HugaMonkey.com Blog RSS

Toddlers - The Ultimate Mess Makers!

Clint — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:40:10 -0500

Whether they are squeezing the bottle of lotion all over the floor or unrolling toilet paper, little kids love exploring their big world one mess at a time. Learn some tips on how to control and survive the chaos.

Trying to keep your home neat and under control while there is a toddler around can seem like a hopelessly lost cause. The minute you tidy up the toys or fold a stack of laundry, another mess is waiting to be tackled. Your child's messiness can get so bad at times; that you might thinks she's trying to make you crazy! But 1 year olds are simply making discoveries in their world the only way they know how, by getting into their surroundings, literally. This makes a lot of cleanup for mom and dad! Combine curiosity with wanting to be independent and lack of fully developed manual skills and you can count on plenty of mishaps! While messy play is beneficial, it doesn't mean that you should let your child run wild. Check out a few common toddler disasters and learn how to set limits without stifling development.

UNROLLING TOILET PAPER
Toddlers get a kick out of watching toilet paper come undone and pile up. Rolling it back up is a pain for you but it may help to realize that this messy activity requires a pushing and throwing motion that builds your child's fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.

Limit the Mess - Let your toddler have her own roll of toilet paper in a different color or pattern, and only keep it half full-less for you to roll back up. Make sure she knows that this roll belongs to her to play with, but that the others are off limits. You will have to help her roll it back up still, but this will help prevent unexpected surprises in the bathroom. An alternative is to have her play with balls instead. Pushing, rolling and throwing them will develop the same skills-minus the mess.

DRAWINGON WALLS read more »

Is Size an Issue - How Fast Should Your Baby Grow?

Clint — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:40:10 -0500

Babies grow much faster in their first year of life than at any other stage. Following, some of the most common size and growth concerns are covered.

During the fist 12 months of your baby’s life, some incredible changes will occur. This will be a period of amazing growth. By the time you are proudly sending out his first birthday invitations, he will have tripled his birth weight and grown about ten inches. This development will be hard to see on a day to day basis, but will be well noted at his regular checkups. Your baby’s weight, height and head circumference will be closely monitored to make sure he’s growing at a healthy rate. You will probably have lots of questions about how your child is doing compared to other babies his age.

You’ll remember your baby’s birth weight forever but it really is temporary. Newborns typically lose up to 10 percent of the weight in their first week. A healthy baby will then begin to gain a half an ounce a day (a pound or so a month) for the first 6 months, then the rate will slow down a bit. Babies that are born preterm grow at a slower rate and don’t generally catch up until about age 2.

At first, breast fed babies may not gain weight as quickly as formula fed babies. Many women don’t produce a great quantity of breast milk early on, but it’s ok because early breast milk is rich and babies are born with natural fat stores that will sustain them. If your Doctor is concerned that your baby isn’t gaining enough weight from breastfeeding alone, she may recommend supplementing with formula. read more »

Love At First Bite - How to Start Your Baby On Solid Foods

Clint — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:40:10 -0500

Here are a few important tips and expert opinions for starting your baby on solid foods.

You're likely to receive more advice and help regarding the first few months of parenthood than you will know what to do with. Those well-intentioned family, friends, and neighbors will no doubt have many stories and advice to help you get your baby going on the transition of getting your baby ready for solid foods. How do you know whose advice to take? When is the right time?

No one can tell you when it's the right time. This one comes down to you trusting your instincts and paying more attention to your baby's cues than that calendar everyone keeps reminding you of. That's not to say that first feedings don't come with a healthy measure of trial and error as well.

MAKE YOUR BEST GUESS
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you offer nothing but breast milk or formula until your baby is at least 6 months old. Your neighbors and grandma will tell you 3 to 4 months. On average, most babies start solids between 4 and 6 months of age.

Look for some of these cues from your baby to indicate if your baby is ready for real food:

Baby is able to eat sitting up and has good control of her head.
Baby is showing an interest in the food on your plate and grabs at your fork or your food.
Baby's tongue does not stick out; she can keep food in her mouth, and move it to the back of her mouth and swallow it. This indicates a loss of tongue-thrust reflex.
Her mouth opens easily when a spoon touches her lips or if food is being offered.
Baby wakes often at night or wakes earlier and earlier in the morning after having a regular sleep routine.

TAKING THE PLUNGE read more »

Generations

Leah — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:33:57 -0500

I was terrified of my Grandmas. One had dimentia and once screamed at me, accusing me of trying to kill her family. I was 11. The other seemed more concern with the negative affects of us being around than the fact that we were actually there. I was a nervous, rule breaking wreck.

Thank heavens for marrying into good families! My husband has wonderful Grandmas. Lila was so jovial and sweet. Jean is my heaven sent.

