Technorati Profile

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Everything About Baby



6 Things to Consider When Naming Your Baby
By: Anne Wolski

Have you ever considered the immense responsibility in choosing a name for your child? This is not just something that sounds good at the time but it is the choice of your child’s identity for life. A name, though not necessarily unique, reflects how your child is known. Hence, the importance in taking your time and choosing just the right name for your baby. Read on for some tips on how to provide that best baby name for your little angel.

1. The first thing you need to do is to ignore family tradition unless the traditional names are something that you see as providing the right identity for your child. The name doesn’t always need to be one that your elderly relatives deem to be the right one. They already have their identity, this is your child’s identity. 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. Think of your child’s future. You don’t want your child to be ridiculed because of what you have named him or to allow his playmates to make him the butt of all the jokes, do you? Research the meaning of the baby name you are thinking of giving to your baby. Don’t consider a particular name as a prospective baby name just because you heard it from a TV show and you find it cute. Don’t name him after an actor just because you consider him a hunk or after something else just because it is very unusual.

3. Be careful of the initials of your child’s name. Make sure they don’t stand for anything funny, disturbing or something utterly stupid. Sometimes, the initials of the child can spell something really derogatory or hurtful that others can use against them. 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.

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 child to keep on spelling his or her name to people who only know the common spelling of such a 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? 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!

10 Things You Should Know About Raising a Baby

By: Anne Wolski

So…you are now the proud parents of your beautiful baby but how much do you know about looking after him or her? Having a baby can be the most joyous event in your life but it can also be the most intimidating. There is no instruction book and it is therefore important that you know about some of the things that lie ahead. With a basic understanding, the job ahead will be much easier.

 Caesarean delivery: A caesarean is normally carried out on women when there is a possible danger in normal delivery. C-sections can be performed for many different reasons including delayed labour, difficult labour, problems with the baby that may make delivery hard, or other problems. Just remember, you are still a mother with a beautiful new blessing whether the baby is born vaginally or by a caesarean section.

 Bathing your baby: While your baby still has her umbilical cord, she should only be sponge bathed. The umbilical cord generally falls off after a week or two. After this happens, bath your baby in a shallow baby bath as shown by your nurse.

 Circumcision: Circumcision, though once widely accepted as almost routine, has become controversial in the past couple of decades. Many doctors concur that there are benefits to being circumcised as it may help to lower the risk of urinary tract infections and eliminates almost any chance of penile cancer. Circumcision does not cause long-term emotional problems for your child.

 Crib death (SIDS): Many studies have been done regarding SIDS. Although the cause of SIDS has not been definitely defined, there are some correlations that have been made between SIDS and the following things: o Male babies are more likely to die from SIDS than femaleso Prematurity makes it more likely o Minority children are affected by it more often than non-minoritieso Children who live in a home with one or more smokers are more likely to be affectedSome people say that sleeping with your baby can reduce the risk of SIDS, but the American Academy of Pediatrics disagree with this statement and go on to say that there is a greater risk of SIDS in babies who co-sleep.

 Diapers: Most babies need a diaper change at each feeding time. This means that your baby will need about 6-8 diapers a day or more.

 Diaper rash: Sensitive skin is a common problem for some babies and they may get a diaper rash due to a food allergy, yeast infection, sitting too long in a wet or messy diaper, or teething. If you notice your baby beginning to get a diaper rash, talk to your pediatrician about which diaper rash medicine will work for your baby.

 Growth spurts: If you begin to notice that your child is not as satisfied with the amount that you have been feeding her previously, then she may be beginning a growth spurt period. Growth spurts can start as early as 10 days after your baby’s birth. They are usually preceded by a sleepy, lethargic day and a big jump in appetite. Growth spurts may happen again at 3, 6, and 12 weeks and again at 4 and 6 months. If you are breastfeeding, you may want to add a feeding or two to satisfy your baby’s appetite and to help increase milk production.

 Immunizations: With all of the conflicting reports on immunizations, you may be unsure about whether or not you want your child to receive immunizations. I think that there are simply too many fatal diseases that can be prevented by immunizing your baby to take the chance. If you are unsure, then you need to talk with your paediatrician, but understand that the reason that the infant mortality rate is so low in this country is because immunizations are routinely done.

 Pacifiers & thumb sucking: If you breastfeed, do not allow your child to use you as their pacifier. If your baby seems to have a need to suck beyond eating, then you need to give them a pacifier. There is no “nipple confusion” between a breast nipple and a pacifier as they are very different in feel and taste. Babies will know the difference between the two. Some children do not want a pacifier but will suck on their thumb. If you don’t have a problem with it, then let them.

