Amusing Facts About Babies

* Men are officially the best at changing baby! Research shows that the average time taken by a woman to change baby is 2 minutes and 5 seconds, whereas the average man takes 1 minute and 36 seconds! Expert in male and female behaviour Corinne Sweet says 'Changing baby is essentially a mechanical process, men approach it like a pit stop; they want it over as quickly as possible'. So come on guys lend a hand, you're the experts!!

* Overweight children are up to 5 times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke before the age of 65. So if you're overfeeding your 'little' one, you could be killing him with kindness.

* Eating fish during pregnancy can boost your baby's brain development and give him better communication and language skills. A study of 7000 mothers found that those who ate fish at least once per week had babies who scored higher in verbal skills at 15 months than those whose mothers ate no fish.

* The father's sperm will decide the sex of your baby. The mother's eggs contain only a female or X chromosome, but a man's contains either an X (which makes a girl) or Y chromosome (which makes a boy). Whichever one reaches the egg first and fertilises it will determine the sex.

* Air fresheners may cause diarrhoea and earache in babies say scientists. They found that infants in homes where air fresheners and aerosols were used every day were 32% more likely to suffer from stomach and ear complaints.

* One in five toddlers can open medicine and chemical bottles with child-resistant tops experts are warning. Every year thousands of toddlers are taken to hospital having swallowed substances ranging from perfume, painkillers and household cleaning products. The Child Accident Prevention Trust advises parents to store all medicines high up and well out of reach and sight; never assume that a child cannot open a product with a child-resistant lid; and never leave pills or drugs in a handbag - a favourite place for a toddler to search.

* Will your baby be left or right-handed? It's decided as early as 10 weeks gestation say researchers who found that babies in the womb favour one hand over the other, the same one they'll prefer to use in life.

About The Author

Tony Luck runs a website with many articles and advice about babies, including conception, pregnancy, the birth and babycare. Visit the site at http://www.baby-talk.co.uk.

Guide To Massaging New Born Babies

Newborns simply love to be touched and cuddled. The skin to skin touch helps you and your baby bond, comforts your baby when she is upset or uneasy with gas or colic problems. Hence, touch is a critical part of growth and development.

The massage strokes used on adults are completely different from the strokes to be used on newborns. You can adapt the adult strokes to massage your child. Just make sure that your strokes are lighter on them. The younger they are, more delicate and smaller will be the strokes be.

It is ideal that you take your child either on your lap or lay him on any kind of elevated soft surface such as few thick towels put together. Be very gentle while massaging. If your child cries or does not enjoy it, stop massaging till it feels comfortable about the whole thing.

Massage steps for the front of the body

- Lay the child on the back. Start by stroking gently the face, move to the middle of the forehead and temples

- Stroke the cheeks from nose to ears and back moving down to the chin. Gently stroke the area around the eyes.

- Stroke the front of the body along the arms. Make clockwise circles around the navel with both hands. Do gentle wringing action across the abdomen and up the body.

- Take one arm at a time, start stroking from shoulder to hand to fingers. Massage the hand, squeeze and rotate each of the fingers in turn. Do the same for other arm.

- Take one leg at time. Do a gentle wring or squeeze up the leg and stroke down the leg. Do the same for other arm.

Massage steps for the back of the body

- Lay the child stomach down. Stoke up and over the back and along the arms.

- Do a gentle kneading on the child's shoulder

- Do a gentle wringing stroke all over the body. Massage the rear side with gentle kneading or pinching strokes.

- Slide smoothly down the spine alternating with both the hands. Start from the base of the neck and move to working down to the base of spine.

- Gently stroke the legs, bending the knee up and working all the way to the foot.

- Hold the anklebone between your fingertips and move both the hands in circular motion.

- Squeeze the heal with one hand and use the thumb of your other hand to massage the sole of the foot.

- Massage the toes by gentle squeezing, rotating and pulling it in turns. Hold the foot firmly between your hands for few seconds. Repeat the same for massaging the backside of other leg.

Lastly, turn the baby over and give it a final massage in two strokes. Start from one foot up the leg, across the lower abdomen and move down the other leg. Do light strokes from the top of head right down to the feet.

To massage the baby having gas or digestive problems, use the "I Love You" technique.

- Lay the baby on the back and undress it completely or just leave the diaper on.

- Use two or three fingers of your right hand to trace the alphabet "I" on the right side of the abdomen with gentle, yet firm movements.

- Next do a gentle stroke from left to right across the baby's abdomen and then do a small downward stroke along the right side of his stomach forming upside down "L" alphabet.

- Last, stroke up from the left side of your baby's hipbone moving towards the left side of the abdomen, across the baby’s body from left to right horizontally along the stomach and finally finish by stroking down the right side in the same manner, forming the "U" alphabet in upside down direction.

About The Author

Sharon Hopkins is the Webmaster for http://www.massagehealththerapy.com. Massage therapy is a combination of science and art provides a relaxing experience by artistic hand strokes on the body to rejuvenate the mind and body and eliminate stress scientifically.

Who Has Down Syndrome Babies?

Most people associate having a child with Down syndrome with older women. While it is true that women over 35 do have an increased risk of having a child with Down syndrome, 80% of these children are born to those women under age thirty-five.

