Baby-Proofing Your Home

Ask any parent what the most important part of bringing a new baby into your home is, and often the answer is “Safety.” If you are a new parent, or will be a parent, here are some safety tips for baby proofing your home.

• Use socket covers - This is probably one of the best tips ever. These handy little plastic covers plug right into your wall sockets. You never have to worry about little fingers sticking something into an outlet again.
• Lock cabinet doors - Most hardware stores sell door locks. These come in all shapes and sizes. The most popular locks are plastic ones that slip on and off (with ease to adults) and keep kids out of lower cabinets.
• ***Extra Tip*** Babies and toddlers will always be interested in cabinets and will find a way to get into them. Suggestion: make a couple of cabinets "baby-friendly." We locked all of the cabinets except two - the Tupperware cabinets. She loved to just open those up and make a complete mess of the Tupperware - so you have to clean up...just think of how much fun she had!
• Use a baby gate – This one is another favorite among many parents. A baby gate is a simple and easy way to keep your baby in one area of your home. It is usually a simple design, made of wood that attaches and locks itself to a door facing.
• Put cleaning products away – This is another huge rule that is sometimes overlooked by parents. If you keep your cleaning supplies in the kitchen under the sink and don’t utilize locks on your cabinet doors, you take a huge risk of chemical exposure to your baby. The best advice is to place all cleaning products out of reach of your children. If this isn’t possible, the second best advice is to use locks on your cabinet doors.
• Inspect tables – If you have coffee or end tables in your home, inspect these to make sure they are safe. As your baby grows, these become attractive instruments in your baby’s efforts to pull up and stand. Make sure the legs are stable and tightly secured to the table’s base.
• Cover the fireplace hearth - This can easily be overlooked when baby-proofing, but is really an essential zone in your house for a safety check. If you don't want to purchase the premade bumpers or gates, use pillows. We had pillows lined up across the hearth for the better part of a year. When that little one is not-so-stable on their feet, a pillow is a nice, soft place to fall into!
• Put lamps out of reach – If you have table lamps, be sure that they are out of reach. Sometimes baby’s are attracted to lamps because of the light. If your baby reaches for the lamp, this poses both a fire hazard and risk of injury to your baby.

It's not always a quick or simple thing to do, but baby-proofing your home can keep your baby safe and give you the comfort zone that you need to provide a calm, relaxing atmosphere for your little one.

5 Tips for Dealing with Morning Sickness

Many women experience morning sickness during their first trimester of pregnancy. With it comes nausea, vomiting or heartburn. Morning sickness can actually occur at any time of the day, not just in the morning.

If you are experiencing morning sickness, the most important thing you can do is simply take care of yourself. Don’t try to push yourself or overdo it. Try these other tips for coping with your morning sickness.

Tip #1: Drink plenty of water. Saturate your body with lots of water. If you are feeling particularly nauseous, try something carbonated, like Sprite or ginger ale, but do try to avoid highly caffeinated drinks.

Tip #2: Steer clear of strong odors. If there is a food or smell in particular that causes you to feel sick, be sure to stay away from it if possible. Many pregnant women feel sick at the smell of certain foods cooking, or certain perfumes.

Tip #3: Don’t eat spicy foods. If you experience frequent heartburn, stay away from anything spicy. If you are craving spicy foods but they give you heartburn, eat smaller portions. Finish your meal with a small piece of bread and milk. (Tums works great for heartburn...and safe to take with the baby!)

Tip #4: Keep crackers by your bed. If you suffer from extreme nausea you may find that saltines help control it. Eat a few saltines before you go to bed at night. Try eating a few in the morning before you attempt to get out of bed.

Tip #5: Try ginger and peppermint. Ginger helps alleviate nausea so you can try ginger ale, ginger cookies or ginger tea to help calm your nausea. Peppermint may also help, try it in tea form or suck on a mint.

In some cases you may find what works for some may not work for you. If you still feel nauseous or are having severe morning sickness where you can’t keep any food down then it’s important to talk to your doctor since he or she may be able to help further.

