Whether for yourself or as a gift, choosing the right infant blanket can be an overwhelming task. After all, there are tons of products on the market, spanning all price points and even pushing the limits of the imagination! Luckily, there are really only three factors to consider when making this decision: size, fabric, and the pattern or colors.

Consider the size

You should determine what size blanket you want based on what you will use it for. If it is a receiving blanket or one to be used for swaddling during the baby’s early months, then you will probably want something smaller. However, if you intend for the baby to use it for longer, then larger is better.

Pick a functional fabric

Short and simple, the best fabric for baby blankets is cotton muslin. It is versatile, durable, soft, and you can even buy organic cotton muslin for parents who prefer to keep their baby away from synthetic fibers. Although flannel and wool may make sense as a layering blanket in very cold climates, parents will get the most use out of a cotton muslin blanket because they can use it during every season for almost every purpose.

Have fun with patterns and colors

This choice is up to you! If you know the gender of the infant, it can be fun to get something pink or blue. Some parents prefer to avoid these gendered colors or they are waiting until birth to find out the baby’s gender – in these situations, you can choose from a variety of fun patterns or gender-neutral colors. The options are abundant, and there is no wrong answer!

Sometimes, consumers can get confused when people use multiple terms to describe the same product. Although there are many products that use the word “wrap” in their name, generally speaking, an infant wrap is another way of referring to a swaddling wrap or a swaddling blanket. No matter which way you refer to these products, they are something that every mother wants and will use!

What is an infant wrap anyway?

An infant wrap is a blanket used to wrap, or swaddle, the baby during the first few months and up to a year after he or she is born. The wrapping technique is referred to as swaddling and is thousands of years old. By keeping the baby’s arms and legs pressed gently against his or her own body, swaddling promotes better rest and longer periods of uninterrupted sleep. Additionally, this method of wrapping the infant helps the baby stay warm and comfortable in the crib or bassinet.

In order to facilitate this method of wrapping the baby, infant wraps have the following characteristics:

-          Square or rectangular shape

-          Small enough to wrap the baby without extra cumbersome fabric

-          Lightweight fabric to keep the baby from overheating

-          Stretchy fabric to ventilate the infant and help with swaddling

-          Often made from cotton muslin

Every mother wants an infant wrap. In fact, this is a great gift to give anyone who is pregnant or has recently had a child because most moms can use several infant wraps!

A simple question without simple answers

For some mothers, getting the baby to start breastfeeding was an enormous challenge. They spent so much time reading about breastfeeding, researching ways to get a fussy baby to take to the breast, and consulting lactation specialists that the idea of weaning the baby seems almost unimaginable.

However, weaning is something that must take place for every breastfed child, so the real question is when should you start to wean?

Experts politely disagree

Experts disagree about the ideal time to stop breastfeeding and some researchers even encourage parents to continue breastfeeding as long as the child and mother are both willing and able to do so.

Generally, leaders in this field agree that, if at all possible, it is ideal for the baby to consume only breast milk for the first six months of his or her life. The American Association of Pediatricians encourages mothers to continue breastfeeding along with supplementary foods for another six months, which would mean weaning your infant at 1 year.

However, the World Health Organization doubles this time period in their recommendations, telling mothers to continue breastfeeding for two years if they are able to do so.

Trust your mother’s intuition

So when should you wean your baby from breastfeeding? Only you can make the right choice for your baby and for yourself. If you have to return to work sooner than six months, you may want to consider pumping and storing your breast milk during the day and breastfeeding at night. If this is not possible, make adjustments that work for you.

There is a great deal of discussion among mothers and soon-to-be mothers about breastfeeding – benefits, challenges, and side effects. One topic that arises frequently is the relationship between breastfeeding and gas. And while it’s not a topic our mothers teach us to discuss in “polite company,” mothers still want to know can breastfeeding can make them or their baby gassy!

Baby gas and breastfeeding

It is not uncommon for moms to be surprised by a baby’s gas. But after the initial surprise is over, concern often follows – am I doing something to add to his gas?

For breastfeeding mothers, the worry is usually that they may be eating something that is transferred through their breast milk, resulting in gas for the baby. This is almost never the case.

