Are you struggling to keep your little one content? Ever notice that there are certain times of the day when your baby seems to be inconsolable? Can’t get your baby to take a nap? Are you losing confidence in your abilities to soothe your baby when she’s crying? When you don’t know what to do, try this:

1. Daily routine. Notice I did not say schedule. A daily routine exists when you do the same things in the same order with as much consistency as possible. Your baby will appreciate knowing what comes next in her day, even if it’s not at the same time.

2. A relaxed mommy. If this is your first baby, relax! Babies know their mothers well. If you are stressed out, he will mimic your stress by being fussy. Find ways to relax: deep breathing exercises, stretches, calm music, and take a nap while your baby is sleeping. You have heard it before. Now try it for once.

3. Give baby a bath. A warm bath is usually comforting to any child, especially babies. It may be just the comfort she needs.

4. Naps are non-negotiable. Babies need rest. Ask your pediatrician how much sleep is normal for the age of your child.

5. Make sure your little one is getting enough to eat. This goes back to #1. We don’t eat on schedules and most babies don’t either. Hunger is not on a timer. If you’ve tried everything else to calm him, give him some food.

6. Go outside. A change of atmosphere may get your baby’s attention and be a calming influence.

7. Finally, when you feel your own emotions rising and you think you’re about to lose it…put the baby down. Step away from the crib. If you’ve done everything you know to do to help your baby calm down and it isn’t working, take a break. Seriously. It may be what she needs and if not, you can start over after 5 to 10 minutes.

These tips are not a guarantee. I wish they were. If none of these suggestions work, don’t lose hope. You are not a failure at being a mommy. Contact your pediatrician if you suspect something serious. Have a specific question or want to share something that works for your baby? Leave a comment below.

All 4 of my babies were on a predictable and easy schedule one week home from the hospital–NOT. Our first babies were twins and I stumbled around for 3 months trying to figure out what to do with them all day and night long.

There are too many opinions on the subject of baby schedules. Many experts are either at one end of the spectrum or the other–prescribing a strict schedule or none at all. I prefer a daily routine which marries the two  quite nicely. The routine our babies followed is still in place now that we have school-aged children down to a toddler.

A routine is nothing more than predictable events of the day in the same order and relatively at the same time of day. 

What’s the point in having a routine? For starters, children need to know what to expect. Babies and toddlers do not have a concept of time, but they do know (if you have a routine) that when they wake up they eat. They know that after they play for a while, they take a nap. Their bodies actually depend on this predictability. In time, you will learn to depend on your routine too. There is a natural rhythm that begins to develop when a little one knows what to expect. You’ll find there are less battles to fight in a day (i.e.. naps and tantrums).

Below is a sample routine you can use to structure your day. The main parts of the routine are sleep, eat, play. Keep these in order as best you can. The number of naps your baby or toddler takes in a day is up to you and your baby, but if you have a child age 4 or younger, he should have at least one nap. 

Morning

• wake up cuddle (unless your baby is screaming for food:)
• breakfast 
• play
• nap (for age 0 to about about 18 months) OR errands (if no nap)
• snack
• play (optional nap, for the newborns)

 Afternoon

• lunch 
• play 
• nap 
• snack
• play (optional nap for newborns)

Evening

• Dinner 
• play/family time

Bedtime routine

• bath (you may feel that bathing every other day is sufficient)
• diaper, 
• feeding for infants or milk for toddlers 
• read books/sing

Note: Don’t miss out on the sweet moments of bedtime. If you make this a nightly routine, it will last well into later childhood. Some of the most precious conversations and teaching moments have occurred at bedtime in our home. I wouldn’t trade that last hour for any other during the day.

Want to know the secret to making a routine work in your home? Don’t leave anything out. Don’t skip breakfast. Don’t skip a snack, unless baby refuses to eat. Don’t even think about skipping a nap–that’s a big one. It’s tempting, I know. You don’t need to put a time next to each event and be ruled by the clock. Just let the structure of the day be your guide and roughly think of times associated with each event.  The results will speak for themselves though. Hold off on evaluating your progress on the first couple of days. Challenge yourself to stick to a routine for one week and then evaluate.

If you have specific questions, let me know by leaving a comment below or send me a note via the contact page.

In a previous post, I recommended cloth diapering. However, I am no expert in this area. The choices are overwhelming and I don’t have personal experience. If only I could do it all over again…

Don’t fret, I found a fantastic resource this week on one of my favorite blogs! Tsh over at Simple Mom is featured an entire week of posts on cloth diapers. You’ll find everything from reasons to consider cloth diapers to reviews on the most popular brands. Go check it out!

