Consider a dream feed which may help you get some more sleep during the start of your own nighttime slumber. If you are having trouble getting a longer stretch of sleep at night, sleep specialists often recommend trying —a dream feed. Ideally a dream feed is giving your child a feeding when they are sleeping,…
Transitioning to Cow’s Milk
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends transitioning to cow’s milk around a child’s first birthday. This does not mean a complete, abrupt switch at age one. Many families prefer a gradual transition from formula or breastmilk to cow’s milk, and we will discuss how to go about that here. Weaning From Bottle And Breast…
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR BABY IS CONSTIPATED
If the constipation is new and mild, it might resolve itself. Continue regular breastmilk or formula feedings and continue offering solid foods. Your baby’s digestive system is still adapting to new forms of nourishment and some digestive changes are normal. If problems persist (and don’t wait too long), here are some things you can try:…
Nap Conditioning
Sleep Implement nap conditioning immediately after you begin the first night of sleep conditioning. Nap conditioning is similar to nighttime. Creating a short and quick nap routine, such as changing a diaper or putting your baby in their pajamas/sleep sack, turning on white noise, and closing the curtains/blinds will help them understand that sleep time…
Managing Challenging Behavior – Natural and Logical Consequences
Natural consequences. The nice thing about using natural consequences is that it does not require adult intervention and it’s a consequence that is caused by the child’s own actions (which means the child is fully responsible for the action and consequence). This will most likely prove to be a good technique for years to come.…
Baby Food – A Culinary Journey through Miniature Portions
The First Foray into Flavors Introducing your baby to the exciting world of tastes and textures can be as exhilarating as it is nerve-racking. The realm of baby food, with its diverse range of purees to finger foods, is a vibrant, intriguing, and sometimes a bit unnerving landscape. “Feeding a baby is like filling a…
The Real Life of Sleepless Parents – When Bedtime Feels Like Battletime
The Stuff Nightmares Are Made Of Let’s set the scene. The sun has set, the moon is up, and the day is winding down. It’s bedtime, the tranquil hour when children drift into sweet slumber and parents finally get a moment of peace. Only anyone who’s a parent knows this is the stuff fairy tales…
Easing the Teething Process – A Spoonful of Sarcasm and Eight Helpings of Advice for Parents
The Unfamiliar Terrain of Parenthood Let’s start with a universal truth – parenting is no less than climbing Everest. Except here, there are no Sherpas, no climbing gear, just you and your little bundle of joy (and sometimes tears) navigating through this exciting, uncharted terrain called childhood. One of the significant milestones on this journey?…
Infant Car Safety – The Six Commandments Every Parent Should Know
Baby on Board and Buckled up Right Welcome to the world of parenthood, a realm teeming with boundless joy, sleepless nights, endless laundry, and responsibilities. With your pint-sized copilot now in tow, a simple drive to the grocery store can seem like a mission to Mars. Well, fear not, budding parental units. We’re here to…
The Chronicles of Infant Bibliophiles – Why Reading to Your Little One Isn’t a Hasty Endeavor!
The Early Bird Catches the Bookworm! Let’s cut to the chase, and let me ask you a question. Have you ever seen an infant reading Proust or flipping through the pages of ‘War and Peace?’ No? Well, thank heavens! But hey, let’s get serious (or as serious as we can with this tongue-in-cheek narrative). Is…
Taming the Tears – 5 Proven Strategies to Calm Your Crying Baby
A Symphony of Sobs If you’re a parent, you’ve probably experienced it – that heart-wrenching, eardrum-bursting symphony of your baby’s incessant crying. Babies use the universal language of distress and discomfort to communicate with us. It’s not just about dirty diapers or hunger; sometimes, the reason for the tearful concert remains a mystery, leaving you…
Making the Most Out of Parent Coaching Sessions – 9 Pro Tips
The Parenting Journey – Trials, Triumphs, and Everything in Between The parenting journey is an intricate dance of trial and error, little triumphs, and not-so-small learning curves. In the grand theatre of raising a little human, nothing prepares you for the sheer multitude of roles you would need to play: chef, nurse, detective, chauffeur, cheerleader,…
GAGGING VS. CHOKING
Safety is a. big concern for many parents with solid food introduction. It’s important to know that babies can choke on anything. As your baby becomes more mobile and increases hand-eye coordination, the risk of choking and exposure to choking hazards increases significantly. The best way to ease safety concerns is to learn how to…
Choking Hazards: Preparation Tips
Some foods from the Choking Hazards List can be modified and made safe for those under age 4 to eat. Follow these guidelines for preparing foods in bold on the Choking Hazards List: ADDITIONAL TIPS TO PREVENT CHOKING CALL 911 (U.S. Residents) IMMEDIATELY at the first sign of choking. If Necessary, Begin CPR/CHOKING RESCUE TREATMENT
SOLID FOODS AND CONSTIPATION
6 TO 12 MONTHS Constipation in infants is not unusual, especially after beginning solid foods. However, it is important to keep a close eye on your baby’s diaper. Consistency of stool and/or pain or discomfort during a bowel movement are key factors in diagnosing constipation. Hard stools (often small balls or pellet-like pieces), straining, pain,…
Choking Hazard: What is a choking hazard?
