INSIDE
SECRETS OF BABY CARE THAT MOM NEVER
TOLD YOU
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Inside secrets of baby care that Mom never told you
Your mom has been there through the ups and downs, the heartaches and
the good times, but she doesn’t know everything. In fact, when it
comes to baby care, there are a few tricks even she doesn’t
have up her sleeve. These simple baby care tips will help you be a fab mom
right out of the gate.
Crying doesn't mean colic —
necessarily
Experts
once thought that uncontrollable crying automatically meant colic. These days,
though, we are well-educated on another culprit: Acid reflux, which can be a
painful (but totally treatable) condition for kids.
"My
mom talked a lot about my twin sister and me having colic as babies. When my
son was born, she called his crying 'colic,' as well," says mom Hilary
Hamblin. "After three months of nearly constant screaming, back arching,
not sleeping and excessive spitting up, a friend mentioned these as symptoms of
acid reflux. After some research online and a visit to our pediatrician, we
started my son on Axid for acid reflux. Within 24 hours, he was a different,
happier child."
Holding a baby is good
For
decades, it seems, moms have been made to feel guilty about holding their
babies too much. Ignore the critics and repeat after us: You cannot
spoil a baby by holding her. Really. It's true. "Babies
who are held often and have their needs met right away are more likely to have
higher self-images and learn they are respected and worthy," says Linda C.
Donovan, RN, MHA, IBCLC. So, even if you keep hearing people tell you not to do
it, rest assured that holding your baby is a good and natural thing.
Skip the baby wipes
Baby wipes
are expensive and, for some sensitive bums, they can hurt. The good news? You
really don't need to buy 'em.
"I
know people will not believe this, but a 100 percent breastfed baby doesn't
need baby wipes. Not at all. Breastfed baby feces are low in acid and bacteria,
watery and wipe off easily; breastfed baby urine is dilute and
noncorrosive," says Wendie A. Howland RN MN CRRN CCM CNLCP and the editor
of the AANLCP Journal of Nurse Life Care Planning. "Wipe that
baby butt with the damp cloth diaper you're taking off, re-wrap in a new clean
cloth diaper, and you're both good to go. I did this for both of my babies, and
neither of them ever had a rash once."
Formula
feeding? You can still skip the commercial wipes in favor of a wash cloth and
mild soap.
Protect from long-sleep leakage
We love
double-duty things, and this tip falls firmly into that category. "If you
have a baby who sleeps long and hard, a maxi pad in the diaper is a great
solution to soaked sheets and jammies," says Annie Ory, a certified life coach.
Not
comfortable with that approach? That's OK. There are also lots of highly
absorbant nighttime diapers now available from Huggies, Pampers, Seventh
Generation and more.
Sterilizing is easier than you think
Sterilizing
all the baby doodads (you know: Bottles, pacis and more) can be time-consuming
if you do it the old-fashioned way in a pot with water. But guess what? It can
be so much easier — and you don't need a pricey home sterilizer. Instead,
toss everything in your dishwasher (sans soap) and run it on a short, hot
cycle.
Be ready for the spray
News
flash: When cool air hits a baby's privates, he'll tend to pee. So open that
diaper carefully (read: Slowly!) so that you can catch the stream before it's
all over you and the nursery. You can also cover Baby's privates with a
washcloth, which will absorb the spray before it gets you.
Music soothes
They say
that music can tame the savage beast. It also can calm a child down or, in the
car, even put him to sleep. Slide in a CD and see how something that's soft and
soothing can make everything a little more relaxed.
Skip the shoes
Look:
Until your child can walk, she really doesn't need shoes. Socks? Absolutely!
But not shoes. If you still put them on, be honest: It's about you,
not her. Save the money until she really needs them.
No juice boxes? No problem
It used to
be that kids needed the necessary skill of juice-box drinking for when they hit
school days. But these days, parents tend toward reusable bottles for school
drinks. So, just make sure your child is well versed on using reusables —
and he'll be just fine.
Get them to sleep later
Have an
early riser? That can be super tough. And if yours is really little, you might
not be able to explain sleeping in to her. So, make it a little harder to wake
up by hanging blackout curtains in Baby's room. Close them at bedtime. You
won't be sorry. For older children, teach them that they can't get up until a
certain time. It will save your sanity.
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