Children can get a variety of infections from a variety of places. Yesterday I noticed that the skin by my baby's fingernail was red and puffy. It looked sore. My little one does not seem to be one to complain all that much and she didn't treat it like it hurt. It didn't seem to change her behavior at all. Well, after some internet searching I did see that there is an infection called Paronychia.
If you notice that the finger is red and puffy, has a possible pimple and probably pus draining from the area then there is a probably bacterial infection. The infection is caused when there is a small cut or opening, usually from the skin cracking or a hangnail being torn off rather than cut off with fingernail clippers. The infection is normally caused by Staphylococcus bacteria that is normally found in your mouth or other water sources (such as a swimming pool). This is something to watch for if your baby enjoys sucking on their fingers!!
If there is pus causing a pimple on the skin, it will need to be drained and cleansed. An antibacterial soap is the best for cleaning. You may also want to soak the area a few times a day in water and antibacterial soap. The place a bandage over the area so that it can have time to heal without possible further infection. The infection should clear up within a week, if it doesn't you should seek further medical help. Also if the infection is accompanied with a fever - seek help right away!!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Book Review: The Girlfriends' Guide
I just recently finished up the book The Girlfriends' Guide to Surviving the First Year of Motherhood by Vicki Iovine.
This book is a quick, easy read with lots of witty commentary that brings humor to the rough few months of motherhood. I wish I would have read this book before I had Lily but better late than never at all.
One key message that is repeated over and over again in the book is that you are not alone. That you are not alone in your thoughts, stresses, baby illnesses, breastfeeding issues, post partum emotions, post partum sex and the ever ominous question - When to have the second baby?
I would recommend this book to help you feel apart of the 'Mommy community' not for fantastic, scientific information on babies.
This book is a quick, easy read with lots of witty commentary that brings humor to the rough few months of motherhood. I wish I would have read this book before I had Lily but better late than never at all.
One key message that is repeated over and over again in the book is that you are not alone. That you are not alone in your thoughts, stresses, baby illnesses, breastfeeding issues, post partum emotions, post partum sex and the ever ominous question - When to have the second baby?
Her topics include:
-In the hospital
-Going home
-Assessing the damage
-Baby euphoria
-Blue, baby, blue
-And the baby makes three
-I am soooo tired, I haven't slept a wink
-I want my old body back!
-Sex? What sex?
-Food, glorious food!
-Keeping everybody healthy
-Going back to work
-The second baby
I would recommend this book to help you feel apart of the 'Mommy community' not for fantastic, scientific information on babies.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mothers Day
Just like to wish all of you a happy Mom's day - we should all get more than just one day!!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Hello Readers!!
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And if you have any suggestions - just email us! We'd be happy to hear from you!
And if you have any suggestions - just email us! We'd be happy to hear from you!
Wake Time/Activity Time
I am a follower of the Babywise/Baby Whisperer routines which are pretty much the same thing:
Baby wise: Wake/play/sleep routine
Baby Whisperer: E(eat).A(activity).S(sleep).Y(you) routine
One of the trickiest elements of this type of routine is... when is my baby ready for a nap? How long should their wake time be? What happens when they have had too much play or activity?
When is she ready for a nap?
Look for sleepy cues, which vary from newborn to older babies. Note that some babies do not show sleepy cues so let the clock help you in deciding when your little one may become tired. Also, newborns until around 3 months can only use a head turn or yawning since they do not have control over their limbs - yet!
-Yawns
-Fidgeting/loss of coordination
-Involuntary movements
-Eye rubbing or red around the eye
-Unexplained fussiness (this can be the trickiest cue)
-Stare (as if they are looking 7 miles into the distance without wavering)
-Turns head away from objects
-If carried, burys head into your neck (as if they are trying to block out all things visual)
How long should their waketime be?
Waketime varies by age and temperment but always becomes increasingly longer the older the baby; note this includes feeding time as well.
