The Difficult Baby: Caring Tips

At the moment of birth your new baby is perfect to you in every way. Your dreams of the sweet content baby that is easy to care for in every way may change. Boughts of inconsolable crying, temper tantrums (yes in infants) and difficult to adjust babies are sometimes what begins to evolve, easily dismisses the notion of the "perfect baby". Suddenly, your baby is the one who constantly cries, sleeps poorly and just seems to be unhappy all of the time despite your well sought efforts. Suddenly you find yourself wondering what are you doing wrong?

In striving to be the best parent that you can be, chances are you may not be doing anything wrong and its just your baby's personality make up. One of the most amazing parts of the first year that you will discover is that small components of your baby's personality disposition will start emerging, as well you may begin to see some of your own intricate personality traits begin to shine through. The genetic make up of both parents are passed off onto each baby making up a unique pool of traits. In addition that are environmental factors that also contribute to this as well.

As a parent, understanding your baby's personality makeup makes your job much easier

The Difficult Baby:
tend to have sensitivities to: bright lights, wet diapers and even loud noise levels

A Baby's Delicate Senses
Light sensitivity: keep excessive light from coming into the room, use curtains that are heavily lined, dark colored blinds, are all ways to help your baby to sleep longer during nap time and bedtime. Try to avoid exposure to rooms with that are lite with bright lights such as fluorescent/halogen light bulbs. As well limit visual over stimulation with toys/mobiles by only placing a a few objects in the crib at one time. You should choose toys that are subtle in color and simplicity in design, instead of bright vibrant colored toys that are musical and have bright flashing lights.
Sound sensitivity: while you certainly don't have to tiptoe around the house,try to keep the sound level down household items like the television, radio and telephone. Simply take inventory of your home and make any adjustments accordingly.
Touch sensitivity: its hard to resist touching an adorable baby, however some babies are truly more sensitive to touch. Some babies become fussy when their diaper is wet, when certain types of fabrics touch their body, when they are too warm or too cold. In addition some are even some babies dislike even being held and cuddled. If you find that is the case with your baby, don't over handle him beyond what is absolutely necessary for basic care. In such cases you can find other ways to interact with your baby through making eye contact, talking, singing,reading and other non contact activities.
Taste sensitivity: particularly for babies who are breast fed, certain foods that you can consume may elicit an unfavorable taste to breast milk. You may find that he may be fussy, have gas and nurse poorly as a result. Try to keep a breast feeding journal and make notations about your daily meal consumptions,baby's nursing behavior to help pinpoint specific ingredients and avoid that particular food that is causing a discomfort. Babies that are formula feed that are showing signs of discomfort through refusal of bottle,gas or diarrhea may need to have their formula changed. When you begin to introduce your baby to solids, keep in mind that this is a new experience and factors such as color, smell, taste and texture can influence the palate.
Smell sensitivity: babies have a very keen sense of smell and certain odors may be unpleasant to handle. It can be the smell of certain foods, cleaning products, perfumes and colognes that can make your little one happy. If you find that your little ones nose is sensitive try to avoid exposure to unpleasant smells. Today you can purchase many products that are environmentally friendly,free of any perfumes, dyes and harsh chemicals that are released into the air.

So how do you know if you actually have a difficult baby?

Before you make such a determination its important to discuss your concerns about your baby's development and how best to meet all of his needs with your pediatrician. You should write down your questions and be very specific with details about any behaviors that you are ultimately concerned about so that a proper assessment can be made.

While the above is an overview of some of the attributes that may be present, having a through examination for your baby can detect any underlying causes such as allergies or medical conditions that could be present.

If you have been blessed with a baby that is difficult, while its no easy feat, there are some adjustments that you can make to meet their needs and make parenting easier. You should have lots of love, patience,understanding and acceptance of your baby's overall makeup.

Cute Halloween Pics: Babies In Costumes

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There is nothing more adorable than seeing those cute little ones in costumes.

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Baby's First Birthday: Planning Tips

There is nothing more exciting than celebrating your baby's first birthday! The excitement of planning this special gala for the guest of honor can be just fun as when your baby was born. The first birthday is more than just a social event, its a time of reflection on tweleve months of triumph,growth, development and the impact that your little one has had on the entire family.

Certainly this gathering is more for the adults than the baby whose enthusiasm can be short lived. Depending on how extravagant that you want your party to be you can invite a few family and friends or rent a hall and have lots of people to attend. Its important to remember the phase of development that your baby is in: perhaps still experiencing stranger anxiety and may even be more clingy than usual. You may also want to reduce the amount of people that you actually invite to help reduce your baby's anxiety. If you have friends with babies around the same age, certainly invite them as well, they may enjoy playing together while the adults socialize.

