Choosing a Name

2009-09-16T22:47:58Z

What methods do people use to pick a name for their baby?

Good websites for finding baby names?

2010-03-10T07:12:59Z

Where can i find baby names some websites would be really useful.....

Could it be hazardous having a mirror reflecting sunshine from the window on to cuddly toys ?

2010-03-09T07:47:00Z

Could it be considered hazardous or could it be dangerous, to have a mirror reflecting sunshine coming in from the window, in your child s bedroom? Particularly if the there are cuddly toys around?

Dangerous meaning, would it be able to ignite and cause a cuddly toy to burn or catch fire, even if the cuddly toys are good quality.

Additional note;

This question was asked with the intention to raise safety awareness when there are mirrors/sunlight/ and cuddly toys in children s bedrooms. It has been asked in the way that I have asked myself and is by no means intended to "annoy users who have spent time researching an answer" so I can answer my own question in an obnoxious manner. I have gone on to answer it with a personal incident which I hope will give greater insight to other parents as will the "final section" of Adam Davies answer

Post your baby pictures

2009-10-04T13:52:24Z

To add a little fun to the site, inspired by this question, I propose we each post one photo of our children (mine was born last Wednesday!)

I'll post mine as an answer to get things started.

What first baby shoes to buy?

2010-03-09T17:10:18Z

We've got various grades of slippers - all the way from practically-socks to nearly-shoes - from friends and relatives over our son's birthday/christmas, and some people nagging that we should be giving him shoes now, to make him walk.

My wife, however, has been told that you shouldn't give a baby shoes until they are already walking.

To collect a range of opinions and advice from the pretty knowledgable sources on here - What sort of shoes are best to buy for your baby's first pair, and when should you start thinking about it?

Smoking in daycare

2010-03-09T20:26:24Z

Our daughter is one-and-a-half years old and has been in daycare since she turned one. We have a couple of times experienced that her clothes and hair smelled of smoke/tobacco afterwards.

We have just found out that the person taking care of our daughter smokes, but, according to the person, only outside when the children are there. However, when the children are not there, the smoking is also inside.

When the clothes smells like that, we guess that our daughter also gets some kind of passive smoking, even though there might not be any smoking in the room when she is there.

We consider moving her to another place, if possible, since we will not risk her health by passive smoking.

Is this an overreaction? What would you do in such a case?

hoarseness in 9 month old

2010-03-07T07:41:10Z

Our 9 month old has developed his first illness (yeah, we feel incredibly blessed that we reached 9 months sick-free)

His nose is clogged and he has a very slight cough. We can handle that quite well, I think. But recently, he has developed some hoarseness, and we were wondering what we can do to help alleviate that.

I read that keeping humidity higher helps (we currently have rather dry air; we moved to a new house and we don't have it completely figured out yet, it seems).

Any other hints what we could do?

Easy to clean table cloth options?

2010-03-06T16:25:47Z

We have a softwood table, which pretty much requires a tablecloth to reduce scratches and dings.

I've tried plastic and cloth tablecloths, and neither are easy to clean after the kids have had their way with dinner.

What other options do I have?
Any tips on cleaning?
Do you use a table covering, and if so how do you deal with this issue?

Medicated pain relief options for labour?

2010-03-08T21:55:33Z

I am due in less then 2 weeks now and have been convinced this pregnancy that I will try to do it naturally. My husband on the other hand has asked me to look into what options I would be willing to take if I just couldn't handle the labour.

I understand that there are a lot of natural ways of helping with the pain but I am more looking for some resources on the different medication relief that I can ask for at the hospital. I would like to know what medical options are available, the effect that those medicines would have on the baby and on myself as well.

My main reasons for asking are because with my first child I was told that I needed to have an epidural at a certain point because of my blood pressure and it would be safer for me and my baby (this time I have my blood pressure under control so that is no longer a concern). But even with top ups and a second epidural it did not work properly for me... it probably takes away maybe 1/2 of the pain in certain areas but does nothing in other areas. I also am very sensitive to things like Tylenol 3 and I don't really want to be woozy while in labour.

Our hospital does have many pain relief options but I was hoping someone could give me a better idea of what effect I could expect from any of these medications.

Postnatal vitamins?

2010-03-08T06:19:54Z

Are there any vitamins formulated specifically for postnatal, breastfeeding moms? Or should she just continue taking prenatal vitamins?

Pregnancy Back Sleeping

2010-03-08T07:15:04Z

What point in time, during pregnancy, should you not sleep on your back anymore?

When do children start singing tunes?

2010-03-02T01:00:01Z

My almost 10 month old son has started to make singing-like sounds when I am singing. It is such a sweet sound. :) But he is not actually singing in tune, yet. I'm wondering when will he begin to actually carry a tune. I've met 2 year olds who can sing songs that are recognizable.

At what age do children start singing tunes?

Is Sunscreen Safe to use Often on Babies?

