Choosing low allergy or safe baby clothes

It is all too easy to spend a lot of money on baby clothes…

– especially as there is a tendency for manufacturers at the cheaper end of the market to guarantee itself a profit by spending less themselves on making baby clothes. This is regrettable and says a lot about the nastier end of the human condition. Although human beings have made great advances in manufacturing over time, the fact is that synthetic fabrics – although cheaper than naturally made baby clothes – are not as kind to the human skin. If you want to be kind to your baby – who will, it is certain, have softer skin than yours – it is important to buy baby clothes made of cotton, or wool. Shopping at stores such as Amazon (see below) can often turn up some real bargains so these can be within budget.

Baby clothes made from synthetic fabrics are known to be harsh on the babies skin, and also have a tendency to be more allergenic than natural fabrics due to the chemicals used to make them. The processes used to turn natural ingredients into natural fabrics require a little bit more work, and less chemicals, so they will be more expensive. But set next to the possible adverse reactions, allergies and /or medical bills which could result from a child’s reaction to cheaper fabrics, it could be said that the more natural fabrics you clothe them in are an investment.

The right mix to go for, then, is clothes in a natural fabric which are dyed in a relatively gentle way to be brightly colored. It is well known that children react well to bright colours as a visual stimulus, and consequently they will be happier in such clothes.

Take a look at the link below to find quality baby clothes

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One of the most frequent gifts given at baby showers would have to be baby clothing.

This has come about through many of the guests celebrating the new arrival at showers being parents themselves and knowing how much money can go on clothes for a new baby. There is a fairly obvious reason why this kind of spending becomes necessary – babies grow quickly, and that means outgrowing their old clothes. The expense that can result from this means that the new parent can often be looking at a fairly frightening addition to their monthly budget. Child benefit was designed for this very reason.

Baby clothing is a huge industry all by itself, and as a new parent you will quickly become aware just how frequently the baby clothing manufacuturers think you need to re-clothe your child. There are many reasons why you should think twice before following their wishes – not least the fact that they are exploiting a need for their own financial gain. If you can re-use clothes from a previous child, there is no reason not to. If your friends bestow new clothes on you as a gift, thank them profusely. They understand how much it can take to keep a baby in new clothes.

Asking your own parents how they managed is also never a dumb idea. Think about it – you have reached the point where you have been able to bring a child into the world, so they obviously did OK themselves. They know a lot, and although you may want to do things your way, they will want the best for their grandchild, and will be of endless help to you.
See our recomended baby clothing selections from Amazon below.

Or, try there super baby clothing selections…

Tell us about your experiences of buying baby clothing.

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Beautiful Music for your baby or toddler

Bring your nursery to life and captivate your little one with some really lovely relaxing tunes!

Is society dictating when we should stop breastfeeding toddlers?

Because more women are now choosing to breastfeed their babies and more importantly older babies, more and more mums are also finding that they enjoy it enough to continue longer than the first few months they had originally planned on.  Breastfeeding toddlers to 3 – 4 years of age and beyond is common in much of the world recently, and is still common in many societies for toddlers to be breast fed.

Because mothers often enjoy breastfeed toddlers, you shouldn’t feel you have to stop it. It offers a feeling of calm and watching and listening to your little one gently suckling at your breast reinforces the true meaning of motherhood and underpins the special bond that continues throughout the rest of your life together. After six months, many mothers think that breast milk loses it’s value – which just isn’t true.  As long as you are producing a good quantity of breast milk, it will still contains proteins, fats, and other important nutrients which your little one needs.

The fact is, breast milk provides immune factors that will protect the baby against infections.  Breast milk also contains factors that will help the immune system mature, and other organs to develop and mature as well. Breastfeeding is good beyond doubt; Mothers who wish and who can breastfeed toddlers really should follow their hearts and continue as long as all affected parties agree.

It’s been shown and proven in the past that children in daycare who are still breastfeeding have far less severe infections than the children that aren’t breastfeeding.  The mother will lose less work time if she chooses to continue breastfeeding todders once she is back to work.

If you have thought about breastfeeding your baby once he pr she gets passed 6 months of age, you have made a wise decision.  Although many mothers feel
that it isn’t necessary, breast milk will always help babies and toddlers.  Breast milk is the best milk you can give to your baby.

No matter what others may tell you, breastfeeding toddlers only needs to be stopped when you and your little one are ready.  You don’t have to stop when someone else wants you to!  We belive you should only stop breastfeeding toddlers when you feel that it’s the right time.

A video about weaning…

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I hope that mothers continue breastfeeding toddlers to an age that suits both parties!

 The Ch 4 series ‘Extraordinary Breastfeeding’ (part 3 as in the video above) gives actual insights from mothers who are breastfeeding toddlers to ages 4, 5, 6, 7 and even 8 years.