Dumb down the decor: while you may be tempted to be extravagant with lots of balloons, streamers,horns, hats and more these may frighten your baby. The over stimulation of colors and sounds may just be too much for him to handle. Keep simplicity in mind when searching for a theme and decorations for your baby's first birthday.

Time planning: consider your baby's schedule and at what time are they at their best: fed and well rested, usually that is the best time to have the birthday party. You want to catch your baby at the best time of the day where he would be most receptive and feeling good. Give ample time to get him ready for the party so that you are not rushing and feeling stressed down to the last moment before a guest arrives. Most first birthday parties are early and even for a short period of time, so don't worry about having to entertain for hours. Most people understand that and expect that when attending a first birthday party.

Outside entertainment: the attention span of a one year old baby is very limited, so bringing in a clown or magician on his behalf is probably not ideal at this age. They probably would not show much interest and may even be frightened of a strange face. Save your hard earned dollars and consider this as an option when there is a full appreciation for such entertainment.

Eating cake: many parents struggle with the decision of whether or not to allow their baby eat birthday cake. While that is certainly an individual choice that has to be made there are lots of alternatives that you can consider if you would rather not introduce sugar or if you have special dietary restrictions to consider. You can certainly have a birthday cake and keep along with basic party protocol, that guests can enjoy, and have something separate for your baby. However, if you do want to go full fledged and your baby will be eating birthday keep be sure that you try to avoid any cake with certain ingredients such as honey, nuts, chocolate, as these can cause an allergic reaction for some people. If your baby will indulge, monitor consumption as everything in moderation for adequate portion control.

Expectations: ideally you want your baby to have the very best first birthday ever and want him to be on his best behavior. Of course that is ideal and what most parents would want however, with babies you just never know. Even though he may be an angel and a complete ham for the camera on any other day, he may not cooperate for the camera this time. While you want lots of pictures capturing those precious moments don't be surprised that you may have some pictures with frowns and tears. Try not to push your baby too much to perform or behave any particular way simply let him be himself. All of the attention and affection can send a one year old into overload!

The first birthday is just the beginning of many more celebration parties that are yet to come, and while each one is special make the most of it. Capture those special moments that stand out most and record them in the baby book for a forever memory that you can reflect upon in the future When the party is over and all of the guests have gone you can look at your baby and remember just how wonderful and special he is and how your life has changed since the day he was born.

Babies That Wake Up:Early Morning Risers

The early bird catches the worm right? So goes that saying, there are some babies that are just early to rise. While its always nice to catch a few extra minutes or even an hour of extra sleep for that matter,is it even possible.

Some babies are just eager to get a early start on their day, quite often those are the babies that are up at 5'o'clock in the morning, and full of energy. Perhaps you can find your own little one awake in the crib summoning you to duty. Sometimes if you are fortunate to get your baby to lay back down for a little while that is great, however many parents face this dilemma and are often looking for a little relief, especially on the weekend!

Below are a few tips to help sleep deprived parents:

Change of sleeping schedule: as your baby grows, you will find that the amount of sleep that is needed will also change. On average the typical baby only needs about 14 hours of solid sleep each day. The frequency of naps taken during the day may need to be reduced, as a 3 month old infant may take 3 naps a day versus a 11 month old infant may only need 1 nap each day. As well the duration of each nap is also significant as well as the actual time of day that each nap is taken in comparison to the designated bed time. Hence you don't want your baby taking a nap too close to bedtime. You should make an overall assessment of your baby's daily schedule and make adjustments accordingly.

Sleeping arrangements: reduce the amount of light that comes into your baby's room. If your baby is sensitive to incoming light, keep the blinds drawn and the curtains closed to help keep the room dark. This is especially helpful if your baby's room receives a lot of incoming sunlight. In addition during the months when the days tend to be longer and the sun rises early, he may sleep a little longer if you keep the room dark. It can be helpful if you have dark colored shades or even curtains that are thick/lined that prevent light from being emitted through them.

Delay crib removal: try not to run to your baby immediately when he awakens very early. Certainly if he is sick or there is inconsolable crying (you know the difference) then you should immediately tend to him. Otherwise, you can delay a few minutes or so simply because he just may end up going right back to sleep. He may also be content with entertaining himself by playing and babbling so that's definitely a good thing!

Keep him entertained: you can provide your baby with safe crib toys that are securely attached to the crib which may be a diversion during those early morning waking moments. Avoid placing plush toys/stuffed animals in the crib, as they may pose risk of suffocation.

