by James Aust

When a baby has colic, the family environment is stressful and many family members may become upset or on edge. This is most often seen in new parents. Some symptoms of colic may be that the baby cries loudly for three hours, the baby has bowel pains or the baby pulls their feet up under themselves and clenches their fists. New parents become alarmed and upset that their new baby may cry for hours, even though they have tried just about everything to comfort the the baby.

Causes of Colic
There is no known one cause of colic. Doctors have several theories of what causes infant colic. The most popular theory is that the child had ingested air along with either the mother’s milk or bottled milk. Drinking too fast or in gulps causes air to enter the baby’s stomach which leads to gastrointestinal pain, thus the baby becomes colic. Another theory some believe is that if the baby is breast fed and the mother is eating a lot of gas producing foods such as orange juice, vegetables, like onions and cabbage, apples, plums, spicy food and caffeinated products such as cola, chocolate and tea, the baby will receive the same result through breast milk. A third theory is that infants have an immature nervous system that is unable to cope with all the intense new stimulations of new life events. As the day progresses, the stress overcomes them and they cry for hours.

Solutions For a Colic Baby
Infant colic is very common in new born children. It is not the result of poor parenting skills. In fact, about 1/3 of all babies experience colic, so having a colic baby is not uncommon. In most cases infant colic will disappear in three months. But what can you do now? How can you reduce colic symptoms? There is no single treatment for a colic baby. Many parents have experienced success trying the following methods:

1. Hold your baby and rock it in your arms.
2. Put your baby in a swing and gently rock it back and fourth.
3. Take the baby for a car ride.
4. Carry the infant in a sling or take it for a carriage ride.
5. Try turning on a fan or vacuum, using them as white noise.
6. Try using a pacifier.
7. Give the baby a warm bath.
8. Try burping the baby.
9. Use Simethicone drops to reduce the baby’s gas pains.
10. If you are the mother, and you are breast feeding, vary your diet to see if you are eating some food which produces gas. The baby would receive this food through your breast milk.

Summary of Infant Colic
Most of the time newborn colic is nothing to worry about. Make sure you go over the possible solutions for a colic baby which are listed above. Ask neighbors and friends. They have often already been through infant colic. Consult your doctor if your baby screams constantly or if the infant colic is accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, constipation or absence of urine. These symptoms may indicate a more serious problem. If you are new parents, congratulations!

About the Author
Visit James M. Aust at www.AllWomensClothes.com/

Why Babywearing can make your life easier!
The stresses of being a parent, coupled with common daily tasks such as working, errands, and housekeeping can be extremely overwhelming. Tending to your responsibilities while struggling with swings, high chairs, strollers and other bulky devices used to keep your baby safe and happy can be more of a hindrance than help. These items are often pricey and short lived, cluttering up space and emptying your wallet. There is an easier way to accomplish these tasks while saving space, money and LOTS of tears from you and your loved little one. The answer is a timeless technique used for ages called Babywearing.

For centuries, women and men alike have kept their babies safe and happy by utilizing babywearing techniques while tending to their duties. Cultures that keep their babies close to them have babies who cry much less than in other more modernized cultures that use cumbersome devices to transport and entertain their babies.

Keeping the baby close to your body provides the wearer with awareness of what your baby needs and allows you to respond quickly before the baby has to cry for attention, eliminating much time spent comforting an already upset child and loosing track of what you were doing. Studies (Hunziker, U. A. and Barr, R, G. (1986).) have shown that babies who are carried and/or worn cry 43% less through out the day, compared to babies who were left in devices such as baby seats and cribs.

Babies that are carried or worn see a wider range of their caregiver’s activities, absorbing and learning more from their environment and the alertness of the caregiver. On average, most people will talk more to the baby when it is close and therefore, language and communication skills can develop faster. If a baby is in a stroller or car seat, they are often times left at ground level looking towards the sky, with little or no stimulation from surrounding people.

For parents with multiple children, wearing your infant while tending to the older children allows for more play time and learning time for all the members of the family. For some parents, having a double stroller is not an option due to financial and spatial restraints. These devices can also become an overwhelming piece of equipment that is often unwieldy and difficult to maneuver around stores, use in conjunction with public transportation and personal vehicles, and take up large amounts of room in people’s living quarters.