If your child is gassy after being fed, it is usually because he or she is getting too much air along with their food. You can alleviate this problem by adjusting your feeding position to one that uses gravity to pull the milk or formula into baby’s mouth, ensuring the infant latches on properly, and using vented nipples whenever you use a bottle.

Gas and breastfeeding for Moms

There is no correlation between breastfeeding and problems with gas for mothers. You may experience some unpleasant side effects from breastfeeding such as fatigue, itchy nipples, or sore breasts, but digestive issues are not linked to nursing.

If you are feeling gassy, you may want to look to your own diet for the cause. Eliminate gas-producing foods such as cauliflower, brussel sprouts, broccoli, beans, and legumes to see if this helps.

If you are still having problems, consult your doctor who may be able to offer additional explanations and solutions.

Breastfeeding is both an incredibly special opportunity and an enormous responsibility for mothers. However, when mom’s start to feel run down, they often wonder if they should still be breastfeeding their baby even though they are sick.

However, as the sole source of your child’s nourishment during these
important early years, mothers must also be careful to eat a balanced diet and avoid potential toxins that could be transferred through breast milk. This can be difficult when a mother gets sick because it is harder to separate the safe medicines from those that could be harmful.

Don’t let normal illnesses get in the way

Generally, it is safe for mothers to continue breastfeeding when they become ill with common sicknesses such as a cold, flu, fever, or stomach bug. The baby has already been exposed to the virus during the time spent together nursing.

Your body makes antibodies to the illness that can be passed to the baby through your breast milk, so it is a good opportunity to build the little one’s immune system. However, you will want to be careful when selecting medicines to alleviate your symptoms.

Keep the following tips in mind, and of course, if you have any questions, ask your doctor.

• Avoid long-lasting formulas that will stay in your body and your breast milk longer than necessary
• Skip the extra-strength option, it has more of the active ingredient
• Treat only the symptoms you have rather than taking a multi-symptom medication
• Take the medication after you breastfeed and only as often as you need it

If you have other concerns, or a more serious illness such as HIV or Hepatitis, speak with your doctor as breastfeeding may be unsafe for your baby.

Maybe, but let’s look at why it can happen

While good health is always important, it becomes particularly important to keep a close eye on your health during a pregnancy. Not only are you responsible for the development and growth of another person, but you may face unusual or unforeseen health issues as a result of the demands pregnancy places on your body.

For this reason, it may be disconcerting to see that your cholesterol levels are higher than usual both during pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

Normal fluctuations

The good news is that these elevated cholesterol levels are entirely normal. Most pregnant women see a decrease in their cholesterol during the first trimester followed by higher levels for the remaining two trimesters.

The higher levels often persist while the mother is nursing.

The cholesterol is produced by your liver, which receives hormonal signals telling it to make more cholesterol than usual because you are pregnant. It does not reflect an unhealthy diet or poor health choices.

Cholesterol is important for babies

Cholesterol is a waxy, fatty substance that plays an important role both during pregnancy and nursing. It contributes to neurological development in the infant and is an important way to transfer energy. Cholesterol is able to hold a great deal of calories and can be completely digested by the infant after he or she is born, making it a great way for the baby to get the nourishment and energy needed at this time.

Additionally, the higher levels of cholesterol do not pose a threat to mothers during this period because the cholesterol is used by the body and transferred to the child rather than remaining in arteries to cause problems.

Are you pregnant and still wondering how soon you should start breastfeeding after the baby is born? Well don’t wonder anymore – because the easiest way to start breastfeeding your baby, is to breastfeed as soon as possible after the little one is born.

For full-term babies whose mothers are able to breastfeed, it is recommended that the first feeding take place within the first hour after the baby enters the world.

Why is sooner so much better?

You know that breastfeeding is good for your baby; it helps build immunity and may even aid brain development. But why is it important to start breastfeeding right away?

After all, you just experienced a very draining and demanding physical event as you went through labor. Will it really matter if you wait a little while before jumping into the next challenge? It just might.

