Parenting & New Baby Advice Blog

Archive for the ‘Child Care’ Category

Even a bad party can be transformed into a good time with the right food!  Food is a crucial component of any party, whether a wedding reception or your child’s first birthday party.  Fortunately, babies and toddlers are a lot less demanding and fussy than their adult party-going counterparts.  Planning a menu for a first birthday party is easy – and relatively mess-free.  What should you include on the menu?

The most important thing to remember when it comes to a first birthday party is that it should be short.  You needn’t serve a five course meal to impress your guests.  Your guest of honor, in fact, will probably be more impressed with the bright balloons, first birthday gifts and gooey, messy cake.  This relieves the pressure of planning a menu.

To keep your little guests happy and fed, try the following toddler-friendly snacks:

• Cheerios.  These are an all-time favorite toddler finger food.  Chances are the adults won’t like picking at them much, but there are plenty of other foods to try.
• Animal crackers or Goldfish.  Fun for everyone, these are a great, minimally-messy choice.
• Apple wedges without the skin.
• Soft cheese cubes.
• Juice boxes.
• Cookies.

This will probably be more than enough to keep your little one satisfied.  You can always set a bowl of chips and dip, veggies, fruits, or candies out on the table or countertop for the adults and older children to enjoy.

If you want to serve a meal, or your party will work best at lunch or dinnertime, serve a meal that your child likes.  Well-cooked noodles are always great, and for the other guests, you can simply add a sauce so you don’t have to make separate meals.  You can also try chicken and steamed vegetables (soft enough for your child), pot pie, or other child-friendly foods.

The cake is the most important food you will serve at your child’s first birthday party.  You can always pick up a cake from your local bakery or a mix from the grocery store.  But if you want to continue the healthy eating habits that your baby has developed, why not try this healthier ice cream cake?

You will need:

• An angel food cake (which has less fat and fewer calories than regular cake)
• ½ gallon of vanilla frozen yogurt
• Fresh strawberries, blueberries, peaches, or bananas
• Sugar to taste

Cut the angel food cake in half and tear one half into small pieces.  Set this aside and slice the other half into thin slices.  You’ll probably have 12 to 14.  Arrange the slices in the bottom of a baking pan lined with wax paper.  Spread the frozen yogurt over the cake.  Try to smooth it as much as possible.  Then press the cake bits into the yogurt.  Cover and put the dish into the freezer.  When it’s time to serve dessert, slice the strawberries (or bananas if you do not want to introduce berries to your child yet).  Cut the dessert into squares and put the fruit on top.  Light a candle, and you have a great dessert.

Planning a child’s birthday party can be stressful, but a one year old is very easy to please.  Give her some finger food, birthday party favors, some balloons and streamers, and a piece of cake, and you have the makings of a great first birthday party.

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When you first find out you’re going to be a mother, all sorts of thoughts rush through your head. One thing that will start to concern you is how you’re going to prepare for baby’s arrival. Will you have the right items? What do you even need for a baby? You’ll get plenty of advice from well-meaning family and friends, so don’t worry about the specifics. You know you’ll need a crib and diapers. So, once you get those out of the way, concentrate on stocking up baby’s closet.

Babies do need a number of different clothing items, along with their precious baby blankets!  Since you’re not going to have a whole lot of time, or the desire, to go out shopping after baby comes home from the hospital, get everything ready well before you have your baby.

What are the absolute necessities and what are just for fun? It’s hard to tell if you’ve never had a baby before. Everything looks so cute and cuddly. You have to start somewhere, so go with the basics.

Every baby needs at least the following items:

