When it comes to comforting our babies, we do everything that we could to do so! That’s why we know exactly how pacifiers can ease the loads for us! For some babies, pacifiers are the key to contentment between feedings. Others just can't seem to suckle enough, even when they're not hungry. If your baby still wants to suck after having her fill of formula or breastmilk, a pacifier may be just the thing.

Sucking on a pacifier can easily become a habit, and many parents don't introduce one because they don't want to deal with having to take it away later (or because they don't like the thought of their 3-year-old walking around with a pacifier in his mouth). Also, a pacifier habit is easier to break than a thumb-sucking habit. After all, you can dispose of a binky!

Are pacifiers really OK for your baby, though? Understand the benefits and risks of pacifier use, important safety tips and steps to help wean your baby from the pacifier. Here’s what we learned from Mayo Clinic:

Consider the advantages:

• A pacifier might soothe a fussy baby. Some babies are happiest when they're sucking on something.

• A pacifier offers temporary distraction. A pacifier might come in handy during and after shots, blood tests or other procedures.

• A pacifier might help your baby fall asleep. If your baby has trouble settling down, a pacifier might do the trick.

• A pacifier might ease discomfort during flights. Babies can't intentionally "pop" their ears by swallowing or yawning to relieve ear pain caused by air pressure changes. Sucking on a pacifier might help.

• A pacifier might help reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Sucking on a pacifier at nap time and bedtime might reduce the risk of SIDS. If you're breast-feeding, wait to offer a pacifier until your baby is 3 to 4 weeks old and you've settled into an effective nursing routine.

• Pacifiers are disposable. When it's time to stop using pacifiers, you can throw them away. If your child prefers to suck on his or her thumb or fingers, it might be more difficult to break the habit.

Consider the drawbacks:

• Early pacifier use might interfere with breastfeeding.Sucking on a breast is different from sucking on a pacifier or bottle, and some babies are sensitive to those differences. Research suggests that early use of artificial nipples is associated with decreased exclusive breastfeeding and duration of breastfeeding — although it's not clear if artificial nipples cause breast-feeding problems or serve as a solution to an existing problem.

• Your baby might become dependent on the pacifier. If your baby uses a pacifier to sleep, you might face frequent middle-of-the-night crying spells when the pacifier falls out of your baby's mouth.

• Pacifier use might increase the risk of middle ear infections. Pacifier use may increase the risk of middle ear infections in babies and young children. Because the risk of these infections is generally lower in young babies, using a pacifier until your baby's half birthday (when his need to suck is greatest) and weaning him from it soon after may work just fine – especially if he's prone to ear infections.

• Prolonged pacifier use might lead to dental problems. Normal pacifier use during the first few years of life doesn't cause long-term dental problems. However, prolonged pacifier use might cause a child's teeth to be misaligned or not come in properly.

After considering the pros and cons, the decision whether to use or not is up to you. If you will go for it mommy, feel free to check out our list of products for your precious one’s needs and more!

Source:

Pacifiers, are they good for your baby or not?

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/pacifiers/art-20048140

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) talks about how we understand our own emotions, and how we take social cues from people besides ourselves. It affects how you can “read” other people’s emotions and your ability to cooperate with them. Studies show that a person’s EQ might be even more important than their IQ, so developing it early on will help your child a lot.

According to the most common models, there are five different categories of emotional intelligence:

• Self-Awareness, the ability to recognize and name your emotions
• Self-Regulation, the ability to control your emotions
• Motivation, otherwise known as initiative and drive
• Empathy, the ability to understand how other people feel
• Social Skills, otherwise known as communication and social management

In this article, we will be talking about how to train these traits in our children so they grow up emotionally intelligent. And who knows, maybe we adults can learn a thing or two as well.

Self-Awareness and Self-Regulation

The easiest way to teach your child to be self-aware is to allow them to feel and express themselves. Forcing them to repress negative emotions may have a harmful impact afterwards. When you acknowledge, help them to articulate how they feel. Empower them in widening their emotional vocabulary. This, in turn, teaches them how to deal with their emotions head on.

