Day Trips

Introduce baby to travel starting with a few day-trips to a local relative or friend. Basic equipment will be a packed diaper bag, a stroller or pram (if you’ll spend some time outdoors), and a car seat. Most modern car seats easily detach and convert into a baby carrier.

Be sure to pack your diaper bag with a diaper for each two hours you intend to be away from home. Pack 2 nipples for each bottle you pack, two to three receiving blankets, and an extra change of clothing for baby and an extra shirt for you. Cut down on diaper bag weight and keep things easy to find by using Ziploc bags to pack extras like nipples, wipes, and pacifiers. Pack one large, empty Ziploc for soiled items.

Overnights

For baby’s first overnight trip, you’ll need to extend your day-trip plan with a couple of extra receiving blankets and extra sets of clothing for baby. Even if your overnight trip is to Grandma’s house, remember that nighttime sounds and perceptions may be different from those during daytime hours. A good pram with wheel locks can double as a bassinet, helping baby feel right at home and enabling everyone to sleep more comfortably through the night.

If overnight travel is a frequent part of your regular routine, consider investing in a Graco Pack ‘n Play Classic Care Center. This excellent piece of baby travel equipment is a bassinet, changing table, and playpen in one portable unit that folds into a handy tote bag. There are 22 models of the Classic Care Center. With prices starting at under $50.00, you’re sure to find one that’s right for your little one and your budget.

Extended Hotel Stays

Many hotels stock products and equipment especially for travelers with babies, but they may not stock the brands you and baby prefer. When you make your reservation, ask for specific information on product brands and the equipment you’ll need to make baby’s stay comfortable. If you opt to use a hotel crib or bassinet, be sure to pack a couple of baby’s own blankets, a familiar mobile, and/or other “security items”.

Although your inclination may be to pack up your complete nursery, in some cases, an extended stay may allow you to pack even less than you would for an overnight trip. For instance, it would be impractical to pack a week’s worth of bottles and nipples. Pack only enough for a day and leave time in your itinerary for clean-ups. When packing baby clothes, include two or three one-piece outfits that can be quickly hand washed when soiled.

You’ll also want to be sure to bring along a stroller. Most contemporary strollers are lightweight and easily collapse for transport or storage. Some models are equipped with multi-position reclining seats so baby can sight-see or nap as he or she chooses. In addition, many have features like tray attachments, sun canopies, attached toy bars, and “parent” trays for your little extras.

If part of your vacation will put you in a crowd, consider a baby backpack or sling. The Baby Bjorn Carrier holds baby safely to your chest, increasing baby’s sense of security as he maintains eye contact with your familiar face.

From day trips to cruise ships, how you travel with babies depends chiefly on your destination and length of stay. However developing a basic plan and adding to it as the situation warrants will quickly make seasoned travel companions out of you and your little one.

About the Author

Linda is mother and grandmother of two, she is author of the Baby Strollers Guide and the Baby Products Guide

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1. The Average Growth In Babies

During your baby’s first few weeks of life, he will be concentrating on getting to know you and his surroundings. Your baby needs to be handled so that life outside the womb seems as little different as possible to life inside the womb. Your baby’s needs, while they may seem overwhelming to you, are really simple: food, warmth and comfort from cuddling. Wrap him snugly and warmly, hold him closely, handle him slowly, and feed him when he’s hungry. Your baby will have the routing and sucking reflexes as well as tongue thrust. These are needed to get nourishment from the breast or bottle. You can also use this time to bond with your baby with lots of skin to skin contact.

Whether you decide to breast or bottle feed, feeding in the first few weeks is not an effortless process. Try to have early feeding sessions in a quiet setting with as few distractions as possible. Make sure you are in a comfortable position as it takes new babies a while to eat and you don’t want to end up stiff and sore. Cuddle and caress your baby as feeding time is a wonderful opportunity to show your baby how much he is loved.

