5 Tips For Infant Massage

Babies grow super fast. This is no secret. But often in the hustle and bustle of each day sometimes it can be easy to forget what this means for your baby. Imagine if you were going to the gym every day, for around 8-10 hours. No heavy impact, but lots and lots of Pilates style aerobic exercise, weight lifting, and yoga. Just think about how exhausted and sore you would be. Then as you rest, the pain of bone growth would set in. Maybe this isn't exactly how babies feel, but as one who has observed babies over and over again during their first few months, I think it is pretty close sometimes. This is just one reason why I'm such a strong believer in baby massage. Another is that as a mother of an extremely premature son I relied on the calming and relaxing effect of infant massage very often. In this post I will cover some of the best massage strokes for a calming and soothing effect on your baby.

1. Arms and legs

Starting near your little Yogi's hands, gently wrap your hand around his forearm. Then, with minimal pressure, slide your hand toward the shoulder/armpit area. To keep your baby's arm extended as you do this, you can hold your baby's hand with one of your hands, while your other hand executes the massage stroke. Repeat this stroke about 5-10 times on each limb, or as many as feels right and relaxing for you and your baby. When using this stroke on your baby's legs, hold the foot with one hand, start the stroke at the ankle, and slide until you reach the hip.

2. Chest and stomach

There are a lot of strokes that are recommended for a baby's stomach and chest. My favorite for the chest is to start with your hands together each covering one side of her rib cage. Then slowly fan your fingers out toward your baby's sides starting with your pinky fingers until your hands are splayed out across her chest. Then smoothly continue the motion down the sides of your mini-buddha's belly all the way down to her hips. Repeat this stroke between 5-10 times, or as many as feels right and relaxing to you and your baby.
On the stomach the most basic soothing stroke is a circular one that moves in a clockwise direction around your little one's belly-button. Be careful not to get too close to the belly-button, you want to be a minimum of 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) away from it at all times. This is clock-wise from YOUR perspective, meaning if you start on your babies right side (the one most easily reached by your left hand) you should first move up and over your baby's belly button, then down and under it, until you end up right where you began. The pressure should be minimal, and you can leave your baby's clothing on if it is more relaxing to do so. This stroke is best used at a minimum of 20 minutes after a feeding, and can be used as much and as often as your baby seems to enjoy it (though the first 20 minutes after eating is not the best time).

3. Back and shoulders

With your baby laying on his stomach, you can use this basic gentle stroke to help calm, and move gas out his lower exit. Starting with one hand over each shoulder blade using gentle pressure slide the heels of your palms down both sides of your little athlete's back at the same time until they reach the diaper line. Put no pressure on his spine, and be aware of trying not to tickle your baby in this position. While tickling will not hurt him, it can be counter-productive when your goal is relaxation. This stroke can be repeated anywhere between 10-20 times, as long as your baby is enjoying it and it is relaxing for both of you.
For the shoulders it is not important for your baby to be laying on his stomach, or back. Either position is fine as long as he is comfortable and relaxed. This is more of a hold than a stroke, as you cup your hands around each of your baby's shoulders and gently pull down toward his hips. I recommend you pull both shoulders at once, but you can do one at a time as well if your baby seems to like it better. No kneading or rubbing is needed for this, just gently pull, and hold for about 20-30 seconds, then release. You can repeat this hold a few times if your baby seems to be particularly calmed by it, but using it too often can cause tension, so trust your instincts and watch your baby for cue's.

4. Feet and hands

Though an open-palm massage is often soothing for an adult, infants often find it too stimulating, and even ticklish. It is much more calming for your baby to have your hand cover her fist and  gently squeeze it while it is closed. Just a small amount of pressure as you cover her fists is enough to release the clenching that she normally has to do herself, and is normally very calming. This hold can be maintained for about 20-30 seconds, and repeated as often as it is comfortable and relaxing for you and your baby.
Similarly, when massaging your little sweet-peas toes you want to avoid tickling her. So softly cover the toe-end of her feet from about the arch and all around the top and bottom at the same time. Then you will move in four directions. First up, gently stretching the toes slightly up toward her knees, then down subtly pointing her toes away from her body like a little ballerina. Next, you will rotate her feet slightly counter clockwise, very gently, and watching her for any signs of discomfort. Follow this by rotating her feet in exactly the she gentle way clockwise. The timing for this part of the massage should be about 2-5 seconds for each direction that your move her toes. When I'm doing this massage, I think to myself: "Up-two-three, down-two-three, twist left-two-three, twist right-two-three, release." Though you can repeat the foot massages often as you and your infant are finding it to be relaxing.