Sense of Motivation

Motivation isn’t a very hard emotional skill to teach. The best way to do so is simply to reward them for doing things. Did they pick up their toys? Praise them for it! Did they finish their food? Congratulate them! It may seem a little petty to do this, but the little victories are what teaches them that yes, you can do good things and feel good doing them.

Empathy for Others

The easiest way to teach empathy to your child is to empathize with them. Understand why they’re feeling that way and acknowledge it without having to agree with them. Feeling understood can make a whole world of difference for them.

Strong Social Skills

Many skills in this category are based off of the ability to solve problems. To teach your kids the necessary social skills is to teach them how to deal with problems one by one. Go through the feeling and the crying, then let them figure out the solution for themselves. You shouldn’t rush in and solve everything for them, otherwise they won’t learn to become emotionally independent.

Sometimes it helps to roleplay with your child, especially when they’re dealing with bigger problems like emotional attachments. Since your child is young, sitting down and talking about big problems might not so well, so concretizing such abstract problems through games and make-believe can help them work out their emotions.

Photo from: https://www.mcgill.ca/newsroom/files/newsroom/channels/image/mother-child-web.png

As I flicked through the internet and searched for random but important pointers for my  baby, I encountered this simple question from a co­mommy: what age is your baby no  longer considered a baby? I realized that this question had been going on my mind  every now and then, too. I immediately sought for answers from blogs, books, and other  legitimate sources. After clicking and typing here and there, it was fascinating to know  that lots of mommies have been searching for answers too and they had discussions on  some blogs regarding it.

 Here are some of the answers I got from my co­mommies:

1. “Whenever your baby learns to walk they will then be considered a toddler.  At  least, this is what I was taught by my son's pediatrician.”
2. “My son will turn 1 and he's no longer considered an infant but yet he's not old  enough to be considered a toddler yet.“ 
3. “As soon as they talk back to you??? I guess by two years of age?!"

Perhaps, this question would give definite and reliable answer even more:  What's the difference between Baby, Newborn, Infant & Toddler?   

Various meanings are given by different references about the term “baby”. Some  reference say, ​a baby is very young child, especially one newly or recently born. While  other suggests that a baby is a person of whom one is deeply fond; sweetheart.  (sometimes initial capital letter) an affectionate or familiar address of endearment. 

Newborn:  
Also termed as a “neonate”. ​The World Health Organization defines a newborn, or  neonate, as a baby under 28 days old. A newborn is only hours, days, or up to a few  weeks old.

Infant: 
Between the ages of 1 month and 12 months, the term “infant” is typically used; though  definitions may vary between birth and 1 year of age, or even up to  2 years of age. This  time your infant will give you the most important information—how she likes to be treated, talked to, held, and comforted. In simple English, many people use the term  'baby' instead of infant. (Fun fact!)

Toddler: 
Your child is advancing from infancy toward and into the preschool years. As the name  implies, a toddler is classically defined as a child who is just learning to walk, or one  who toddles.There's no official definition of the upper limit of toddlerhood. However,  most people consider the end of the toddler age to be around the time a child is ready to  transition into preschool. 

For us mommies, no matter how old our sons and daughters would get, they are then  and still are about the most wonderful person we have ever conceived in this world.  They would always be the same “unborn” we carried for 9 months; bearing all the  wonders and difficulties of pregnancy. They would always be the same ”infant” we first  held in our arms and the reason behind our countless sleepless nights of  nappy­changing and breastfeeding. They would still be the same “toddler” who  confidently and proudly show their newly discovered skill in shooting a ball or fitting the  puzzle. No matter what we call them, amidst all the formalities of term usage: neonate,  infant, toddlers, pre schooler or a teen ager, one thing is certain: they would always be  our babies, forever our precious little ones.