Are you struggling with how to get your toddler to eat healthy foods? As your baby starts talking and eating table food, there ensues a power struggle like no other. You have had the pleasure of feeding her what you want to feed her for months. Now, she has decided to rebel against all of it! Don’t despair. There are ways of teaching your toddler about healthy foods.

I recently had the privilege of contributing to an article about Getting Our Kids To Eat Healthy.

When you click over, you’ll find Turnitupmom, a blog I frequent regularly. Mary Jo Wieland is a mom I’ve grown to respect through her thoughtful and humorous stories of motherhood. I think you will find her blog inspiring and entertaining.

You may be familiar with the following signs of teething: irritability, drooling, sleeplessness, biting or chewing on everything, low-grade fever, diarrhea, ear pulling. We feel so helpless when our babies are in pain, but be careful about turning to medication too soon. There are many others ways to soothe sore gums without medicine.

Try some of these medicine-free teething solutions:

1. Frozen Wash Cloth: Wet a clean wash cloth and freeze it. Then, let your baby chew on it to soothe sore gums.
2. Chilled Food:  Try serving yogurt, chilled diced fruit (peaches, apples, bananas, etc.).
3. Cold Water: Give your little one a sippy with ice water throughout the day. It will help replace some of the fluid loss of drooling and loose stools as well as provide more comfort on her mouth.
4. Chilled Teethers: Simply keep a few teethers in the refrigerator. Take them out when needed. Be sure to wash them thoroughly before placing them back in the refrigerator.
5. Teething Tablets: We have used teething tablets with our children at times. They seemed to help, especially with sleeping at night.
6. Extra Attention: No matter what solution you try, your baby will likely still need extra “mommy love” during teething. Let a few things go and rock your baby, read to him, sing to him. That may be just what he needs.

Babies are such tiny little people, but they require a lot of stuff. Here’s my version of a new baby checklist with no fluff.

1. Crib (& mattress). There is so much to choose from, but make sure you don’t go crazy and spend too much money. Remember, it is a temporary bed. We have had 4 cribs. Three were second-hand. One we bought new, from K-Mart. We have not been disappointed.
2. Pack-N-Play. You can set it up in your bedroom until your baby sleeps through the night. If you’re nursing, it’s especially helpful to have your little one close. We still use our original Pack-N-Play from 7 years ago for trips. This makes naps and bedtime so convenient when you are on the go.
3. Monitor. A simple audio feed of your infant breathing at night will help you sleep sounder. With SIDS risks, we moms need to take safety seriously while keeping peace of mind.
4. Infant Car Seat/Stroller System. These infant carriers seats are so convenient. You can pop them in and out of the base without disturbing baby. They fit right on top of a coordinating stroller, making a shopping trip easy too.
5. Nursing Pillow. If you are breastfeeding, this will save your arms and back a lot of pain.
6. Bouncy Seat. Again, portable and comfy. Most babies like them. They can have a different view of the world around them and the bouncing or vibrating can be calming when needed. I used to put my twins in their bouncy seats in the bathroom while I showered.
7. Contoured Changing Pad & Cover. You don’t really need a changing table. You can put this on a dresser and it works fine. Then, you don’t have a useless piece of furniture you spent too much money on:).
8. Diaper Bag. These days, your bag can be a statement of style, but you don’t have to spend a ton of money on it. Think functional, then fashionable.
9. Diapers. Why did I waste time listing that one? You have a major decision to make. Disposable or cloth diapers for you precious baby. I shamefully admit that I chose disposable. If I had it to do all over again, I would choose cloth. If you don’t know what to do, take a few minutes and check out cloth diapers. You may be surprised at how many options there are.
10. Bottles. Whether breastfeeding or not, you’ll need at least a few bottles.
11. Thermometer. Fevers in infants can be serious. Make sure you choose a reliable thermometer and learn how to use it.

We’ve been very fortunate to have kids who eat well. But we do have trouble introducing new foods now that our kids are older. We insist that they at least try a food before rejecting it, but now I have a new weapon. I’m learning how to sneak healthy ingredients into foods that my family already likes. We’ve had brownies with spinach, blueberries, oat bran, and wheat germ. This morning we had breakfast cookies with ricotta cheese, wheat germ, and whole grain cereal. We were all very impressed. Of course I didn’t tell the kids what was in it–not until they are old enough to handle the truth. And I didn’t tell my husband until he had tasted the food first:).