• Several long sleeved undershirts or onesies that snap at the bottom, newborn sized
• Several short sleeved undershirts or onesies for wearing under layers, newborn sized
• Rompers or one piece cotton outfits for awake times, you’ll need many of these as babies tend to wet themselves, spit up, or soil themselves without warning. Start with newborn sizes but have three-and six-month sizes ready to go to. Of course don't forget the baby bibs!
• Sleeping sacks. These are one piece items made of cotton that have a drawstring bottom. They are ideal for newborns as you can quickly undo the bottom drawstring, change a diaper, and get baby back to sleep with little hassle or disturbance. Buy these in newborn, but also three-and six-month sizes.
• Diapers, diapers, and more diapers. If you are using cloth diapers, you’ll need those waterproof diaper covers to prevent leakage onto clothes. If you’re using disposable, get newborn and small sizes now to have on hand.
• Socks. Baby’s feet can get cold quickly, so stock up on socks. They’re so small that they’re barely there, but you’ll need them just the same. Consider washing them in a lingerie bag when the time comes. Otherwise they’ll disappear in the dryer.
• Cute outfits for when you take baby out to the doctor’s or to Grandma’s. The best outfits are one piece or a pull on pair of pants without zippers or snaps and a onesie type shirt that snaps at the bottom. These will stay on the best and will not rub against baby’s delicate skin. You may be tempted to put baby in cute ornamented outfits with buttons and ruffles, but these can be irritating to newborn skin. If you must, dress baby up for a few minutes, snap a photo and then dress her in cotton play clothes again.
• A coat sack if you have a winter baby. If you are bringing baby home from the hospital in winter, you’ll need a coat that is also a bunting sack. These ingenious outfits have cutouts where the seatbelt of the car seat has to go through. So you can leave baby right in her coat sack and click her in safely into her seat.

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Dads are becoming more involved in their children’s lives. If you happen to have a husband who isn’t that involved, but you’d like him to be, think of clever and interesting ways to get him more active in baby’s life. Moms usually get the most credit, but some people are starting to give new dad gifts as well when the baby is born! And of course, he'll be more than excited with he receives his first batch of Father's Day cookies as well! But what about actual bonding with the baby?

It will depend on the type of man you married. Some men love to be involved from the first minute you relay that you are pregnant. Others want to wait until the baby is actually born before they feel like it’s a real person. After all, a woman can feel the baby kicking and moving. A man is on the outside wondering what’s going on. So, don’t pressure your husband if he’s not as immediately as excited as you are. It may take until the delivery for your husband to realize that there’s a real person involved.

If dad seems reluctant to hold the baby, don’t fear. It doesn’t mean he’ll never bond with the baby or that they’ll never be close. All it means is that he’s not the type to rush in and start handling a delicate new baby. Many men fear doing the wrong thing or hurting the baby by accident. A man may feel clumsy and insecure with such a tiny baby in his care. Don’t blame him; just take a little time to gently advise him on how babies work.

Involve your husband from the very beginning. Take a birthing class together and be sure that he’s right there in the delivery room with you. Give him opportunities to do more and more tasks that involve baby’s care. Let him help with baths and get baby dressed. If he doesn’t feel ready, don’t push him. It can be daunting to hold such a tiny person and not know what to do next.

After a while, start leaving your husband to take care of the baby for a few minutes at a time. Don’t make an announcement that he’s going to be alone, but just go run off for a shower or clean up your room or do some laundry. Make sure he knows he’s got the baby for a few minutes and then take a little break. As he does more and more for and with the baby, he will want to be more involved naturally.

Have a sense of humor about dad’s abilities. He’s probably never seen a onesie before and has no idea which side is the front of a diaper. Help him get acclimated and then let him do it his own way. As long as baby is not being hurt, there’s no harm in a diaper that’s put on slightly crooked or socks that don’t go with an outfit. Let go of perfection and accept help. Praise him for helping and tell him he did a good job. The more he bonds with baby, the more everyone will benefit. You will have more time and baby will get to know his daddy.

Give it time. No one is born knowing how to care for a baby. In time, he will be more and more involved and feel like he has more confidence in caring for baby. And pretty soon you’ll have to pry baby away from him just to put her down for a nap.

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Whether it's for Grandparent's Day or any other day of the week, just getting to sleep over at grandma and grandpa’s house is a big enough thrill for most kids that any activities fall by the wayside. Everything you may plan out for the night may be trumped by looking through your makeup drawer or sorting your silverware. Kids find everything at their grandparents’ houses new and interesting. So if you have chores to do, involve the kids. They’ll think its fun.

Sorting is always a good idea. If you pull out a batch of laundry and ask your grandchildren to sort the socks, they’ll think it’s the best game ever. Give them a chance to sort some socks while you fold laundry. Then make sock puppets out of any lone socks you find. Add felt embellishments and googly eyes. Hold a puppet show afterwards.

Allow kids to rifle through your drawers. Jewelry drawers are kid magnets. Let both boys and girls look through your jewelry if they seem interested. There’s nothing like a new drawer of goodies to spark the imagination. Show them your charm bracelet, personalized jewelry or high school ring. They’ll remember it and ask to see it again and again. Anything that is special or different will remind them of you from now on. Even those red plastic hoop earrings from the ‘80s will become meaningful to them.