At two months, your baby continues to show off different motor skills. It means that she already has more control over her body. She could hold her head a little steadier while lying on her tummy which means: stronger neck! 

Your baby’s neck is fragile and weak just like her head. However, some observations say that as early as the age of 1 month, the baby usually starts trying to lift her head and turn side to side briefly. Most attempts are unsuccessful (with her head enormously unproportioned to its body) until the baby is 2 month old. By second month, you will start noticing that your baby tries to slowly do the gesture of popping up her head during tummy time. 

Tummy time is placing your baby on his or her stomach while awake and supervised. Tummy time can also prevent the back of your baby's head from becoming flat. In this position, your baby wouldn’t be able to hold for so long and it’s going to be somewhat shaky. If you see resistance every time you put baby on her tummy, try not to stop the practice.Tummy time is very helpful for the development and growth of your baby’s strong head, neck and shoulder muscles and promote certain motor skills.
Neck development in babies is very significant. It will largely help preceding milestones to take place.  Good head control is needed before a baby can sit up, roll over or crawl. Properly developed neck muscles also help a baby learning to eat solid foods, since they are needed for swallowing.
Knowing when do babies hold their head up is not enough, it helps to know how baby's head control develops so that you can do the right thing to encourage her to hold up her head. Mommy, check out your baby’s neck and head development in the following months:

Three months to four months

By this time, she’s going to show improvement in her head control whereas she can pop up her head up to 45 degrees while doing tummy time! Plus, it won’t be so brief and shaky, she can actually hold it up longer and steadier!

Try a fun game that will help to develop your baby's neck muscles. Put your baby on her back on the floor, and slowly pull her up by her hands to a sitting position. Slowly ease her back down, and repeat. She should be able to hold her head more or less in line with the rest of her body as you pull her up. 

Five months to six months

By five to six months, your baby should be able to hold her head steady and upright. Her head shouldn't lag behind her body as you pull her up to sit.

Parents don't have to do specific exercises to develop a baby's neck muscles, since they will develop naturally on their own. If you want to, though, there are a few things that may help speed up the process and one is: tummy time! Let’s talk about tummy time on the next article for baby’s milestone. Tune in!

As long as we can, we do not want our kids to experience mosquito bites, let alone to get wounded. But no matter how cautious and careful we are about looking after our babies, nappy rash will always come along the way. Studies say that almost all children who wear nappies get nappy rash at any stage.

Nappy rash is very common in babies, particularly when they're between nine months and 12 months old. There are a lot of factors as to why your baby gets a nappy rash. Albeit, the main reason is wearing a wet or dirty nappy over some time. Newborns pee often and do frequent, runny poos. Over time, dampness, friction, and ammonia substances from wee may irritate your child’s bottom. It can happen whether you use washable or disposable nappies. Another, plastic pants contribute to nappy rash because it stop the circulation of air in a normal basis. While soap and detergents used to wash cloth nappies are sure rash contributors, too. Even the most absorbent nappy leaves some moisture on a baby's delicate new skin.

When your baby has nappy rash, the skin on your child’s bottom will look red and sore. The rash will probably affect her genitals, the outer skin on the folds of her thighs, and her bottom. The affected areas can appear either dry or moist. It may sometimes look shiny or pimply. Sometimes nappy rash might go up onto your child’s tummy or spread up towards your baby’s back. Some areas of skin might be raised or swollen, and there might be breaks in the skin. These breaks are called ulcers.

If nappy rash isn't treated, it can develop into something more serious, including:

a yeast infection, such as thrush or candida. Most of the time, nappy rash heals after 4-5 days. However, if these signs show, then you should see your healthcare provider. Take note:

• the rash hasn’t improved after three days, even when you use the treatment steps below

• blisters, crusts or pimples appear

• your child is upset and isn’t sleeping

• your child has an unexplained fever

• the rash is spreading

• the end of your son’s penis is red and swollen, or has a scab on it.

