By that time all donor identifying information has long since been removed and there is a danger that the recipient of the cord blood could develop these disorders also.

The largest hindrance facing public cord-blood banking is the exorbitant costs needed to open them and maintain them. There are only a few in operation. Public cord-blood banks do not charge storage fees and many of the medical centers can’t afford to establish or maintain them. You also run into the fear that the ones that are in existence might not have the funds to ensure there is a large enough staff to make sure the cord blood samples are handled properly with the right procedures.

Private cord-blood banks.
Initial costs can be a draw back for some parents because the service is not always covered by medical insurance. However, private cord-blood banking is an affordable investment for most families as most private banks come with payment plans. Often, the payment plans are very reasonable so that the arrangements can fit into most budgets.

With private cord-blood banks, the parents can control how and if the blood will be used and the stem cells are only generally accessed if the donor or a family member needs a transplant.

So it really depends on why you are banking your newborn’s cord blood. If you are doing it for stem cell research or just donating to a good cause then for the most part a public bank will be a viable option. However, if you have a medical history of illness that cord blood can help in the treatments of said illness then by far the better bet is to bank it in a private cord-blood bank so you will have it at your immediate disposal and know where it came from.

Prepare Your Child for the Changes Ahead
Explain in realistic terms what changes will occur when the baby arrives. Tell your child that new babies cry a lot — when they are tired, hungry, hot or cold, have a wet diaper, need to be cuddled, or sometimes just because they are babies.

Setting up realistic expectations will help them through this challenging, exhilarating time. And, always refer to the baby as “ours” to let your older child have ownership in the arrival of your new member.

Let Your Child Discuss Things Bothering Him
Being heard is probably the most crucial thing you can do to help your child with the transition. And, understand that jealousy is universal. All children experience it in some manner. It is not a predictor of how well your children will relate to each other in later years. But, we do know that if children are not allowed, and even encouraged, to express negative feelings, these feelings will come out in non-productive ways.

Help your child talk through any negative feelings about the baby. This may be difficult for you to hear, but it is much better than the alternative. Anger, jealousy and confusion when kept inside can turn into violence. Children will find a way to express these feelings, through either physical or emotional outlets, if safe spaces for communicating these ideas are not created.

Reassure Your Child You Love Them
It is so important to keep reminding your older children how special they are to you, how much you love them, and how there is no one that could ever take their place in your heart and in your life. Lots of extra hugs and cuddles are a definite must!

Avoid Comparisons
We want to allow our children to be and become their own special selves. Highlight your children’s unique gifts and mirror those back to them so they can see and be proud of their own talents and qualities.

Comparisons are just one of the ways we can cause jealousy and anger. Be aware of your actions and words; children are very sensitive during times of change.

Set Aside Alone Time with Your Older Child
Have your partner, a friend or a sitter watch the baby and take your child out for special times (to the park, to get ice cream or for a walk — just the two of you). Also, use the baby’s naptime to read, sing, dance, play, and talk to your older child.

Time alone will be crucial to your child’s self-esteem and to let them know how important they are to you.

Ask Your Older Child for Help
Explain that babies need lots of extra attention because they can’t do anything for themselves. They will need help eating, getting dressed, bathing – and all of these are things that the big brother/sister can help with. Giving them responsibility with the new baby makes them feel special and a part of the new energy around the baby.

Don’t make the mistake of building an artificial wall between the baby and the older sibling in an effort to protect the new baby. Instead, broaden your already existing family circle to allow for your new member. Don’t shut out the older siblings, but allow them to nurture, cuddle, rock, feed and even help with changing diapers for the baby.

Allow your older child to keep special toys and clothes. Seeing all your toys disappear into the baby’s room can cause anger and jealousy. Know that your older child may have outgrown certain toys but still be attached to others (stuffed animals in particular).

Just Because He Is OLDER Doesn’t Mean He is “Older”
Overnight, your child’s role has changed in the family. Don’t expect him to grow up overnight just because he is the big brother. Many children revert to younger behaviors when the baby arrives and want you to call them baby, too. Knowing that this is perfectly normal (and only temporary) will help you deal with their changes.

Don’t Fuss
There will be enough relatives lavishing attention on the baby and plenty of time for that when your older child is not present. You should talk to your child about all the attention that the baby will get. Let your older child know that you understand how he feels with all the attention going to someone else.

Reinforce the Positives
Try to point out your children’s accomplishments and lavish praise on them. Reinforcing all the good things they do is extremely important at a time that will be full of “don’ts.” It is only natural that there will be many negative rules that will be established (Don’t scream around the baby, don’t pull the baby’s arms, etc.), but remember to focus on the positives.