In the United States, approximately 5,000 babies with Down syndrome are born every year. A woman’s chance of having another baby with Down syndrome is approximately 1 in 100.

Prenatal Screening for Down Syndrome

Over the last 10 years, new technology has improved the methods of detection of Down syndrome. While there are ways to diagnose Down syndrome by obtaining fetal tissue samples by amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling, it would not be appropriate to examine every pregnancy this way. Besides greatly increasing the cost of medical care, these methods do carry a slight amount of risk to the fetus.

So screening tests have been developed to try to identify those pregnancies at "high risk." These pregnancies are then candidates for further diagnostic testing.

Screening Vs Diagnostic Test

What is the difference between a screening test and a diagnostic test? In diagnostic tests, a positive result very likely means the patient has the disease or condition of concern. In screening tests, the goal is to estimate the risk of the patient having the disease or condition.

Diagnostic tests tend to be more expensive and require an elaborate procedure; screening tests are quick and easy to do. However, screening tests have more chances of being wrong: there are "false-positives" (test states the patient has the condition when the patient really doesn't) and "false-negatives" (patient has the condition but the test states he/she doesn't).

Maternal Serum Screening

The mother's blood is checked for three items: alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), unconjugated estriol (uE3) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). These three are independent measurements, and when taken along with the maternal age (discussed below), can calculate the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome.

A very important consideration in the screening test is the age of the fetus (gestational age). The correct analysis of the different components depends on knowing the gestational age precisely. The best way to determine that is by ultrasound.

Test results are sometimes reported to doctors as "Multiples of the Median (MoM)." The "average" value is therefore called 1.0 MoM. Down syndrome pregnancies have lower levels of AFP and estriol, so their levels would be less than 1.0 MOM.

hCG in a Down syndrome pregnancy would be greater than 1.0 MoM.

Finally, the calculated risk is used to modify the risk already statistically calculated based on the mother's age. We already know that as the mother's age advances, the risk of having a baby with Down syndrome increases.

For example: Let's say the test results come back in the typical range for a pregnancy not associated with Down syndrome (that would be 1.0 MoM for all components). This result reduces the woman's risk of having a child with Down syndrome four-fold.

About The Author

Jane Orville is the mother of a 17 year old daughter with Down Syndrome and has spent years researching and compiling a simple guide to assist parents deal with the concerns of raising a child with Down Syndrome.

http://www.down-syndrome-help.com

Medical Malpractice for Babies

Medical practices are some of the causes of pain and suffering among the American Families. The bad news is that it affects the babies in some situation. Researches have shown that around two million babies have suffered from trauma during delivery at the time of their birth. Birth trauma has a lot of consequences which can go from mild to temporary up to devastating injuries. This can also cause tragic impairments that can lead to permanent conditions.

We all know that babies are young and if they experience medical malpractice, they might not recover from the pain and suffering that they are going through. Their body is weak so doctors should take extra care of them.

In some cases, birth trauma cannot be prevented because of some conditions. However, if a good doctor handles the delivery, these situations can be prevented. If a doctor is not that trained and experienced, he might fail to diagnose the cause of the birth trauma. This is where medical practice takes place. There are laws regarding medical malpractices. Doctors should be very careful in treating these cases especially in babies because they might be suffering this for the rest of their lives.

When a medical professional or a doctor fails to diagnose some common prenatal infections, or some other factors, it is expected to have birth trauma. If on the day of the delivery, a medical assistant did not provide the proper treatment, the baby can develop birth trauma that easy. We might not be aware of this but even the babies have feelings at such early stage. Some heavy bruising can be caused by improperly using birthing techniques like vacuums and forceps. These equipments need extra care in using it. Another common example of birth trauma us shoulder dystocia. When a shoulder of the baby is impacted on the pelvis of the mother during birth, which is considered shoulder dystocia. If this is not treated properly, it can lead to serious injuries to the upper extremities of the child.

Medical malpractice and negligence is something that cannot be forgiven to doctors. It has been clear from the start that once they have committed to the care and attention of patients, he must do his best to perform a good action, an action that can alleviate the suffering of the individual. Our babies’ life is important so they should be given the proper care and treatment.

For more related articles, you may visit http://www.socialsecuritylawattorney.com.

About The Author

Karen Nodalo has graduated from the Bicol University specializing in Computer Science, she graduated with flying honors being one of the top notch students of the graduating class. She has been into writing for almost 5 years now, and has been into different topics. She has also been into student publications since her elementary years, giving her the much coveted exposure that writers of her kind battles for.

karen@rushprintingservices.com

“Smart Babies”: Learning As Early As Possible

The mind of a child as he or she is in the early years is like an empty basket. This is often called as “tabula rasa” in developmental psychology. This mind is then gradually fed with information from the surroundings especially from those that are very accessible to him or her.

This makes the development of a child’s mind very complicated. There are threats around, but a child must not stop learning because he or she is in the true foundation age of life. The inputs in this stage would make a lot of difference for him or her as growth unfolds. Why does a parent or guardian need to take the most of the time educating or teaching a child on his or her earlier years?

As the foundation of his older years, the things that are being injected in a child’s midst would be carried through until he grows more maturely. If as early as three years, the child is being taught the value of studying, he will surely grow up maintaining the diligence

Having sharper memories, children learn and remember fast. It follows that it is the easiest to teach a four-year-old than a forty-year-old stubborn adult. Children store not that much feeds of information.