If you are breastfeeding, be patient while you and your baby are getting the hang of it! The benefits of breastfeeding are many and in order for it to be successful, it is important to start out right. Keep in mind though it may take several weeks until you both feel comfortable and get a feeding schedule down.

Most new moms feel and experience:

• Exhaustion!
• Bloody vaginal discharge for the first week or so
• Discomfort or pain in the perineal area if you had a vaginal delivery
• Incision pain or numbness if you had a cesarean delivery
• Abdominal cramping (afterpains) as the uterus contracts
• Elation or depression or swings between both
• Breast discomfort or engorgement
• Fears about your adequacy as a mother
• Profuse sweating after the first couple of days

Although it may be tempting to try to be a ‘supermom’, now is not the time. The best advice that I received as an new mom was to accept the help of others, eat regular meals and sleep when the baby sleeps. Now it’s my turn to pass that advice on to you.

About The Author

Anne Cavicchi is a Canadian wife and mother of one boy and two step-daughters. She also owns Annie’s Maternity Corner where you’ll find everything you need for pregnancy and baby! Great products, articles, information and more to see you through pregnancy and baby’s first years at Annie’s. www.maternitycorner.com

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The result is that the doctor will be able to tell you what percentile your baby is in when compared to average baby growth around the nation. For example, if your doctor tells you your 4-month-old is in the 86th percentile for weight, that means 86 percent of the two-month-olds in your country weigh less, and that 14 percent weigh more. A baby that is at the 50th percentile in either height or weight is right at the national average.

Typically, parents seem to worry quite a bit about these percentages, and that worrying is usually needlessly blown out of proportion. There are many factors that come into play when determining where your baby’s statistics will fall in the percentile chart.

It is very important to remember that no two babies are the same and that every child, due to body chemistry, heredity, diet, and many other factors will grow at their own pace.

Some babies will have growth spurts right from the start and others will take a bit longer to begin major growth periods. These measurements, charts, and percentile points are merely guides for a doctor to help in assessing your baby’s growth.

In addition to the measurements that your pediatrician will take during regularly scheduled doctor visits, you may also want to track your baby’s growth at home.

Keep in mind that the measurements you take at home may or may not be as accurate as the measurements your doctor takes, but they can provide a certain degree of insight into the growth of your baby and many new parents have found it to be a fascinating way to participate in the parenting process.

Here are some tips that can help you, as inquisitive parents, track your baby’s growth at home using commercially available scales and other measuring devices.

If baby is too small to stand upright on the scale, you can try using this procedure:

• With your baby in your arms, step onto a standard bathroom scale.
• Make note of the weight displayed on the scale and write it down on a piece of paper.
• Put your baby down and step onto the scale alone this time.
• Make note of the weight displayed and subtract this number from the combined weight of you and your baby. The resulting number is your baby’s weight.
• To measure your baby’s length all you need to do is lay her down on a flat surface (her changing table is a great place for this task) and stretch a measuring tape from head to toes.
• For the measuring of head circumference all you need to do is wrap the measuring tape around your baby’s head. You should wrap the measuring tape just above your baby’s eyebrows, so the tape falls right at the top of the ears. What you are trying to measure is the point around his head that has the largest circumference.

When taking your baby to the doctor your pediatrician will perform more accurate measurements. Pediatricians do the “baby measuring thing” on a daily basis and will be able to achieve a much more accurate result than you will at home. This is due to the fact that they are accustomed to the things babies do that can result in an inaccurate measurement and they have very accurate measuring tools made specifically for the purpose of measuring the characteristics of babies, such as proper baby scales equipped with cradles.

Your doctor will most likely take measurements several times during one visit and average the results together to ensure accuracy and to compensate for any discrepancies that may arise. It is crucial for the doctor’s measurements to be as accurate as possible because a discrepancy of as little as a few millimeters in length or a few grams in weight can make a difference where your baby falls on the charts.