2010-03-05T00:18:18Z

I'm going to be coaching a high school team outdoors this spring, from the end of March to the end of May. I plan on taking my 7 month old son with me to do this. He is happy outside and likes to be in the baby backpack on my back. However, I'm worried about his exposure to the sun. I obviously don't want him in the sun unprotected, but I wonder if there are any negative effects of sunscreen on a baby's sensitive skin if used multiple times a week?

3.5 year old daughter insists "keep light on" when going to bed, & also waking up in the morning & complaining that light was turned off. What to do?

2010-03-05T22:06:47Z

Our three and a half year old daughter is insisting now, at bedtime, that we leave her light on. The light I'm referring to is a lamp on her night table. She doesn't like the small night-light that plugs into the wall.

We've been giving in (perhaps we shouldn't have) and leaving the light on until she's asleep. Then we sneak in and turn it off before we ourselves go to bed. That was working out well – for a little while.

However, this morning our daughter woke up and complained, loudly!, that the lights were off, and started to whine. I had to go in and turn it back on and then she fell back asleep for a little while longer.

Clearly we're not comfortable with leaving a regular light on all night; I don't think that will promote good sleeping habits later.

How can we get back on track to "lights off & goodnight"? Should we just turn off the light despite her objection and let her cry herself to sleep? Or.. what?

Much thanks for your help!

Advice for nursing an older baby during a flight

2010-03-03T01:08:27Z

We are taking our 10 month old baby on a five hour flight in a couple days. He is still nursing about every two hours, so he will need to nurse at least a couple times during the flight. At this age, he is easily distracted while nursing and will pull off the breast for every little noise. This is not a problem at home. But one a plane, we may be sitting very close to a stranger. I'm concerned about how to help my little one nurse successfully in such a distracting enviroment.

This is not his first flight. We took him on another trip when he was two months old. At that time, he would nurse anytime, anywhere and I could even cover him up under a blanket. Now, even a nursing cover is a huge distraction for him!

Any advice for nursing an older, easily distractable baby during a flight?

Why is my toddler waking so early

2010-03-08T04:18:03Z

The story so far: My daughter is 27 months old. She would wake up to feed during the night at least once, up until about 7-8 months ago, and since then she sleeps through the night. She usually goes to sleep around 9pm with a story.

Recently she started waking up around 5am-5:30am almost regularly. Then again, some mornings (today for instance) she sleeps in so late we have to wake her to go to kindergarten, and she still acts sleepy most of the morning.

She's not a baby anymore... I would think that by now her sleep schedule would be sorted out, what with her very ordered routine. Is there anything we can do to regulate her wake up time?

Toddler sick after milk feeds.

2010-03-06T22:04:53Z

I changed my 13 month olds formula to the follow on formula around 4 weeks ago. Up until 3 nights ago he was doing fine and drinking 500ml-600ml a day, however now he gags when we offer the bottle to him and if he does manage to drink any of the bottle he then vomits rather copiously :( He is fine at other meal times and is eating other diary products (yoghurt, cheese) without any problems. Any suggestions on what to do or how to go forward?

How warm should baby's environment be?

2010-03-06T19:11:33Z

Hi Moms4mom folks,

My wife gave birth to our first child last night, a beautiful baby girl :-)

Previously we'd been on NCT ante natal classes where the advice was very much oriented towards not letting the baby get too warm - they recommended an ideal room temp. of 18C. However, on the maternity ward where we are currently, we are being encouraged to keep our baby very warm; at present she's wearing a vest, sleep suit, and has a towel and thin blanket wrapped round her, and the ward is very warm.

Is this conflicting advice because the latter advice applies more to newborn babies? At what stage should we start using fewer layers, blankets, etc?

Btw I'm painfully aware that an overly hot sleeping environment has been linked to SIDS but at the same time I don't want our baby to get too cold.

Thanks in advance.

"Tis the season to be jolly" Christmas and Santa Claus

2009-10-08T20:41:40Z

Last year my daughter who was 4 at the time, started asking questions about Santa. I did not go into too much detail, my answers were short and not too detailed. Santa brings gifts to children, how does he know which gift? children write letters and so fourth, I wanted it to seem magical, waking up Christmas morning, finding something in the stocking and under the tree.
My daughter is now asking if Santa has keys to our apartment and whether we have told him the code to deactivate the alarm in the apartment. I am truly stunned, but she seems genuinely concerned, almost frightened about Santa coming into our home. I do not want to lie to her, but at the same time I would like that the notion of Santa remains at least for another year or so. Any suggestions would be really welcome.!

Do we need to burp our baby after feeding him solids?

2010-03-06T04:21:29Z

Neither my wife and I nor my parents know for sure if we need to burp our baby after feeding him solid food. So, what's the consensus?

Changing a Baby's Sleep Environment

2010-03-05T13:08:43Z

My baby can be put into his crib awake and easily fall asleep for naps and bedtime, however he will scream and cry if we try to put him in a new sleeping location while awake.