Bake something. Kids love to help out in the kitchen, but when it’s with grandma’s bowls and her chocolate chips it’s so much more fun. Be sure to eat the cookies hot out of the oven with cold milk. These are the memories that your grandchildren will have forever. If there’s a famous recipe in your family, teach it to them and let them help make it. While you have a captive audience, you might as well pass down a tradition or two.

Depending on kids’ ages, they may be happy just pulling out an air mattress and reading books with you. The novelty will go a long way. They may tell their parents they had the time of their lives when all you did was cuddle and read to them.

Let them do one thing they are not allowed to do at home, within reason. If mom says no ice cream in the living room, let them have a small bowl while watching a movie. You’ll be the favoritest grandma and grandpa ever. Just don’t break too many of your daughter or son’s rules or they may not be too happy with you. But within reason, it’s all in good fun.

Is there a holiday coming up? Use it as an excuse to make decorations or to set up the Christmas tree. Kids love seeing what is in grandma and grandpa’s attic and basement, so let them help take out decorations that have been stored and that maybe they have never seen.

You will be a favorite if you actually listen to your grandchildren’s stories. Sitting with a bowl of popcorn and talking is often the only activity you need. Watch a movie that can become “your” movie together. And they’ll ask to watch it every time they come. When they’re older, you can give them their copy and they’ll always remember they watched it at their grandparents’ home.

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Is there a new mother on earth who hasn’t worried about giving her newborn his first bath? What do you do once the nurses are gone and you’re left there alone to bathe this delicate little person? First, you relax. Know that you are just like every first time mom. No one is born knowing how to bathe a newborn. But after about five minutes, you’ll feel like an old pro. If possible, get used to bathing baby along with another family member there to help you.

Here are some baby bathing tips to keep in mind for newborns and young infants:

• The most important rule is Never Walk Away. Don’t walk away from an infant in a tub or sink for any reason whatsoever. Your Aunt Margaret can call back. The UPS guy can leave the package at the door. You are chained to the tub or sink until baby’s bath is over. Infants can drown in less than one inch of water in less than a few seconds. So, don’t be scared, but don’t be careless.
• Use warm water only. Babies have such tender skin that they can be sensitive to temperatures adults would consider fine. Use a baby bath thermometer. These come in cute shapes and you probably got one at your shower. Test the water first before putting baby in and never run the faucet directly on baby.
• It’s best to bathe baby in a sink fitted with a plastic baby bath tub. You won’t have to bend over a tub and besides, baby is too small for a full tub bath. Just clear out the dishes and place the bath tub right in the sink.
• Fill the bath water before baby gets in. Ensure that it is the right temperature (your thermometer will have markings to tell you when it’s safe) and then gently place baby into the baby bath tub.
• You only need a dime sized dot of baby bath. The less the better. It’s hard to rinse a wiggling infant, so just use a little on a washcloth. Never pour baby bath directly on a newborn’s head as it may get in their eyes and will be hard to rinse out.
• You’re there to hold the baby at all times. You may want another pair of hands there for your first few baby baths. Don’t move from baby to grab lotion or a towel. Your hands stay on baby at all times.
• Support his head and talk to baby during the bath. Most babies love their bath, but the first few times he may be cold or sense your nervousness. Don’t worry. It gets better and soon he’ll be cooing right back at you.
• You don’t need to run the faucet water over baby to rinse him. Gently clean between baby’s toes and fingers where formula or breast milk can hide and then use a plastic cup to gently run some of the tub water over baby to rinse.
• Because tiny infants get cold quickly, make bath time a fast in and out. Save the toys from the baby bath gift baskets til later. As baby gets older you can spend more time playing and splashing. But tiny infants need to be dried off and swaddled in a blanket or hooded towel before they have time to catch a chill.
• Arrange to have help getting baby dressed after the bath at least for the first few times. You’ll wrap baby in a dry towel and carry him to his changing area. Have pjs or a new outfit ready to go. You’ll need diapers, socks, t-shirt and pants along with any other layers. Be sure that you send someone to get them for you and never walk away from a baby on a changing table. Not even for one short second while you reach for a diaper. If you find you are missing something at the changing table, carry baby with you to get the item. Even the smallest of infants can fall off a changing table in a fraction of a second. Better safe than terribly sorry.

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