The endless studying closely follows, so therefore being conditioned on how important it is to study and how one studies could well be easily realized by children and then follow these guides with promptness. This prepares the child for kindergarten.

Learning is fun and there is fun in learning. Both of these are true for children. With that, parents must try to think of methods that would aid their children’s learning without killing the element of fun. They learn easily if you teach them in a form of play or activities.

This is the best time to teach the child how valuable self-confidence is. Allow a child to do things by himself in some cases. This is not neglecting but a means of telling him or her that he or she could do it alone.

Having the self-confidence with your aid will indeed help your child establish the elements of independence in him or her. This would be a great strength the child would carry with him or her as he or she grows up.

Teaching your children how to learn thing as early as possible in their lives is a kind of lesson from you that they would hold as a great influence throughout their lives. A smart child does not only think but also feels.

About The Author

Jessica Davis is a freelance writer for the Baby Times. She writes a regular column which is published every Thursday. Her latest 'favorite pick' is http://www.babygeniusproductions.com/.

Breastfed Babies With Excess Gas

If your breastfed baby seems to have excess gas, it can be disconcerting because you're wondering if s/he is in pain. Surprisingly, some babies seem to have no problems and don't mind being "gassy". But if the baby seems to be in some discomfort, try these tips to help with excess gas.

1) Let Gravity Assist When Feeding

Basically, any position that causes the milk to go against gravity will help baby handle the flow of milk more easily, and cause him to swallow less air - resulting in less gas. Try nursing baby in the "football" hold with him looking at your breast and partially sitting up, facing you. Nursing lying down will allow baby to let extra milk flow out the side of his mouth. After a feeding, try holding him upright in a baby sling. Many Moms have found that their babies who frequently spit up are helped when they're frequently held close to Mom's body in a soft carrier.

2) Finish The First Breast First

At the beginning of a feeding, your baby is getting the lower fat "foremilk" and later on, the higher fat "hindmilk". If you remove baby from the first breast before he pulls away and give him the other side, he may fill up with foremilk, causing some gassiness, fussiness, and spitting up.

Let him decide when he's done with the first breast, either by pulling away or falling asleep. If you have a very strong "letdown", or milk ejection reflex, then this is especially important. You may have an overabundant milk supply. Try keeping baby on one side for an entire feeding.

3) Pay Attention To Your Latch

Be sure baby is latched on properly. His mouth should be open wide and he should have a lot of areola (not just the nipple but surrounding tissue) in his mouth. If he is latched on well you will have no pain, and baby will swallow less air - again, the result being less gassiness. It's also a good idea to burp your baby before offering him the second breast. Oftentimes a thorough burping will prevent spit up later.

4) Relax!

Frequent spitting up is often caused by an underdeveloped esophageal sphincter (fancy term for the muscles that keep food down). The problem will likely resolve as baby gets older.

Spitting up and excess gas is rarely caused by something a nursing Mom ate. There is no one food that causes trouble in most or all breastfed infants. Nursing Moms worldwide eat a variety of foods (including spicy foods, garlic, dairy products and "gassy" foods like onions, cabbage and beans) and nurse healthy babies. Food allergies are rare in breastfed infants. If you have a strong family history of allergies, then your baby may be allergic to something that appears in your milk. Ask your health care provider for recommendations about changing your diet if this is the case.

Fussiness and gassiness can be caused by many different factors, including temperament. If you suspect that your baby's frequent spitting up is caused by Reflux, he may have some of the following symptoms: trouble gaining weight, difficulty breathing, gagging and extreme irritability. Ask your baby's Doctor about your baby's symptoms if you're unsure.

About The Author

Carrie Lauth is the host of Natural Moms Talk Radio (naturalmomstalkradio.com), the only Internet talk radio show and podcast for the natural Mom. She has been a breastfeeding counselor for 5 years. For more breastfeeding tips, visit SexyNursingBra.com.

Babies – Our future, a Parent’s Challenge

A Baby, a newborn child, brings joy to a family. A new birth is held as a time for starting fresh and as a time when the family unit must pull together to support each other and the new addition.

A human baby usually weighs somewhere between 5 and 10 pounds, and measures no more than 20 inches in length. They are known by the term infant, which comes from Latin and means ‘unable to speak’.

A baby is born with a head that is in much larger proportion to its body than an adult. The larger brain size of a human is what causes pain in childbirth. The skull is not fully formed at birth, allowing it to move through the birth canal. The head will initially have soft spots know as fontanels, where the plates have not yet knitted together, but the bones will become solid as the infant grows. A newborn cannot see very far, but will respond to cuddling and caressing. They will suck their thumbs as an instinctive knowledge of feeding. They can hear from birth and will respond to a female voice more than a male voice, and have a sense of smell. A baby will usually feed from the mother but can be fed from bottled milk. A baby will soon learn to crawl, but once they learn to walk are usually referred to as toddlers.

Sometimes a baby is born premature, earlier than expected, causing the newborn to be underweight, fragile and in a critical health condition. Some side effects such as mental complications, cerebral palsy, vision loss etc may come later but usually a hospital will take good care of the baby in a special ward. The baby will be placed in an incubator, an enclosed environment that can be controlled and sealed from harmful germs.