Avent Isis Manual Breast Pump

Product Name: Isis Breast Pump

Submitted by: Lindsay; Averill Park, NY

Rating: 8 (out of 10)

Where to buy: Amazon

Description: This manual pump is comfortable and easy to use. A silicone diaphragm creates a vacuum for reliable suction. The pump is compatible with all Avent bottle systems, making it easy to express milk directly into a bottle.

Review: If you want a quiet pump, this is the pump for you. It’s not noisy or expensive and is reasonably comfortable. Easy to assemble and clean and very quick.

Have you used this product? Please comment...let us know what you think!

Try to Stay Stress-Free During this Important Time

Pregnancy tends to kick your hormones into high gear. So who needs extra stress in addition to this? Stress affects every single part of your body, from your mind to your muscles. Staying stress free while you’re expecting needs to be number one priority for you at all times.

Here are some ways to stay stress free while you are expecting your little bundle of joy.

1. Stay away from people who stress you – You probably think this sounds easier said than done, especially if some of those people are family members. However, it is possible. Create distance by not answering your phone or door, particularly on days when you aren’t feeling up to dealing with company.
2. Smile – Smile at yourself in the mirror. Smile at annoying people. Smile even when you feel like screaming.
3. Ask for help – Don’t try to do everything on your own. If you’re having a bad day and need help with housework, call a friend and ask for her help. Many people are willing to help, all you have to do is ask!
4. Think on good things – Try not to dwell on all the negative things that grab at your attention. Focus on the positive comments people make and the beautiful things in life. Mulling over everything that bothers you will only lead to more stress and anxiety—something you don’t need.
5. Get moving – Don’t sit at home all the time. Isolation will lead to stress because you will think about all the negative things you’ve heard or seen. Go for a walk in the park. Call a girlfriend and make a date for a gab session. Make an appointment for a pamper-me-day at the spa. Whatever you do, don’t sit at home and cry alone. Getting fresh air will do you a world of good!

If you are a first-timer being pregnant, you and the father of your baby probably have a lot of questions. A great resource is the Pregnancy Bible. The information is organized very well and the index makes it really easy to locate very specific topics you may have questions about.

Take care of you!

Should You Really Eat For Two?

A common misconception among pregnant women is that when you’re pregnant you are eating for two, so you can eat more. This really isn't the case. Many women find they relax and tend to overeat during pregnancy - your figure is going to be shot for a year anyway, right? Wrong! Think about after the birth of the baby. Those pounds can be mighty tough to lose, especially when dealing with a steady diet of 11pm, 2am and 5am feedings = no sleep!

You can avoid gaining too much weight during your pregnancy if you eat smart. Here are some tips for how much you should eat during your pregnancy:

300 Calories
If you are at a normal weight for your age and height when you become pregnant, you should only add about 300 calories per day to your intake. Be wise in the choices you make about where these 300 additional calories will come from. Try to avoid empty calories like cookies and cakes, they have no real nutritional value and are high in calories.

Fruits and Veggies
Remember to stock up on lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. Grapes, apples and bananas are wonderful substitutes for chocolate. Fresh raw veggies, like baby carrots, celery and cucumbers can replace junk food. Keep your refrigerator stocked with these healthy snacks and eat at least five servings per day.

Fiber
You can never get too much fiber in your diet when you are pregnant. Fiber helps prevent constipation, which many pregnant women deal with during pregnancy. Foods like bran, raisins and whole grains can help.

Protein
Most doctors suggest that about ten percent of your caloric intake should consist of protein-rich foods. Protein is important during pregnancy and has a double effect as some foods that are high in protein are good sources of iron as well.

Remember, weight is tough to take off anytime...especially when you have a newborn in the house. Think smart and eat smart NOW, for the two of you LATER!

Welcome!

Glad you could join us at Be My Little Baby! This is the first blog post of many more to come.

There's so much for us to talk about. We'll hit on topics such as: babies of course; pregnancy - the real stuff, not the glamorous portrayal you see on TV; baby showers; decorating baby nurseries; labor and delivery; breastfeeding vs. bottle feeding; sleeplessness; and anything else that strikes your fancy!

Your first question of me...am I an expert? I've been pregnant three times, went through labor and delivery three times and have three beautiful children to show for it...I would consider myself an expert.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you better and sharing experiences with you (this is a two-way street you know).