Many new moms feel uncomfortable nursing in public and find themselves not going out much in the early stages of the baby’s life because of such frequent feedings. Wearing your baby in a carrier keeps them close to the breast and allows for very discreet nursing and easy napping. This also helps to promote healthy production of breast milk for mom, making it easier to continue to breastfeed with confidence that your baby is getting enough and as frequent enough as they need.

So, if there are all these great benefits, why don’t we see more of it? I ask myself this question all the time. Let me introduce myself. My Name is Kaire Downin, and I am the mother of 3 children. I found babywearing to be the most efficient way to run errands and get my responsibilities taken care of, starting with my first child. I wore my son in a sling and a framed back pack, all of which I purchased in department stores or thrift stores; he very rarely ever sat in a stroller or stayed in a car seat happily. After I was done using these carriers I passed them on to friends with babies to try out and they loved them! My only problem with these carriers was they weren’t as comfortable or pretty as I would have liked them to be. I lived with bursitis in my shoulder from wearing a popular low priced sling. I was as determined to wear my baby as he was to be worn, so I didn’t stop when I was uncomfortable.

With my second child, I used the same sling and back carrier as I did with my son and had the same problems and nearly gave up. She was not as high needs as my son was and didn’t mind being left in a bouncy seat, was pretty content on the floor or with another person, but she was only 6 months old when I became pregnant with my third.

When my third child was born, she was more high needs than the rest of them. The need for her to be carried in a way that would allow me the freedom of running after my 16 month old toddler and 5 year old preschooler was also higher and I was sure sick of that ugly old carrier I had. I decided it was time for something new so I did some searching online and found www.thebabywearer.com, where I looked through lists of types of carriers, who made them, how much people loved them and then I bought a mei tai. I loved this design yet, this model was not as comfy as I wanted it to be, and I really would have liked longer straps and different fabrics. So I went to designing a better one for myself. I offered this “new” carrier to my friends and family members and then started offering them for sale. Within 2 months I had a 6 week waitlist and have now sold 100’s of these carriers in beautiful fabrics and have helped many mothers and fathers find a way to tackle their daily challenges and do it with a happy baby, therefore creating a happier family.

So now my issue is helping people understand that babywearing won’t spoil your child, it won’t hurt your back if you get the right carrier for you, it is more convenient than lugging around car seats and strollers, and that most babies DO like being tied to your their caregiver! The problem seems to be a lack of immediate information, readily available varieties of carriers to try on, the ability to experience them first hand, and the misconception that you can only buy baby carriers in stores; which, incidentally, are the ones that turn people off to babywearing in the first place, being uncomfortable, often overpriced and only usable for 3-6 months.

Solution & Research
Find the carrier that is right for you, your family, and your budget. There are several kinds of carriers and several online vendors who make and distribute them with all their own individual tweaks and concepts that make them unique.

There are Ring Slings: a long piece of fabric with rings on one end that you thread the other end through and make a pouch for the baby to sit or lay in. They come in different fabrics from solid colors, to fancy brocades and colorful batiks; they come in different sizes, different shoulder styles and accessories like pockets, cell phone clips and diaper bags.

There are Pouches: very similar to a sling except it is not adjustable and has much less fabric. These are one shouldered carriers that you can do front, hip and back carries, newborn to toddlers, discreet nursing, and give the wearer extreme compact convenience.

There are Wraps: a long piece of fabric used to wrap around you and tie your baby on. These kind of cloth carriers are the most versatile of carriers. The wearer can utilize a cradle hold, a vertical hold, front, back, and hip carries at different levels and heights. These qualities make this carrier a must have from newborn to toddler!

There are Mei Tais, a type of Asian carrier: these carriers are usually a rectangle piece of fabric with 2 or 4 straps coming from it. These can be easily adjusted to the individual wearer making it easy for several caregivers to use without adjusting buckles and clips, and are very versatile for newborns through toddlers, almost all the same types of carries as a wrap can be utilizied.

You can access a whole world of information on www.thebabywearer.com and www.mamatoto.org.

About the Article
You can access my webpage at www.freehandbaby.com for purchasing my mei tais and other Asian style carriers and for a list of links and distributors who carry many kinds for carriers, you are SURE to find one (or 2 or 3!) that suits your needs!

