First Time MOM

Babies, Kids, Children. Tips and Tricks to handle your kids.

Why the BLOG?

I am a mother of a four years old son. When my son was born, I didn't know anything about baby and how to handle them. I learned many great things from my parents and friends. Here's are some of the things that I-wish-I-knew-that stuffs that I discovered.

I wish for

- For a home of our own (I am currently living with my parents-in-law) - For a room where the law of time doesn't apply - For a super speed internet connection

Parents - Child Role

Posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 No Comments
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I came up with a theory about parents-child role few years ago.

I think parents-child role should change as the child grows. When the child is a baby, the parents will be its caretaker. When the child grown to a kid, the parents will be its teacher/tutor/guide. When the child grown to a teenager, the parents should be its friend and a mentor. Growing to an adult, the role of parents is no longer needed, instead the child will be the caretaker of the parents.

At my age, I have come to a stage where the parent-child role should be friends. And I am somehow forgot that I should be a friend also. I think, I am not ready to be an equal friend to my parents. It is easy to lean on someone else, but it is not easy when the role is reversed.

Diaper Bag,What to Put

Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 No Comments
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Here is one question I asked a mother of one before my baby is born: What's a Diaper Bag for?

Answer:
  1. Diaper, Of course, Keep about 4 diapers in the bag, maybe more if you are planning a long trip
  2. Milk, bring 1 or two portions. Calculate how long you are going. Also hot thermo and water.
  3. Extra clothes and pants
  4. Wipes. Always handy to have them around,
  5. Hand Sanitizer. Never hurt to be clean
  6. Plastic bags. To throw away diapers and maybe for dirty clothes/pants
  7. Changing Pad. Where else to change the baby
  8. Bibs.
A Tip: A diaper bag doesn't have to be specially made. It can be a backpack or a suitcase. Any bag you considered big enough to keep all those things above is an appropriate diaper bag.

Baby Workout

Posted on Monday, April 07, 2008 No Comments
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Having a newborn baby is very tiring. Sleep is a very precious time to rest ourselves. The only time we can rest is when the baby is asleep or having someone else take care of it for a time being.

The first few weeks was pretty easy for me and my husband - My husband took a half days for a few weeks from his work. Even so, the next weeks was pretty hard. I found that my baby wouldn't sleep long enough for me to get enough sleep for my self. So, instead of taking my newborn baby as a burden that I have to feed and clean, I tried to have fun (play) with him.

What I did was rolling him around and encourage him to move the rattler on his hand. I tried some baby workout that I read from a book too. After the workout, he is fast asleep. *fiuuh*. I guess it took a lot of his energy too :). You could try baby massage too. They say the baby would sleep deep after a few minutes of baby massage.

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Hypno Parenting

Posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 No Comments
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I stumble into the topics of hypno-parenting. It's kinda like the stereotype hypnosis, but it's not. Hypno-parenting is a technique to hypnotize your kids (or surrounding people) to make them do what is right (like doing homework, etc) but it's doesn't put your kids in a trance mode. Parents can make suggestions to their children in the form of normal conversations.

For example, suppose your child is not doing his homework. The natural consequences occur: your child gets a bad grade in the class, his teacher calls you in for a conference, you and your child have a heated discussion over homework, your child becomes angry, sullen and withdrawn. The homework still does not get done.

Now suppose that you replace the heated discussion with randomly made statements over a period of time, such as “I see that you’re really trying to get done on time,” “Notice how much better you’re feeling,” or “Before you know it, you’ll have that grade up and you’ll be feeling much better about it.” These are all suggestions that don’t put any pressure on your child.

They simply suggest that your child is doing the homework and is feeling better. Pretty soon, your child also will assume that it is true and will make it so.

Making random, seemingly unrelated statements leads listeners to make sense of them and draw their own conclusions. This is done on a subconscious, subjective level. Saying things like “Some people finish things before they need to” can subconsciously translate as “I (some people) can finish my homework (finish things) on time (before they need to).”

The greatest thing about the subconscious mind is that it believes whatever you tell it. Therefore, if you make statements that assume that your child is successful at completing his homework, your child’s subconscious will make it true.


