You are here: Home / Archives for Babies

Babies

Cloth or Disposable Diapers? A look at Pros and Cons of Both

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Congratulations if you are expecting a baby! Being pregnant brings on so many changes with your own body, you will see if morph over the next 9 months and will marvel at the growing baby. Along with the changes physically comes just as many decisions to make about the new arrival, among those decisions you need to decide whether to use cloth or disposable diapers. This is a decision best made before the baby is born so you will prepare for their arrival. Either choice has pros and cons, good and bad. Often, it is a matter of personal preference. You will find those on both sides who will vehemently defend their decision to go cloth or disposable.

Cloth or Disposable Diapers?

Pros of Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers, after the initial investment, will be less expensive over constantly purchasing disposable. Cloth diapers made today are a lot better than ones made in years past are. You can find cloth diapers that are all in one, meaning the outer covering and the tabs are all in one diaper, no need for separate plastic pants. The tabs are Velcro type or snaps, no need for sticky pins. They will last through many washings, if extra care is made (no fabric softener or dryer sheets). Most will also expand and grow with the baby, so purchasing about two dozen should get them through the diaper years.

Cons of Cloth Diapers

Cloth diapers are an expensive investment in the beginning. Each diaper cost about as much as a pack of disposable diapers. Cloth diapers are messy. When the baby has a bowel movement, the contents have to be dealt with and normally this means cleaning the diaper in the toilet. There are disposable inserts that are available, and that’s another added expense. Diapers will need washing daily, unless you purchase enough that you can wash every other day. It requires more water and electricity to run the washer and or dryer if you choose to dry in the dryer. Traveling is more difficult having to carry back dirty diapers to be washed.

Pros of Disposable Diapers

The number one pro is the ease of changing a dirty baby. Just take the dirty diaper off, clean their little bottom, and wrap wipes in dirty diaper, fold, and throw away. It is a lot easier to travel. Daycare workers, nursery workers, etc. prefer disposable diapers to having to deal with cloth, while the baby is in the care of a sitter (because of work or other reasons for babysitting). Disposable diapers are available at most discount and grocery stores. They are convenient to use.

Cons of Disposable Diapers

Disposable diapers over time can be very expensive. Prices on packs of disposable diapers are always going up. A baby will go through six to ten diapers a day, newborns may go through more. Some babies may have allergies to the materials in the disposable diapers. Disposable diapers fill up dumps, landfills, and take years to disintegrate. They are not environmentally friendly because of this.

Filed Under: Babies, Diapering, Product Reviews

How To Prepare For A New Baby

December 25, 2011 By 2 Comments

Babies bring joy to the lives of people especially their parents. After the nine months of pregnancy a mother is congratulated on delivering the new born kid. However, how to prepare for a new baby is an important lesson as the joy can be cut short if the parents had not prepared adequately for the coming kid.

Parents should perform some preparations for the expected young one even before it is born. These preparations can be summarized under the following steps, most of these things are general and does not depend on whether the bay is a boy or a girl.

Parents should purchase transportation items; these are things like car seat, and stroller. A car seat is necessary until a kid become a toddler and should be front and rear facing. Stroller is important to assist the baby learn to walk slowly.

Baby Crib Bedding Sets, Blankets, clothing, and bathing cloths like towel must also be bought in advance. This is to avoid last minute rush when the kid is already born and also helps reduce the cost involved especially considering the maternity cost which is reasonably high. Buying cloths in packs is far much cheaper as considered to purchasing each cloth as a single. Climatic condition must also be considered when buying the kids cloths to ensure its comfort on arrival.

Parents should ensure they have obtained enough baby wipes. They should avoid overstocking on new born kid items as the kid will grow faster than anyone can imagine, in a short while it will no longer fit in such items as it will have grow much bigger to a toddler thus it is advisable to buy these items depending on age groups and not on pounds.

Entertainment is a key necessity to any young toddler. Apart from eating and sleeping, a baby needs to play to be active and jovial. They like exploring using their hands and eyes, toys will help the kid in exploration. The best toys should produce some noise that attracts the attention of the kid thus making it happy. This also assists them in suckling as it increases the strength of their jaws. Another very important aspect is medical or health care kits. This comprises of some medicines and tools like a thermometer, nail cutter, and comb. Washing soaps for the kid are also very necessary.

Acquiring these basic necessities might be a problem to some especially those living under extreme poverty. One can try using some of these methods to obtain these facilities instead of waiting till the baby is born to receive items in form of gifts.

One way is borrowing them from who had babies recently but are now grown up. This is because majority of them might end up throwing them away as a way of disposing. Most of them will prefer giving them out to those in need of them instead of disposing them.

Shopping in some specific shops, some of these shops are much cheaper as compared to others and therefore those who are not that smart financially can at least afford buying in such shops. Other items are received in form of gifts from friends and well wishers.