Research on this subject supports the benefits of starting your baby on your breast right away for several reasons:

1.      The colostrum you produce in the first few days after delivery is rich with immunity-building antibodies, making your baby more resilient to infections and illness

2.      Babies who experience skin-to-skin contact with their mothers within the first few hours of life and breastfeed have less trouble latching than infants who spend these hours away from their mom. This means that starting earlier will make breastfeeding easier overall.

When your infant has his or her first feeding, your body begins to produce a greater and more consistent milk supply.

Alternatives to boring baby bouncers

While baby bouncers are a popular soothing aid that many parents rely on, not everyone is sold on the idea of a traditional baby bouncer.

Luckily, the market for baby products is one that consistently evolves to meet the needs and desires of parents, so there are several alternative available to traditional baby bouncers that you can use to help soothe your infant, including other baby bouncer models, infant swings, and exercise or bouncing balls.

3 alternatives to baby bouncers:

- Mobile baby centers. The traditional baby bouncer model is a stationary one that is portable and can sit on the floor. However, for some parents, there are concerns about the sturdiness or stability of this model, or they simply do not find it to be effective for soothing their child. For these parents, there are different types of mobile baby centers that allow the baby to push him or herself around a room for added stimulation, or mounted on a door for greater stability.

- Infant swings. A great alterative to a bouncer, some infants prefer the motion of swinging over bouncing. These are larger, bulkier, and heavier than bouncers, but it sure is nice to simply wind it up and let baby swing.

- Bouncing or exercise ball. For parents who are tired of purchasing products that their child will not be able to use in only a few months, an exercise or bouncing ball much like the ones you can find at the gym might be the bouncing solution for your baby. Products like the Bounce a Bye Baby are useful before, during, and after pregnancy, making them a better investment than a bouncer that will be quickly outgrown. Mother and fathers can sit on the ball and use it to bounce the baby, giving the same sensation as a traditional bouncer.

Whether you are a brand new parent or a seasoned veteran when it comes to dealing with babies, sometimes it can be difficult to figure out why your baby is crying. This is the second part of a two part post listing ten common reasons for infant tears to help you when you feel like you have run out of ideas why your baby won’t stop crying.

The Rest of the Top 10 Reasons Babies Cry:

1. Teething. The pain of teeth breaking through gums is tough for babies to handle, especially because they do not understand what is happening. If you run your finger across your baby’s gums, you will be able to feel new teeth pushing against the gums during teething, and you will know that this is probably why your little one is crying right now.
2. Temperature. If a baby feels to hot or too cold, he or she cannot take off their clothes or blankets to adjust their temperature, so they do what they do best – start crying so that you can fix it for them.
3. Dirty diaper. While some babies can sit in a dirty diaper for a long time without making a sound, others are immediately irritated by the feeling of a messy diaper.
4. Needs to burp. If your baby seems to get fussy after each feeding, you may want to try burping the baby to relieve some of the pressure of gas that might be bothering him or her.
5. Illness. If none of the other suggestions seem to fix what is bothering your infant, he or she might be coming down with something. Check for a fever and contact your baby’s doctor to see if this is the problem.

It can be hard for all parents, both new and experienced, to ascertain the cause of their baby’s tears sometimes. This is challenging because without knowing why your infant is crying, it is hard to calm them.

Here is the first half of a list of ten common reasons why a baby might cry to help you soothe your little one.

Top 5 Reasons Babies Cry:

1. Hunger. Babies need to eat often to get the nutrients they need during this important period of development, so your little one might be hungry more often than you think.
2. Tiredness. An infant also needs a lot of sleep, but sometimes they can be too stimulated to sleep. Putting them in a quieter, calmer, or darker environment might help them get the rest they need.
3. Hold me. Your baby loves to be snuggled and held, so he or she might be crying to tell you that they want to be picked back up.
4. Pain. Without words, your baby has trouble telling you that something hurts. It might be a tag in their new outfit or a hair wrapped around their toe – look for something that could be causing them irritation.
5. Colic. Not sure if those tears mean that your baby has colic? Keep track of how often he or she cries. If the tears last for more than three hours a day, more than three days each week, and more than three weeks in a row, your little one might have colic. Speak to your medical professional for more guidance about this condition.