Thirty to forty years ago, the only baby bottles available to parents were the ones made of glass, which were not only heavy, but also breakable. Years later, through technology and innovation came bottles that were made of plastic, which offered the benefits of being both lighter and unbreakable, making the glass baby bottle a thing of the past. Plastic baby bottles were created long before it was discovered that a certain type of plastic used in baby bottles can actually harm a developing baby. This news sparked the debate of which bottle is safer for babies, glass or plastic. So what is the best choice for parents looking for safe baby bottles? The following information regarding both glass and plastic baby bottles is intended to assist you in deciding for yourself which type of bottle is best for your baby.

Glass Baby Bottles:

Pros:

· Glass baby bottles are sturdy and are now available with silicon sleeves that protect against breakage when dropped.

· Glass bottles don’t contain harmful chemicals that might end up in the baby’s formula.

Cons:

· Glass bottles are heavy and somewhat more awkward than plastic ones.

· Glass bottles present the hazard of being dropped and having shattered glass on the floor to clean up.

Plastic Baby Bottles:

Pros:

· Lighter weight makes plastic bottles easier to handle.

· Plastic bottles will not shatter when dropped like some glass baby bottles.

· The FDA has issued statements that it believes the amounts of BPA (bisphenol A) that ends up in food or bottles made from plastic containing are too low to cause any real health effects in humans.

Cons:

· Some plastic bottles are made from plastics that contain bisphenol A (BPA), which has been linked to increased risk of various forms of cancer in lab rats that were exposed to the chemical.

· Plastic bottles made of polycarbonate are the ones that contain BPA, and can cause BPA to leak into the contents of the baby bottles (something you don’t want your baby drinking).

· The FDA continues to investigate the issues surrounding BPA containing plastic food and drink containers and the associated risks, which for now still remains unresolved.

Choosing a Bottle for Your Baby

Plastic

There are basically three different types of bottles for baby: glass, plastic, and plastic with plastic with plastic liners. Although there hasn’t been entirely conclusive evidence regarding the risks of BPA, if you wish to avoid exposing your baby to BPA, you should avoid buying plastic food/drink containers that display the either the #7 recycling symbol or the “PC” symbol on the bottom. These logos are general indicators that the item is likely to contain BPA, but not definite proof. Many plastic bottles will clearly state that their product does not contain BPA.

Even if you would like to continue using plastic bottles, you can still use ones that are made of non-polycarbonate plastics, which don’t contain BPA. Some examples of non-polycarbonate plastics are polyethylene (#1, #2, or #4 recycling symbols) or polypropylene (#5 recycling symbol). When your child is ready to use a sippy cup, there are non-polycarbonate plastics versions available.

Another option for ensuring that your baby isn’t exposed to BPA is using plastic baby bottles with disposable liners that don’t contain BPA, which will clearly say BPA-free on the label. This option does carry a higher cost due to the liners needing to be swapped out after each feeding.

Glass

If you decide that you do want to give glass baby bottles a try, but are worried about breakage and safety, there are silicon sleeves that are available that can be slipped over glass bottles to prevent breakage if the bottle is dropped.

Cleaning and Maintaining Your Baby’s Bottle

You can reduce the risk of exposing your child to BPA by following these precautions:

• Don’t store breast milk or formula in plastic baby bottles. Place breast milk and formulas into bottles just before feeding and be sure to throw out any unused portion.
• Avoid exposing plastic bottles to heat and wear. Both heat and excessive wear degrade the plastic containing BPA and can increase the speed of the BPA leaking from a plastic bottle.
• Be sure to throw out polycarbonate bottles that show signs of wear such as cracks, chips, or scratches.
• Only use warm water and gentle cleansers on polycarbonate bottles and be sure not to use hot water or harsh cleansers which can cause the plastic to breakdown and release BPA.
• BPA can also be found in the lining of formula cans, so opting for powdered formulas will allow you to reduce the levels of BPA present in the formula.

Whether you choose plastic or glass baby bottles, feeding your baby can be a rewarding, bonding experience. If you follow the guidelines mentioned above, you can rest assured that you are providing the safest care for your child at mealtime.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melissa_M.

Having a newborn in the house is a time for adjustment. You have this new life to take care of and you really want to make sure you do everything right. Chances are you won’t get everything right, but infant massage one small thing you can do right that will get great results. This gentle therapy will help improve the health of you and your baby.