Babies have a special place for most people. We spend attention on them, we care for them, and make concessions for mothers with children. Babies are at the heart of a very large industry of baby food, clothing and accessories. Babies are usually spoken to in a high-pitched voice, possibly coming from the fact that they respond to female voice easier than males.

About The Author
John Gibb is the owner of Baby Ideas. For more information on Babies check out http://www.baby-information3k.info

Educational Toys for Babies

Educational toys are fun for babies and provide another tool to stimulate learning and brain development in your infant. There are many ways to teach a child and tens of thousands of educational toys on the market to help parents in the endeavor. The challenge for parents, child care providers and educators is to choose from the vast array of educational toys available in a way that creates a balance of learning techniques, is age appropriate, and most of all fun. This article will provide basic facts about; how babies learn, types of educational toys available and examples of each.

How Babies Learn

It is quite surprising the rate at which babies learn and develop. Learning begins in the womb and continues throughout childhood. In early life how a child learns centers largely around the relationship with the parents. At least until the child starts preschool, the job of stimulating and satisfying baby’s desire to learn falls primarily to the parents.

While babies respond to their parent’s voice there are many other sounds they find interesting. When parents are choosing educational toys for babies they should look for toys that have sound, colors that are bright and contrasted like red, black and white, and have interesting textures that babies like to touch.

Sounds

Babies’ respond to sound and some of the best educational toys include rattles and musical toys. Soothing music such as lullabies is usually best. Auditory and musical toys are known to stimulate logical thinking and imagery in babies and in adults for that matter.

One good educational auditory toy is the Electronic Metal Keys. These keys are good for a child 6 months and up. The Electronic Metal Keys are an imitation of the parent’s car keys. However, the Electronic Metal Key toy is safe for the child to chew on and has a push button that emits sounds like a car horn, doorbell, ignition, and remote control door.

Sight

Bright colors in educational toys stimulate baby’s vision. Look for toys with strong color contrast and patterns. A good one to look for is a colorful crib mobile that emits music, has different textures, curves and symmetry.

One such educational toy is the Bath Time Fishing toy. This item is appropriate for babies 12 months and up. It’s a great prop to use during a baby bath. Making the bath as fun as possible can also help overcome any resistance or fear your child may have during the bathing process. The toy is bright in color, has a rod and reel, and the strong magnets attached to its tails allow for easy catching. Bath Time Fishing is priced at around $16.00 dollars.

Fine motor play

Fine motor play educational toys are used to stimulate coordination in baby’s finger and eye movements. One such toy aimed at developing the hand-eye coordination is “Counting Pals”, which is aimed at babies 6 months and up. Counting Pals are 10 soft and squishy colored blocks. They can be stacked, tossed, chewed by the baby. Counting pals also provides animal illustrations that will enchant the baby. Counting Pals educational toy is priced at around $12.00.

Cognitive Skills

There are some educational toys that promote cognitive skills in babies, which is to say they stimulate the child’s memory, how they picture things and their problem solving skills. Educational toys like building blocks, activity boxes or puzzles are a good purchase for your child. The puzzles can deal with numbers, letters or pictures; it does not matter, but they should be fairly easy for a baby to grasp and manipulate.

About The Author
Tim Lawrence is a father of two and co-founder of Colic Calm Gripe Water for Babies - http://www.coliccalm.com/ , Tim has written and been published on several topics related to parenting, education and family. His website is Gripe Water for Infant Colic - http://www.coliccalm.com/

Newborn Babies Can Lack Kerb Appeal

Newborn babies often appear less than appealing with their blotchy, wrinkled skin, large weird heads, swollen features and blue tinge.

Your newborn baby’s limbs might be covered by fine hair (called lanugo) and a greasy white substance (called vernix) that protects your baby’s skin while in the womb. There may also be a vaginal discharge from baby girls and a milky discharge from the breasts of both sexes which is quite normal in newborns.

Weird shaped heads and flattened features which are common in newborn baby’s are due to the pressure of birth and having to squeeze through the pelvis and an increase in female hormones from the placenta (just before birth) can result in your newborn baby’s genitals being enlarged or breasts slightly swollen.

The bluish tinge to the skin will dissipate soon after birth once your newborns oxygen from his lungs has reached the bloodstream and many of the other features, common in newborns, gradually disappear over the first few weeks.

The weight of your newborn will depend on such things as the mother’s state of health, the amount of weight she has gained during pregnancy, whether the mother is a smoker and the size of both parents. The average weight and size of a newborn is around 3.4kg and 48-51 cm in length although size and weight can vary dramatically with some preterm babies weighing no more than a bag of sugar.

During the first week or so following birth your newborns weight will probably drop while he adjusts to the feeding regime. Once your newborn is feeding regularly his weight will stabilize and within a day or so start to recover regaining birth weight over the next week to ten days.

One of a newborn baby’s automatic reflexes is the rooting reflex which enables them to search for a nipple in order to feed. Every newborn can suck, swallow and gag with the gagging reflex preventing your newborn from choking.

Initially your newborns breathing rhythm can appear jerky causing your baby to hiccup and newborns nasal passages are very small so as they learn to breathe through their noise they make a kind of snuffling noise which will stop once their nasal passage has increased in size.