5. Face and ears

Massaging your baby's face can be quite soothing, but it is easy to cause stress if you are not careful where you touch. I recommend this stroke as a way to avoid most of the trigger points for feeding instincts. Starting directly above your little snuggle-pop's eyebrow on the end nearest to the nose, run your fingertips softly along the length of the eyebrow, then across the temple and around the outer edge of of his ear. Not on the ear, but on his head behind his ear. If it is easy for you to do both sides at once, this is more relaxing, but if you find it easier to stroke one side then the other, do that instead. Repeat this stroke as often as you like, using very soft pressure, and slow soothing motion.
Your baby's ears are soft, and sensitive, so vigorous massaging of any kind will most likely not be very soothing. However gently holding the large outer edge and lifting it slightly away from his head can be very soothing indeed. Again, I think of this as more of a "hold" than a stroke, and no kneading or pulling is necessary. Just a gentle grasp and lift should be enough to do the trick. Only maintain the hold for about 5-10 seconds, unless the baby seems to be especially enjoying himself. This hold, and face massage, are best used when your baby has just come in from an overly-stimulating walk, or just after leaving a noisy room with bright lights.

Though it is always important to be in tune with your little bundle's needs, when giving an infant massage it is also very important to be relaxed and grounded yourself. Listen to your instincts, watch your baby's reactions to the different strokes and holds, and if something seems to be causing stress or discomfort, discontinue it at once. Soft music, a warm room, a gently scented hypo-allergenic organic massage oil, all of these things are nice, but not essential to your ability to give an effective and relaxing infant massage.
If you have found these tips to be helpful, please share them with any new or expecting parents you know. Comments, questions, and requests are always welcome. I am working on illustrating this post, and hopefully will have something up soon. Happy parenting!

There is a NEW post from NAOMI up today! Check it out HERE.

5 Tips For Baby Milestones 0-3 Months

The sheer volume of developmentally significant moments in the first three months is a bit overwhelming. It can be hard to know which milestones are more important to watch for than others. The tricky thing when looking at milestones at any point in your baby's development is becoming too focused on when your baby should be able to start doing something. Milestones are developmental moments that we watch for to make sure nothing is out of the ordinary. For example, infants can start laughing as early as 3-4 months old. But if your baby doesn't start laughing until she is 5-6 months old there is still nothing out of the ordinary. This milestone is only important when the normal span of time for it to occur has passed. So if your baby still hasn't laughed by 9-12 months, there might be something wrong. There are very few things that must happen in the first three months in order to be sure that your baby is developing on schedule. Five of them are listed here.


1. Turns head toward sounds.
The acknowledgement of hearing sound and expressing curiosity about where the sound came from are very important. Your baby can start to show this interest right away, or it may take a few weeks. However, if your little Sherlock is showing no interest in sudden sounds that are coming from outside their range of vision by the age of three months, there might be something seriously wrong. If your baby does not meet this milestone, it could be caused by a number things, including deafness, and neurological issues, so bring it to your pediatrician's attention right away.

2. Eyes follow your face.
This is called "tracking", and it is a social instinct that teaches your baby how to communicate. Although babies don't speak, or even learn to use sign language for several more months, they are learning to interpret your expressions, your tone of voice, and your physical cues from the first couple of weeks. If your baby isn't showing any more interest in your face than in a random toy or mobile by three months this could be indicative of a serious issue. Though the particular cause is best left for your pediatrician to sort out, it is something very important to watch for.

3. Resists when arms or legs are pulled or pushed.
The instinct to pull or push with arms and legs is essentially your baby's built-in personal trainer. Your baby has to grow new muscles and continually strengthen existing muscles constantly from the moment they are born. Her body is growing so fast, and getting heavier , so nature made sure she would be born with a need to push and pull, kick, and grab, twist and wiggle, constantly. If this instinct hasn't kicked in, or seems to be barely there, it could cause many physical development delays and result in years of physical therapy. As well as being a sign that there might be something seriously wrong. But it is easy to test, just give a little tug on your baby's hand while she is awake and alert. If she pulls away, she is fine.