Filed Under: Babies, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

How To Make Cloth Diapers At Home

November 19, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Diapers always come in handy in preventing a child from soiling his or her clothes. They are commonly used by babies. Normally, they come in different types which include the disposable and none disposable cloth diapers. The disposable ones are usually thrown away after use while the cloth ones are usually washed after use. Under cloth diapers there are also the home made diapers which are very economical to use. Here is how to make cloth diapers at home

Choice of the right fabric is very important. Some of the best materials to use are cotton, cotton knits, terry and flannel. These are quite affordable and easily accessible. If you do not mind spending a lot you can opt for designer fabrics. Fleece material can be used on the inner lining to help prevent wetness. Terry would be best for the soaker while a printed flannel would give it an attractive finish.

The first step is to get a disposable one, open it and trace out its outline making sure to leave a quarter inch from seam. Make sure to give a good allowance to give room for growth. Since babies grow fast it is necessary to make one that can be worn for a long time. There are many ways to go about cutting and shaping the diaper. To learn more on this you can go online.

Depending on the pattern that you have done, there will be a need to cut the shapes. The most preferred being in the shape of an hour glass. However, you need to be careful to ensure that one piece is derived from the inner material while the other is from the outer one. The length should be as long as that of the diaper. Make it as long as possible. It should then be placed on the wrong side of the interior material and sewn in place.

Take measurements of your little one’s thigh before cutting two strips of elastic bands a quarter inches from the leg opening. Make sure that the elastic is wide enough to allow free leg movements. A tight opening may cause so much pain to the infant. Run some stitched wrong side of the leg opening.

Join the hourglass shaped fabric together making sure that the right sides touch each other. Stitch it all round allowing a small opening to enable you to turn it inside out. Turn it inside out after you have stitched all round. Remember to finally close the front.

Cloth types come with a number of benefits. One of the main reasons being you spend less to make. You also save a lot as opposed to buying the disposables ones. They are reusable and may be use for quite a long time before wearing out. They are also environmental friendly as opposed to the disposable ones.

This simple piece of dress is very instrumental in the well being of an infant. Always wash cloth diapers properly after use. Learning how to design your own from home may take a lot of your time however, the amount of money saved may be worth the hassle.

Filed Under: Babies, Diapering, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Reasons your Infant is Crying

April 14, 2011 By 2 Comments

Your little one is the most beautiful baby in the world. You can’t even remember your life before the baby. You want to give everything you can and make the baby happy. Then why is the baby crying? Here are some common reasons.

The first thing you should consider is hunger. Babies eat every three hours or less and it is possible that they are just complaining because they are not fed. You might think that you have just fed your baby, but three hours have past and you didn’t notice. So the first thing to look for is signs that the baby is hungry. Offer food and see if the baby will take it. Look for other signs such as drooling and nagging. Take note of the time you feed the baby, but don’t be surprised if the need is increased. It may be something else that makes the baby feel this way.

If your baby is fed and has no apparent reason for crying, you might consider the sleeping factor. Adults believe that sleeping is easy for babies, but it is not. It is true that babies need sleep, but that doesn’t mean that they can sleep whenever they need to. Babies are not used to this world. Bright lights and voices make them nervous and excited. They can’t adjust so easily to the environment and many times they are too excited or too tired to sleep. Since sleep is vital and they need it, they tend to cry when they feel this way. Help your baby sleep. Switch off the television and any bright lights. Make the environment calm and don’t give the baby too much irritating factors.

One thing you should always remember is that babies need to be in your arms. If you have your baby in a bed and are right there, but the baby is still crying, try holding her in your arms. Babies need to feel their parent’s presence, they need to smell them, look at their faces and hear their voices. You should never forget that there is no such thing as spoiling a baby. There are also many parents that believe that if they take the baby in their arms, then it will be unable to relax anywhere else, but this is also a misconception. The baby needs to be held to develop a healthy emotional situation and then be able to feel safe and secure more often and much quicker than if you don’t follow this procedure.

The last thing to take care of is the environment. The baby might be crying because of cold or hot environment or because the environment is too loud. By that we mean that the world is an overwhelming new place. You might think that the baby understands and communicates, but the truth is that it is a little creature that needs help and time to adjust to the new environment. So crying could be a way of telling parents that they are making too much noise or that too many people are here to visit. Act accordingly.

Check out this Glenna Jean Crib Bedding sets and these Trend Lab Baby Bedding Sets.

Filed Under: Babies, Parenting Tagged With: ,

Ideas and Tips for a Unique & Functional Baby Nursery

April 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

You could go about decorating a nursery for your twins just as you would for a single baby, but why not have some fun with it? Twins are unique and special, so why not make their room reflect that? The following suggestions are intended as jumping off points to get you thinking creatively about design ideas for your twin nursery. Use them as inspiration to create something truly special for the double blessing headed your way.