If your baby is at least one year old (because I assume you have introduced a variety of solid foods by this age) and has no known allergies, you may want to try some of the recipes in The Sneaky Chef books. I know many of you fellow mommies will enjoy being sneaky too. Let me know if you try some sneaky recipes.

It is convenient to pick up jar food for your baby at the grocery store. However, there are other important factors to consider when it comes to your little one’s food.

Here are seven good reasons to consider making homemade baby food:

1. Economical. If you buy fruits and veggies in season or even frozen, it will be a cheaper option than buying prepared baby food.
2. Taste. Homemade baby food is fresher, so it tastes better.
3. Customizable. You can add anything your baby needs in his food (i.e. breast milk). Add plain yogurt to smooth out strong tasting foods or even mix in foods he has already rejected with his favorites. The possibilities are endless.
4. Easy to Integrate with Family Meals. As you introduce solid foods to your baby, it’s easy to coordinate with your family’s meals. If you are having baked sweet potatoes with your dinner, scoop out some of the potato and puree it in the blender for baby.
5. Freshness. When buying jar food, the only information you have about the original food used is the expiration date. When you make your own baby food, you can choose fresh fruits and vegetables. Try  going to a farmer’s market to get the freshest produce.
6. Preservative Free. Commercial baby foods stored in jars include preservatives to keep them on the shelves longer. Take a look at the expiration date on jarred food.
7. Nutritious. Making homemade baby food is the most nutritious option for your baby. When you have control over the ingredients, there will be less salt, sugar, and various fillers in your baby’s food. Also, food that is not processed retains more of its nutrients.

Ready to give it a try? Here are two resources I recommend:
Mommy Made and Daddy Too!

www.babyandtoddlerrecipes.com

Have you ever thought about making homemade baby food? It’s not as scary as it may seem. You have more control of the quality of your baby’s food when you make it. You have the freedom to choose organic foods, fresh foods, frozen foods or some combination. The choice is yours. Homemade baby food is very simple and cost effective too.

Making homemade baby food does take some extra effort, but the benefits far outweigh the time it takes.

All you need to get started is a blender, food, and ice cube trays. You can steam or cook the food first. Then, transfer it to the blender with a splash of the cooking liquid. Use more liquid if needed. After you get the desired consistency, fill ice cube trays and freeze. Finally, transfer the frozen cubes into freezable containers for easy storage. You can thaw just what you need without wasting food.

Still unsure about which foods to use when? My favorite reference for homemade baby foods is  Mommy Made and Daddy Too! I used this book for all four of my children. It has lots of information about what foods to introduce when. There are even recipes for the toddler years when children may become picky eaters.

I also found tons of recipes at www.babyandtoddlerrecipes.com. I wish I had known about this free resource sooner. There is an entire section for baby food recipes.

There’s a lot of controversy surrounding the Environmental Working Group’s report “No More Toxic Tub”.  The report highlights a study focusing on baby care products and dangerous ingredients. If you do a Google search for “toxic tub” or “toxic baby products”, you’ll find support for both sides of the argument. I’ve talked to lots of moms on this subject and I find three basic types of people:

• The Unconcerned: those who are either carefree or skeptical
• The Advocate: those who are convinced enough to make lifestyle changes
• The Undecided: those who aren’t sure what to believe

You may find yourself standing in the middle feeling nauseous.  That would make you an Undecided. You already know if you fall into the other two categories. So, how do we know who to believe?

It doesn’t matter where you start on this journey, the decision is yours to make as a consumer and parent. It’s not your pediatrician’s job to decide for you. It’s certainly not my job to make the decision. It is not our government’s decision to make for us either. Many of the Unconcerned believe that our government would not allow harmful substances in baby care products. Here is an excerpt from the Toxic Tub  Report describing the role of the FDA:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversees the safety of personal care products in the U.S., but lacks basic authority needed to ensure that products are actually safe. The FDA cannot require companies to test products for safety before they are sold, does not systematically review the safety of ingredients and does not set limits for common, harmful contaminants in products. The FDA also does not require contaminants to be listed on product ingredient labels.¹ As a result, consumers have no way of knowing if their products contain toxic contaminants.

The bottom line is you have to decide. You have a baby, and possibly other children, who need soap, shampoo, and lotion. How will you decide what to buy? I hope you will make an informed decision. Here are a few places to start your research:

• Environmental Working Group
• Skin Deep
• Environmental Protection Agency

Have you already become an Advocate? If so, how did you come to that decision? Just click on the comment link at the bottom of this post and share your experience.