Even though choosing a mattress for your new baby is not near as exciting as picking out the baby crib and crib bedding, it is a very important decision in terms of the safety and comfort of your baby. This article reviews the issues you will need to consider when picking out the best baby crib mattress that meets your needs.

Baby Crib Mattress Safety Issues
A baby crib mattress should be firm and tight-fitting. You don’t want any space between the mattress and the baby crib walls. How much space is too much? If you can fit 2 side-by-side fingers between the side of the baby crib and the mattress, then the mattress is too small and poses a safety hazard. Most mattresses come in a standard size that fit standard style baby cribs. The standard size for a mattress is 51 5/8″ by 27 1/4″.

Types of Baby crib Mattresses
Baby crib mattresses vary from expensive inner-spring models to economical polyurethane-foam styles. One is not necessarily better than the other, given that they are both of the same high quality. Foam baby crib mattresses are usually less expensive than coil mattresses and just as safe provided they are of high quality. They are also usually lighter and easier to move around if you need to pick it up to change the sheets. The question is, “How do you tell whether a mattress is of high quality?” Here are some tips that might help.

Foam Mattresses
In general, weight is a good indication of the quality of a foam mattress. As the weight goes up, the quality of the foam goes up because it means that the foam is denser. A second issue to consider is the firmness of the foam mattress. Generally, the firmer the mattress the better. Remember, one easy way to check the firmness of the mattress is to pick it up, place your hands in the middle on opposite sides, and squeeze. The harder it is to squeeze the mattress, the firmer it is. Lastly, you may want to consider the resiliency of the mattress. Resilience refers to how quickly it regains its original shape when the weight is removed from the mattress. A higher quality foam mattress will regain its shape quicker than a lower quality mattress.

Innerspring Mattresses
It can get rather technical discussing the features of innerspring mattresses. But, I will try to keep it as simple as possible. It would be nice to think that it is only a matter of the number of coils in the mattress. It is not that simple. What is more important is finding an innerspring mattress with the highest amount of steel. Definitely, more coils means more steel. But, there are other factors than can add a significant amount of steel to the mattress. For example, the largest pieces of steel are the border rods which circle the top and bottom of the mattress along the edges of the mattress. Border rods provide additional edge support which is important once your baby is able to hold on the baby crib rails and walk back and forth in the baby crib. The border rods also help distribute the weight over the surface of the mattress which helps to avoiding any sagging over time. So, if you decide on an innerspring mattress, make sure it has a border rod. Ready for some math…. Here we go. Let’s consider coils for a minute. The coil count is somewhat important in determining the quality of the mattress. Another thing to consider is the quality of the coils. It doesn’t make much sense to have lots and lots of coils if they are of poor quality and will wear out quickly. To figure out the quality of the coils, you need to look at the thickness of the coils. Mattresses with 150 coils or less will usually have a 13.5 gauge steel coil or thicker. Remember, the lower the number of gauge of steal, the thicker the steel. Once a mattress has more than 160 coils, the steal has to be thinner because there isn’t enough room for thicker steel. Are you confused yet??? Let’s just say that a 150 coil mattress with 13.5 gauge carbon tempered steel coils and 9.0 gauge steel border rods is a good all-around baby crib mattress. You can compare the baby crib you are considering to this general standard to see how it compares.

There is just one more issue to consider with innerspring mattresses. It is important to consider the layers on top of the spring coils which add cushioning and softness to the mattress. This layer is called in insulator layer and will hopefully prevent the cushioning from sinking into the coils over time. The best and most expensive material used is coir fiber. Coir fiber is actually made from shredded coconut shells made into a pad. Many other materials, all of them less expensive and of lower quality, are used as insulator pads. The most common material is miscellaneous types of scraps of cloth collected from the floors of textile mills, washed, and pressed into a pad. This type of insulator pad feels just as good as a coir fiber pad but it won’t hold up as well over time. Many baby crib mattress manufactures call this material a fiber wrap pad.

Mattress Cover
Almost all mattresses have a vinyl cover. Cheaper mattresses with have only a single layer of vinyl cover or a quilted vinyl cover. Better mattresses have a double laminated cover. The best quality covers are triple laminated, nylon reinforced covers and hospital grade vinyl covers that use a thicker vinyl. Nylon is the best reinforcing material because it allows the vinyl to stretch and give without tearing. Keep in mind that some manufactures use polyester or other type of reinforcing material. Nylon is still the best (and most expensive) in terms of preventing the vinyl from tearing when a toddler is jumping on it.

