Baby Shower Party

Part of preparing for the arrival of the new baby is preparing the nursery itself. The newborn baby and the mom will surely be spending a lot of time together in the nursery, so it is important that all the things the mom needs in taking care of the baby is located in the nursery and at a comfortable reach. Preparing the nursery at least a month before the expected delivery date of the baby will make things a lot easier for the parents as they can avoid last-minute shopping for items, as well as the fact that they are already prepared with the things they need should the baby come earlier than they expected.

The first thing you will need to do would be to thoroughly clean the room you will use as the nursery. Repaint or apply new wallpaper to the walls, clean the floors and windows, check for ventilation issues, and make sure that the room is as clean as possible.

You can then begin to prepare the basic furniture you’ll need for the nursery. This would include the crib, a dresser where the baby clothes will be stored, a nightstand where you can put baby monitors on as well as a nightlight, a diaper changing table, and even a rocking chair. Before you buy anything, make sure the paint used on the furniture are lead-free, and that no product recalls have been issued to ensure safety for you and the child.

You should purchase a couple of beddings for the crib so that in the event they get stained or dirty in between your regular laundry schedule, you won’t be left with a bare crib. Make sure the beddings are securely attached and are a perfect fit on the crib, as you wouldn’t want your baby’s hands or feet getting tangled in anything. Don’t forget blankets when the weather gets cold.

Next, prepare the clothes your baby will need. Babies will change clothes a lot of times during the day, especially when they spit up milk or stain the clothes with pee or poop. Having enough that will last you until your next laundry schedule will save you a lot of money compared to washing your baby’s clothes daily.

Stock up on toiletries your baby will need like powder, baby shampoo, a baby bath wash, baby oil, cotton buds and cotton balls, and other things you will need in keeping your baby clean. Diapers should also be one of the things you should stock up on – but not too much since your baby will be switching diaper sizes eventually.

Don’t forget to prepare essentials for monitoring your baby’s health like a digital thermometer – it’s best to have it even if your baby doesn’t have a fever rather than the other way around. Have nail clippers especially designed for babies is also important so that your baby doesn’t accidentally get scratches on his or her face because of their long nails.

Finally, arrange everything in the nursery in such a manner that it is easy to access everything you need and not lose sight of your baby. The best way to check if you’ve done so is to turn the lights off and try finding your way around the nursery – if you trip on anything along the way, move it!

A lot of parents share horror stories of their babies being fully awake at night, and then sleeping peacefully like an angel during the day, which pretty much leaves the parent sleepless as well. With a little patience, you can actually train your baby to sleep through the night and be awake in the morning. Here are a few tips to help you get started.

First, start by establishing a daily routine with your baby. If you want your baby to be ready for sleep around, say 8:30PM or perhaps 9:00PM, stick to a constant schedule all throughout the process of training your baby to sleep. If you aren’t constant in doing so, your baby won’t respond to it either.

Start the routine by cleaning your baby’s body. If the weather isn’t too cold and you have lukewarm water available, give your baby a quick bath, then immediately wrap him or her in a hooded towel so that he or she does not feel cold. Then, proceed to dressing your baby in his or her pajamas, so that your baby will begin to associate the pajamas with bed time.

Make sure that the house is quiet, and that the nursery is conducive for sleeping by dimming the lights. If your baby is a bit older, you may read bed time stories to him or her, or perhaps sing a song as you lull the baby to sleep. This should be done daily as well so that your baby will associate the story you read or your singing voice as a signal that it’s time to sleep. Your baby might not fall asleep immediately, but don’t worry – babies find falling asleep easier after a bath since they feel very fresh and comfortable and sleep often comes easy.

If you want to, after the baby’s bath is a good time to give your baby a massage. Studies have shown that infant massage greatly improve the mother-child bond, and help increase weight gain especially for premature babies. When massaging your baby, it is a good idea to use products which come in calming or relaxing scents as your baby will be responsive to these. Your baby will certainly find it easier to relax with your massage as well as the aroma around him or her.

In order for your baby to sleep longer, make sure he or she is well-fed and has burped. If you have a rocking chair in the nursery, you might want to spend a few minutes on it with your baby, as this will certainly help your baby fall asleep faster. Babies usually wake up in regular intervals during the night, and this is mostly because they’re hungry. Getting to your baby quickly before he or she is fully awake because of crying will also help you put them back to sleep faster.

At what precise or exact time in a baby’s life teething will occur is hard to predict. There are some fortunate babies who just surprise their parents with the appearance of a tooth, while there are some who experience a long process of their gums swelling until the tooth finally cuts through the surface. Most babies though tend to follow a pattern from either their mother or father. So if the mom or the dad had their first tooth early or late as a baby, chances are their baby will also be the same.

Teething can be an uncomfortable process for a baby, but there are ways you can help as a parent to ease the discomfort and pain. Some symptoms that your baby is teething include but are not limited to the following:

· Drooling

· Biting almost everything they can get their hands on

· Diarrhea

· A slight fever

· Inability to sleep

· Irritable

But as mentioned before, there are babies who go through the teething process in a breeze. For parents whose babies aren’t that lucky, here’s how you can help with the pain and discomfort:

· Give your baby teething rings which have water in them and which you’ve chilled in the fridge. The cold sensation will numb their gums and they can chew all they want on the teething rings.

· Fill your baby’s bottle with cold water. Similar to the chilled teething rings, your baby can suck on the bottle and still get the cold sensation from the cold water inside the bottle. If your baby doesn’t like sucking on a cold bottle of water, offer the cold water in a drinking cup instead.

· You might want to consider giving your baby cold baby food. Try putting your baby’s favorite food in the fridge and give him or her a spoonful or two. This will help ease the pain of teething and provide your baby the nutrients he or she lost in case your baby is experiencing diarrhea.

If none of these home remedies work for your baby, you can always pay a visit to your baby’s pediatrician who might give your baby a prescription for gels which can be applied to the gums to relieve the pain, or Tylenol for infants. Make sure you follow the exact amount prescribed by your pediatrician when giving medicines to your baby to help ease the pain of teething.

During this time, your baby will definitely cry a lot because of the pain, so always be there to soothe and calm your baby. You should also not overly worry about your baby teething, because this is a normal process which will eventually get better in time. Just make sure to take care of other symptoms your baby is experiencing like diarrhea and fever, so that your baby won’t lose too much weight or become dehydrated. Make it a point to get your baby to drink plenty of water, eat food, and drink milk.