Diaper Rash

Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 No Comments
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A lot of my friends baby had diaper rash but - I am proudly to say - mine not.

I owe it all to my family tradition. When a woman is pregnant in my family, they would make handmade diaper cloths. Thanks to the tradition, we have plenty of cloth diaper to use.

I know it's not very practical. But it has minimized the chance of getting diaper rash -apparently. I did use disposable diaper for my baby but only when we are going away and at night, so that we all could get a good night sleep. :)

In case of diaper rash, you can find baby lotion (it can treat diaper rash). If it's going for the worse, contact your pediatrician.

Baby Sign Language

Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 No Comments
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Ever seen "Meet The Fockers"? Starring Ben Stiller, Robert de Niro and many other huge stars.

In the movie, there's a baby being Baby Sign Language by Robert de Niro. Using pictures and sign language and sound. I guess that's where my husband gets the idea to use that methode to understand our baby.

The book that my husband bought, doesn't have pictures like de Niro has. But it is using sign language (the language that the deaf and mute use). They say that babies and the parents can learn the language and communicate before the baby is able to talk.

Well, my husband bought the book alright. But we didn't get to use it at all, since my baby is almost a year old and he's learning to speak. We enjoy every word he said. At first my son could not speak the whole word. Like when he's tried to say "flower", he would say "wer" :D. We would look for every possibility to understand his words, but we do enjoy that moments :)

Soothing Baby Cries

Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 comments (1)
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Not every strategy will work for every baby, and some techniques may only work at certain times, depending on your baby's mood. The key is to experiment; over time, you'll figure out what's best for your baby, and when.

Re-create the womb.Your infant may be fussy because he misses his first "home," so simulating the amniotic environment can calm him. Try these techniques, together or separately:

  • Swaddle him snugly in a blanket with his arms down.
  • Hold him while he's on his side or stomach rather than his back.
  • Make shushing sounds, or create other white noise by running a hair dryer or fan (the inside of the womb sounds like a constant pulsing whoosh).
  • Jiggle him gently (the rhythmic swaying resembles the movement of the womb).
  • Give him something to suck on - either a pacifier or a finger.

Use your hands. Touch stimulates receptors in the brain that calm your baby, and
research shows that long, smooth strokes tend to work better than short, brisk ones. Try caressing your infant's cheek, back, legs, or stomach. Or keep your baby close by wearing her in a front carrier. You don't have to spend all day toting her around, but the more you touch her (giving her a mini-massage during a diaper change, for instance), the happier she'll be.

Talk. The familiar tone of Mom's voice is one of the most effective soothers for babies, according to research. So keep the chatter going - but speak quietly so your baby isn't overwhelmed.

Singing can also be calming. Don't worry if your voice doesn't sound like Norah Jones's. To your baby, you're the ultimate star. Sing calm, slow songs, such as lullabies - the body responds to music by adapting heart and respiratory rates to the tempo.

Take a drive. Driving around the block combines steady motion and white noise. If driving isn't convenient, try a vibrating bouncy seat or swing, which also have the white-noise/movement combo.

Get wet. Many moms swear by baths to calm their babies. The sound of the running water and the warmth on the skin can do wonders for a crying baby. You can get into the tub, too, to add soothing skin-to-skin contact.

Distract him. Introduce a new toy or shift his attention to the family pet or a mirror (so he can gaze at himself). He may well forget all about his cranky mood.

Keep your cool. If you get frustrated, your infant will pick up on that tension and react, and this pattern can become a cycle that's hard to break. Trying too hard to calm your baby can also backfire - some simply don't like to be handled as much as others. While you shouldn't let infants under 3 months cry it out, it's okay to let them fuss for five minutes. This will give yours the opportunity to start to figure out how to soothe himself (and it may give you a chance to regroup, too).

Keep doing what works. When you find a strategy that soothes your baby, stick to it. Trying something different every five minutes can be overstimulating. Limit yourself to two or three methods that seem to work - if one fails in one instance, try the other, instead of introducing several new techniques. You almost always get results after a day or two if you stick to a consistent pattern.