My mother will be babysitting multiple times a week and has purchased a crib for him at her house.

How can I ease the transition to this new sleep environment for my baby so we can eventually put him in this crib awake to fall asleep comfortably? I know that having some familiar blankets and toys may help, but are there other techniques we can use?

Is there a minimum number of calories one should eat while breastfeeding?

2010-03-04T15:25:11Z

My hubby and I are trying to lose weight together now that I've had our baby and can work on it again. We're using a calorie counting system called MyPlate on LiveStrong.com. It's been working pretty well for us, so I was explaining it to a few friends. One of the girls (who has never had a kid, mind you) chimes in that I shouldn't have fewer than 1800 calories per day while breastfeeding. She didn't cite a source or anything, so I'm wondering how true it is. I'm currently keeping myself at just under 1600 calories per day. Am I perhaps doing harm to myself or my baby?

Travelling with a baby: any tips?

2010-03-04T15:57:55Z

Hi there,

Im the member of the TripAlity.com website. We do exactly what you do here except our questions are focus around travel. We just got this interesting question, so I would like to reposted it here as it fits the types of questions you got on this website.

Here's the question:

I'll shortly be flying from the UK to a Greek island to attend a friend's wedding. Though I've travelled plenty of times before, I've never done so with a 9-month-old baby in tow. What can you tell me? What are your experiences? What have you learnt? What worked well? What didn't?

If you got any tips on this subject please share.

You can post the answers here (I will add them back to tripality.com) or you can post direcly there Travelling with a baby: any tips?

Thanks

What are some good parenting blogs?

2010-02-06T21:30:09Z

Please list any useful, entertaining and thoughtful parenting blogs below. Please vote up your favourites so we can make this a valuable directory.

Children & computers: Which operating system is good for introducing kids to computing: Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, or something else? Why?

2010-02-06T14:30:50Z

If you were introducing your first child to computers and had your choice between Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, or something else, which operating system would you choose, and why?

I've used all of the above (and then some: I used to be an Amiga fanatic!) But, I'm not sure yet what I'd like my daughter to learn computers on. What do you think? What has your experience been with your kids and a specific operating system? Would you have done different?

UPDATE: Thank you for all your responses! Much appreciated.

6 month old wants to be held all the time

2009-10-08T23:10:55Z

My 6 month old son wants to be held all the time, he starts crying in a few minutes when we keep him in his crib with his toys or on the bed. He does that even in the stroller or the car seat.

Any tips on how to get him started on playing on his own?

OK to take a 6month old into a hairdressers?

2010-03-03T07:06:36Z

Is it ok to take a baby into a hairdressers? I need my hair cut desparately but the stylist is fully booked on Saturday (when I can leave him with his dad). It's a small salon with really friendly ladies but I'm worried a little about the noise but mostly about the chemicals and whether he or his little lungs could be harmed by them?

What's the best reaction if your 18 month old hits you?

2010-03-03T02:17:30Z

We've had two incidents recently where our daughter was aggravated about something and while one of us were holding her, she hit us in the face. Like most parents, I'm not terribly fond of being hit in the face.

My previous reaction, when Tammy was holding her, was a stern, "Don't Hit Mommy" while grasping her hand. That seemed to stop her at the time. But it happened again.

My reaction this time was, "Hey!" and I put her down. Her immediate reaction after that was to throw herself on the floor in a temper tantrum. She was rubbing her eyes so I said, "I think it's bedtime", and I took her to get ready for bed. Things were OK after that.

I'm just wondering, for next time, what's a good way to react if she hits one of us again? We certainly won't tolerate it, but I'm thinking there must be a "best practice" for defeating it. Any ideas? I'm interested to hear what worked for others.

Why does my daughter sleep on the floor?

2010-03-02T17:38:18Z

Every night after we put our 2-year old to bed and close the door, she promptly gets out, goes to the doorway, lays down, and falls asleep on the hard-wood floor. She only started this about two weeks ago.

We sneak in and transfer her back to her crib after about an hour. She then sleeps for the rest of the night. But it's weird :-), and we're wondering what (if anything) we should do.

Teaching children how to handle and what to do in case of an emergency at home.

2010-03-02T09:03:17Z

This is one of those things that I hope never happens however I realized yesterday that I need to teach or tell my 5 and a half year old what to do in case of an emergency at home.

Whilst playing cards laying down on the carpet, I feigned unconsciousness, and asked her what she would do. She got rather distressed, and said "don't do that Mummy, just do that when Daddy is here too" which in turn has prompted me to think about this issue more carefully.

How would you teach them not to panic and remain calm ?

Edit: I should pin point the my concern more precisely, she cannot seem to be able to deal with the notion of something happening at home with only a single parent present. This is what has surprised me. They have fire and earthquake drills at school, so she is well aware of what to do in an emergency of that kind. I have tried explaining that we can devise a drill together but this makes her tearful and anxious.

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