baby tips

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New Baby Checklist: 5 Tips In Handling Your Baby’s Umbilical Stump

September 27, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

When it comes to taking care of your baby, nothing could get you more stumped than your baby’s umbilical stump (pun intended). Here are some tips on how to better take care of your baby’s navel, most especially the umbilical stump:

  1. Unless the stump has become very dirty or sticky, it is best to leave it alone. Constantly touching it might only cause the start of an infection. Umbilical stumps usually change color from yellowish green to brown and then to black before falling off.
  2. In cleaning your baby’s umbilical stump, use a cotton bud soaked in warm water and mild soap. Wipe the area surrounding the stump and then pat dry with a soft cloth.
  3. Make sure that your baby’s diaper does not constantly come in contact with the umbilical stump as this could also cause infection. It is advisable that you have your baby boy’s penis pointed downwards to prevent the possibility of urine seeping out.
  4. Have your baby wear light clothes to improve air circulation. This could help your baby’s umbilical stump dry up fast.
  5. baby towelWhen bathing your baby, go for a sponge bath rather than a tub bath. Sponge bath promotes faster drying than full tub baths. Keep away also from lotions, oils and creams as they would only slow down the drying process.

If you notice some swelling, foul odor or a suspicious looking fluid oozing out, get in touch with your pediatrician. Don’t forget to bring with you your baby bjorn to help you in carrying your baby.

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New Parent Checklist: 5 Tips To Making Your Own Baby Food

August 27, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

With today’s financial crisis, everyone is finding a way to save money on small things. One of the common ways of doing this is by making things yourself. As a new parent, you can try this out with your baby’s food. Here are some tips should you considersaying goodbye to instant baby food:

  1. Buy locally grown fruits and vegetables that are on season. They tend to be cheaper and much healthier because of the lower pesticide residues.
  2. It is best to have your vegetables steamed rather than deep fried. This makes the vegetables easier for the baby to eat since they are softer. What’s more, by steaming the vegetables, you ensure that they vitamins and minerals are kept intanct.
  3. bib and burp clothMake sure that you are able to prepare for more than one meal. If you would be constantly buying and preparing food each time your baby goes hungry, you are not actually saving money nor time.
  4. When preparing your baby’s food, make sure that you wash the vegetables and fruits thoroughly. Do not forget to also wash your hands before handling any food.
  5. Freeze any food that you are not serving. Make sure you that you place them in containers with tight lid.

Before feeding your baby what you have prepare, make sure that you have bibs and burp cloths with you to clean any food spill. Simply Unique Baby Gifts has a great line up of bibs and burp cloths that might catch your baby’s fancy.

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New Baby Checklist: 5 Tips When Swaddling Baby

June 26, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

Your baby’s first few weeks outside of your womb mean a great deal of adjustment for him. Because of these changes, your baby could oftentimes be fuzzy and would cry a lot. Here are some tips on how to make swaddling lessen your baby’s fuzziness:

  1. receiving blanketA number of babies usually have a hard time sleeping because of their startle reflex. Think of the time when you are half asleep and you had a dream that you are falling. The jerk that you do is the same startle reflex that a baby has. Swaddling gives them a sense of security and does away with the feeling of falling.
  2. Since it could restrict your baby’s muscle development, swaddling should not be used on babies for more than three to four weeks.
  3. Make sure you do not swaddle your baby if his or her room can get quite warm. A number of SIDS cases have resulted from overheating.
  4. An alternative to swaddling is the old-fashion sling. It allows your baby to be held near your heart thus providing the environment they were used to before they were born.
  5. If your baby doesn’t take too much to swaddling, you can wrap him up to his armpits and leave his arms free.

If you are having a hard time looking for swaddling clothes, you can try the various receiving blankets at Simply Unique Baby Gifts.

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New Baby Checklist: 5 Tips To Avoid Diaper Rash

June 25, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

One of the tings that a new mom needs to address when diapering a baby is the treatment of diaper rash. Here are some tips on what to do on the first sign of broken skin:

  1. If you cannot forego those commercial diapers, make sure that it is not too stiff. The number cause of diaper rash is diapers that constantly rub against your baby’s skin. You can use cloth diaper as a substitute for commercial diapers.
  2. Make sure you peek in or change your baby’s diapers every two to three hours. This is to prevent from leaving your baby with a wet diaper for a long period of time. Any wetness in the diaper can be a good feeding ground for organisms. Aside from this, the combination of stool and fecal matter produces ammonia which is another cause of diaper rash
  3. diaper bagSpread a thin layer of diaper rash ointment on your baby’s bottom. Make sure that you use those with zinc oxide or whatever is recommended by your pediatrician.
  4. No ointment available? You can make use of baby powder to protect your baby’s skin.
  5. Avoid using plastic pants. Although they help prevent wetness from leaking out, they also prevent your baby’s skin from drying.