A choking hazard is any object or food that is the right size and shape to block a child’s airway and make breathing difficult or impossible. Parents should remove any items within their baby’s reach that are small and round or disc-shaped such as a penny, or circular objects such as gumballs, marbles, grapes, etc. Choking…
APPROACHES TO DISCIPLINE: Direct Parental Involvement Methods
Methods To Decrease Undesirable Behavior : Parent Assisted Behavior Modification. These involve physically helping and containing your child to comply with your request. You can use this for dangerous situations as well as safe ones. For a dangerous situation: There are three steps to this one For example: Parent sees the older sibling hitting the younger one.…
Foods to avoid the 1st year
Before you begin a solid food journey with your baby, it is essential you know which foods you should NOT feed your little one.
APPROACHES TO DISCIPLINE: Time-out vs. Time-in (Mini Time-out)
Methods To Decrease Undesirable Behavior : Time-out vs. Time-in (Mini Time-out) A Time-in is similar to a time-out except you stay with the child. Some people feel that a time-out is simply too isolating, others recognize that some children respond better when they have their own time and space away from the inciting incident. Time-in and…
APPROACHES TO DISCIPLINE: Observational Discipline
Observational Discipline and Empathy Building. Observational Discipline is an umbrella term for when you can start to use some reason and logic with your toddler, which can happen before the age of 3. It uses inductive reasoning and observation to draw conclusions from things that are most likely but not definitive. The biggest way we…
Introducing solids: 3 different approaches
There are three common methods for introducing babies to solid foods: Each approach has advantages depending on your preferences and lifestyle. Below we compare spoon-feeding and baby-led weaning, listing advantages of each as cited by parents and caregivers: SPOON-FEEDING ✓ pre-packaged ready-to-eat foods available for purchase ✓ less mess ✓ easier to measure and keep…
STEP-BY-STEP PLAN FOR MANAGING TODDLER MELTDOWNS
Before we dive into managing your toddler’s meltdowns let’s look at a few common errors when addressing toddler behavior STEP 1: Have you prepared your child in advance for the events of the day? STEP 2: Have you managed YOUR feelings? STEP 3: Are you at eye level? STEP 4: Have you validated your toddler’s…
HOW TO PREVENT TODDLER MELTDOWNS
Arm yourself with all of the best possible tools and have a plan for managing meltdowns and also taking deliberate steps to prevent meltdowns. Tips For Preventing Tantrums And Meltdowns: TIP 1 : Assess basic needs At the first sign of push back from your toddler or perhaps tears almost fall over something small, consider…
Is your baby ready for solid foods?
There are two methods mostly used by parents to introduce solid foods to their babies, Whichever method you choose to use to have your baby start solids, make sure you keep in mind these signs of readiness. If Using Baby-Led Weaning: If using Spoon-Feeding Important notes: Teeth are not required to begin solids. Your baby…
WHY SLEEPY CUES ARE SO IMPORTANT
4 TO 12 WEEKS Each baby has their own unique sleepy cues and learning them early on can help you and your baby have smoother bedtime and nap transitions. Before crying or becoming fussy, your baby actually provides subtle cues to tell you that it’s time for sleep. These cues are your baby’s way of…
Let’s get you started with Potty training
First Poops First Potty training is a big milestone that you would have to learn how to navigate and help your little toddler to become an independent toddler. If you are confused, overwhelmed or finding it difficult to figure out what is the best way to get started with potty training we have got you…
A Common Mistake to Avoid
TO 12 WEEKS How to avoid it and what to do instead. Sleep experts will share that they commonly encounter parents who report that they have been immediately picking up and responding to their baby during sleep time for every grunt, groan, moan, whimper, or cry. Why might this be a bad idea in this…
Introducing solid foods: readiness checklist
The readiness signs for introducing infants to solid foods are nearly the same regardless of which approach you choose to use for your baby. The first question many new parents have: when should my baby start solids? WHY 6 MONTHS FOR MOST BABIES? The World Health Organization (WHO), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the…
The 3 important C’s for Potty Training
The key objective to potty training is helping your child understand the feeling of pooping to the action of pooping. As a parent your goal is to help your child be able to get potty trained in the correct and easiest manner possible. When you start potty training your child be sure to keep these…
DAYTIME FEEDING AND SLEEP PATTERNS
4 TO 12 WEEKS During the day, you can kick start their circadian rhythm by: To get more sleep at night, it is helpful to try and get as many of your baby’s daily calories in during the day. This means feeding every 2 to 3 hours daily. So, every two to three hours from…
Potty home invasion!
For the 3 days you would be removing to teach your child how to use the potty you will have to get your home prepared. One important decision you would have to make is where would you like to potty train your child, would it be a particular room, where you could shut the doors, …
Sleep Guidelines: Four Weeks to Three Months – Sleep Associations
The sleep concepts you learned about in the first month remain the same, but we are also going to suggest you start implementing some additional things that will help your baby sleep better and longer. Additionally, we encourage you to institute the principles that you may have tried during the first month with a little…
Prepping the Potty-Monster!
