One of the great joys in pregnancy is decorating the nursery for the arrival of your new baby.  Options for your newborns nursery are endless from wall murals to floor rugs and everything in between. The costs for your new nursery can also become endless.  

Parents have moved away from just painting there children’s bedroom in traditional pastel colours with “Winny the Poo” stickers and are seeking to immerse there children in a warm and stimulating environment.  The Melbourne Herald Sun Newspaper recently published an article highlighting that some parents are spending up to $30,000 on designer bedrooms with decorating becoming as complex as to included painted walls and designer furniture and accessories. 

Owner of Murals 4 Kids, Jeanita Pearson said “They are designed to last many years and capture children’s imaginations.  Children can safely playing with many items such as fish and butterflies.  We started our business in February and have been supplying our products to private homes, childcare and play centers around the world.  Both children and parents love our products.  We have been shipping our products around the world”.

Benefits of Baby Massage

By Natalie Burgess 

Infant or baby massage is not a new concept, and has been practised by mothers, on their babies, for many years.  Believed to have originated in
India, regular massage of the infant was part of the daily rhythm of life, with the practise of infant massage being passed down to generation to generation.  Too much of our time, as mothers today, is spent attempting to fit our baby into a timetable and routine.  Allowing yourself to be guided by your baby will facilitate an understanding of your baby as a unique individual and promote bonding and a greater enjoyment of early motherhood. 

Infant massage provides the mother (and father) a wonderful opportunity to simply (and quietly) observe their baby.  As a general guide, the daily cycle for a baby (0-6mnths) will include:

• Feed
• Play (length of time varies dependent on age), active alertness
• Sleep (again length of time will vary)
• Quiet alertness

Quiet Alertness is the time in which a baby is happy to observe their environment and will sit or lay contentedly.  This is the best time for baby massage.  The length of time each baby is happy to be in this quiet alert period is variable, influenced by their unique little personality.  During this time of quiet alertness and massage, a new mother may discover that intuitively responding to her baby’s needs will result in a content and relaxed baby, and a happy, relaxed mother. 

The benefits of infant massage are numerous, and include;

• Relaxation for mother and baby
• Increased sensory awareness for the baby
• Enhanced bonding between mother (and father) and baby
• Reduced discomfort associated with colic, reflux and wind
• Improved sleep and settling patterns

Relaxing touch for mother and baby increases the release of endorphins, the wonderful hormone that promotes feelings of wellbeing, reducing anxiety and stress.  Increased feelings of wellbeing can help alleviate symptoms associated with postnatal depression, a condition that is reportedly suffered by as many as 1 in 4 women in
Australia.   

At birth many women instinctively place their baby immediately to their chest, promoting skin to skin contact with their newborn.  Skin to skin contact is a wonderful form of intimate expression, and enhances bonding of mother and child.  Baby massage encourages ongoing skin to skin contact, benefiting both infant and mother (and father). 

Infant massage teaches babies that touch is a form of expression, and encourages sensory awareness.  It is important to remember that massage is an intimate form of touch, and therefore parents should always be guided by their baby’s cues before and during a massage.  As adults we choose to have a massage, we make the booking and in doing so give permission for the massage therapist to touch us.  Infants communicate in a more subtle fashion, and once cues to interaction are identified, parents will discover that they begin to respond intuitively to their baby’s needs outside of massage time. 

So what are the cues for infant touch and massage?  As a general guide a baby in the quiet alert stage of their daily cycle will provide parents with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ cues to interaction.  Eye contact, smiling, cooing and relaxed body movements all indicate that the infant is happy to interact.  Avoiding eye contact, arching of the back, crying, facial grimacing and jerky body movements are associated with the ‘no’ cue to interaction.   

Infant massage can help to relieve discomfort associated with colic, wind and reflux. Massage increases circulation, and the flow of oxygen and nutrient rich blood to all the muscles and organs, encouraging optimal growth and development.  Many infants are born with an immature lower oesophageal sphincter, the valve at the entrance of the stomach that prevents the regurgitation of gastric contents into the oesophagus.  An immature lower oesophageal  sphincter allows for small amounts of milk feeds to be regurgitated, commonly called posseting.  In some infants the regurgitation can be painful, similar to the discomfort associated with adult heartburn.  Regular massage promotes maturity of the digestive system (and lower oesophageal sphincter).   

Sleep and settling patterns are also improved with the introduction of regular massage.  A parent will discover that they ‘tune’ in to their baby, listening to their baby and being guided directly by their baby’s body language.  A baby who is not over tired or overstimulated will settle to sleep with greater ease, than a baby whose sleep signs have been misunderstood.  Prior to exhibiting the classic tired signs…crying, grimacing, clenched fists…many babies will show self settling signs…soft staring eyes, relaxed face, relaxed hands.   

Regular infant massage will provide many benefits for you and your baby.  Enjoy your baby, cuddle, touch and listen, and be guided by your natural parenting instincts.   

Copyright © Natalie Burgess 2007 - ABN 96 282 733 677

Sleep Tips for your family and child

• Maintain a consistent bed and awake time 5-7 days a week
• Encourage regular day naps if your child is under 3 years old or older if they still need a nap.
• Set your childs biological clock.
• Develop a consistent bedtime routine.
• Create a safe, warm and inviting sleep environment that is used consistently for day and night sleeps.
• Provide the right nutrition to improve sleep.
• Help your child to be healthy and fit.
• Teach your child how to relax to fall asleep.Commit to working with these eight ideas and you’ll likely see improvements in your child’s sleep, and yours too.

Visit us on http://www.nightnannies.com.au or call: 1300791663
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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