My husband sent me this link to a post on a blog that he follows, I laughed until I cried. So I had to share…check it out (especially you mums out there)!
Archive for the 'Parenting' Category
One of the best gifts we received when Savannah was born was a video monitor. It has given us loads of entertainment, as well as saved many trips upstairs in the middle of the night. Like last night, as we were headed to bed, we turned on the monitor to check on our girl, and we both laughed at what we saw, Savannah sound asleep with her finger in her ear!
I’ve read all the latest about not using bumper pads at all, but I’ve also seen their benefits as I’ve watched my daughter flail around her bed hitting the sides with her head. I’ve also read that it’s best to remove the bumper pads once the child is standing/pulling up, as they can use it for leverage to get out of the crib. Selfishly, I want to keep the bumper pads in-I love the fabric, and I just think it kind of ‘makes’ the crib. Several times lately, I have noticed a new trend, she uses her bumper pad as a pillow! So I have a question to all the moms out there….did you use a bumper pad? Did you remove it at some point? If so, then when? At what point does a child get a real pillow? Just curious to know what other moms are doing out there.
It’s a well known fact that babies need sleep, but how much? A couple of recent studies have found a correlation that infants who receive less sleep are more likely to have problems with obesity as well as other health problems. In one study, they found that “Among the long sleepers (more than 12 hours), 7 percent were obese at age 3. The short sleepers (less than 12 hours) fared worse. Twelve percent of them became obese 3-year-olds. Adding TV to the picture, 17 percent of those who slept less than 12 hours a day and watched two or more hours of television a day were obese by the time they were 3.”
In another study, they state that inadequate sleep is an “invisible phenomenon that fails to receive attention from primary care providers until it interferes with the child’s behavior, mood, or performance”. Their poll also found that:
• Infants (0-11 months) average 12.7 hours of sleep — experts recommend 14–15 hours
• Toddlers (1-3 yrs) average 11.7 hours —
experts recommend 12–14 hours
• Preschoolers (3-5 yrs) average 10.4 hours —
experts recommend 11–13 hours
• School-agers (1st through 5th grades) average 9.5 hours — experts recommend 10 – 11 hours
• Adolescents and teens average 7.9 hours —
experts recommend 8.5 – 9.25 hours
Having a daily routine of eating and sleeping only helps a child get the amount of sleep they need. It also helps mom know exactly how much sleep their child is getting. The first study also pointed out the recommendation that children shouldn’t watch more than 2 hours of tv a day. It sounds like more parents need to turn the tv off, and put their kids to bed!
Currently Savannah gets 12 hours of sleep just at night, then add her 1-1 1/2 hour morning nap and her 2 hour afternoon nap, I guess we are doing good. She doesn’t really watch tv, but if and when she does, you better believe it won’t be for more than 2 hours a day!
Don’t get me wrong, I am pro-vaccinations! However, I am in the process of questioning which vaccines to be given and when.
The biggest reason I am pro-vaccinations, is that IF everyone refused vaccines, then the diseases that we see so little of, would become a problem again. Being in the medical field though, I’ve seen how the recommendations for a vaccine schedule are constantly changing. I believe that it is important for each parent to make informed decisions for what is best for their children.
All that to say, here are a few summaries of pertinent articles to take into consideration.
“Children who get a combined vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox are slightly more likely to have seizures compared to those getting two separate shots for the same diseasesThe CDC said it made the change after seeing evidence that children who got the combined MMRV vaccine faced an elevated, but still very small, risk of suffering febrile seizures after vaccination compared to those who got the two shots.”
“The HHS is conceding that a Georgia girl is entitled to payment from a federal vaccine-injury fund based on evidence that childhood vaccines exacerbated a rare condition and gave rise to autism-like symptoms. Some parents and advocates for autistic children believe the case backs their belief that vaccines can cause autism, but health officials say the case is an isolated one, maintaining that vaccines do not cause autism. ”
On my reading list is a book, the Vaccine book,
that I have heard is helpful for parents to determine what is best for their child. It isn’t pro or anti vaccines, but it is information about each individual vaccine/disease.
So after doing a lot of reading, I came to a conclusion. There really is no way to avoid crying when it comes to getting your baby to sleep through the night. Granted, some parents are blessed with the baby that just started sleeping through the night on their own, but not all parents have that experience. I wasn’t comfortable to just let her cry without any consolation, but I knew it was time for a change. Knowing that she takes solid foods during the day, I knew she didn’t need to eat at night. So last week, while Kyle was out of town, I made a decision. No more eating at night. I consoled her, but I didn’t feed her. The first night was a little tough, but then the second night was a vast improvement. Night 3 we were in new surroundings, so it was another rough night. Since being home though, she has done great! She sleeps 12 hours, and wakes up just a couple of times for a few minutes then falls back asleep. Kyle took monitor duty last night, and I slept for a solid 9 hours! Talk about feeling like a new woman—WOW! Instead of looking for a formula or program that would work, I just realized that I needed to approach it as if I were weaning her, and we were dropping a feeding. And it worked!
So once you have a baby-everything changes, including going to the grocery store. No longer is it a quick trip to just pick up a few things! Today I was thankful that the Kroger that I go to has a parking garage. You may wonder why this is so nice-but it has been raining ALL DAY! It’s so nice to not be standing out in the rain trying to get Savannah in the car plus the groceries in–which leads me to yet another challenge at the grocery store. The CARTS! Now why wouldn’t they put some type of brake on those things. It is already challenging trying to maneuver a moderately heavy baby carrier into the car with as little space they give you between cars, but while I’m trying to maneuver the baby, my cart inevitably begins to roll. What’s a girl to do? I don’t know if this happens to other people, but it seems to happen quite often to me.
On another note…Kroger is having a big sale on kids books. I know, you wouldn’t think to buy books at Kroger, but it surprised me too. In the middle of the Valentine’s aisles, they had two huge bins of children’s books-and most of them were less than $5, and some as cheap as $1.99! Unlike my sister who has been collecting children’s books her whole life, I am just now beginning my collection for my children. Books aren’t cheap, but I have found great deals at Costco, consignment stores, and now Kroger! Be sure to check it out (if you have a Kroger!)
When it came time to finding the best for my baby, I did a lot of research and read a lot of reviews. Although there is a lot of information out there that is often hard to sort out, I found something that is very interesting. At first my search for a bottle was about which bottle’s caused less nipple confusion and less colic. Then I clicked on a link of one of the blogs that I keep up with. I found out that there are actually bad plastics, that have been linked to hyperactivity, chromosomal disorders, etc. So after having 2 miscarriages myself and now that I have a newborn, I felt compelled to share this information. Check it out and tell me what you think.
Hi! My name is Kristy and this is my outlet to share thoughts on motherhood, infertility and life as I know it. To give you some insight into me, I've been married for over eight years to 
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