The bad news is, Grandma Jean fell and broke her hip. The good news is, she was brought to the hospital near our house - 2 hours from her home. I've been able to go see her nearly every day. Today she got moved to a rehab facility just a few blocks away. I rode my bike to see her and told my hubby I'd be back in 45 minutes or so.

2 hours later I waltz through the door. I felt so happy and at peace. We talked. Grandma was actually in a laughing mood, so we laughed. She told me about her late husband and we cried. It got late, so I hugged and kissed her. She told me she was glad I was her grand daughter, and we cried and hugged some more.

What a blessing grandparents and great grandparents are! We moved from Oregon to Utah because I felt so strongly that I wanted my kids to have a loving, happy relationship with their grandparents. They've got the best ones ever, so we really need to take advantage of that!

My kiddos get so excited to hear that Granny G is coming to stay the night, or that we're going to Gammy and Grampa's for the weekend. They offer an measure of knowledge, patience, and compassion that I simply cannot provide for them. When we leave the kids for a week to go on vacation, it's like they're doing a Life Apprenticeship. They learn and grow and laugh and cry and trust and hope with their grandparents.

What kind of grandparents do your kids have?

Learn How To Get Your 4-Legged Baby Used To Baby

Clint — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:36:59 -0500

If your four-legged first child has a wet nose and gives sloppy kisses, he may need some help adjusting to baby number two.

It may surprise you to know that your pet may have been the first to notice that there was a change in you at the beginning of your pregnancy. Pets are very in tune with their owners and can sense when things have changed. They will notice the change in hormone levels with an owner that they are really attached to. They may not understand what is actually happening and it is our role to make the adjustment a positive experience.

It’s common for pets to become more affectionate during your pregnancy. This positive attitude should carry on into baby’s arrival. In most cases it is estimated that about 98% of dogs will get along with a baby. There are a few dogs that will not get along and if you are in any doubt, you should seek the expertise of a dog trainer.

Still, there is plenty you can do on your own to get your pet adjusted to the baby yourself. The key is the introduction. read more »

Give your pet a chance to be well behaved when your baby comes home.
Set up the nursery and put baby items around your home before your delivery so that they are familiar things to your pets.
If anything in your pet’s routine is going to be different after baby’s birth, such as where they are to fed or where they will sleep, make the changes before the birth.
Send your partner home with a cap or blanket that smells like your baby if time permits, and have him hold it while your pet sniffs the item.
If your pet has annoying habits like excessive barking, resolve the issues before the baby arrives.
A dog that is trained to obey basic voice commands is an easier dog to control when you’re busy with your baby.

Baby Sleep Secrets You May Not Have Heard About

Clint — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:22:37 -0500

Have you brought home a little nocturnal critter from the hospital? Following a few simple and surprising tricks can help to keep everyone rested, rational and sleeping through the night as soon as possible.

TOO TIRED TO SLEEP
For the first 6 months of life, babies need and average of 13 hours of sleep each night. Don’t be fooled into thinking that skipping a nap will mean a longer and better night’s sleep. It could mean just the opposite. An over-tired baby can have a difficult time settling down at night. What’s worse, an exhausted infant often suffers from a more fitful sleep, with more waking throughout the night, causing a pattern that’s hard to break and pretty unpleasant to manage. So keep to those daily naps-you’ll all be happier for it.

STAY ON TRACK
By engaging with baby in the middle of the night, you are actually telling him that it’s playtime, not sleep time. Instead, let your actions speak the language of sleep during those wee hours. Keep the lights low, avoid eye contact, say little, keep him warm on the changing table with a blanket, and make sure it’s all business. This way, everyone gets back to bed as soon as possible and your baby learns the difference between night and day.

DADDY GETS A TURN
When you are weaning your baby off of late night breastfeeding, send daddy in for a turn at diaper changes. This way, your baby won’t see or smell mommy and think it’s time to eat. It won’t happen right off, but eventually your baby will realize that his dad isn’t equipped for feeding and won’t bother to wake in the night. Having a turn with the night time visits will give dad a chance to step into your slippers.

MAKE SOME NOISE! read more »

Bummer

Leah — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 00:31:00 -0500

My sister called me the other day about natural diaper rash remedies. She'd been using whatever came from the store. Those typical ointments are typically loaded with artificial ingredients and fragrances that can actually irritate baby's sensitive bottom even more.

There are some great balms out there from companies like Burt's Bees that are all natural and absolutely wonderful. But your baby is upset RIGHT NOW! Here are a couple of things you can find in your very own house.

Oil - To keep moisture off, use a natural oil like vitamin E (I buy in capsules and can keep them in baggies in my purse/changing table). Olive oil and coconut oil have both been shown to have tremendous protection and healing properties.

Honey - If there are bad sores, honey also has amazing abilities to heal sores.