However, even if your baby wear fresh nappies regularly, allergic dermatitis may strike. This happens on baby’s with particularly sensitive skin. Allergic dermatitis could be triggered by a different brand of nappy, or a new cleanser or baby wipe. Sometimes it's obvious what the cause is, as the rash develops immediately after you've changed to a new product.

For a tender-looking bottom, be sure to check out South Star Drug for a complete list of nappies that are hiyang for your baby’s sensitive and mild skin!

Hi Mommy!

Congratulations on delivering a healthy baby! Also, welcome to the most rewarding stage of your life: motherhood. I’m sure you are pretty excited about the developments of your one-month-old baby! All his sudden movements even in the slightest are so precious and too good for your eyes. By this time, your newborn is just getting used to this big, unfamiliar world. And you are getting used on attending to his many needs with tender loving care! 

In general, here are some key things to expect during your baby’s first month.

Your baby’s physical appearance would definitely change at this month. Babies are born with extra body fluid and typically lose up to 10% of their birth weight during the first few days of life. But weeks after, he will gain weight quickly. 

There are also some innate reflexes that your baby can do, including sucking. Actually, some ultrasound photos show babies sucking their thumb even in your womb. Your baby can also react when he feels as if he is falling, this is called the Moro reflex. He could also be able to turn his head while lying on his stomach; just make sure to put your hands on his neck for support.

Newborns sleep 15 to 16 hours a day. He could sleep 5 times a day with two naps in between. Sure, you would experience sleep deprivation at this stage (and maybe during all stages, perhaps). Good news! Eventually he will get a normal sleeping pattern. 

Did you know that babies are drawn to human face than other stuffed toys? Yes! Baby can recognize you! So when you smile and talk to them, you may lean forward towards them because they can see up to 8-12 inches away only. 

In terms of hearing, newborn's hearing isn’t fully developed yet, but can recognize sounds especially your voice, which they got used to hearing in the womb. They will begin to turn their head towards the source of a sound. They also have a well-developed sense of smell, and can already pick out the scent of their mother’s nipple, and breast milk, within the first few days of life.

During month one, expect your breastfed baby to eat eight to 12 times a day (about every two to three hours). Look for four to six wet diapers a day as a sign that your baby is eating enough. And last but not the least, your baby will communicate to you through his sob stories and teary tales. It’s his way to say 'I’m hungry – feed me!'' and many more.
Always bear in mind that every baby is unique.  They will do things at their own pace and in their own time.

Happy 1st month mommy and baby!

It’s time for bathy bathy! Undress baby, splash warm water with a bit of soap in a sponge and that’s it, you’re good to go! Uhm. But really, that’s just not it. 

Baby’s first bath time can be as exciting and daunting for new parents. But we’re here to help you out!

So, being in a room most of the time, your baby doesn’t really get dirty (that much). Mommy, there’s no need to bathe your baby every day. You may prefer to wash their face, neck, hands and bottom carefully instead. This is often called "topping and tailing" or non-bath days. For busy parents, that surely is a yay! You may also do daily spot-cleaning in areas that get particularly sweaty, oily, or dirty, such as behind the ears, in the neck folds, in the creases of the groin, and in the diaper area.

Now, if  you think that baby is ready for a daily bath, make it predictable and comforting by following a regular routine. Have everything you need to hand before you start and make sure the bathroom is warm. If your baby screams every time you try to put her into the water, it either means that she is hungry, the water is too hot or cold, or you have a baby who doesn’t like to be alone in the water. Her security may be threatened. 

Should bath time be in the morning? That's up to you! Choose a time when you're not rushed or likely to be interrupted. Some parents opt for morning baths, when their babies are alert and ready to enjoy the experience. Others prefer to make baby baths part of a calming bedtime ritual. If you bathe your baby after a feeding, consider waiting for your baby's tummy to settle a bit first.