Vents
There are pros and cons about vents which you will need to weigh. Most of the higher quality mattresses have vents. Vents allow the mattress to breathe and keep the mattress from bursting should your toddler decide to use it as a trampoline. However, vents also allow any airborne particles to enter the mattress. One good point is that vents are never near a baby’s face.

There are two types of vents. Eyelet vents are small and usually circle all sides of the mattress in two or three rows. The second type consists of two larger vents on each side of the mattress. One type of vent is not necessarily better than the other.

Conclusion
With all of this information, hopefully you will be armed and ready to find a good quality mattress that meets your needs. Remember, price is not necessarily a guarantee that the mattress is of good quality. Just because a mattress costs a lot and has a long warranty does not mean that it is the best mattress. Read the label for specifications. If it doesn’t meet your requirements, then move on to the next mattress. I hope that this article helps you to make an informed decision when you buy the baby crib mattress. If you are still in doubt, ask the salesperson. The salesperson should be able to discuss in details all of the issues we have consider here. Good luck!

About the Author
Sarah Holmes, Ph.D. quit her full-time job in order to stay home with her baby girl. She created www.BabyCribCentral.com as a free resource to other new moms and dads. Her site compares prices on hundreds of baby cribs from more than 20 online stores allowing you to find the beset price with a click of a button. Her site also offers lots of information about the different types of cribs as well as all sorts of safety information about how to buy and use your new crib safely.

A baby crib is one of the most expensive things you will buy for your new baby. You can always go to your local store to shop for a crib, but you may find that your options are limited in terms of finding the perfect baby crib. Plus, it is much easier to sit at home and shop at your own computer than to go from store to store looking at baby cribs. If you decide to shop online for a baby crib, there are a few things you should keep in mind. This article will review a few pointers that will help you safely buy a baby crib online.

It’s All About Selection
One of the greatest things about online shopping is the selection! For example, if you decide that you want a round baby crib, your local store may not carry any at all. Through several online stores, you can find dozens of great round baby cribs made by several different manufacturers. While the wide range of choices may be overwhelming, it can be very useful when you are just trying to get an idea of the type of crib you want. You can review lots of different baby crib models in order to help you decide which baby crib features matter to you most (i.e., convertible, casters, both sides dropping down, etc.). Once you finalize the type of crib that you want, you are then ready for some serious price comparison shopping.

Compare Baby Crib Prices
You will be amazed to find that the very same baby crib may vary in price by several hundred dollars. That is because there are more than a dozen online stores that sell baby cribs. They all compete with each other meaning that you can get some a really good deal on a baby crib. They often offer free shipping, put their baby cribs on sale or offer “internet coupons” for a certain percentage off the total price. This is all to your advantage but requires you to shop around to find the best deal on a baby crib. One thing to look for is the shipping cost when comparing baby crib prices. One crib may be listed at a lower price but have a higher shipping charge. Make sure that you identify that actual shipping charges and take that into consideration when selecting the best priced baby crib. Many of the online stores will list the shipping cost right on the product page. If not, you may have to add it to you cart and “check out” to see what the shipping charges are.

Check the Online Store’s Policies
The last thing you will want to do before finalizing your online purchase of a baby crib is to check the store’s policy. You will want to make sure that it is easy to contact them by mail, email, and phone. If they do not provide this information, then you may not want to buy from them. You will also need to check out their shipping policies. Some will offer you a choice in shippers which may influence the shipping price. You will also want to check to see when they will ship the crib. Several online stores take 6 to 8 weeks to ship a baby crib. If time is short for you, you will have to select an online store that can ship the baby crib right away.

It is important to review the store’s return policy. If you decide on ordering a custom made crib, the online store may not allow any returns. If this is the case, you will need to be 100% that this is the baby crib for you. Online stores may offer free exchanges or may require you to pay to send the crib back. These are all issues that are important to take into consideration when deciding on where to buy your baby crib. Also, if you do decide to order a specialized crib such as a round or corner crib, be sure to order a mattress and baby bedding. Regular stores don’t usually carry these items and it’s best to order them online as well.

With this information in mind, you should be able to find the best online deal for a new baby crib. You will definitely find the widest selection online and most likely the best deal on the perfect baby crib for your new baby.

About the Author
Sarah Holmes, Ph.D. quit her full-time job in order to stay home with her baby girl. She created www.BabyCribCentral.com as a free resource to other new moms and dads. Her site compares prices on hundreds of baby cribs from more than 20 online stores allowing you to find the beset price with a click of a button. Her site also offers lots of information about the different types of cribs as well as all sorts of safety information about how to buy and use your new crib safely.