Archive for 2008

Any bite-size portion of food which your little one can pick up and eat by himself is usually referred as finger food.

Eating finger food is not only fun for your baby, but it is also considered an early step towards the independence of your baby to develop his motor skills.

When is it right to introduce finger foods?

When a child reaches nine months of age, you can start teaching her to feed herself.

Initially your baby may just rake food up with her hands to bring it into her mouth, but with perseverance she will eventually learn the right way to do it.

At first, it may seem like play for your little one to hold food in her hands. Rather than rushing to clean her hands with a washcloth, let your baby enjoy the feel of food in her hands.

What kind of finger food should be given?

Initially, try to scatter a few pieces of fruits or vegetables in a plate for your baby to choose from. You can add more if she finishes the pieces in her plate.

Well-cooked pasta spirals, chopped hard-boiled egg, chopped raisins, well-cooked broccoli or cauliflower trees are all healthy finger foods for your little baby.

Birthday gifts for your little one can be easy and fun to buy if you know how to shop efficiently. It is essential for you to identify the needs of your baby as well as the likes and dislikes of your baby.

If you complete these simple tasks, it will make finding the right gift for your baby much easier. Here are a few gift options to help you select the perfect gift for your baby.

Lulu the Lamb Rocker

Lulu, the cutest little lamb rocker, has a fleecy soft padded body; sturdy handles and a stylish dark wood base for a smooth comfy ride.  Lulu will definitely warm up your baby’s heart with her floppy ears, long lashes on her button eyes and an embroidered pink nose.

Besides being a cozy companion for your baby, Lulu will also be a charming piece for your kid’s nursery décor.
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Porter the Puppy Stuffed Chair

Little kids love original stuffed chairs. If your baby is a petite puppy lover, s/he will not be able to resist Porter. With soft fur, floppy ears, a cute big nose and silly button eyes, Porter will attract everyone.

Radar — the technology that tracks enemy bombers and hurricanes — is now being employed to detect another danger: when babies stop breathing.

In a high-tech twist on the remote devices that allow parents to listen to or watch their baby from a far, University of Florida engineering researchers have built a prototype baby monitor that focuses on a baby’s breathing.

If his or her chest stops moving, the crib-mounted monitor detects the problem and sends an alarm to a portable unit kept by the parents.

“It’s a step beyond just watching the baby through a video link or hearing it cry,” said Jenshan Lin, a UF professor of electrical and computer engineering and the principal investigator of the Doppler radar technology used in the monitor.

Parents buy millions of baby monitors each year in the U.S., but most transmit only sounds or video images of the baby — both useful, but only if a parent is listening or watching.

Some recently available monitors also monitor babies’ movements and breathing, but Lin said he is not aware of any on the market that use wireless technology.

Read more at ScienceDaily

If you already have a toddler and are expecting a new baby, it is essential to prepare your toddler for the arrival of a new addition to your family.

Since your toddler has been center of your life until this point, a new addition to your family may raise possessiveness in your toddler.

Because they are used to lots of attention, toddlers will need reassurance that they are not being replaced by the new baby.

Here are a few ways to prepare your toddler for the addition of a new baby to your family:

Talk to your toddler about his/her birth: Discuss with your toddler how you felt at the time of his birth.

Show him photos of his first bath, feeding and being loved by others. Seek his help in completing all these tasks when his new sibling arrives.

Take your toddler to prenatal visits: If you take your toddler to your regular prenatal visits, s/he will know the reason why you are regularly going to hospital. This can also help a toddler to prepare emotionally for his/her new sibling.

Encourage your toddler to talk to the baby in your tummy: This can help your toddler to develop love and affection towards the new baby.

Because your baby is very precious to you, you want everything relating to your baby to be well-organized and well-planned.

Planning a perfect baby nursery is a big job and organizing a baby nursery can be ever bigger, particularly if you have a small place to work with.

It is very important to design a well-organized closet for your baby as your baby requires a lot of space to keep equipment.

Here are a few tips and tricks for you to organize your baby nursery closet:

Design an ideal closet for your baby: To find the perfect closet organizer for your newborn, measure the closet’s height, width and depth and sketch one with your desired taste and look.

Remember, it must work with the available space and your baby’s possessions.

Decide what to store: Be sure that you know what you want to store in the closet. If possible, put everything that is not needed for a changing table into the closet.

Use space behind the doors: If you have enough space to store your baby’s nursery objects, take advantage of it. You can hang a shoe bag or fill the shelves with lotions or rolled up clothing like T-shirts and socks.

Having a baby girl? With the numerous baby dress styles that are available these days, it can be quite difficult for you to choose the perfect outfit for your little angel.

You have to consider attractiveness, comfort and durability when finding the right outfit. The fabrics used for the dress are just as important in choosing the overall look. Here are a few fabulous outfits for your baby girl: [Baby Girl Dresses]

Pink and Green Party

This adorable print trimmed in hot pink ribbon will look simply awesome on your little one on her first birthday. This versatile polka dot print looks great by itself or you can pair it as a tee for jeans.

The ribbons trimmed on shoulders are double treated to prevent fraying and they are stitched so perfectly that you won’t lose one. The fabric used for this adorable frock is cotton, which doesn’t harm an infant’s skin.
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Vintage Christmas Dress

Christmas! ‘This is the season to shop for something special for your little one. This elegant vintage dress for your toddler is perfect for the holiday season. It is made of 100% wale cotton and Christmas fabric.

Does your toddler really love his/her bath? You can enhance their love of water by teaching them to swimming.

However, it is not guaranteed that all toddlers who enjoy their time in the bathtub will necessarily adjust quickly to the swimming pool.

As a parent, it is essential for you to be with him/her when they are in swimming pool to assist them.

Swimming with your baby should be an enjoyable experience for both you and your baby. Here are a few swimming pool safety tips for you to make it a joy-filled activity.

Don’t forget to use a safety flotation device

When your toddler is entering into the pool for the first time or if your toddler is not comfortable wearing a life vest, use safety flotation devices.

Choose appropriate swimming wear

When your baby is swimming, swim nappies and nappy covers are a great help to your baby. While it is not always compulsory to wear them, it is always a good idea to wear them.

Avoid extreme sun exposure

As your baby’s skin is very sensitive to sun, it should be protected well to avoid damage. Apply sunscreen lotions [Baby Lotions] with the highest SPF factor at least 15 minutes before swimming.

I had a friend who constantly tries to breathe through her mouth, making a hoarse noise while doing so, because she suffers from nasal congestion.

She goes through a lot of agony and gets breathless rather quickly when she has to exert herself, because she has cold and her nose is blocked and she is not able to take a proper deep breath.

If she, as an adult, feels that nasal congestion is simple and plain torture, then what would a newborn baby feel like if her nose was blocked and she was unable to take deep breaths through her nose?

Nasal congestion may sound like a simple issue, but it can in fact prove to be extremely dangerous for a newborn infant, because it would not only cause fatigue and irritability, thereby hampering normal growth, but also cause sleep apnea, which causes temporary moments of not breathing when the newborn is asleep.

The baby’s sleep quality would be affected, and this in turn would affect all other areas of her development, including her growth, speech and hearing development and so on.