Thursday, August 26, 2010

Diaper Bag Packing - LITE

So here's my short list of diaper bag essentials:
  1. changing pad
  2. wipes
  3. 6 diapers
  4. thin blanket/swaddler
  5. burping cloth cloth
  6. 2 bibs
  7. nursing cover or slender thermos with cooled boiled water and formula dispenser
  8. change of clothes (onsie, romper, socks)
  9. round barrel pencil case beg with:
nasal aspirator/suction bulb
10 qtips
diaper rash ointment
finger nail clipper and/or file
baby oragel
saline drops

Happy packing and remember to pack lite! (After all, you have to leave room for your stuff!)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Constipation

Babies of all ages experience some some degree of constipation within the first 3 months of life; these degrees include infrequent stools, hard stools, difficulty passing stool, or a sense of incomplete emptying after a bowel movement. If baby has not passed a stool in more than 3 days, parent should aid them by:
* rubbing baby's tummy and doing bicycle exercises with their legs
* rectal stimulation-insert the tip of a thermometer in the anus and hod there for about 30 seconds to initiate movement
* mix 1-2 ounce of apple juice with equal part water (fiber enhancer)
* mix 1-2 ounce of prune juice with equal part water (high fiber fruit)
*NOTE: the last option is BabyLax enema or PediaLax suppository, both by Fleet

Please DO NOT give baby castor oil or any other lubricant; parent may cause more damage to baby's intestines than good.

Monday, August 2, 2010

To crawl or not to crawl

Well, my little one is now month and has no interest in crawling. He prefers to pull up and take walking steps. He has plenty of tummy time and upper body strength. I started to question his physical development but studies have shown that boys tend to skip the crawling stages and move toward walking sooner than girls because of their focus on gross motor skill development; girls tend to hone in on their fine motor skills thus crawling sooner and longer than boys.

So no worries if your little decides to skip a stage, just continue to encourage them by playing on the floor with them and reinforcing the small moves they make.