Note that you could actually save a considerable amount of money by coming up with unique design ideas. If you are decorating on a tight budget, some of these suggestions could be just what you need to hear!

Ditch Pink & Blue

Pink and blue color schemes are completely cliché and you would do well to think of more original color patterns for your nursery, especially if you are decorating for boy/girl twins. Consider bright primary colors such as sunny yellow and elegant red with splashes of bright, bold blue.

Nurseries don’t have to feel juvenile or be decorated with Disney or Looney Tunes characters. They can be peaceful, clean and serene. They can feel cozy and elegant. Rooms with this feel and color variations are easier to transition into a room for older children as well.

Two Rooms in One

Consider playing with two different colors, one essentially representing a different child. You can do this by splitting the colors on different sides of the room with a few decorative items that blend the colors together, or you can have two walls painted each color with all decorations blending them into one cohesive room.

Rooms decorated in this manner usually have a very modern feel and can give more individuality to each twin as they grow.

Get Dirty!

True creativity often requires a bit of dirt and grime. Think of ways to put your family’s unique stamp of love on your twin’s nursery. Older siblings can finger paint on plain light switch covers. Parents or other family members can paint and write special messages on canvas to hang on the wall. Pick one area of the room and have each family member put their hand and/or footprints on the wall, adding prints for the twins when they come home.
You could even have a mural painted on one wall and add in your own special touches or handprints!

Don’t Think in Twos

Buying two of everything for a twin nursery is completely unnecessary. You will likely not need two rocking chairs or changing tables and many families get by with one crib for the first few months or so. All of that furniture will clutter up the room and make it less peaceful to enter, and it is simply a waste of money.

You may need some extra storage space for diapers, clothing, and other supplies, but sticking with less furniture will free up the budget and space for more decorative items that add value and comfort to the room.

It is important when decorating for twins to start as early as possible. Twins are usually born earlier than single babies, which cuts down on the time you will have to complete your plans. Plus, the further you get with the pregnancy the more time you will need to rest and you may not be able to move around as comfortably.

Take a look at these Baby Crib Bedding Sets

Filed Under: Babies, Baby Bedding, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Happy Crib

March 18, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Once you bring home the crib, it is hard to resist decorating it for your soon-to-arrive baby. Most people enjoy shopping for crib sets that match the overall decorative theme or color scheme of the baby’s nursery, but it’s important to know which items can actually go in the crib and which ones may present a safety issue. More importantly, how do you set up the crib so it is comfortable for your newborn?

For starters, when you first bring home an infant they are not going to care much about what you have sitting in the crib. The extent of their concerns is being dry, well fed, warm, and comfortable. There are three things that will ensure the crib is comfortable enough without being a danger: the mattress, the blankets, and their clothing.

So many people just walk into a nearby store and pick up a crib mattress without realizing that there are actually different types. You have to make sure the size is right so the mattress hugs closely to the crib and avoid rounded corners. A round corner leaves a small hole in the corners where an arm or leg could easily get caught.

There are also different types of crib mattresses these days, such as latex or memory foam. What matters most for an infant is a firm surface where they have some cushioning while still having adequate body support. They can’t support themselves very well in the beginning, so this is very important.

It is tempting to pile on the blankets, stuffed animals, and other comfort items, but those things should be removed when you lay your infant down to sleep. Stuffed animals could be a safety hazard once your baby starts to roll around and many professionals now believe blankets have no place in the crib at all. The best way to make sure your infant stays warm is to use a blanket sleeper over their pajamas and make sure the temperature in the room is kept warm. This way, they only need one very light blanket or none at all.

For an infant, what you put on them is even more important than blankets and toys. Make sure their diaper is dry and their clothing is soft and dry. Make sure they are dressed warm, but not so warm they will overheat or become agitated. New parents may have to keep an eye on their baby at first to judge how much clothing is appropriate. As they get older they will be more interested in the play items that strap to the side of the crib (especially mirrors) and possibly a mobile, given it does not dangle down where the baby could get caught up in it.

On a final note, what do you do if none of these precautions work? What if your baby simply won’t go to sleep? There is a lot of controversy over whether parents should sleep in the same bed with an infant, but for safety and practical reasons it is best not to do so. The chances of rolling over on a small infant are always present, especially when you are an exhausted new parent. Also, it is hard to break a child from sleeping with a parent so they will sleep on their own when they are older. Try training your infant to sleep in their crib, using a rocking chair or pacing the room with them and then gently laying them down.

Take a look at the Glenna Jean McKenzie 4 piece Crib Bedding Set

Filed Under: Babies, Baby Bedding, Kids, Parenting Tagged With: , ,