Some babies cry as soon as chest delivered while others wait until they are breathing normally. Crying is your newborns way of communicating and helps to exercise their lungs. Newborns main reasons for crying is generally hunger, tiredness, loneliness or because they need changing. Sometimes babies cry because they don’t like being undressed or they hate water. You will quickly learn to recognise why your baby is crying and how to soothe him but if you are struggling to cope or have any concerns over your babies wellbeing contact your midwife or healthcare provider.

About The Author
Terry Ross is the author on and the creator of: http://www.1st-4-baby.com/Newborn.html

Some Sound Advice About Babies and Sleeping

Contrary to common belief, babies and sleeping do not go hand in hand. This is true, even though it may come as a surprise to many expecting parents. It is normal to think that all a baby does is eat, sleep, and soil diapers. Well, let me tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

It may seem as if the 18 hours of sleep that your newborn infant is getting is slipping through your fingers. There are two major elements to babies and sleeping. The first is the baby’s rest, and then the second would be the mother’s rest. It is advisable that expecting parents approach these two elements as one.

If you approach babies and sleeping as a paired activity, you look at the entire situation differently. My suggestion is that you should try to sleep when your baby rests. This can be very challenging when you consider a little baby’s unpredictable sleeping pattern. However, if you can adjust properly, the rest that you’ll get is worth the effort.

When I gave birth to my son I thought that I knew everything there was to know about babies and sleeping. Unfortunately, I was mistaken. Despite reading everything about the subject, I was still unprepared to face the difficulties of trying to sleep with a newborn baby. I thought that I was lucky that my son was born in the afternoon, because I thought that I would be able to get plenty of rest in the hospital during my overnight stay. However, things did not go the way I planned. The nurse brought my little boy to me every two hours for feedings.

Of course, I expected this because of all the reading I did about babies and sleeping before the big day. What I didn’t expect was that I could not get to sleep. I wanted my son to be in the room with me all the time, and when the nurse took him back to the nursery, I was left crying.

I was crying a lot because I had post partum depression. This depression can really make babies and sleeping a very difficult challenge. I was so overwhelmed by the birth that I could not stop crying and could not get to sleep. I definitely did not feel like the happy new mother that I expected to be. Things improved when we got home, but I still had difficulty sleeping for a few days. I was not yet accustomed to the balance of babies and sleeping. Fortunately, after a week or so, I was able to rest while my baby was sleeping.

About The Author
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning babies. Get more information by visiting http://www.thatsbeautifulbaby.com/baby-information/baby-information/some-sound-advice-about-babies-and-sleeping.html.

Babies and Sleeping - Some Helpful Tips

Sleep deprivation is one of the challenges of having a baby. Parents can find that they have to survive on less sleep when they have a new born infant. Every parent is waiting for the glorious day when their baby sleeps right through the night. Parents’ normal sleeping patterns are often disrupted by babies who nap through the day and then cry at night. They need to apply strategies in order to cope with babies and sleeping habits.

It is recommended that a parent should try to sleep when the baby is napping. You should unplug the phone, put a do not disturb sign on the door and snooze along with your baby. A warm bath can help to make your baby sleepy at nighttime. You should schedule your infant’s bath time just before put your baby down to sleep. Bedtime should to be about the same time every night because babies and sleeping routines are important.

A baby can wake up and cry for no apparent reason. There are times when you can be baffled with your baby’s crying. Babies may be crying because they are teething or have colic. If you have exhausted all the possibilities, they may be satisfied with a hug. You have to acknowledge the unfortunate fact that babies and sleeping don't always go together.

Teething and illnesses make the problem worse. You should have something to rub on to sore gums when your baby’s teeth start to push through. Colic can also interrupt babies and sleeping soundly so you should also have medicines for this illness as well. If you are a despairing parent with a wakeful child, just remember that it won't always be like this. After the first six months babies and sleeping habit will become more regular.

Babies need a comfortable and quiet environment to sleep. A lullaby or a mobile above the cot may calm babies if they are anxious. In fact, some parents have found that placing baby next to a tumble drier soothes them into sleep! Some parents take their babies out for a car ride in order to solve the babies and sleeping problem. Their baby falls asleep in the car and is then carried gingerly to bed. There are some babies that are unable to fall asleep in their cot. Their parents have to wait for them to nod off wherever they happen to be and than carry them to bed.

About The Author
Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning Babies and Sleeping. Get more information here at http://www.thatsbeautifulbaby.com/baby-information/baby-information/babies-and-sleeping---some-helpful-tips.html.

Pregnancy, fish oil and smarter babies

According to a recent study which was published in the ‘Archives of Disease in Childhood' in 2006, babies born to women who took fish oil supplements during the last 4 months of pregnancy had better hand to eye coordination, were better speakers and could understand more at the age of two and a half, than babies born to mothers who were given olive oil instead.

The Study

The double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial was conducted by the University of Western Australia and led by Professor Susan Prescott. Also involved in the study were King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and Centre for Child Health Research Australia.

A total of 98 women were initially enrolled in the study, all of who were non smokers and who did not regularly consume more than 2 portions of oily fish a week. A total of eighty three of these women completed the study. Researchers gave half of the women in the trial 4gr of fish oil supplements on a daily basis from twenty weeks of pregnancy and these supplements contained a combination of both Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The remainder of the women were given 4gr of Olive Oil. Development checks were carried out on a total of 72 of the babies when they had reached the age of two and a half years.