By Marvin Perry

As a new mother or father, one of your priorities should be to develop good sleeping habits for your newborn baby. It is important for your baby to learn how to sleep on his or her own. The transition from sleeping with parents to sleeping on their own can be demanding and take some time. Of course, the need for a full night of rest, for the parents, should be adequate motivation to help one’s newborn baby learn how to sleep on their own. In order to instill good sleeping habits in your baby, you have to research and investigate a variety of baby sleep tips and solutions: try as many methods as you can and see which ones work for you and your newborn. Don’t be afraid to trust your parental instincts also.

Most baby sleep methods converge around the concept of determining routines and associations for your child’s naptime and sleep. The sooner your little one starts to relate bedtime with sleep, the more likely he is capable of going to sleep with no problem at all and sleeping through most of the night. A period that is commonly disregarded in forming day and night associations, is the “transition” period, the time between being awake and falling asleep. The following are a list of some transitioning techniques to try:

1. “Fathering Down” is good method parents should use in encouraging your baby’s sleep routine. Prior to placing the baby in bed, the father should cradle the baby so that the newborn’s head rests on the father’s neck. The father should then talk gently to the newborn until the child falls asleep. Babies are usually more soothed and calmed by a male’s deeper speech, and can fall asleep more smoothly upon hearing it for some time.

2. You can also attempt to execute a technique that is sometimes referred to as the “Wearing Down” method. If your baby is extremely energetic throughout the day and becomes so aroused that, at night, he or she cannot sleep, then this would be a very effective technique to use. All you have to do is “wear” your baby in a sling or carrier for about thirty minutes to an hour before their bedtime. Simply go about performing your normal household duties and, over time, the baby will gradually fall asleep. The idea and process of the baby being next to his or her parent and slowly rocked before bedtime aids the newborn in making an easier transition from being awake to being asleep.

3. Finally, if you’ve exhausted all the other options, and nothing works, you can attempt to employ the rarely used but effective “Driving Down” method. Unfortunately, most parents are informed about this procedure as a last resort. This technique involves placing your baby in the car and driving him or her around until they fall asleep. This method, while inconvenient, usually works all the time, and if you desperately need a full night of sleep, it is the most trusted and reliable method to use.

Apparently, you shouldn’t have to drive around every night or carry him in a sling to make your baby sleep through the night. The initial idea is to begin with these more demanding methods and slowly ease out of them. Keep in mind that your baby is going through major development while he is yet very young and small. They have never slept on their own before and it may take a while for them to adjust to their new sleeping routine. Newborns simply don’t know how to transition from being awake to being asleep, and it may require much patience on the part of the parents. However, by utilyzing these effective techniques you will be slowly conditioning your baby’s sleep pattern and habits, which will ensure that both you and your little one will obtain a good night of sleep.

About the Author:
Marvin Perry is the author of “Newborn Baby Sleep Solutions -Tips and Wisdom” and he maintains an informative site on developing healthy sleep habits for babies. To view Marvin’s helping baby sleep site go to: http://www.helping-baby-sleep-pattern.com.

By Jan Bay

Has it gotten to the point that you want to cry right along with your baby when it’s time to put her to sleep? We’ve all been there. Parents who have much better little sleepers than my baby all have had “THOSE NIGHTS” from time to time.

There does seem to be light at the end of the tunnel. The problem of getting baby into a sleeping routine that all household members can live with seems to be one that’s solved within a year or so.

A year or so you say?
I know, when you’re dead tired and can hardly hold your head up the last thing you want to hear is that there will be a sure fix in the distant future. There are a few things that can be done now. Well, how about we start fresh tomorrow.

That’s really lesson number one, don’t wait till 9pm and baby’s screaming every time there’s a lack of body contact to look for direction! I’m convinced that the best strategy for getting baby to sleep at night begins with a well-laid plan beginning early that morning.

Take a look at baby’s nursery, is it an ideal environment for sleep? The room should be dark and quiet as possible. Room darkening shades for daytime sleeping are a must.

Learn to read your baby’s signals. The moment you see baby’s eyes droop, her little mouth open in a yawn, stop what you are doing immediately and begin your bedtime routine. If you let baby get past this stage without making your move, you will most likely regret it. They can go from pleasantly drowsy to fussy to downright worked into a lather in record time. Timing is important.

