When preparing homemade baby food, we parents are always careful to ensure that the foods we choose are healthy and appropriate for our babies. Something that many of us overlook, however, is the suitability of the pots we’re cooking in — yet the fact is that cookware made from certain materials may not be ideal for the preparation of baby food.

 

• Unlined or uninsulated copper pots should not be used to cook your baby’s food. This is  because copper destroys both vitamins C and E and also the folic acid in the food. In addition, acidic foods cooked in copper pots can contain toxic levels of copper. 

   

• Aluminum pots are also believed to be unsafe for cooking your baby’s food. Acidic foods cooked in aluminum pots can dissolve very small quantities of aluminum, which may then be absorbed into the food. Anodized aluminum cookware is a safer alternative, because the the anodizing process “locks” the aluminum into the cookware. 

   

• Stainless steel cookware is made up of a mixture of different metals. It is generally considered to be very safe — but you shouldn’t use it to cook your baby’s food if it is particularly pitted or dented. You should also avoid scrubbing your stainless steel cookware with an abrasive substance, because this can cause small quantities of nickel and chromium to be released into food. 

   

• You should avoid cooking your baby’s food in non-stick pans because the non-stick coating may chip off and end up in the food. It is also believed that toxic fumes can be released by heating a non-stick pan to a very high temperature.

 

No one knows exactly how hazardous these types of cookware are to health and research has yet to come up with any conclusive evidence. Some experts think that the risk is very low, or that only people who are sensitive to certain materials will react unfavourably.

But what would be considered a small risk to an adult may be significantly greater to a baby, so it’s probably a good idea to look to safer cookware alternatives when cooking for your little one.

 

• Cooking with iron cookware is actually beneficial to health. When you cook acidic foods (like tomatoes) in iron pots, the foods actually  “pull” the iron from the pot.  This boosts the important dietary iron in your baby’s food. 

   

• The FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition consider ceramic, glass and enameled cookware to be safe.  You should avoid using older enameled cookware, though, because it may contain cadmium. Cadmium is a  toxic substance which is no longer used in the manufacture of cookware in the US. You should also be careful of glazed ceramic cookware from overseas, where the regulations for the inclusion of cadmium and lead in cookware may not be as stringent.

 

For the sake of your baby’s health AND your own, always make sure that your cookware is kept in very good condition - and don’t use pots that are cracked, peeling, chipped or pitted.
Christine Albury is the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/index.html, a site providing a range of recipes for baby’s first year, plus information, tips and advice for successful infant feeding.

Keeping your baby’s teeth clean may not always be easy - when he clamps his jaws shut, it can be difficult to persuade him to open them - but it is very important.

Ideally, you should start cleaning your baby’s mouth from birth, using a piece of damp gauze or a soft, damp washcloth to wipe any milk residue from his gums and teeth. It’s a good idea to start this early, as it gives your baby time to get used to the whole routine and may make him less likely to object to having his teeth brushed later on!

Once his baby teeth start appearing, it’s crucial to clean them carefully at least twice a day. The bacteria that live naturally in your baby’s mouth turn the sugars (including natural sugars) from foods into acid. This acid may then attack the enamel of your baby’s teeth.

The importance of your baby’s first teeth

Although your baby will eventually lose his first teeth, don’t be fooled into thinking that caring for them is any less important than caring for his permanent teeth later on.

1.  Baby teeth “reserve” a place for the permanent teeth to grow into. If a baby tooth is lost, the permanent teeth may shift, potentially leading to orthodontic problems later on.

2. Babies need their milk teeth in order to learn to speak clearly and correctly.

3. Baby teeth are needed for biting and chewing.

4. The excessive loss of baby teeth due to decay can affect your child’s confidence at pre-school level - after all, we all want to look our best!

Choosing a toothbrush

Once your baby has his first tooth, it’s time to buy an appropriate toothbrush. A long handled brush with a small head is best at first, as this design makes it easy to reach all parts of your baby’s mouth quite easily. The brush should have soft, rounded filaments and should be replaced every 10-12 weeks, or as soon as the filaments start to splay.

Alternatively, you could use the type of infant toothbrush that fits over your finger and some babies do prefer this - but beware if your baby is a biter, as they don’t offer much protection to your vulnerable finger!

When your baby is older and wants to hold the brush himself, then buy him a chunkier-handled design, which will be easier for him to hold - although you will still need to do the bulk of the brushing yourself!