The children whose mothers received fish oil had a significantly higher score for eye-hand coordination than the babies whose mothers had been given olive oil instead. The growth rates were similar in both groups, as were the general language skills, however, the fish oil group showed higher scores for receptive language, phrase length and vocabulary. The positive results were not related to possibly influential factors such as maternal age and length of time breastfeeding as these factors had already been accounted for.

Fatty acids and the brain

The link between Omega 3 fatty acids and the brain has already been well established and many studies have now shown that fish oil can alleviate the symptoms or help to prevent the onset of several types of depressive disorders, including post natal depression. EPA in particular is believed to improve concentration and memory and cognitive function in general, and some studies have shown it can even help to prevent or slow down the progress of Alzheimer's disease.

It is during the last three months of pregnancy that the baby's brain is developing very rapidly and so this is a time when it is particularly vital that the mother gets enough of the essential Omega 3 fatty acids that are only found in any significant quantities in oily fish such as Salmon, Tuna, Mackerel, Herring and Anchovies. These fatty acids facilitate healthy structure and development of the brain and many professionals now believe it is DHA that is important for the structure of the brain and EPA for efficient functioning of the brain on a day to day basis.

Scientists at The University of Bristol in the UK are currently investigating the benefits of giving fish oil to children, as much of the evidence to date has come from dietary factors during pregnancy. For example, previous research by Bristol University found that children whose mothers ate fish regularly during pregnancy had better vision and cognitive development and behaviour than those whose mothers ate little or no fish.

So why don't we just eat more fish?

Due to the potentially high levels of toxins, particularly mercury, in fresh fish, the current recommendation is for pregnant women and women and girls who might have a baby one day in the future to eat no more than 2 portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily, and no more than 4 portions of fish for everyone else, no more than two of which should be oily.

The indications are that Pharmaceutical grade fish oil might be an option for everyone, including during pregnancy and beyond. Indeed, this type of fish oil is superior to standard grade fish oils and is becoming increasingly popular because the processes involved in producing it means the oil has been filtered and concentrated to contain high levels of the all important fatty acids without the danger of toxins associated with fresh fish.

Conclusion

The Australian study would appear to suggest that there are no adverse effects for mother or baby from taking relatively high doses of fish oil in late pregnancy. Not only can it have a beneficial effect on baby's cognitive development and reduce the risk of developing post natal depression, there are also numerous other health benefits associated with taking fish oil. However, if you are pregnant or trying to conceive and would like to consider the option of taking fish oil supplements, it is important that you discuss the implications with your doctor or other health care provider first.

About The Author
Dave McEvoy is an expert in EPA with over 20 years experience; for more information about fish oil and how it can help come and visit. http://www.mind1st.co.uk

http://www.mind1st.com

Babies And Napping

Naptime is a blessing for you and your baby. Here are some tips on how to make this important time as beneficial as possible for you both.

Why Should Babies Nap?

Naps are not just important for their restorative value, although that is their most obvious benefit. Children’s sleep expert Elizabeth Pantley describes some of the other advantages to napping:

• Adequate sleep is important in brain development. Some research has shown that daytime napping may help move new information into a more permanent place in a child’s memory.

• Napping can affect nighttime sleep. A child who needs a nap but does not get one can become overtired and have trouble falling asleep at night.

• Studies have shown that children who nap have longer attention spans and are less fussy than those who do not nap.

• A child’s biology dictates that a nap is necessary after midday, when energy levels tend to drop. (Adults feel the same way, but sleep is not usually an option for them.)

• Sleep releases stress-fighting hormones.

• Napping can help a child catch up on sleep if their previous night’s sleep was disrupted.

When Should Babies Nap?

The answer to this question varies according to the age of the baby. Newborns, easily overwhelmed by their new surroundings, tend to nap frequently. They often have catnaps throughout the day, with a couple of longer naps in the morning and afternoon. Between three and six months, babies settle into a routine of morning and afternoon naps. This age presents the ideal opportunity for you to establish a nap routine that works with your baby’s biological signals for rest.

Young babies between the ages of three and six months generally have one morning nap of about an hour, and one afternoon nap of slightly longer duration, usually closer to two hours in length. Some babies are more comfortable with three shorter naps of about 45 minutes each. The number of naps is not as important as the total amount of sleep and the general disposition of your baby: if Baby is cranky, chances are she is not getting enough sleep.

Morning and afternoon naps continue throughout the first year. Between one and two years of age, most children can go without a morning nap, but still need an afternoon nap. The afternoon nap typically continues until about the age of four.

As for the exact time a baby should nap, that is mostly Baby’s decision. Some sleep experts advise that when trying to establish a nap schedule, you plan to put Baby down about two hours after she wakes in the morning and again after a midday meal. Babies who require a third nap usually take it in the early evening.

Most babies indicate they are ready for a nap through a variety of signals, discussed later in this article. If you try to put a baby down when he is not tired, chances are pretty slim that he’ll fall asleep. Heed Baby’s signs and try to work with his natural sleep cycles and you’ll find a good basis for a nap routine.

How Long Should Naps Be?