-Newborn: 1 hour
-3 months: 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes
-6 months: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours
-9 months: 2 hours
-12 months: 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes
*Note* These are averages and I have noticed that the first waketime of the day is the shortest and the following waketimes will be longer. Example: 1 hour, 1.25 hours, 1.5 hours, 2 hours)
What happens when they have too much play or activity?
In our society we are always filling our schedules to the maximum. Be very careful to not overstimulate your baby with toys the jiggle, bounce, sing, flash, light up or are too busy. Even though we may think 'There is no way you can be tired!' the little one may be!
-Overstimulation: most common result of too much anything. The length of wake time may be just right but the activity during the waketime may be too much. Lily can play in her jumperoo/exersaucer at the beginning of waketime but if I put her in them right before nap, she is too amped to settle down.
-Short naps: YUCK! 30-45 minutes naps are the bane of my existance! After the baby's first sleep cycle has concluded (around 40 minutes), the baby will awaken and will be unable to fall back asleep because she was too buzzed from her previous play time.
-Fussiness when waking: Around 3-5 months, your baby should be waking happy from naps. If they played too much/were up for too long during the past waketime, they will still be grumpy.
-Unable to fall asleep easily for nap or at all: You could rock, sing, hum, bounce and shh the little one until no end and they still won't want to nap! If I sense I have overstimulated Lily, I take her to a dark room with her blankie, rock her or sit with her until she sucks her thumb. Sometimes this is for 10-15 minutes.
-Meltdowns: This is the last resort for overstimulated babies. It seems as though they are done with life, forever. They scream, kick, cry, squirm and can become aggressive! This is the baby trying to tell you, 'Mom., please take note you kept me up too long and those hanging toys are too much.'
Learn from your baby, watch her. She will tell you in her banguage (baby language) that she is done with play time and is ready for some rest. Respect the fact that some waketimes will be shorter than others and that it may throw off your 3 or 4 hour schedule. For goodness sakes, listen to the baby when she is tired and act immeadiately instead of worrying about what time it is!
Baby wise: Wake/play/sleep routine
Baby Whisperer: E(eat).A(activity).S(sleep).Y(you) routine
One of the trickiest elements of this type of routine is... when is my baby ready for a nap? How long should their wake time be? What happens when they have had too much play or activity?
When is she ready for a nap?
Look for sleepy cues, which vary from newborn to older babies. Note that some babies do not show sleepy cues so let the clock help you in deciding when your little one may become tired. Also, newborns until around 3 months can only use a head turn or yawning since they do not have control over their limbs - yet!
-Yawns
-Fidgeting/loss of coordination
-Involuntary movements
-Eye rubbing or red around the eye
-Unexplained fussiness (this can be the trickiest cue)
-Stare (as if they are looking 7 miles into the distance without wavering)
-Turns head away from objects
-If carried, burys head into your neck (as if they are trying to block out all things visual)
How long should their waketime be?
Waketime varies by age and temperment but always becomes increasingly longer the older the baby; note this includes feeding time as well.
-Newborn: 1 hour
-3 months: 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes
-6 months: 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours
-9 months: 2 hours
-12 months: 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes
*Note* These are averages and I have noticed that the first waketime of the day is the shortest and the following waketimes will be longer. Example: 1 hour, 1.25 hours, 1.5 hours, 2 hours)
What happens when they have too much play or activity?
In our society we are always filling our schedules to the maximum. Be very careful to not overstimulate your baby with toys the jiggle, bounce, sing, flash, light up or are too busy. Even though we may think 'There is no way you can be tired!' the little one may be!
-Overstimulation: most common result of too much anything. The length of wake time may be just right but the activity during the waketime may be too much. Lily can play in her jumperoo/exersaucer at the beginning of waketime but if I put her in them right before nap, she is too amped to settle down.
-Short naps: YUCK! 30-45 minutes naps are the bane of my existance! After the baby's first sleep cycle has concluded (around 40 minutes), the baby will awaken and will be unable to fall back asleep because she was too buzzed from her previous play time.