Baby’s skin, especially a newborn’s, is sensitive, and all soaps are mild irritants. The function of soap is to suspend particles and oils on the skin surface so that they can be more easily removed from the skin with water. Limit the soap’s time on the skin to less than five minutes to avoid drying or irritating the skin. Wash it off as soon as possible and rinse the skin well. The truth is, choosing bath soap is a matter of trial and error, once you’ve found the perfect soap that is “hiyang” for baby, you just unlock the gentle way to keeping your little one’s skin super soft.

First, bear in mind that bathing is not primarily cleaning time. 
It’s much more than that.  It’s a chance to play, learn, grow and bond with your baby. Also, there is no right or wrong way to bathe a baby; just pick one that works for you with a minimum of hassles. 

Communication skills are very crucial in your child’s development especially between the age of three to five years. Whatever your child hears has a great impact on his language development. Some things might be boggling your mind some times like, “how should I talk to my child?”, “should I talk to him like I’m talking to an adult?” or “should I talk to him like I’m just going to pretend that I’m his same age?.”

It is actually a usual scenario when you happen to see a baby or when you are talking to your child, and you start talking to him in a high-pitched tone and start stretching out your vowel. We call it ​“parentese”. Parentese is when you pronounce words precisely and clearly. Study shows that babies prefer hearing these way of talking because it catches their attention better than the normal talking way of an adult. On the other hand, parentese is far different from “baby talking”. Baby talking uses sounds and nonsense words, in which, according to the experts is a very big NO NO for your child. Between the age of three to five, your child enjoys the art of talking and exploring his language through using different words. He likes sharing and expressing his own thoughts. His non-stop talks might require your 2 ears or 4 more if you can, to hear them.

Here are some tips that you can do to help your child to develop well in their communication skills.

• First of course, is to discourage your child to use baby talking. So, what could that be the first move to make it possible? Simple. Do not baby talk him.
• Ask your child some basic things like, what they are doing or how his day was after spending his time with his playmates.
• Try levelling up the words you are using when talking to your child. This stimulates his language and vocabulary skills. 
• Let him watch children shows on television. This also enhances his skills and understanding of some simple things. You can also provide him with expanded information about what he sees in the television.
• Try creating stories and make your child contribute in doing so. This doesn’t only develop their communication skills but also their thinking, creating skills and a sense of humor.

Baby talking is considered to be harmful, for your child has a very high chance of adapting that way of talking which will result him to have a poor language skills. Your child’s early development is in your own hands. So let’s avoid using baby talk. When you find your child baby talking, do not encourage him, teach him the right way of talking.

If you think there is something wrong in the development of your child’s communication skills, like he cannot at least complete a sentence, consulting a certified speech-language pathologist might be necessary.

Your toddler is constantly developing and learning new physical skills. This is the stage where your baby possesses an incredible amount of energy to show off what he’s got. We need to equal top or even surpass the energy. I know, it’s entirely exciting for us parents to see them tricks so do not put away your camera right away!

From our article “Baby No More”, we have shared what is a toddler.

Toddler:

Your child is advancing from infancy toward and into the preschool years. As the name implies, a toddler is classically defined as a child who is just learning to walk, or one who toddles.There's no official definition of the upper limit of toddlerhood. However, most people consider the end of the toddler age to be around the time a child is ready to transition into preschool.

This is just the beginning of his active life. Most articles say that at 1 year of age, your baby is considered a toddler because he can now throw and kick a ball, squat, climb and many more. Here are the things you can expect to your one-year-old:

• Your tot uses their five senses to explore everything around them. They make things happen and they love doing them. Once certain activity is done, he will be enthusiastic to do it all over again!

• Tantrums. Tantrums. Tantrums. Since your toddler experience a wide range of emotions to which he is unfamiliar with, he might respond to situations through tantrums. One-year-olds tend to say “NO” all the time because he wants independence and autonomy.

• Finally, he can utter some few words! To fully enhance this, you may read books with him or simply converse with him time to time. Toddlers build their vocabularies by absorbing the language of people around them.