Since the results of these measurements may determine changes to your baby’s diet, and other possible changes to how your baby is fed and treated during her first year, it is important that these results are as accurate as possible.

Your pediatrician will measure the following characteristics of your baby:

Weight:

After calibrating the scale the doctor or nurse will place your completely naked baby on a baby scale. There are electronic and traditional beam-type versions of the baby scale, but most will typically have the same type of baby holding stainless steel cradle. After your child is able to stand on her own, your pediatrician will most likely use a standard upright scale.

Length:

Like weighing, until your baby is able to stand up on his own, your doctor will perform the height/length measurements with your baby lying down. Your doctor may use a tape measure, much like you use at home, or may utilize a special “baby-measuring device”, which consists of a headboard and movable footboard to obtain the most accurate results possible.

Head circumference:

This measurement will be taken in almost the same way you did at home. The doctor will take the measurement at the point where the head is at its largest circumference, right above the ears and around to the back of the head where the neck meets the cranium. Usually the pediatrician will record this measurement to the nearest 0.3 cm (1/8th of an inch).

The head is different from other parts of the body in that the brain is not fully formed at the time of birth and therefore the head will continue to grow during baby’s first year.

Baby’s head is a particular point of concern for the doctor because a head that is growing too rapidly can be a sign of hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and a head that is growing too slowly can be indicative of nutritional or developmental problems. Regardless, you shouldn’t be too concerned if your baby’s head appears a bit disproportional compared to the rest of her body, as this is completely normal for the first year of life.

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Free Toddler Christmas Crafts Ideas:

Holiday Card Prints

Letting your toddler sign this year’s holiday cards in a unique way will spice up holiday greeting cards and get them involved in sending out greeting cards. Your family and friends will love the special touch.
Materials

• This Year’s Greeting Cards
• Paint or Pen

Instructions
Take a little paint, paint your toddlers hand and/or foot and make a print on the inside of your greeting cards. Leave the greeting cards open until the paint is dry. You can also use a pen to outline the shape of the hand if you can’t use paint. If you have a lot of cards, just do a few each day so your toddler doesn’t get frustrated.

Christmas Place Mats

Materials

• 2 Sheets of clear Con-Tact paper, placemat size
• Scissors
• Flat Christmas themed items (poinsettia flower petals, pictures of santa claus, etc)

Instructions
Peel the backing off of one piece of Con-Tact paper. Lay it sticky side up on a work surface. Arrange your pictures and other flat items on the sticky contact paper. Take the second piece of Con-Tact paper and lay the sticky side down on to the first piece, sandwiching in your Christmas items. Smooth it out and your done! You can also trim the edges with decorative scissors to give it a special touch.

Foot or Hand Print Wreath

Materials

• Construction Paper in Christmas colors
• Glue
• Glitter, Bows, and other Christmas items.

Instructions
Trace your toddler’s feet and/or hand on the construction paper and cut out each piece. Repeat this until you have about 9-10 pieces. Arrange in a wreath like circle and glue together. Decorate with glitter, a bow, or other Christmas wreath items.

Glittery Snowman

Materials

• Small, Medium, and Large Styrofoam balls
• 8-10 Small black pom-poms
• 3-6 Toothpick
• Glue
• White paint
• Glitter
• Black, Red, and White Construction paper

Instructions
Cut about 1 inch off of the bottom of the largest Styrofoam ball. This will create your base so that the snowman can stand on its own. Glue the 3 Styrofoam balls together with the largest on bottom, medium in the middle, and smallest on top. Paint it all and sprinkle glitter over it. Allow it to dry completely.

Glue black pom-poms to the smallest ball to form the eyes, nose, and a mouth. Use a toothpicks for a nose, arms, and fingers.

Make a black hat for the snowman by cutting a small circle, larger circle, and rectangle from the black construction paper. The small circle is the top of the hat, form the rectangle into a cylinder for the middle of the hat, and glue to the larger circle for the base of the hat. Glue the hat to the top of the snowman’s head.