Toothpaste and fluoride

You don’t have to use toothpaste to clean your baby’s teeth - the action of brushing is the most important factor in keeping them clean. If you do use toothpaste, then choose one specifically designed for infants - these usually contain very little fluoride. The American Association of Pediatric Dentistry actually recommends that babies under the age of 2 should receive NO fluoride at all.

Although fluoride can help strengthen the enamel of the teeth, too much of it can lead to fluorosis - a condition which can cause white spots to appear on the permanent teeth. Young babies tend to swallow toothpaste rather than spit it out - if you use an adult toothpaste, then they will be swallowing too much fluoride.

Speak to your child’s dentist for more information about the fluoride requirements for your child.

For further information, see How Much Fluoride Is Enough?.

Tips for brushing baby’s teeth

1. If your baby is reluctant to open his mouth, try putting a brush in your own mouth - babies love to copy whatever Mum’s doing!

2. Try singing a musical scale with your mouth wide open (no-one’s looking!) He may try to copy the singing - or he may laugh - but either way, he’ll open his mouth!

3. Sit your baby in whatever position works best for you - standing or sitting behind your baby as he looks up is a great position, because it enables you to reach all parts of his mouth very easily.

4. Be gentle - firm brushing isn’t necessary at this stage and can put your baby off the whole experience.

Visiting the dentist

So when should your baby pay his first visit to the dentist?

According to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and many other dental authorities worldwide, you should take him for a dental check-up at some point during his first year.

This gives your baby’s dentist the opportunity to identify  potential problems at an early stage and also to establish a good prevention program. It also gets your baby accustomed to the routine of dental visits and can help ensure he is calm on future visits.

Tips to keep your baby’s teeth healthy

1. Avoid giving your baby juice. Nearly 90% of infants in the US are drinking juice before their first birthday.  Yet whole fruit is nutritionally superior to fruit juice and contains dietary fiber, which juice lacks. Giving water to your baby is the healthiest option when he needs additional fluids.

2. If you do give your baby fruit juice, then make sure he drinks it from a sippy cup, not a bottle. Drinking juice from a bottle causes it to “pool” around your baby’s teeth and puts him at a very high risk of dental decay.

3. Do not put your baby to bed with a bottle of juice or milk. The lactose in milk can react with the bacteria in your baby’s mouth, forming the acids that attack tooth enamel.

4. Do not dip your baby’s dummy/pacifier into any sweet substance.

5. Do not add sugar to your baby’s food.  (NEVER use honey as a sweetener for babies less than 1 year of age - honey may contain botulism spores, which can be fatal to a young baby).

6. Ensure that baby’s teeth get an extra good clean at bedtime! During the night, his natural production of saliva decreases, so its rinsing action diminishes too. This means that any harmful bacteria in the mouth are able to settle on the teeth more easily.

7. If your baby is receiving oral medication, give it to him before you brush his teeth, not afterwards. Almost all oral medications for infants contain sucrose.
Christine Albury is the author of http://www.homemade-baby-food-recipes.com/index.html, a site providing a range of recipes for baby’s first year, plus information, tips and advice for successful infant feeding.

By: Fiona Gudmunson

It is an overwhelming joy when you discover that you are pregnant and about to have a baby. The nine months are used to start planning all aspects of the impending delivery. One area that is given a lot of consideration by most mothers is how to decorate the nursery and the equipment necessary for a newborn baby.

But where to start? Whether you find out the sex of your baby or leave it to be one of life’s little surprises there are a multitude of nursery decorating ideas to make the new room special for the baby. One of the first things to consider is what type of furniture to purchase. Essentially you will need a cot and mattress, nursery bedding and a wardrobe/chest of draws to store the baby’s clothes and accessories in. It should be noted that checks should be undertaken to ensure that the cot that you use, whether new or second hand, meets the Australian standards (AS 2172) and that the mattress should be firm fitting and have no more than a 25mm (1 inch) gap between the cot and the mattress. Additional extras such as a change table with change mat, feeding chair, wall hangings, and mobile can add colour and interest to the room.

The first thing to do is select a colour and theme for the room. Neutral wall colours such as white, lemon and green are popular for newborns. There are so many choices of nursery manchester in the shops today that your selection of quilt cover could well govern the eventual colour of the nursery. There is a vast selection of bedding from character themes, fairies, mermaids to pirates and jungle themed manchester to suit any room. Once you have the cot sheets to match and mattress protector you are well on your way to stocking your nursery.