Sore nipples

A lot of mothers complain about sore and tender nipples and that it makes for painful and frustrating breastfeeding complications. The good news is that most mothers don’t suffer that long. The nipples will begin to toughen up quite quickly and render breast feeding virtually painless. Nipple Shields can be used to offer some nipple protection and help baby to latch on in cases where baby is strugling to breastfeed. Also quality lanolin Niple Cream can be used multiple times throughout the day to good effect to help clear up breastfeeding complications.

Improperly positioned babies or babies that suckle really hard can make the nipples extremely sore. Below, are some ways to ease your discomfort and reduce the possibility of breastfeeding comlications:

1. Make sure your baby is in the correct position, since a baby that isn’t positioned correctly is the number one cause of sore nipples.
2. Once you have finished feeding, expose your breasts to the air and try to protect them from clothing and other irritations. Keeping the nipples unrestricted so that they have the benefit of air circulating and using Lanolin cream is often all that is needed to complete a cure for soreness.
3. Even if your nipples are irritating and hurting, please try to avoid petroleum jelly and other products with mineral oils.
4. Make sure to wash your nipples with water and not with soap or at least use a very skin freindly product here.
5. Many women find teabags ran under cold water to provide some relief when placed on the nipples. This can present tempoary relief and offer some hydration for sore / cracked skin.
6. Make sure you vary your position slightly each time when breastfeeding to ensure that a different area of the nipple is being compressed each time.

Clogged milk ducts

Clogged milk ducts can occasionally become a breastfeeding complication and can be identified as small, red tender lumps on the tissue of the breast. Clogged ducts can cause the milk to back up and lead to infection. The best way to unclog these ducts is to ensure that you’ve emptied as completely as possible. You should offer the clogged breast first at feeding time, then let
your baby empty it as much as possible. If the problem is persistent, it can often be alleviated by the application of warm towels and / or bathing in fairly warm water to soften and loosen the obstructions within the breast ducts. Of course, if this particular breastfeeding complication goes on to become significantly painful with the breasts becoming engorged, painful and almost impossible to breastfeed or express, one should contact their GP or health care professional without delay.
If milk remains after breastfeeding, the remaining breast milk should ideally be removed by hand or with a small breast pump. A good tip is to keep the pressure off the duct(s) by making sure your drop cup or maternity bra is not too tight; perhaps give yourself a day or two bra free and take a little time to perform some gentle massage to assist the breakdown of the blockage. A great time to do this is when in the bath.

Breast infection – unwelcome breastfeeding complications.

Breast infection, also known as mastitis typically develops when the milk is not properly removed from the breast. This can lead to the milk ducts in the breasts becoming blocked. Infection can be caused by germs gaining entrance to the milk ducts through cracks or fissures in the nipple, and further exacerbated by decreased immunity in the mother due to stress, lack of sleep and / or inadequate nutrition.

The symptoms of breast infection include severe pain or soreness, hardness or extra firmness of the breast, redness of the breast. The affected breast(s) may feel a lot warmer than normal with heat appearing to come from the reddened or swollen area. The mother may even feel unwell and may suffer from chills or appear to have cold / flu symptoms.

The treatment of breast infection includes bed rest, antibiotics, pain relievers, increased fluid intake, and applying heat. Many women will stop breast feeding during an infection, although it’s actually the wrong thing to do. By emptying the breasts, one can actually help to prevent clogged milk ducts and or reduce the possibility of infection and further breastfeeding complications.

If the pain is quite bad and you simply feel you can’t breastfeed, try could try using a breastpump while laying in a bath of warm water with your breasts floating comfortably in the water. You should also make sure that the pump isn’t electric if you
plan to use it in the bath tub. Having said that, a small hand held battery powered breastpump will cause the used any harm if allowed to come into contact with the water but the water may damage the pump internals if it is of the more modern electronic variety.

You should always make sure that breast infections are treated promptly and completely or you may risk the chance of abscess. An abscess is very painful, involving throbbing and swelling. You’ll also experience swelling, tenderness, and heat in the area of the abscess. If the infection is allowed to progresses unchecked or has proven unresponsive to regular treatments, your doctor may prescribe medicine and even surgery. The last thing any dedicated mother wants is breastfeeding complications when looking to breast feed baby longterm.

When it comes to feeding a premature baby, the rules change somewhat…

Feeding a baby where everything has happened more or less on schedule is a little less complex than when catering for a premature baby that will often be significantly underweight.

Sometimes you will find that, due to their reduced size and strength, your premature baby has less of an appetite if it has been born prematurely. In order to mitigate against this you may need to pay more attention and encourage him or her to feed. Even though their natural desire to feed may be a little reduced compared with a larger, stronger baby, they will still need to feed in order to gain some of the strength that they may lack. 