Sleep is a critical component of babies’ mental and physical development so it is important that they get enough of it. Babies will usually become tired on their own and will sleep when they need to, but some parents like to create a schedule. Do what works best for you – let Baby dictate sleep time or set a schedule. The key is to make sure that your baby gets the sleep she needs.

The amount of naptime required decreases as a baby gets older. At four months, a baby needs about 4 to 6 hours of naptime. At six months, babies tend to nap a little less, needing about 3 to 4 hours. By his first birthday, Baby needs about 2 to 3 hours of naptime and he may get it from one nap or two. Once she is into her toddler years, your little one will need only one nap of about 1 to 2 hours.

Sleep Signs – Knowing When Baby is Ready for a Nap

Learning your baby’s sleep signs is extremely important. If you do not recognize them or choose to ignore them, the “sleep window” will close and you’ll end up with a cranky, overtired baby who cannot fall asleep.

Signs to look for include:

• rubbing eyes
• yawning
• slowing down and quieting down
• fussiness
• thumb sucking or reaching for a pacifier or sleep toy
• wanting to nurse or have a bottle

In an ideal world, when Baby is ready to sleep, you would be able to put her down and let her fall asleep. For some parents, this does actually happen. For the unlucky ones it does not. Depending on the sleep habits of your baby, you may want to establish a nap routine that resembles, but is not exactly the same as, your nighttime routine. You might read a short book, play some soft music, or rock the baby to sleep. If your baby seems ready to drop as soon as his head hits the mattress, skip the routine and just put him down. You might be pleasantly surprised by his ability to drift off by himself.

When Baby Won’t Nap

There are a variety of reasons why a baby won’t nap. If a baby is rested and getting up earlier than you prefer, there is little you can do. If you feel that your baby is not getting the rest she needs, you may need to change your routine.

Often, resistance to naps comes when babies are overtired. Make sure to heed your baby’s sleep signs, as discussed above, and get her to bed when she is starting to act tired.

If your baby wakes early and is in need of more rest, try getting him to go back to sleep. Depending on your philosophy about babies and sleep, you can rock him or just gently pat him on the back and let him fall back to sleep on his own.

Make sure Baby’s sleep environment is conducive to sleep. A dark and slightly cool room is best.

Older babies may be waking early simply because they do not need as many naps as you are giving them. Try dropping a nap and see if that helps.

About The Author
David Beart is the owner of http://www.professorshouse.com . Our site covers many of day to day issues that occur in the home, this includes family matters, cooking, relationships, gardening of other household issues.

Female Entrepreneurs, Business & Babies…

The modern successful business woman faces a dilemma when a baby arrives on the scene especially if it is unexpected. Can they manage to juggle work and business with babies?

The great thing about modern technology is that most business tasks can now be done online and on the phone. This means that business women can keep working from the office and nearer the time of giving birth, from home, until the last few days before giving birth!

Business women on average tend to take less time off when a baby arrives on the scene compared to women in employment. It can be easier dealing with the requirements of a child and juggling work for women who are their own boss as they do not have to deal with the prejudices of their employer.

It is critical that some home help is arranged quickly otherwise both mum and child could be affected. Busy mums will not just have to take care of business as usual but also recover from the child birth experience.

For business women finding good childcare is essential if they are to continue working productively after their child is born. This does not necessarily mean that the baby has to left at a day care during the day.

It could simply mean having someone reliable coming to the family home for five or six critical hours every day. This then means that mum can focus on business completely during that time & / or just catch up with some rest.

Power naps can be very useful for mothers trying to cope with lack of sleep. Some people believe that for this to be successful you actually need to be able to fall asleep. This is not really the case as long as you get a rest for a little time during the day where you can let your mind wander without being disturbed in a calming environment.

Some women do feel guilty that they are not around to take care of all the needs of the baby. They shouldn't really as babies are more concerned about quality time than the actual numbers of hours spent. Bear in mind that most newborns sleep sixteen to twenty hours a day and do not even realise that mum is missing.

What about if they have decided to breast feed? Modern breast pumps are very good and milk can be saved for later if mum has to attend a business meeting or is unavailable. This means that it is still possible to completely breast feed whilst running a business.

In some ways the arrival of a baby can serve to motivate the mother even further to achieve more in business now that they are not just working for themselves…

Some people will argue that it is not possible to juggle a business and still rear a newborn child successfully. I tend to disagree. Nothing could serve to make an ambitious female entrepreneur unhappy and suffer from post natal depression more than an enforced period of absence from the very business that drives them.

Have you had a child and had to work or run a business before & during the first year after birth? How did you cope? What issues did you face?

About The Author
Naz Daud is the Founder of the CityLocal Internet Business Franchise Opportunity.
http://www.citylocal.co.uk
http://www.citylocal.co.uk/frontend/franchiseinfo.php?cityid=79
http://www.citylocal.ie

Peridot Jewelry Remains Popular Choice For August Babies

The peridot, which symbolizes marital happiness, is a gemstone that also serves as the birthstone for the month of August. By definition, a peridot is a semi-precious gem that is available in shades of green, particularly a light green hue which is reminiscent of a spring lawn as the sun gazes down upon it. To many, the color of green has a specific meaning but for those who were born in the late summer, it’s the gemstone that honors their birth month.