Every mother’s procedure for settling baby down is unique, there is no steadfast rule for what should be involved. Whatever your pre-sleep actions may be, they should vary very little from day to day. In order for baby to get a routine, mommy must have one too.

Be very predictable. You will have a calmer and more confident child if she always knows exactly what to expect. This is not to say you should train baby to be in a rut. Where surprises and treats are the frosting on the cake of life, surprises for baby at bedtime are not advisable.

Try to keep to an approximate timetable. Put baby’s jammies on at a certain time and begin working your way toward the crib. A friend whose child had been keeping her up past midnight told me she went through the same steps every night for a week and almost gave up several times, then at the end of the week the baby drifted into an 8pm to10pm bedtime. She still has a little work to do, but as of this writing mother and baby are much happier.

Along with a routine, there’s some baby gear available to make your task more pleasant. Of course, there is the trusty nursery rocking chair. However, if you’ve exhausted all the standard methods for putting baby to sleep. I have a few suggestions you may not have gotten around to that are definitely worth a try.

Have your sleep aid equipment checked, in place and ready to go before anybody goes into meltdown mode:

A baby sling
You carried baby for nine months without a hitch. Maybe she needs a little time to adjust to the world? The motion of your body may be all that it takes to get you through a rough patch and get a few chores done while you’re at it! Start baby out in a ring sling and if it proves to be a workable solution for the two of you, graduate into a mei tai or a backpack.

A fan
Yes a common fan can produce wonderful baby calming white noise. White noise machines are available that mimic the sounds that baby was used to while still happily enclosed in your womb, but the common fan will work in a pinch.

A warm water bottle
How many times have we rocked baby to sleep in our arms only to have them wake when we put them down on a cold crib sheet? Place a warm water bottle in the crib as part of your routine, and when you slip baby out of your arms safely into her crib the sheets will be warmed and the transition won’t be as much of a shock. Always remove the water bottle before placing baby in the crib.

The list of tried and true baby sleep tips is a long one. What works for you one day, may not work every time but there’s one indisputable fact, calm, loving perseverance will be invaluable in building your child’s healthy sleep habits

About the Author:
Jan Bay is a freelance author of nursery decorating articles, baby gear reviews, and the webmaster for UNIQUE BABY GEAR IDEAS.

Disclaimer: The contents of this article and website are for informational purposes only and should not replace medical advice from a doctor or professional. You should always make your own choices on the advice of your chosen professional in matters concerning your baby’s safety.

by Monica Faircloth

When my oldest daughter was born, I walked the floor night and day, rocking and swaddling, singing and even crying…anything to make my new little miracle stop her endless crying. Well, everyone told me she just had colic and that it would pass. And, alas, pass it did, however I wish that I would have known then what I know now.

There are many theories about the causes of colic. Many believe that it is breastfeeding that causes it. “Either you are eating something that is not suited to her little tummy or you must be feeding her too much..” they will tell you. Well, maybe. Others believe that bottlefed babies are allergic to the formula. “Switch his formula and he will be just fine…” they will tell you. Well, yes that could be it too. Some will say it is gas or an immature nervous system. Maybe. And the list goes on and on.

However, I believe that the answer to solving colic problems is simple. Babies simply “come out” too early and therefore miss out on their “fourth trimester” in the womb. This new world needs a lot of getting used to, and some transitional coping methods are in order. Below are some sure fire ways to soothe a colicky baby and restore them to their comfortable, womb-like environment. Well, they will think so anyway.

1. Swaddle her. Babies up to four months old feel safe and secure when bundled and will calm down. This imitates her cozy womb environment and soothes her cries with a sense of familiarity.
2. Carry him in a sling or carrier close to your body and walk around. The motion will imitate the movements he felt while he was being carried in your womb.
3. Play “white noise” such as the dishwasher, washing machine or even the vacuum cleaner to imitate the sounds she heard while safe and snug in your tummy.
4. If all else fails, go for a car ride. The motion will imitate the frequent movement he felt while in your womb and may calm him, and you, down.

Some of these things will work all of the time and all of these things will work some of the time, but just keep in mind that this will all pass. Enjoy these precious days with your little one because soon you will have to potty train them and you will think back to the good old days…when all you had to worry about was a little colic!

About The Author:
Monica Faircloth is a full time mommmy and the owner of www.TheMommySite.com a resource for all mommies.