Baking Soda - make into a paste with water to neutralize excess acid in stool.

Blow dryer - Have a hair dryer with a "warm" or "cool" setting at your changing table. At each frequent diaper change, blow dry the bum for a few seconds til it's completely dry.

Prevent - don't use synthetically scented diapers, wipes or creams. Scents are one of the most irritating things to human skin. When baby has diaper rash, just use a wet paper towel to wipe.

Diet - Dairy products, meats, and corn and other grains are acidic and can cause and irritate diaper rash. Focus your child's diet (and your diet if you're breastfeeding) mostly on vegetables and fruits. Google "acidic foods" to find some good food charts of what to eat.

Diaper rash is a total bummer, but Mother Nature has a lot of tricks up her sleeve to help that tender tush get back on track.

Baby Bottles - What’s the Bottom Line?

Clint — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:19:10 -0500

Whether you are planning on breastfeeding or formula feeding your baby, or a combination of both, you’ve probably already got a selection of bottles, nipples and storage containers in mind or on your registry list. Nowadays, bottle safety is getting a lot of attention, so how do you know which products to choose? Which ones are safest for your little one?

Baby bottles are typically made of plastic. Plastic bottles may seem like the safer choice for babies, they are, after lighter and less breakable than glass. But plastics contain chemicals, some of which may be transferred into baby formula or breast milk.

A common plastic used in making baby bottles is called polycarbonate, which can release a hormone-disrupting chemical, Bisphenol-A (BPA) into the bottles’ contents, particularly during sterilizing and heating on the stove-top, but also just at room temperature. Bottles that have become scratched or damaged can leach up to nearly double the amount of new bottles.

Animal studies have shown that Bisphenol can interfere with development and can cause irreversible damage. These studies showed, in some cases, precancerous tumors and urinary tract infections. And the earlier the exposure, the greater the damage. Laboratory evidence suggests that exposure to BPA could be linked to breast and prostrate cancer, diabetes, obesity, neural, immune and reproductive problems, ADHD, early onset of puberty and autism.

Plastic bottles can also be made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), also known as vinyl, and the most toxic for IQ deficiencies, learning disabilities, impaired hearing, and reduced attention spans, as well as other behavioral problems. Soft PVC which had been used in the past to make nipples, pacifiers, and teething toys contains phthalates, hormone disrupting chemicals used as plastic softeners. read more »

Flying With Your Baby And A Baby Sling

Leah — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

No one can argue that parents do not love their babies, but carrying a baby around constantly can be a major problem. When your hands are constantly tied up, you can feel as though you are half the person you normally are, which makes you much less productive. This is one of the major stresses that is associated with parenthood, but it can be completely eliminated with the baby sling. This product is designed to give you more freedom than you have ever had before, as it has created the ultimate hands free method of carrying a baby. You will never have to worry about how you will do the laundry or vacuum the house while keeping your baby close again because baby slings will do all of this work for you. Also keep in mind that baby slings are very affordable, with some models going for as little as $24.99, but they are made from high quality, natural material, which will not only provide your baby with the support that he or she needs, but will also feel very comfortable on both your and your baby’s skin. Countless people all over the world are discovering exactly how much easier life can be with a baby sling, so give it a try and experience the difference for yourself. Having your hands free while keeping your baby close is something that is extremely valuable for a new parent and is something that baby slings provide for people all over the world. read more »

How Parents Maintain Sanity - The Necessity Of The Baby Sling

Dylan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500

Babies are a joy to have around the house because they show us exactly how precious life can be. They are absolutely perfect when they are born and watching them grow is one of the most rewarding experiences that a human being can have. With that being said, it can be extremely tiring carrying a baby around non-stop because babies need 100% of our attention 100% of the time.

Carrying a baby around is an exhausting experience for both mothers and fathers because they truly are much heavier than they look. Luckily, baby slings are around to make the lives of parents much easier than ever before. This is because a baby sling allows parents to carry their babies close to them, without the use of their hands.

These items are specially designed to keep your baby both safe and comfortable, while taking much of the stress off of your body. You will definitely be surprised by how well baby slings work because unlike some baby carrying devices, a baby sling will hold your baby in a comfortable position.

Now you can easily carry your baby everywhere you go thanks to this original design, without worrying about your baby being disturbed. In fact, you baby will feel as though he or she is asleep in a crib all day long, but you will never have to worry about anything happening to the baby because he or she will be with you at all times. If you are having trouble getting around with your baby, remember to pick up a baby sling.

One great feature of baby slings is that they are not bulky and are made with a streamlined fabric that is not any larger than it needs to be. Many devices of this type feel as though they need plastic and other materials in order to keep your baby safe, but the designers at HugaMonkey know that naturally designed products are always much safer and they are more comfortable as well. read more »