When it comes to gemstone jewelry, clarity is important. Because most peridot is not known to have inclusions in the same way as some of the other gemstones, it takes on a perfect blend of color and clarity for a look that’s sure to please. Synthetic peridot is one alternative that allows women to enjoy the look of a flawless gemstone without the price tag, but the genuine gem itself is surprisingly affordable. This means that you can still obtain a genuine peridot for a terrific price, but a synthetic gem will cost you even less.

So, you weren’t born in August and you still appreciate the brilliance of a peridot? Jewelry lovers around the world thrive on adding color to their wardrobe, which is exactly what you will be doing by incorporating this cheery gemstone into your collection. Peridot jewelry, either genuine or synthetic, will make a wonderful gift for yourself or someone that you love. Speaking of those that you love, wearing the birthstone of your son or daughter is a terrific way of showing them how much you care. Perhaps you are a new mother whose child was born in August, or you are a Grandmother who is proud to wear the birthstone of her grandchild. Whatever the case, there’s always a reason to wear peridot jewelry, including nothing more than your love of it’s color.

When it comes to versatility, the jewelry of today has it all. Whether you are looking for a bold pendant to accessorize your favorite formal wear or you just want to add some sparkle to your everyday casual style, the choice is yours. At Almost Diamonds, a popular online retailer specializing in sterling silver jewelry, you can find simulated peridot in a choice of stunning designs. Among them, a dragonfly pendant with simulated peridot body, a breathtakingly beautiful pear-cut simulated peridot pendant surrounded by white cubic zirconia, a simulated peridot cross, etc. If you want to complete the look with matching earrings, Almost Diamonds offers both dangle and stud style choices.

Almost Diamonds has a complete line of items featuring cubic zirconia and genuine gemstones in a variety of styles to choose from. If you are looking to maximize your jewelry collection without minimizing your wallet, consider the affordable option of sterling silver. Not only is this a precious metal that’s designed to last forever, but it also is an economical way to get the look of platinum or white gold without spending a fortune. When matched with peridot, either genuine or simulated, sterling silver is something to behold.


About The Author
Melanie Spark

For more information on silver birthstone jewelry, silver peridot jewelry, and silver jewelry, visit Almost Diamonds at http://www.almostdiamonds.com.

Video Game Addiction Equals Babies Starving

Young couple accused of neglecting young children to surf the Web and play computer video games.

In Reno, Nevada a couple authorities say were so obsessed the the Internet and computer video games that they left babies starving, suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.

Michael and Iana Straw had two children, a girl ll months old and a boy 22 month old. Authorities found these two children very malnourished and near death last month after social working took them to a hospital. According to prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria the children are doing much better, gaining weight and are in foster care.

"Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence."

According to prosecutor Viloria the couple was too distract by online computer video games, namely the fantasy role playing "Dungeons & Dragons" series, to give their children proper care.

“They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games,” Viloria told Reno's local publication.

The status of the Children when found.

When police found the girl and took her to the hospital the staff there had to shave her hair because it was matted with cat urine. "The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration."

The brother was also treated for starvation as well as a genital infection, because of a lack in muscle development he had difficulties walking, investigators say.

The father, "Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records."

Michael received $50,000 from inheritance that "he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said."

American Medical Association ponder Video game addiction

"While child abuse because of drug addiction is common, abuse rooted in video game addiction is rare, Viloria said."

Last month, doctors at an American Medical Association dismissed having video game addiction as a mental disorder, stating more research need to be done. Some argued it was like alcoholism while other felt there was solid evidence that is was a psychological disease.

It is hard to know whether or not video game addiction is a true psychological disorder. It is very possible, seeing people pull all nighters playing computer video games, pausing only to use the bathroom, not even eating is problem in this writers mind.

For more articles like this one please go to http://www.gameznstuff.net/blogs.html


About The Author
Kirk Jensen
Owner of:
http://www.gameznstuff.com
http://www.gameznstuff.net

Photographing Portraits in Vancouver - babies & bellies

I love to photograph growing bellies and newborn babies and that is why I offer my clients a package that includes both sessions.

Prenatal photography is a growing trend for new moms and an event well worth photographing. This time goes by so quickly and speaking from experience – it is something that is hard to remember without images to bring you back. Babies grow so quickly and the newborn stage is so precious. After only a month or two parent's are shocked by how much they grow and the newborn stage, unless photographed is hard to recall.

It's these reasons that I explain to my clients why it's so important to have me there as soon after the baby arrives as possible.

When I am doing prenatal photography I recommend doing it within the 8th calendar month of the pregnancy. I find that it's during this time that mom is still feeling good and her belly is still at a size where posing for shots is comfortable. Always on location – I look for natural light and interesting compositions. It's important that both compliment my subject and make them look as great as possible.

Baby photography is always a bit more challenging as I always go by the baby's schedule which can be very unpredictable! I never schedule less than 2 hours for the shoot and work hard to get a big variety of shots. I include details of the baby's room, baby awake, baby sleeping, baby eating, family groupings, siblings, toys, and anything I can find in the home that represents a new born baby.

I always look for new and interesting elements when doing prenatal and baby photography so that my work is always fresh and inspiring.

Check out my website for more information http://www.capturingyounaturally.com


About The Author
Elizabeth Soergel is a Vancouver BC based wedding and portrait photographer with over 10 years of experience.