-Fussiness when waking: Around 3-5 months, your baby should be waking happy from naps. If they played too much/were up for too long during the past waketime, they will still be grumpy.
-Unable to fall asleep easily for nap or at all: You could rock, sing, hum, bounce and shh the little one until no end and they still won't want to nap! If I sense I have overstimulated Lily, I take her to a dark room with her blankie, rock her or sit with her until she sucks her thumb. Sometimes this is for 10-15 minutes.
-Meltdowns: This is the last resort for overstimulated babies. It seems as though they are done with life, forever. They scream, kick, cry, squirm and can become aggressive! This is the baby trying to tell you, 'Mom., please take note you kept me up too long and those hanging toys are too much.'
Learn from your baby, watch her. She will tell you in her banguage (baby language) that she is done with play time and is ready for some rest. Respect the fact that some waketimes will be shorter than others and that it may throw off your 3 or 4 hour schedule. For goodness sakes, listen to the baby when she is tired and act immeadiately instead of worrying about what time it is!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Feeding Baby Green
This book is supposed to be a plan for 36 months - beginning before pregnancy through toddler years. So I suggest picking it up before you're pregnant and reading through to see if you want to incorporate any of the ideas into your style of parenting. As in all cases - it's never too late to read and start trying as well so read away!
The book has steps for each growth period - Taking Charge, Windows of Opportunity, Engage all the Senses, Choose the right amount, Choose the Right Variety, Customize, and Exercise!
Here are some tips that I found interesting:
"Interestingly, babies tend to suck more vigorously when a new flavor is introduced into their mother's diet." Mothers eating a wide variety of foods can influence the taste buds of their children. Studies have shown that breastfed babies, when studied with solely formula-fed babies, tend to like pureed vegetables within a shorter amount of time. The formula-fed babies did like them as well, it just took more exposure to the flavor.
Studies of formula-fed babies have shown that they type of formula also influences their tastes later in life. So switching formula helps develop your baby's tastes for different flavors later on.
The Invisible Bouquet
Brian and I have recently been preparing our yard for a garden - which I need to plant soon! But this book presents a unique idea. Here's a link to what I'm talking about so you can read for yourself. I think it's a great idea to have your children help in the garden. I remember growing up with a garden and even seeing my grandpa's huge garden he did every year and enjoying fresh vegetables. If you don't have your own plot of land, see if someone who does is willing to garden with you. Or most cities have plots of land you can rent to plant a garden, you'll have to do some searching on your own for that. Anyway - the book suggests that introducing your children to growing plants helps "cultivate" their taste and enjoyment of the foods they help grow!
Take Charge
The author explains through each of the baby to toddler years about taking charge of what the baby eats. We are in control of that. It's important to find out about what you're giving the baby to eat. Store bought baby foods have a lot of additives in them that are unnecessary. Start feeding your baby what you eat on a daily basis - just in pureed form. It explains as a baby turns into a toddler that as you start to see resistance to the food that you're giving them to not "give up" and run to get processed toddler foods - aka chicken nuggets or french fries.
Windows of Opportunity
The author talks about this throughout the book - the section that I'm referring to is on page 157-158. The "window of opportunity" at this stage is when they start moving around (crawling/learning to walk) to the time that they are a full blown toddler. There's a window of opportunity where the baby is willing to taste anything - from rocks to lint to basically anything they get their hands on. They are especially willing to try anything that they see their parents eating, so now is the time to really introduce foods. It normally takes between six and sixteen experiences with a flavor before it becomes accepted - so don't loose hope when trying new flavors!
Engage
1. With Flavor
2. With Aroma
3. With Sight
4. With Sounds and Language
5. With touch
Basically let the baby be a part of the food process. Let the baby see what's happening - touch the food - smell it - see you eat it - etc... The baby is learning by leaps and bounds and if you want the baby to eat healthy, let the baby and kids see your preparation of the food and even be a part of it. This is of course referencing the fact that you are making your own baby food. Like a smashed banana, let the baby see you preparing the food.
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