Use the remaining construction paper to create a stripped scarf, gloves, and other snowman attire.

Homemade Snow Globes

Materials

• Glass Baby Food Jar & Lid
• Glitter
• Baby Oil
• Small Figurines (about 1-1.5 inches tall)
• Glue

Instructions
Glue figurines onto the inside of the lid. Make sure it fits into the jar with lid screwed on. Fill the jar with baby oil and glitter “snow”. Don’t use water, as the oil is thicker and causes the glitter to fall more slowly. Slowly screw the lid onto the jar. Screw the lid on the jar and turn over!

There are many ways to spice up this project. You can use felt or paint to cover the inside and outside of the lid for a more elegant look. You can also tie ribbon and make a bow around the base of the snow globe.

Homemade Gift Wrap

Materials

• Brown shipping paper and/or paper bags
• Paint
• Paint brushes, stamps, sponges or other items

Instructions
Roll out a piece of brown paper or set out paper bags. Allow your toddler to paint the paper using different brushes, sponges, and tools. Be creative about the things you use as paint brushes. Try halved potatoes, toothbrushes, and things around the house. Allow to dry and wrap gifts with it!

Candy Cane Frame Ornament

Materials

• 2 Small Candy Canes
• A small pictures
• Glue
• Felt
• Ribbon

Instructions
Glue the two candy canes together in a heart shape. Allow to dry. Cut a piece of ribbon and string it through the candy cane heart, tie ends together. This is allow you to hang the ornament on the tree. Place the candy cane heart on a piece of felt, trace and cut out. Repeat so you have two pieces of felt. In the center of one piece cut an oval or square window for the picture. Line up the photo in oval or square, and glue in place between the two felt pieces. Glue candy canes to felt. Let it dry and hang on the tree!

Glittery Pinecone Ornaments and Decorations

Materials

• Pinecones of any size
• Glue
• Red, green, silver, and gold glitter
• Coordinating ribbon or string

Instructions
Either collect pinecones outside or purchase them at a craft store. Let your toddler drizzle pinecone with glue; then sprinkle with or roll in glitter. Tie a ribbon or string to top of pinecone. Hang on a tree or use as decoration around the house.

Do you have great Toddler Christmas Crafts? Post it in the comments!

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We received this toy as a gift when our daughter was a few months old. She loved watching the lights and listening to the music. She is now almost 1.5 years and she still loves it. She carries it around and dances to the music. We haven’t had to replace batteries once and it still works like new.

The best part of this Baby Einstein toy is that it is portable. It is small enough to stow away in a diaper bag or stroller.

Read more reviews and details on Amazon.

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Pros

• This booster seat uses a 3 piece try system. The first piece is the actual tray that snaps onto the seat. The second piece is a plate that snaps onto the tray and the final piece is a cover that snaps onto the plate. This is a benefit because it makes things a lot easier. In the morning I start with a clean plate & tray for breakfast. If Lily doesn’t finish all of her breakfast I snap the cover over the plate and put it in the fridge for snack time. At lunch, I can opt out of using the plate if I don’t feel like cleaning it and put food right onto the tray.
• Secure attachment to any normal sized, flat chair.
• Can be moved from one chair to another.
• Great if you have an extra tall table that is higher than a high chair. Lily is able to sit with us to eat dinner and be at the same level.
• It is portable. The chair folds up and can be carried over the should with strap. Although, I haven’t actually tried this and have never had to use it.
• Inexpensive, and way less than a normal high chair.

Cons

• Chair gets dirty quickly with spilled food along with the floor.
• Need to remove booster to clean chair when there is a lot of spilled food.

Click Here to Buy This at Amazon

Overall, it is a great purchase and I would recommend it above a normal high chair. You can view more product details at Amazon

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Click this link to download the printable baby tooth chart as a PDF.

When is baby suppose to get teeth and what is each tooth called? Check out the image below.

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Let’s Play!