A change table should be functional, store all the baby essentials within easy reach and be high enough so as to not cause back problems through leaning over to much to change the baby. For comfort it should have a padded mat. Babies, regardless of age, must be constantly supervised when on change tables as they can easily roll and fall. Most change tables can also double as a storage space for regularly used items and baby toys. An alternative if a change table is not available is to use a bed or the floor, but as with a change table you must consider safely as a first priority by having all that you need ready and at hand.

Other items that can be used to decorate the nursery and create interest are wall hangings, mobiles, soft toys and floor rugs. These can be themed to match the rest of the décor or added as points of interest in the room. Wall hangings can include framed pictures and photographs, mirrors, hand painted canvases or personalised artwork, themed cross stiches and even a quilt cover hung on the wall can create a stunning wall feature. Floor rugs can also brighten up any nursery and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours.

There are also a vast array of mobiles available in today’s market and the choices of wooden or plush to musical and/or visual abound. These create a point of interest for newborn babies as they lie in their cots, exploring the world around them and when learning to focus on objects. Some newborns are soothed by the soft music, others are stimulated by the bright colours.

Every baby usually has their own array of soft toys and at birth will receive quite a number of them as presents. These can make a nice feature in the nursery arranged together on a shelf or on top of a cupboard. Tidy chains can also be purchased and hung from the ceiling making the teddies a prominent feature in the room, as well as being conveniently stored. As the baby grows they will probably select one soft toy as their favourite, one which travels everywhere with them, and provides them with a sense of comfort.

So whether you buy all of your nursery equipment or borrow it from others, the accessories that you use to decorate the nursery can provide a place of comfort and warmth for the newborn baby and give them a room that they can grow, play, develop and be safe in.

Fiona Gudmunson is a business mum who runs the online children’s store Unique Kids www.uniquekids.com.au while also caring for her two young girls. Unique Kids specialises in toys, gifts and bed linen for babies, boys and girls.

Article Source: http://www.therepozitory.com.au

By: Kelly Gough

New mums returning to work in the first year of their baby’s life are often faced with the dilemma of combining breastfeeding and work. It is one of the most common reasons why women stop breastfeeding and make the switch to formula.

Although it can be a challenge, work and breastfeeding need not be mutually exclusive and with a few tips the transition back to work can be made easier.

Get pumping

It is worth investing in a quality electric breast pump particularly if you are returning to work on a full time basis. A good breast pump will allow you to quickly express enough milk for your baby and keep up your milk supply during missed feeds while working.

Be prepared

Make sure you start practising using the pump at least 2 weeks, ideally a month, before you return to work so you feel comfortable and get used to using it. You can then practise feeding your baby the expressed milk in a bottle or get Dad to help with feeds, so your baby gets used to taking feeds from someone else.

You may need to preserve with the bottle particularly if your baby is six months or older as they can refuse it to start with. I know when I returned to work when my youngest son Will was 7 months old, I switched straight to a cup as he refused a bottle.

Stock up

Start freezing and storing your expressed milk so you have a good supply built up for returning to work. Some people find it difficult to express large amounts of milk in one session, so it is important to start about a month before you return to work.

A good tip is to freeze milk in an ice cube tray (Tupperware ones are great with the lids) and then you have a ready supply to defrost so you don’t waste any!

You will soon have a good supply on hand when you express during missed feeds at work.

See the boss

It is a good idea to speak to your employer about your intentions to continue breastfeeding and express milk at work, as you will need a suitable area to breastfeed that is clean, private and hygienic. You can then negotiate a suitable arrangement for milk breaks and remember that there is legislation in place that protects you from discrimination.

You will also need a fridge to store your expressed breast milk or an appropriate freezer bag with icepacks. Remember to label your milk so it isn’t used in the morning coffee!

Dress for success

You will need to wear clothing that will allow you to express quickly and easily. This is where breastfeeding clothes are fantastic as they allow you to discreetly express at work. Many pieces such as nursing tanks can be easily combined with your existing wardrobe and look great under jackets. No one will ever know. Make sure you wear breast pads to stop any unsightly leaks! See our Fresh Mums and Top Secret designs, which are perfect for work.

Do your best

Try and persevere if you can because the benefits to you and your baby are worth it. But please remember you can only do your best and some women are unable to express large quantities of milk or lack support to do so. Remember you can use formula during work hours if necessary and then breastfeed as much as you can outside of work hours.

Article Source: http://www.therepozitory.com.au

 

Kelly Gough is a business mum who runs online store Nuvo Maternity www.NuvoMaternity.com.au while also caring for her two small boys. Nuvo Maternity specialises in nursingwear and breastfeeding clothes.