Helps your baby sleep more soundly– Newborn babies have difficulty sleeping through the night. If your baby is having difficulty sleeping massage can help calm him and help him sleep more soundly.

Decreases stress–Believe it or not your baby experiences stress. Everything is new to her. She has difficulty communicating her needs and at times feels quite frustrated and stressed by her situation. Massage can reduce stress by lowering the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the body.

Increases circulation–The motion of massage pushes fluids through the body increasing the circulation of blood and lymph. It helps the cells get more nourishment and maintain health.

Boosts the immune system Your baby’s immune system is newly developing. Massage stimulates the production of white blood cells and balances the immune system.

Improves neurological functions It especially helps with sensory development and body awareness.

Improves muscle tone As the muscles are stimulated they develop and build stretch.

Aids digestion Infant massage helps your baby expel gas and eases colic.

Normalizes hormone production The stimulation of the skin, muscles, and nerves helps your baby produce the hormones he needs. It is especially good to get underweight babies produce the hormones needed to gain weight.

Helps with pain management When your baby is experiencing pain and discomfort your soothing touch can help provide pain relief.

Increases the bond between infants and parents During massage the nursing hormone Oxytocin is released increasing the connect felt between you and your child.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lovelyn_Bettison

Throughout the 9 months of your pregnancy, nature ensures that your body will be prepared to breast feed your baby. Breastfeeding will give your baby the best source of nutrients, and result in a good healthy start for your baby.

Breastfeeding and nursing your baby is an acquired skill. For both mom and baby, this will require time and patience on both parts. Breastfeeding comes more natural for some mothers and babies, but don’t feel pressure to perform.

If you happen to experience some difficulties in breastfeeding your baby, you can contact your local La Leche League and they will be happy to supply a local lactation consultant. They specialize in helping a new mother to breastfeed her baby, and have a lot of resources to ensure your breastfeeding success!

The First Two Days After Giving Birth

Most healthcare providers will encourage a mother to begin breastfeeding her baby as soon as possible. Some instances when breastfeeding a baby isn’t encouraged is when there was a difficulty in delivery such as a cesarean section. You will find that many babies immediately take to the breast, and find themselves breastfeeding with little to no effort. However, there are some cases such as a premature birth of a baby where the mother has a problem while trying to breastfeed her baby. If this is the case a mother can still stroke her baby, and encourage the baby to begin breastfeeding when it is ready.

Having Success in Breastfeeding

The best way to start breastfeeding your baby is to create an environment that is as calm as possible, as it will help provide both you and baby a soothing atmosphere to breastfeed. Keeping a drink nearby is a helpful tip to breastfeeding, as it will keep up your fluid intake.

One key to a successful breastfeeding is being in a comfortable nursing position. In general, most new mothers nurse and breastfeed their baby while sitting upright on a chair. Some women breastfeed with their feet raised and a pillow (or boppy pillow) on their lap, as that creates a natural, comfortable position for the breastfeeding of baby to take place. If you find that you are tired when you need to breastfeed, lay down on your side. Some women who are experiencing fatigue after their pregnancy find this to be the most relaxing way for them to begin breastfeeding.

An important thing to remember while breastfeeding your baby is to ensure that the baby is held close to your whole body, facing your breast. The baby’s chest should be next to your chest, and you should be able to bring your baby close to your breast easily, to allow an simple position for breastfeeding.

Positioning Your Baby Before Breastfeeding

Before you begin breastfeeding your baby, make sure both you and baby are comfortable. If the position you choose to breastfeed your baby is upright, make sure that baby’s head is supported by either your forearm or hold her head and shoulders with the hand that you have free. While your baby is breastfeeding, their head should be at the same level as your nipple, as this will allow the proper angle for you baby to suck and breastfeed successfully.

Another thing that might assist you in breastfeeding is to cup your breast with your hand. By supporting your breast with your fingers against your ribs, you provide your baby the most opportune ability to breastfeed. One thing to avoid is to pinch your nipple between two fingers, as it can prevent your baby from breastfeeding successfully. Some babies have the natural breastfeeding instinct, where the automatically begin to suck on your nipple as soon as they feel your breast on their cheek.

Ensure that Your Baby Has Latched On

Although it may feel unnatural, make sure your baby is breastfeeding with as much of your breast in their mouth as possible. Your baby is properly positioned if they are breastfeeding with a “mouthful” of breast, including your nipple and perhaps most of the areola.