Diapering your baby need not cause too much problem even if you’re outside your home as long as you have everything you need. You can try Simply Unique Baby Gifts diaper bag.

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New Baby Checklist: 5 Things To Consider When Buying Baby Clothes

June 25, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

Buying clothes for your baby can be both a fun and exhausting task. You would need to take into consideration several factors when making your first purchase. Here are some of the things that you would need to keep in mind:

  1. baby clothesClothes should fit your baby well so base your purchase on his or her weight and not on your baby’s age.
  2. Go for clothes that can be take off easily so that diaper changing can be done without much hassle.
  3. Consider the weather. Your baby would need to be bundled up during winter but would need to wear light clothes during summer.
  4. No need to buy shoes for your baby until such time that he or she can already walk. Your baby should be able to wiggle his or her toes. Make use of loose fitting socks.
  5. Your baby’s clothes would primarily be divided into daywear, sleepwear and going out clothes. However, keep in mind that, since your baby could grow very fast, you only need to buy a few pieces. Splurging on a great number of onesies would be impractical since your baby might not fit in them in a matter of months.

If you would like to play dress up with your baby, Simply Unique Baby Gifts offers a wide range of baby clothes in various themes.

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New Baby Checklist: 5 Tips For A Hassle-Free Breast Feeding

June 23, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

Breast feeding can prove to be quite challenging for first-time moms as well as for the newly born baby. Here are some things to keep in mind to make breast feeding a fun activity.

baby blanket1. When breast feeding your baby, make sure that you are in a comfortable position. Changing positions every so often can make your baby restless.

2. Feed your baby as soon as he or she shows sign of being hungry. Do not wait for your baby to cry before breastfeeding since this could result to painful latching.

3. Use nursing bras that can provide support, even at night! Make sure, however, that they are not too tight.

4. As soon as the doctors allow you to hold your baby, start nursing him or her. Your breasts would not be able to produce milk yet but would be able to give colostrums, a thin fluid that provides your baby with the needed protection from sickness.

5. During the entire breast feeding period, make sure that you eat a healthy diet as well as get enough rest. This would greatly affect the amount and quality of milk that you are able to produce.

Need to feed your baby in public? You can make use of the various baby blankets available at Simply Unique to cover your breasts.

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New Baby Checklist: 5 Tips When Travelling With Baby Overnight

June 21, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

Travelling long distances as well as overnight with a baby in tow can be quite hard. However, with proper planning, you should be able to do it in a breeze.

Here re some things that you need to put on your baby checklist when you need to travel with baby:

  1. Make sure that you have everything that the baby would need n your diaper bag. This would include diapers, baby wipes, bottles and formula
  2. Pack extra receiving blankets as well as extra baby clothes. You would also need to take with you burp and bib clothes.
  3. If you would be driving, make sure that you have a rear-facing infant car seat. This should keep your baby secure during the entire travel.
  4. It is advisable not to travel with your baby alone. That way, should you need a hand in changing baby’s diapers diaper bagor feeding her, you would have someone to help you.
  5. Make a number of stopovers to allow your baby to “stretch” out. This could also be your time to do some stretching yourself especially if you would be the one driving.

If you haven’t bought yet your baby’s diaper bag, you can head over at Simply Unique Baby Gifts and check their designer diaper bags.

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New Baby Checklist: 5 Tips When Diapering A Baby

June 19, 2009 in New Parent Tips | No comments

baby towelIt’s hard when you’re a first time parent and you don’t know what to do when your baby needs to have a change of diapers. Here are some tips on how to make sure that you don’t end up wet yourself:

1. Make sure that your hands are clean and that you have everything that you would need within your reach.

2. If there’s no changing table available, you can make use of any flat surface so long as you cover it with a towel. The floor, however, is more advisable as this would prevent accidents from happening.

3. As much as possible, try avoiding the use of power. Talcum powder has been linked to lung cancer and female genital cancer while cornstarch powder stimulates growth of yeast.

4. If your baby tends to be fuzzy and cranky while you are changing the diaper, it’s a good idea to give them a toy, sing or talk to them to keep them occupied. However, avoid giving food to your baby as this could cause him to choke.

5. Your baby boy would usually spray you with urine when he is exposed to air. To prevent this, make sure that you have a towel ready.

Changing the baby’s diaper can be quite a daunting task for new parents but it could also be fun. Should you feel that your baby has made a whole lot of mess, it would be better to give her a bath. Simply Unique Baby Gifts offers baby towels in various sizes that will make diaper change as well as bath time a lot more fun.

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