Baby’s Naptime

By: Heather Owens

Getting a good naptime routine established is very important. Babies need a lot of sleep, and if they’re not getting enough of it, they get tired and irritable very easily. Unfortunately, the more tired and irritable they get, the harder it can be to settle them for a nap.

When a baby is still young, regular sleep patterns are closely linked to regular eating patterns, so it’s good to look at what is considered “average” for the early stages of a baby’s life. Remember, not all babies will adhere to these averages, and if your baby is vastly different, it may be worth discussing with your health professional.

Newborn

Your newborn baby will be asleep for anywhere from 16 to 20 hours in a day. This includes naps taken between feeds. It’s good to try and keep baby awake for a little while after a feed, so baby doesn’t get into the habit of needing a feed to drop off to sleep. Once baby has been awake a little while, it’s naptime, before baby gets overstimulated and wide awake.

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25 Reasons Why Babies Cry

By: Thomas Choo

More often than not, a crying baby can drive parents and caregivers crazy, especially if the baby cries persistently. However, you need to know that crying is a common event in the lives of all babies. When a baby comes out of the womb the first thing to do is crying.

By the first cry he will take some air into the lungs for the first time in their life. It is obvious that your healthy baby should cry.

We all know that a baby can’t tell his needs or troubles. The only way for him to communicate with others is by crying. Babies show some other signals like feet kicking, hand waving and head turning. But the easiest way to capture the attention of others is by crying.

It’s hard to define whether crying is excessive, as the crying behavior varies from baby to baby. Some babies can be calmed easily but some are difficult to sooth.

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Do You Need A Maternity Nurse?

By: Carolyn Joana

If you’ve determined there’s enough money in your budget for a baby nurse (they don’t come cheap), you’ll need to consider several other factors before deciding whether or not to hire one.

Here are some reasons why you might opt for some help from a maternity nurse:

To Get some Hands-on Training in Baby Care

If you haven’t had experience or taken a parenting class and feel you’d rather not learn from the mistakes you make on the job and on your baby, a good baby nurse will be able to instruct in such basics as bathing, burping, changing nappies and even breastfeeding.

If this is your reason for hiring a maternity nurse, however, be sure that the person you hire is as interested in teaching as you are in learning. Some won’t tolerate novice parents peeping over their shoulders; one with such a dictatorial take-charge attitude can leave you as inexperienced and unsure when she departs as you were when she arrived.

To Avoid Getting up in the Middle of the Night for Feedings

If you’re formula feeding and would rather sleep through the night, at least in the early weeks of postpartum fatigue, a baby nurse, on duty twenty-four hours a day or hired just for nights, can take over or share this feeding responsibility with you and your partner. (more…)