Baby Language

Posted on Saturday, March 29, 2008 No Comments
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This is revolutionary. I saw is on Oprah's rerun last year. I wish, I heard about it when my son is still a newborn.

Between 0-3 months, infants make what Dunstan calls sound reflexes. According to Dunstan, we all have reflexes, like sneezes, hiccups, and burps, that all have a recognizable pattern when sound is added to the reflex. There are other reflexes that all babies experience, and when sound is added to these, a distinct, preemptive "cry" will occur before the infant breaks into what Dunstan calls the hysterical cry. Dunstan claims that these preemptive cries can indicate what the infant requires (e.g., food, comfort, sleep, etc.), and they escalate to the hysterical cry if they are not answered. As the infant matures past 3 months in vocalization, the sound reflexes become replaced with more elaborate babbling.

According to Dunstan, the five universal words (or sound reflexes) used by infants are:

Neh. I'm hungry - An infant uses the sound reflex "Neh" to communicate their hunger. The sound is produced when the sucking reflex is triggered, and the tongue is pushed up on the roof of the mouth.

Owh. I'm sleepy - An infant uses the sound reflex "Owh" to communicate that they are tired. The sound is produced much like an audible yawn.

Heh. I'm experiencing discomfort - An infant uses the sound reflex "Heh" to communicate stress, discomfort, or perhaps that they need a fresh diaper. The sound is produced by a response to a skin reflex, such as feeling sweat or itchiness in the bum.

Eairh. I have lower gas - An infant uses the sound reflex "Eairh" to communicate they have flatulence or an upset stomach. The sound is produced when trapped air from a belch that is unable to release and travels to the stomach where the muscles of the intestine tighten to force the air bubble out. Often, this sound will indicate that a bowel movement is in progress, and the infant will bend its knees, bringing the legs toward the torso. This leg movement assists in the ongoing process.

Eh. I need to burp - An infant uses the sound reflex "Eh" to communicate that they need to be burped. The sound is produced when a large bubble of trapped air is caught in the chest, and the reflex is trying to release this out of the mouth.

If this really true and applicable, then this is like a manual book for newborn babies :)

Stay on Blanket

Posted on Wednesday, March 12, 2008 No Comments
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Problem:
My son has a real problem on wearing blanket since he was a newborn baby. He always shoves them away. It’s not like he hates them. Maybe in his subconscious mind, he is restricted by it.

When he still was a baby, I worried about leaving him cold uncovered by a blanket while my husband and I are asleep. I tried several different tricks to make the blanket stays covering him even though he’s shoving them away. The best trick was to have a large thick blanket with a zipper and zipped it around him. He he he… outsmarting a baby :). It did not work for long though, he started to kick it real hard and I felt sorry for him and undid the zipper :p.


Solution:
The next thing happen was, I found myself browsing the baby store -I found, that the baby store provide a lot of solution for a whole lot of baby problems-. Then I found a footie. A pair of pants that close-up every part of the leg, including the feet. A blanket that shaped like a feet. Voila! My problem is solved. My son was obviously not having anymore problem with it although he stills have a problem using a blanket after he falls asleep.

Get Naked Trick

Posted on Wednesday, February 27, 2008 comments (1)
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The doctor said that the baby needs to be feed every three or four hours, but sometimes my son didn’t awake for 5 or 6 hours. Here are a few tricks I did to wake my son up.
  1. The first trick. I held him in a sitting position on my lap, one hand holding his chin, the other holding his back. Forward the baby body with the hip as the ‘hinge’. When he’s awake, move him to the breasting position. If he falls back to sleep before he get the chance to drink his milk, repeat the steps.
  2. The second trick. I tried undoing his clothes, all of it (newborn baby doesn’t like to be naked). Change his diaper, rub his chin with a finger, tickle his feet, or try to burp him.
  3. Another trick, when he’s awake and gets the chance to put the nipple in his mouth and falls back to sleep. Then I tried waking him up by moving the nipple/bottle or rubbing his cheek or moving his position so that he will be awake and suck a little.

If everything fails, then I let him sleep back and let hunger wake him up. If you have a problem with your baby sleeping attitude please contact your doctor and consult with them immediately.

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