Some simple ways to help you prepare your child for Potty training are as follows: Talk to your child a day before you plan to start the 3 day potty training marathon. Tell them how you are going to be teaching them how to use the potty to pee and poop and how you both…
Learning to Potty to the P
Let’s break down potty training into 3 simple steps or phases All of these stages of the potty learning cycle there are things you can say and make sure you are prepared on how to help your child in the best way possible. Each stage is a precursor to the previous one, also know that…
Pacifiers
Pacifiers can provide a means of soothing a fussy baby and/or helping a baby get to sleep. Moreover, all babies engage in non-nutritive sucking and a pacifier provides a way to do this. Many parents end up trying a pacifier to see if their baby enjoys it, but before you do, here are a few…
Potty Learning : Go Naked
Go naked Day 1 is going to be a long one for you so start by being positive and preparing yourself and your child for the potty training process. There are 4 aspects of potty training that you should be mindful of in day 1 Basics Start by reminding your child that today is the…
White Noise and Sound Machines
Sound machines are an affordable tool and can be effective at improving infant sleep. They can be used for nighttime sleep and daytime naps. As you solidify your bedtime routine, your baby will become accustomed to the sound machine turning on and its association with falling asleep. Sound machines can block out background noise, be…
Potty Training: The Signs
After they have peed a couple of times while you are watching them, you will be able to start telling their cues just seconds before they are going to act on peeing or pooping. Some of the common signs your child will show when the want to pee or poop are If you see any…
The Do’s and Don’ts of Swaddling
You undoubtedly encountered the concept of swaddling in prenatal classes as well as in the newborn nursery. Nurses who work with newborns seem to be able to swaddle babies with remarkable speed and precision. If you choose to swaddle your baby, you will learn to do this almost as well as those amazing nurses. Moreover,…
Potty Training: Springing off the Potty
If your child springs off the potty after just a few seconds of sitting on it, don’t get all worked up. Remove their toys from the potty training basket, read to them, sign a song, play a game. Make potty time fun for them. If they spring off and you hold them down on the…
Potty Training: Pee Notes
On an average toddlers land up peeing anywhere between 3 -11 times the day. Some kids would want to go pee frequently while others would hold their pee and let it out in larger quantities. Sometimes your child might land up holding their pee and peeing while they are sleeping, don’t get upset cause they…
Potty Training : Nap and Night time
These two periods are a little different from normal day time. Prompt your child to use the potty to pee or poop before they take a nap or before their bedtime, this will help you start building a potty routine for your child. You can start using these prompts before and after naps or bedtime,…
Potty Training: Let’s add clothes to the mix
Your second day of potty training or stage two of potty training starts the same way as day one, you will still be watching your child like a hack and prompting them to use the potty if they need to pee or poop. You will still be working on helping them understand the feeling of…
Strategies to Prepare Your Baby for Sleep
You may need to calm your baby before placing them down for sleep by following these steps. These techniques to help calm and get a baby ready for sleep were first coined by pediatrician, Dr. Harvey Karp. He discusses these steps by using 5 S’s (swaddle, side or stomach position, shush, swing, and suck) to…
Establishing Healthy Sleeping Habits – The First Month
Developing a healthy sleep foundation is very important during the first year. However, during the first month, your baby needs time to figure out living outside the womb, and you need time to learn your baby’s cues and temperament. In other words, this is not the time to worry about getting everything “just right” and…
Sleep: The First Four Weeks
The first four weeks of your baby’s life is the perfect time for you to start to get to know each other. Soon you may begin to recognize signs that your baby is hungry or tired or needs a new diaper. Continue to take care of yourself as much as possible. Don’t be afraid to…
Potty Training: Let’s take them out
When you get started with stage 3 of potty training, take your child to their potty as soon as they wake. Continue to make your child wear loose, baggy clothes, dresses or skirts, just don’t make them wear underwear yet as they will feel that an underwear is just like a diaper and will avoid…
Traveling with Your Baby to a Different Time Zone
Babies can take between 3 to 7 days to adjust to a new time zone. Younger children (toddlers and preschoolers) generally have an easier time to get used to the time zone. Here are some strategies to help your baby adapt to a different environment: Consistency – Your baby thrives on schedules and routines. Keep…
Potty push backs and how to prevent them
As much as your child wants to start becoming independent they don’t want to also give up on things that they are comfortable with, so expect some push backs and meltdowns when you are getting started with potty training. The best way to handle these push backs or meltdowns is to make sure you have…
Early Morning Awakenings
Early morning awakenings can occur for a variety of reasons. Hunger, external stimuli (bright light, noise, etc.), and discomfort are a few examples (sick, wet, cold etc). Overtiredness can also cause early morning awakenings. If your baby is not getting enough sleep and is being put to bed too late, this could be the cause…
Potty Training : Tackling Tantrums
Big changes lead to Big tantrums. When they are learning any new skill, it is very normal for them to start getting frustrated at the smallest of things as they are trying to cope with the learning process. So don’t get mad at them, instead use there 4 techniques to help tackle their tantrums: Staying…