Baby Tips

Just wondering what tip some of you would give about pacifiers. Do you think they are a good idea or not? Personally, I understand why a parent might want to use one with a little baby in an emergency, but I also think it is a hard habit to break and nothing looks worse than a toddler walking around with one in his/her mouth. Especially, when they pick it up from the floor. Yuck!

I was recently e-mailing with a friend of mine who lives in Ohio. She has three grown children (two daughters,one son),and eight little grandsons. The oldest boy is seven. ---------------------------------- My friend was giving me some "Mommy Tips" for a booklet my cousin is putting together for her sister,who is due with her own first child in November. Here's what she,and her daughters came up with............ 1.)ignore the pressure and the guilt,just do nothing but rest and cuddle the baby the first few weeks. Give lots of hugs and kisses. ................. 2.)Mom needs a break,too. Get help with the baby a few hours per day. Take showers to relax. .................. 3.)Swaddle baby snuggly the first few months. ................ 4.)Savor every moment. Babies grow up quickly. Take lots of pictures and videos. ................. 5.)Study and observe your child,get to know their strengths and quirks. You are their best teacher and advocate. ................. 6.)Keep a journal. ................ 7.)Don't buy every convenience and safety gadget they make. Do correctly use the infant car seat. ................ 8.)Keep inventory of the diaper bag. Replace the next size clothes,like onesies,regularly. .................. 9.)Don't neglect your husband. Remember,you loved him before you loved the baby. ***************************************** If any of you out there has other 'tip' ideas you'd like to share with this new mom-to-be,we'd surely appreciate them.

Not sure under what catergory this would fall. colicky or something else, but my neighbours' little daughter wouldn't stop crying, throwing up etc, everytime she was put to bed. My husband suggested they put a book or someting under the feet of the bed on the side of where the baby's head is. Purpose of that is that the baby doesn't lie flat on his/her back and acid from the stomach (I'm not that technical in English) doesn't rise up. It helped. On the topic of pacifiers: I've had some fanatical debats on them. But personally: I can honestly say I never gave one to Iris and I threw away the ones I got as gifts. This mainly based on my own irritation that some kids a/ can't live without them anymore and you get severe dramas if they don't have them b/ I noticed how bad some children spoke, because they learned to speak with a pacifier in their mouth. c/ I noticed that too often parent used them to 'shut up' the child, rather then try to find out why the baby needs attention, (like oh, a clean diaper for instance. :roll: ) d/ I'm personally horrified whenever I see a woman pick up a pacifier from the ground, wipe it off on her skirt and put in back in the baby's mouth... Seriously grossed out by it. It's not the fault of the pacifiers, but I grew to hate them nonetheless. :wink: But that is personal. I know women who swear it's the best thing EVER. 6.)Keep a journal. Seriously! Because you may think that you will never forget the first days of your child, but SO many things happen at the same time, that later on a lot of details get lost.

Those tip make a lot of sense, Ship. If you don't take good care of Mom and Dad, it's harder to take good care of baby. My Mom (with eight kids) always said her relationship with her husband came first, because if that wasn't good, then the kids would know it and miss out on the feeling of a secure home. Plus Dad becomes more involved, too. Couldn't agree with you more about the pacifiers, Sylviane. I know some claim they are great, but little is worse than seeing a kid stick a pacifier back in the mouth after dropping it. Yuck!

....... little is worse than seeing a kid stick a pacifier back in the mouth after dropping it. Yuck! Or worse, 'cleaning' it in your own mouth. The human mouth has more germs than any other place in the body. I have to admit, though, dummies have a place, but there have to be rules. Scott had one for sleep and they can be invaluable for a baby who's gone beyond themselves with tiredness, but should never be used as a substitute for proper care. We find them indispensible at work when a hungry baby cannot be orally fed or lifted for a cuddle. They stimulated sucking reflex in premmie babies, too. As for Sarah, she quickly found her thumb :roll: - altogether much harder to hide or dispose of......

4.)Savor every moment. Babies grow up quickly. Take lots of pictures and videos. ................. That's something I talked about with my cousin recently. There have been 4 births in my family since October 2005 - my nephew on October 27, 2005, my niece on October 11, 2007, and my cousin's son and daughter on December 15, 2005, and October 5, 2008, respectively - and each time I was surprised by how little a baby is.

We find them indispensible at work when a hungry baby cannot be orally fed or lifted for a cuddle. They stimulated sucking reflex in premmie babies, too. I would suppose that was their original purpose and quite a vital one. Then, it probably got mass marketed to Mothers and in many cases used for convenience sake and in few cases all the time. As for Sarah, she quickly found her thumb :roll: - altogether much harder to hide or dispose of...... I was a thumbsucker, too. And for quite a long time. It was comforting and difficult to stop. I even remember telling my Mom one thumb was chocolate and the other vanilla. Probably why I had to go to the Orthodontist later. Of course, now experts are saying not to put a child with any teeth to sleep with a bottle of milk or juice because it will rot the teeth. I guess you can use water :dunno - but for how long before something comes out about that. Pacifier, thumb or bottle, most babies want something when they are not on the breast or asleep, so I guess it's up to the parent to dole whichever out at the needed time and use it appropriately. And your correct that thumbs are a hard habit to control. :mrgreen: Wow Frances! A lot of October birthdays.

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