A newborn, fully healthy baby will want to feed between eight and twelve times a day. They will automatically wake up in order to do this. A premature baby or underweight newborn may prefer naturally to sleep, as they will tire easier due to their lack of strength. This may mean that you need to wake your baby and persuade him or her to feed. After a time this will become a more natural process as they gain in strength and consequently in appetite. While you are waiting for this to happen, it may be necessary to wake without “fully waking” – an alarm clock set to a gentle chime will mean that you can wake, feed, and go back to sleep, which is much better for your own health. By keeping your baby in the same room as you, you can simplify this matter a great deal. 

If baby is reluctant to breastfeed or has other difficulties which can impair his or her ability to suckle in a natural way, it may be useful to consider one of the special baby feeders that exist. Mothers can use a SpecialNeeds feeder to give baby her breast milk from a specially designed feeder. It is easy to control and administer the flow of milk to feed baby even if he or she is virtually unable to suckle on his own or has very weak suction.

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure when it comes to preventing a bad case of nappy rash

. For all that we may fear the onset of nappy rash in our children, there is no certainty of absolute and total prevention – but there is a lot that can be done to make it far less likely, and it revolves mostly around keeping your baby dry and clean as far as is possible. There is nothing more forlorn than a baby with a serious case of nappy rash; the sight of that tiny little bottom all red and sore would surely make any parent wish there was a simple way to stop this once and for all! However, your baby will not be shy about letting you know when he or she is in any discomfort. This can prevent nappy rash from developing, but would obviously not be a way of preventing it if it has already started to get a hold.

The prevention of nappy rash is something that requires no small amount of diligence, as well as some luck. But there are some simple rules which can make the process a lot more straightforward. Firstly, you must change your baby’s nappy as soon as it is obviously soiled. This will prevent the infection from having somewhere to live. In the same spirit, it is important to clean your baby in the affected area after it has become soiled. Allowing the area to dry before putting on a fresh nappy is totally essential. Of course, a thin layer of ointment on the affected area will kill off any remaining germs while preventing others from taking hold. And applying the fresh nappy perhaps a little more loosely than usual will give room for the skin to breathe. Finally when your baby moves on to solid foods you should take a few days between introducing new items. This will help you determine if the infection is down to a food allergy. Our final big tip is to give your baby the ultimate comfort and freedom of some ‘no nappy’ time. There is normally a small segment of the day when a mother could actually give her baby a little freedom without wearing a nappy. All that is needed is a little extra care and vigilance to prevent unfortunate soiling of bedding or other important coverings. During this time, you will be able to play with and caress your little one and have them squealing with glee at the feeling the extra freedom given them! Obviously, one must bear in mind the fact that your baby may feel the cold more than you since he or she will not be clothed.

Nappy rash can be overcome, just a little patience is usually all that is required.

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If you suspect that your baby is in great discomfort with a severe case of nappy rash or his or her skin looks very angry or inflamed, always pop along to your health care professional or GP to get further advice.

The question of how often to feed a baby is one that often arises for new parents. With regard to how often they need feeding, it seems to differ slightly but is generally between two and three hours between feeds. At this stage of their life, any baby is programmed to sleep for short periods and awaken to be fed at such intervals. This is why parents will talk about sleepless nights at the early stage of parenthood. As the child grows older, they will of course begin to go longer between meals, but at an early age, with no ability to articulate their needs nor understand what people are saying, they will find their own way to make things clear to you. This regularity of needing to be fed is why many parents keep the baby in the same bed as them in the early stages.

One example of scare mongering having a negative effect is one that happened in Britain, when a medical paper written collaboratively by several doctors included a single line that raised the possibility that the MMR vaccination that had been in circulation for quite some time may be linked to autism in children. Although this line was written by one doctor, who had not even definitively claimed that the link was real and provable, the national press picked up on it and made it into a huge story. Although the other doctors involved in the study distanced themselves from the claim and it emerged that no evidence existed for any such link, the press had their story, and many parents were understandably reluctant to have their child immunised with the vaccine. When it comes down to it, getting medical advice from the media is not advisable.

In cases of diaper rash, it is important to change your baby even more regularly than you currently do. It is something inside the diaper that has caused it, and this same thing will either aggravate it or retard its eradication if left unchecked. Keeping your baby clean and dry will prevent the conditions in which diaper rash thrives. If your child has scope to play outside or on a surface that wipes clean, you may even leave their diaper off for a time, as the flow of air around the area will speed the healing. If you use disposable diapers, using a different brand free from fragrance and additives may also help, especially if the rash is a symptom of an allergy.

After three days the diaper rash should be more or less gone. If it still persists, then a cream for treating fungal infections will be well employed.