Here are some of the best ways to entertain your baby in the first 3 months, according to Deborah Weber, Ph.D., manager of the Fisher-Price Child Research Department.

• Keep it Simple. Offer baby toys with high contrast primary colors and patterns; you can later introduce play things in bright colors. Toys should be easy for baby to graps and made from different textures and materials.
• Keep it Fresh. Give baby one toy at a time. Alternate toys every week or so, putting away a familiar friend and bringing out something new. When you pull out an “old” toy in a week or two, it will seem like an exciting new pal.
• Give Baby a workout. At around 2 months, take baby in your arms, hold up a toy, and move it slowly from side to side. Notice how she tracks it with her eyes!
• Put on a show. Since babies love music, your little on will enjoy dancing with you – rocking gently in your arms to different tunes. Stand in front of the mirror (babies delight in seeing their reflection) and move and sing together.

Attention, Please
A newborn’s attention spam is very short – no more than a minute or two. But that doesn’t mean the two of your can’t get down on the floor and play together. Just keep activities to a few minutes and be sure to stop when the baby indicates she’s had enough. Some telltale signs: She pushes a toy away, squirms, rubs her eyes or even falls asleep.

- – - -

I am not sure if this magazine is a monthly edition or not, but it just appeared in my mailbox yesterday.

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October is my favorite time of year. Not only because the leaves are changing and its starting to sprinkle but because its time to get scared and dress up. Since this is the first year I will have a small sidekick I have been brainstorming some costume ideas. Below is a list of my ideas so far.

Do you have any to add?

1. Lobster and a Chef
   

   Buy the Mulllins Square Lobster Baby Costume at Amazon

2. Merrmaid and a Fish
   
   Buy this Baby Costume on Amazon
3. Monkey and a Banana. I think I would be the monkey because trying to find a 5’7″ banana costume can prove to be a challenge.
   Buy this banana costume on Amazon

   
   Buy a Similar Monkey Baby Costume at Amazon

4. Pirate and a Parrot. (Idea courtesy of Tammy.)
   
   Buy this on Amazon
5. Bunny and Carrot. I suppose I would have to be a carrot just to see her in this cute bunny costume!


Buy the Baby Pink Bunny Costume at Amazon

6. Running of the Bulls. I haven’t found a costume for this one yet. But Lily would be the bull and me and the hubby would be on the run! The closest I can find is a cow.

Buy this Cow Baby Costume on Amazon

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Following are the many benefits of infant massage.

Physical benefits of Baby Massage:

• Increases blood flow and circulation.
• Strengthens the immune system.
• Stimulates neurological development.
• Provides sensory stimulation
• Relieves discomfort from constipation and gas.
• Aids in digestion
• Eases congestion and stimulates the baby’s ability to suck.
• Has a positive effect on colic symptoms.
• Produces Oxytocin.

Mental benefits of Baby Massage:

• Relaxes and reduces stress (Yes, even infants have it.)
• Promotes bonding and attachment
• Improves communication
• Promotes positive development and self esteem
• Helps baby to sleep better and longer
• Helps parents to learn about their baby which allows them to better care for their needs.

How to Give a Baby Massage
The best way to learn is by watching baby massage videos. The following video is a perfect step by step introduction.

Video: How To Massage Your Baby For Health And Happiness

Here are some tips:

• The best time to give a baby a massage is about 30 minutes after they have eaten or during bath time, when they are relaxed and calm, and both of you are in a good mood. Massage relaxes babies so it’s best not to do it immediately after a feeding or when the baby is hungry.
• Be sure the room and your hands are warm. If you decide to use baby massage oils warm them by rubbing your hands together before applying to the baby’s skin.
• The pressure you use should be the same as if you were to touch your eyelids. You shouldn’t press harder than you can press on your eyelids and be comfortable.
• Massage for no longer than 15 minutes per sitting and always stop if your baby cries or seems uncomfortable.
• Talk, sing, and laugh with your baby during massage.

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