course a little help from you.A

At times you might see him actually appearing to struggle. He might be trying to turn himself over at this stage, it will be a milestone task for him and when he finally accomplishes it he might actually surprise himself and maybe even give out a giggle. Think about how it felt when you actually rode a two wheeler bike for the first time, when you realized no one was holding you anymore. Your baby is experiencing those monumental moments now so let him enjoy them without too much if any assistance from you.

Enjoy the moments of baby development as they happen in real time right before your eyes. Try to tuck these memories away carefully like a fragile treasure so they can surface at a time in the future when he is all grown up but still feels like your ‘baby’.

New parents never sleep…really!

 

 

 

Sleep like a baby but not when you have a baby!

sweet baby sleep

 

Sleep has become an obsession since the last trimester of pregnancy according to my daughter, who now has a three month old.

Tired is how she describes herself

Fortunately my grandson is a decent sleeper and has been since about 5 weeks old.

Some how that does not ease the new parent fatigue…feeding, diaper changing, napping, feeding, changing, tummy time…more feeding and changing.

It seems that rest escapes many parents from the birthday of their first baby.

I wish I could say that this changes as baby gets older…

But really…

It does not get better

At times It actually gets worse

randomly waxing  and waning.

Here is how sleep goes…

  • Sleep becomes difficult during the third trimester of pregnancy, probably to get you ready for the parenting road ahead.
  • After the baby is born, you will initially be up peeing and then feeding and changing your newborn every 2 to 4 hours. It will seem like a never ending cycle.

Sleep deprivation really begins to take hold now so you might as well get used to it.

 

  • If you go to bed late because you want to watch a movie or even read a book that will definitely be the night your little one (no matter the age) will wake up screaming for whatever reason at around 3 am.

3848445388_4ed5913e9f

  •  Have no fear the teen years provide no relief because then you will be worrying about your kids being out till curfew or later.

You might as well face it you might sleep again when your kids go to college

It is a plus for the “empty nest”.

Many have traveled this foggy road of sleep deprivation which is little consolation.

What are some of the ways you deal with sleep deprivation?

Do you have empathy for sleep deprived parents?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baby Development: 2 months and 3 weeks

 

 

 

Baby Development-2 Months & 3 Weeks

 

CJ two months

 

Our grandson is almost three months old and although he changes each day, overall there have been big changes since his birth especially in his movements and sleeping patterns.

Movement

  • James’ movements are much smoother these days. He moves both arms and legs almost in a dance of excitement when he is watching his mom and dad or his jungle friends from his little rocker seat. You can palpate his excitement in the morning when he sees his mom or dad come into his room when he wakes up.
  • Fun floor time seems to also be a favorite although tummy time tires him out more rapidly. Pushing off with his legs and holding his head up is a big deal at this point but his tummy time excitement wears off quickly. His muscles are clearly strengthening and toning which will prepare him for crawling in the few months ahead. Baby development is amazing!

Sleeping

  • James sleeps in his crib most of the time. He is not a co-sleeper…although sometimes he catches a nap in someone’s arms. I don’t think there is anything more relaxing than a baby sleeping in my arms. I cherish these moments and know that they don’t last and I will long for them when he is a preschooler.
  • Fortunately at this stage of his baby development, he has a predictable bed time routine which makes mom and dad happy to finally be getting some real sleep.
  • It is now a great time to begin a bedtime ritual that can set the tone for a quiet settling in to a good night’s sleep for everyone. Rocking, a bedtime bath, cuddling with a transitional object, music and or a board book story are great in their calming effects.
Transitional object baby development

Moo…The Cow

  • These rituals will change slightly over time but they are important over the long term so it is not too early to begin them and remember it is important to do the ones that work for your individual baby and family.

Smiles

  • Oh this is just my favorite baby development, smiling! Your baby can even begin to hold out his arms to you! How could anyone resist not wanting to hold a cute cuddly little one?
  • Remember he/she may not be all too friendly and welcoming just yet…this takes time to develop but some little ones remain skeptical for quite awhile, so be patient.

Child development is extremely individual and unique to each and every child. Milestones are to be used as guidelines. If you have any questions about your child at any time you should consult your pediatrician for more information.

 

Source: Your 2-month-old’s development: Week 3 | BabyCenter