While breastfeeding, your baby’s bottom lip should be curled back, as their jaw muscles will work almost rhythmically. If you notice that your baby’s cheeks are caving in while breastfeeding, then they aren’t suckling properly, and might make the breastfeed unsuccessful. If this is the case, to ensure proper breastfeeding you should reposition yourself or your baby and try again.

Changing Breasts if Necessary

Most babies breastfeed with various sucking patterns – from short sucks to longer bursts of sucking and sometimes with pauses in between. Your baby will let you know if your breast is empty by falling asleep or letting your nipple fall out of their mouth. This means that it’s time to breastfeed with the other breast.

If you feel that you need to stop your baby from breastfeeding, the easiest and most effective way is to break the breastfeed with your fingers. If your baby refuses to breastfeed with your other breast, let some time pass and the try breastfeeding again with the other nipple.

Engorgement

You may notice that a few days after you deliver your baby, your breast might begin to feel swollen. This is called engorgement of the breasts, and might even feel painful with accumulations of blood and milk. Breastfeeding as much as eight times within a 24 hour period might help alleviate this pain. One thing you can do is to make engorgement of the breast feel better, is to express a little bit of breast milk before you baby begins breastfeeding.

The Combination of Breast Milk and Bottle

At some point it might be necessary to give yourself a break from breastfeeding by pumping breast milk into a bottle. If you find yourself out on the run, or are returning to work, then pumping your breast milk will provide your baby with the same nutrients that they receive when the breastfeed. Breastfeeding is the best way to ensure your baby is getting what it needs – after all, the saying “mother’s milk is best” is definitely the case. At some point, you will need to stop breastfeeding altogether – but do this gradually, to provide proper transition.

With so many models being  released  to the market everyday, it has become a tough task to  chose among best convertible car seats. Even the “veteran” parents may find it difficult That which was effective for your child five years ago may not achieve today’s standards. The best convertible car seats provide parents with many options Since a convertible car seat is more expensive than a regular car seat, you want to ensure that it is worth the extra cost. It does not mean that the most expensive model is the best always, just because it is costly! Be aware that the more expensive models may have features you will never need to use. In view of this, it is essential to evaluate you requirements before you search for the best convertible car seats

When you’re trying to pick the highest quality convertible car seats, it’s wise to check customer reviews. Other parents will give you an honest opinion of each convertible car seat, including experience after wear and tear. You always find the car seats that fall within the middle of the price range are the best These models often have all the features you need without all the extras that push the price on more expensive models

Comfort , ease and safety of  your baby inside the car is one of the essential requirements of  convertible car. Your baby’s safety is paramount  for the designers of best convertible car seats. The best way to get what you want is to search carefully, reading comments from other parents as well as those by the professionals. When you are considering your baby’s wellbeing, an excellent convertible car seat will give you an enormous amount of peace of mind.

Quality of the crib and the mattress: While purchasing a crib for your baby, please make sure that is of superb quality. Not just the crib, but also the mattress should be of high grade material that offers maximum comfort to your precious little baby. The mattress must be of the exact size and there should not be a gap of more than two fingers between the crib and the mattress.

Baby Bumpers in the baby bed save your baby from crib bars and provide highest protection to your baby. Baby bumpers prevent your baby’s hands or legs from getting stuck into the crib bars thereby increasing the safety level.

Arranging the baby crib: This is one of the most important things you need to consider while making your baby sleep in the crib. Always remember, your baby is going to be alone in the crib, so make sure that you offer him or her with the correct number of blankets that you feel is enough for cozy and relaxing sleep. You should always remember to keep the right size of baby blanket in the crib so that you baby doesn’t get tied in it. A person should also check that the baby is properly dressed with light and cozy night dress.

Comfortable position: See that you make your baby sleep on his or her back. Once your toddler grows up, he or she will take the most relaxing position to sleep soundly.

Room Temperature: The room temperature should be normal providing sufficient warmth your baby needs. Normally 70 degree F is ideal for your baby’s comfortable sleep.

While placing your baby crib, ensure that there are no wires or chords around which may prove to be harmful. Place the baby crib in a safe place with no items hanging down the crib. Avoid hanging toys on the crib as he might pull it which may be harmful for him. Moreover, avoid stuffing the baby crib with loose cushions as these may be harmful at times. Once you know how to keep your baby safe in their cribs, you can shop around for qualitybaby crib sets in which your baby can sleep calmly.

Thus, this piece of information will surely keep your baby safe in crib. Moreover, you shouldn’t leave your baby on your bed unattended until your bed has sufficient railings on the sides to prevent your baby falling off from your bed. Your baby is the most precious gift of God. You must safeguard your baby at each little step he or she takes.

