Keeping your baby safe is one of the biggest concerns for all parents. There are many things we take for granted, but are hazards to your baby. Your home is not ready for the baby until you do some things to make it safe, especially if they are beginning to crawl or walk. Don’t find out what is dangerous the hard way. Here are some tips to remember. This list is incomplete as each home is different, but hopefully, these tips will get you started in the right direction. Your Purse; Babies love to play with the things found in a purse, whether yours or a guests. Some of these things can be very dangerous to your baby, like medications, nail files, pens, cosmetics and other small objects. Cleaning your home; Of course, you should make sure all cleaning products are out of reach of the baby when they are stored, but also keep this in mind as you are using them. It’s very easy to get busy cleaning and turn your back, just long enough for them to get into something dangerous. Use the sink instead of a mop bucket. Your baby can drown in a small amount of water, not to mention what is in the water may be harmful to them. Furniture; Make sure none of your furniture lamps, or decorations are easily tipped over. Keep their high chair away from walls and other surfaces they can use for leverage to push it, possibly tipping it over. No furniture that has chipping or peeling paint should be allowed in the house with your baby. Check out the rooms of your house often and remember to check them from your baby’s point of view. Get down on the floor to look for possible hazards. A lot of Moms, especially those who breastfeed, like to have their baby sleep in the bed with them. There are some safety tips to keep in mind when doing this as well. 1. Don’t put them into an adult bed alone to sleep. They can crawl to an edge and fall off. They can become trapped between the headboard and the bed or the wall. They can also suffocate in soft bedding. 2. Babies should be put to sleep on their back, not on their stomach. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome may have something to do with placing babies on their stomachs to sleep, according to the “Back To Sleep Campaign”. 3. Don’t use pillows, comforters, and thick quilts or blankets for babies under 1 year old. They stand a chance of suffocating themselves. Securely fitting crib sheets are the safe way to go. 4. Make sure your baby cannot fall out of bed. Bed railing is a useful item to have or having your bed with one side to the wall. The baby should sleep between the mother and the bed rail, not between two parents. 5. Make sure your bed has a firm surface. Never let your baby sleep on a featherbed, beanbag, waterbed, deep mattress, or other too-soft surface. 6. If you are under the influence of alcohol or medication that makes you groggy, do not put your baby to sleep in your bed. If you are groggy, you pose a danger to your baby. 7. Too many pillows, blankets, or stuffed animals can increase your baby's risk of strangulation or suffocation. 8. Never fall asleep on a couch, sofa, or overstuffed chair with your baby. They can get wedged between the cushions and suffocate. 9. Don't stuff too many bodies into a bed with a small baby. If you share sleep with more than one child, adequate space is necessary for both comfort and safety.
Wednesday, 21 September 2016
Friday, 2 September 2016
Why are cloth nappies so good for your baby
Congratulations on the new arrival! Caring for your little bundle of joy is a truly delightful experience, when you want to lavish all your love and attention over this one unique person. Nothing is good enough for your precious baby for whom, if possible, you would even buy the moon! Naturally, you want the very best for your child, and with the countless baby products flooding the market, this means you can pick and choose to your satisfaction. Moreover, many options are available to the parent of today, and it is upto you to make up your mind about whats best for your child. Is breast feeding better than the bottle, what brand of baby food is more healthy, or, oh dear, shouldnt the nursery be painted a mild and soothing green instead of all this pink? Should you opt for cloth or disposable diapers? Are you doing the right thing? Help! Relax. The most important thing when raising a child is to make sure it is healthy. Just as proper nutrition is essential for your babys welfare, so is hygiene and cleanliness. While nutrition can be easily taken care of with regular feedings of milk, hygiene is a different matter. With little or no control over their bodily functions, babies expel a lot of waste, and keeping them clean can be a daunting task. The solution? Nappies, of course! There are disposable Nappies and cloth nappies. Disposable nappies are easy to use; use it once and throw it away. No washing, no fuss! However, disposable diapers are made of chemicals that can harm your babys sensitive skin. Also, with its synthetic texture, disposable nappies are not comfortable, and babies are prone to develop rashes or allergies. Diapers made from natural fibres are a welcome change from disposable nappies as they are soft and soothing to the skin. Raising a child also means rising expenses! A baby will go through upto a thousand or more diapers before his first birthday. Disposable diapers cost more than cloth nappies, but in this case, being expensive does not necessarily mean its better. Cloth nappies are lower-priced and are reusable. So, one cloth nappy serves as well as many disposable ones. To further cut expenses, using second hand cloth nappies is a good idea, and after your baby has outgrown them, it is recommended you donate them to other parents or reuse them for your next child, thereby reducing waste. If one baby will use more than a thousand diapers in a year, imagine the amount of garbage generated in a city from diapers alone! While disposable nappies contain chemicals that do not decompose, discarded cloth nappies are absorbed back into the environment, and are thus very eco-friendly. In the modern nuclear family where both parents work, washing cloth nappies may seem a tedious process. A gentle wash in the washing machine solves this problem. Some popular brands of cloth nappies are: the Bumble sized shape nappy, Rainbow Bots and, Prorap All in One Nappies. Terries are flat squares of terry towelling that can be shaped into nappies. These are all nappies that are sized, shaped and have a high second hand value, meaning they are very durable. Almost all brands of cotton nappies are made of light cotton-based material. Comfort for your baby comes first, and with the menace of harmful chemicals in disposable diapers, cloth nappies seem the only solutionfortable, hygienic, eco-friendly, durable . . . with so many merits, it is no wonder cloth nappies are replacing disposable diapers everywhere. There can be no doubt that cloth nappies are so good for your baby!