 Spitting up: It is very common for babies to spit up, but some babies do it more than others. If your baby is growing normally, then there is no need to worry about it. Projectile throwing up is not the same as spitting up. Projectile throwing up is a violent reaction to reject the contents of the stomach and not just “burping” up a little milk. If your baby does this frequently, consult your paediatrician.


Baby Sleeping Problems: A Better Nights Rest For Everyone

By: Becky Lynn


For many folks, baby dozing off difficulties can become an issue after a while. Being woken up in the middle of the night consistently through a work week can cause reduction in enthusiasm and productivity levels in other departments of life.

Let's not forget that seeing our babies have trouble night time sleeping is itself something that is quite alarming as couples. We want the best for our children, and that most certainly includes addressing our baby's deep sleeping concerns if applicable.

A few ways you can go about in resolving this circumstance, is to first spot what are the causes. Doing so will help you discover if it's simply a matter of changing a few things in the most direct environment, or if it's about something more mild to severe (in which case it's best to consult a doctor).

If you baby tends to fall asleep in certain angles, places, or after certain recreational activities such as reading a book to him or her, watching TV, or eating, mull over using these things to your advantage when customizing a workable night time sleeping routine for your baby.

perhaps your baby enjoys and falls asleep well to certain music, or maybe to the voice of your singing. You can also contemplate using a rocker to gently sway your baby back and forth till he falls asleep comfortably. Other environmental things you can mull over are reducing the noise levels while night time sleeping, and to decrease light from coming in and cause difficulty in resting.

If you baby sleeps a lot through the day, then this may attribute to his night time sleep tribulations. If this is the case, you may want to ponder instilling a more natural resting pattern for your baby so that they can experience a full day, and rest easy at night to recharge their batteries.

A cozy baby bed will also help out if the source of the baby sleep problems is due to negativity in any way, shape, or form.

Colgate baby mattress affiliated products and services are on hand at the author's web site.


Choosing Baby Bedding for Your Marvelous Baby
By: Nathalie Fiset,M.D.


When you choose bedding for your baby the one which can guarantee optimum baby bedding safety and coziness to your baby is your only option and the best fabric for is 100 percent cotton.

Following are descriptions of the different types of bedding available for each type of baby furniture.

- Crib Bedding. For the first year of the baby's life, the crib is its ideal bed. Cribs are available many different types and they all need to be durable and strong. You can choose the standard crib or go for a more expensive crib such as a convertible / portable crib which is ideal for traveling. It is best to choose the crib from a reputable company and the one you decide on must have no protruding pieces that the baby could knock against and hurt itself. All screws and bolts etc need to be securly fastened and you should check these often

.- Bassinet Bedding. These are suitable for the baby for the first 3 or 4 months only. A perfect bassinet will have a soft mattress and a blanket. It should be made of a soft material with ideally the color blending with the baby's room colors, design and decor.

- Cradle bedding. Cradles have a gentle rocking motion which ensures that your baby sleeps soundly. Light colored cradles are preferred by parents because they not only look attractive but you can notice when they get wet.

- Baby blankets. Blankets should be of a soft material and of course must be non-toxic. Today there are many types of blankets to choose from that are soft, smooth and pleasant smelling with attractive and eye pleasing colors.

Bedding for the baby could differ depending on whether it is a boy or a girl, or alternatively it could be gender neutral as well. The color combination and cute looking cartoons are common to both the baby boys and baby girls.

For the girls, the baby bedding is often in shades of pink, light blue and purples, and a baby girl's bed is laid out fit for a princess. A baby boy's bed is sometimes sport oriented, themed around super sport heroes, wrestling personalities or football and baseball stars. The colors tend to be darker and bolder for boys, often blue but also reds and intermingled with dark blue or black.

There is no hard and fast rule for baby bedding. You will see a lot of neutral nursery bedding themes with cartoons such as Disney and Popeye characters or cute animations.

The baby in its first few years is too small to understand the difference about having gender specific cartoons and animals and they are attracted to anything which is coloful; if it is pleasing to your eyes and makes you smile, it will do the same for your baby. When they get a little older, little boys would feel a little awkward having his bed done in pinks and pastels!

When baby girls grow older, their bedroom could have blinds with the curtains hanging on rods above. This gives the bed somewhat a princess bed appearance - afterall, that baby girls of yours is a princess, isn't she!

Bedding is one interesting aspect where there are a lot of options for the parent - choosing the kinds and textures of sheets and the choices of colors and baby bedding patterns. It is up to you if you choose gender neutral baby bedding or something which would make your baby girl feel like a princess or your baby boy feel like a superhero!