Keep your baby safe and comfortable while in its crib with Boy Crib Sets or Girl Crib Sets.

What is white noise you might ask?
Well, simply put , it’s the monotonic humming you hear when a fan is running. Or the sound of your wheels running while you are driving. Experts say it is all the frequencies a human ear can hear put all together. Kind of like white light is all the colors human eyes can see put all together.

What does white noise have to do with a colic baby?
Well, a baby, especially a colic baby , responds to hearing white noise. Playing white noise cd’s mimics the womb sound baby heard for nine months . When a baby is born, it is thrust into a loud, confusing, startling world. Often , the baby can’t handle the stress and reacts in the only way she knows how.

To cry .

Uncontrollably .

White noise can help soothe the crying by tricking baby into thinking she is back in the womb where everything was warm and cozy .

For anyone who has been subjected to a baby suffering from colic , they can testify . Colic is not pleasant . A colicky baby can take a mild-mannered parent and transform them into a stressed out shell. New parents, in particular, might not have any clue that their baby is colicky . Because of the excessive crying, they might assume they are doing something wrong and become incredibly frustrated. That’s when the white noise baby shower gift becomes the real savior . Just listening to a few moments of the cd will calm that colic baby quick .

But there’s more! White noise cd’s have other amazing uses for baby.

Acts as a sleep aid
Another bonus of playing white noise is baby sleeps better . Not only does the white noise soothe a fussy outburst, it also drowns out other noises around the house that may disturb baby’s slumber . Instead of being startled when a phone rings or a dog barks , baby won’t even notice ! Baby will sleep longer and undisturbed .

What type of white noise is best?
White noise is can be found in several variations. The type recommended by experts is either a vacuum cleaner sound or hair dryer sound. These types mimic the tone baby heard in the womb the best.

Try not to buy white noise cd’s that are just digital noise. Look for the kind that are actually recordings of either a vacuum cleaner, or a hair dryer running.

Where do I buy white noise?
You can buy white noise almost anywhere. You can even purchase it online or download it as an MP3 from ITunes and burn your own CD for the baby shower gift. Just Google Vacuum Cleaner White Noise to find out where you can buy a white noise cd online.

-yogurt
-some cheese
-some pickles
-fermented milk
-sauerkraut

Experts are interested in the evidence that probiotics taken as supplements or in food seem to treat illnesses like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), intestinal infections, infant eczema, infectious diarrhea, and other disorders, as well as improve a person’s overall health. Probiotics seem to particularly aid in digestive disorders.

You have probably heard commercials for Dannon’s Activia and how it makes you more “regular”. Activia is a lowfat yogurt that contains a probiotic. There are people that swear by this stuff.

What does probiotics have to do with baby colic?
Experts aren’t sure what causes colic. However, some believe the culprit to be an immature digestive system that doesn’t function correctly. The baby may have more difficulty digesting complex enzymes. In turn, their digestive tract can become irritated, which can cause pain and fussiness. Or, as with adults who are somewhat lactose intolerant, milk protein found in the formulas can make the baby become gassy and bloated which also can cause intense pain. And this may be what causes the incredible bouts of crying and screaming.

Probiotics, since they are known to aid in problems with the digestive system, can help add good bacteria into your baby’s system and soothe that immature digestive tract. In fact, a 2004 John Hopkins study found that a probiotic formula lowered the frequency of colic in infants who were fed a milk-based formula containing probiotic bacteria.
So, it’s was no surprise when food-giant Nestle became the first to come out with their Good Start Natural Cultures formula which contains Bifidus BL™—a probiotic similar to that found in breast milk. (Keep in mind, if you are breastfeeding, your breast milk is a natural source of probiotics and your baby shouldn’t need a supplemental probiotic). As the saying goes, breast is best. But if you do need to feed your baby a formula, you might want to check out Good Start Natural Cultures.

Are there any probiotics side effects?
Side effects from probiotics are few, and if they do occur, are mostly mild. Some people may experience digestive issues such as gas and bloating. However, in more rare instances, people with underlying health conditions have contracted illnesses as a result of the probiotics stimulating their immune system in a negative way. So be sure to consult your doctor if you are considering switching your baby to a probiotic formula just to be on the safe side.

• in the form of a vaccuum cleaner running
• in the form of a hair dryer running
• in the form of a fan running

And many more.