If you find that your best efforts are unsuccessful, it may just be that your baby has an adequate amount of sleep. Some babies just require less sleep than others and that's just how it is. You may have to do some adjusting in your own bedtime schedule to accommodate your baby until he becomes older. Even though its grueling at times, its a phase and before you know it,your little one will have outgrown it.

Infant Motor Skill Development: Basics

If you research online you can find tons of gyms and yoga studios with classes geared towards infants as just some of the offerings to parents, with a price tag attached! While these are great activities that also have social benefits, there are many ways that you can enrich your baby's overall physical needs without attending a class or spending money.

As the parent your own personal lifestyle choices and physical activity level, are laying the foundation for your growing baby. Whether you live a sedentary lifestyle or high activity level its always important to try to establish good healthy habits from the beginning for your baby. Of course everything is in moderation and ensuring that you are are meeting the intellect and physical needs of your baby is what matters most.

Today there are so many sophisticated activity centers, bounce chairs and other related gear for babies that are designed to develop motor skills. However, while many are costly and have age and weight limitations it seems that sometimes babies are missing out on some of the best activities that are more beneficial than any gadget offers. Quite simply: its the one on one individual attention based play that doesn't require anything but you and your baby.

Sometimes its about going back to the basics of parenting and playtime. Try to be creative during playtime and choose activities that are age appropriate, encourages physical development, yet equally fun. Below are some very basics but you can surely make up your own fun ones.

Physical Activities:

Some basic activities that you can try with your baby depending on the age and developmental stage you can try some of these:

Young infants ages zero to six months:
*Hold both hands and gently raise them up above the head, then slowly bring them back down
*Hold both hands and bring them towards the chest and criss cross them (as if she is giving herself a hug) and then extend them back out
*Hold both hands and slowly alternate the arms up and down simultaneously
*Hold both legs and gently push them towards the body and then slowly extend outward to fully straight position


Older infants ages six months to twelve months:
*Try pulling up from sitting to standing position by holding the hands and supporting your baby while allowing the large leg muscles to work
*While sitting up create a small space between you and your baby and roll a ball back and forth
*Babies love to mimic: try to see if she can copy you by doing these: clapping hands or blowing kisses
*Get a bottle of bubbles and blow some into the air, watch as she raises her arms and tries to catch them

Having Fun
Any activity that you engage with your baby should be enjoyable to her. While you are doing these physical activities you can sing and talk or play some fun music. Take the time to make eye contact with her and be sure that you watch body language and expressions. Since little ones have very short attention spans, try to limit your sessions to a few minutes. Take breaks and try not to over stimulate her with too much activity. Let your baby set the pace

Exploration
Safety is a rule of thumb, as well as the first and foremost the most important aspect of your baby's environment. When possible allow for safe exploration with freedom of movement as a great way for physical motor development. Babies need to "experience" their world through their senses: see, hear, touch, taste and smell ! Never leave your baby unattended

Try to limit the time spent in any particular place where they are restrained such as strollers/slings/infant seats and highchairs. While this baby gear are is intended to keep your baby safe, she may not like being strapped in too long and the feeling of being restricted.

Change positions frequently:
Just as you can become easily bored looking at the same thing, you should always constantly change the view of your baby's world. While its certainly something that "may or may not" be appreciated its a must.
A significant amount of time will be spent on the tummy during sleep, especially for newborns who will spend a large portion of their day doing so. Its important during the wakeful moments you place her on her back for a while.
As well, an infant that may be a little older will spend some time working on tummy time and trying to turn over. Place a thin blanket on the floor and get down on the floor with your baby and have some fun. You may find that your baby may enjoy tummy time or perhaps will protest this and become very unhappy. Try to limit this activity to a few minutes especially for very young infants/newborns that may not be able to hold their head up to avoid suffocation. Never leave your baby unattended

You can also place your baby on her side for some time by propping her with some blankets to fully support her back. There are some stores that sell infant position support wedges that can also safely do the task. So giving the right opportunities to your baby depending on the age and ability are beneficial. Try to alternate sides so there is even time spent on each side.

While on their back you baby will get lots of activity and movement with full range of motion from the use of arms and legs.

Most Important:
Every baby develops at their own pace and is unique in their achievements, and not to be compared to another. Its ideal to work with your baby on a consistent basis and help her to reach each milestone at her own pace based on ability.

If you have any questions about your baby's developmental progress or milestone achievement talk with your pediatrician for further professional recommendations.