• Simple directions will also be understood by your little one. So you can tell him to shoot the ball or get the bottle or simply lie down.

• As one-year olds play, they start to build their mathematical thinking by recognizing patterns and understanding shapes. For example, they will notice that bathy time means undressing first or milk time is followed by burpees.

• You will see their creative side once you let them play paint and clay. You would also notice them stamp their feet or shake their bodies when they hear catchy music.

• Some of the most obvious changes that you will notice in your child this year are in the area of physical development. Most one-year-olds typically move from crawling to running by about 20 months.

And many more. . .

A toddler is constantly learning how to do new things. And he will learn faster than you can fathom! Give your loving support, a little freedom for him to strive for independence. Soon enough he’ll be a pro, whiz, and an ace about anything he finds interesting. As these developments will take place eventually, we know first hand how fulfilling it would be especially that we are a significant part in every stage he’s into. Then sure enough we’ll utter “Oh, how time flies!”

Source:

http://www.parenting.com/article/toddler-developmental-milestones

I wonder if there’s a mom or just anybody else who hasn’t been saved by …. Baby wipes! Everybody loves baby wipes! It’s your best friend whenever and wherever something stinky happened to you and your baby. 

According to Reader’s digest,  baby wipes can be used for more than just cleaning babies' bottoms. They're great for wiping your hands after pumping gas, mopping up small spills in the car, and cooling your sweaty brow after a run. In fact, wipes make ideal travel companions.

But that’s just few of the many great things that wipes can do for you. Mommy here’s a random list and I bet you’ll never look at baby wipes the same ever again. 

●    Wipe dust off house plants
●    Clean away household dust
●    Spruce up a leather sofa
●    Stain remover
●     De-grease frying pans 
●    Sanitise those germ-ridden public spots
●    Clean pets and catch pet hair
●    Get rid off deodorant marks on your clothes
●     Clean your kids plastic toys
●    Clean your keyboard
●    Reuse as dusting cloths
●     Remove eye make up

The list is endless, and now you wonder how can you ever lived without them.

For mommy and baby, wipes are very important during nappy changing whether be inside or outside the house. Baby wipes are as safe and effective as cotton wool and water and can even soothe nappy rash, according to scientists.

Did you know that you can make a DIY Baby wipes?

Here’s what you need:
●    1 roll of heavy duty paper towels 
●    Plastic shoebox containers, old plastic coffee containers or empty gallon plastic ice cream buckets also work.
●    1 3/4 cups boiled water (or distilled)-cooled but still warm
●    1 Tablespoon of pure aloe vera– check the ingredients
●    1 Tablespoon of pure Witch Hazel Extract
●    1 teaspoon of Liquid Soap
●    10 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract or 2 capsules of Vitamin E (optional)
●    1 teaspoon of Olive or Almond Oil (optional)
●    Essential Oils of choice (optional)

Here’s how you do it: 
1.    Cut the roll of paper towels in half using a sharp knife
2.    If using a plastic shoe box or old wipe container, accordion fold the wipes into the container.
3.    In bowl or quart size jar mix the water, aloe, witch hazel, liquid soap, GSE/Vitamin E and oil and stir.
4.    Add essential oils if desired and stir.
5.    Pour over paper towels in container and let absorb- this takes about 5-10 minutes.
6.    Flip the container over to make sure wipes are well soaked.
7.    Note: If your child has extremely sensitive skin, you may need to leave out the essential oils or use calendula or chamomile.
Busy to make one, mom? It’s okay, South Star Drug has got you covered! Check out our “Great Deal” promo for baby wipes that suit your little one’s skin type!

Source:
 39 unexpected uses of baby wipes. http://experthometips.com/2015/04/17/39-unexpected-uses-for-baby-wipes/

Homemade Baby Wipes Ingredients. http://wellnessmama.com/1459/homemade-baby-wipes/