4. Tries to suck on things that brush the cheeks.
This instinct normally kicks in within minutes of birth. However, it can sometimes take a bit longer. The urge to turn his head and start suckling is of course one of your little kissy-face's most basic survival instincts. It is there to help him figure out how to eat. Though you can still feed a baby who does not have this instinct, it is important to bring it to your pediatrician's attention, as it could be a sign of something more serious.

5.Grasps an object with purpose.
Now this skill does take just a bit longer to kick in. At first your baby will just swat at things or nudge them with her hand, but after a month or two, she should be able to grab something within her reach that she is looking at. Though she won't learn to let go for another month or two, learning to grab, on purpose, is something that demonstrates the normal development of curiosity, independence, and physical coordination. If this skill is late in showing up, even if the cause is not a very serious one, it could point to a particular type of challenge that your diaper-dweller will have to face. Such as the need for help with fine-motor skill development, or being encouraged to explore and ask questions, or needing extra encouragement to try new things. Of course your pediatrician will help in determining how serious the cause of missing this milestone is. And guide you in the proper direction to give your baby the help she may need.

Always remember, milestones aren't there to promote competition, it doesn't matter in the least if your baby started doing something two weeks or a month before another baby. And it doesn't matter if it takes your baby a month or two longer to master a skill like rolling over or sitting up than other babies you see of the same age. The most important thing about milestones is to be sure that your baby will have the earliest possible care for any issues that could have an effect on his development. If you have found these tips to be helpful, please forward them to any new or expecting parents you might know. And as always, your questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 Tips About Your Baby's Spit-Up

Many of us parents worry about our baby spitting-up milk and/or formula. Sometimes it can seem like our little regurgitators don't keep anything down at all! I often get asked questions about this constant concern, and in my recent poll it was voted the topic of most interest to you. However, since many of the questions I am asked don't have to do with how to minimize spit-up, I decided to take this opportunity to simply answer some of the most common questions many parents have on the topic.

1. Is spit-up dangerous during sleep?
Laying your baby on his back to sleep is considered the safest position. But this obviously leads to the concern that your infant may choke on his own spit-up. This is not a common problem for most babies. Most babies will turn their head slightly to the side during sleep, and even if they don't they have reflexes that help them avoid choking on their spit-up. If you have ever dripped water on your little splasher's face during his bath, you might have seen him arch his head and body backward while waving his arms. This reflex is to help your baby roll onto his side if any thing obstructs his breathing. He will do the same thing, even while asleep, if his airway is not clear. Even swaddling will not keep your baby from arching his back and turning his head. The only time when night-time spit-up might be dangerous is if your baby has a cold that is producing a lot of mucus. If your baby is having trouble breathing anyway, there is a chance some spit-up could be sucked into the lungs on accident. There are some dangers that this could cause, so if you suspect that this has happened I would contact your pediatrician right away. Signs that your baby might have inhaled some spit-up are, excessive coughing, coughing while crying, and a rattling sound to their breathing between coughing.

2. Why does my baby spit up when laying down?
Many babies have trouble keeping their food down when laying flat, because there is a valve that is often under developed or not yet very strong at the top of the stomach that is meant to keep food down once swallowed. When this valve is so underdeveloped that it hardly functions it causes the condition known to most of us parents as "infant reflux". Even if your baby doesn't have reflux, when there is still liquid in her  belly and you lay her down, the food will sometimes leak back into her throat (which can be painful because there will probably be some stomach acid mixed in) and stimulate the gag reflex, which causes spit-up. It helps clear food out of the airway before it is accidentally inhaled into the lungs, but also causes a bit of a mess. Most of the time digestion of breast milk and formula is pretty fast, and almost all of your baby's food will be gone within 10-15 minutes after a feeding. However, every baby is different, and as your little one grows she will change as well. Sometimes this means that digestion will take longer, or that there is something about the feeding that disagrees with your finicky nibbler's tummy, and there may be a bit more left to toss back up the pipes than normal. As a good rule of thumb, try to keep your baby's head elevated a few inches above her stomach for at least 20 minutes after feeding to try and ensure that most of the food has been digested before you lay her down flat.

3. Is white chunky spit-up normal?
There are several different types of spit up. The most common is fairly watery with a few chunks of white cheesy-creamy stuff in it. This kind is usually seen pretty quickly after a feeding, and most often in infants that are having a bit of excess drool. The reason the spit-up is watery with little white chunks is usually because the spit-up was triggered by a burp which brought up both bits of partially curdled milk (curdling is a natural reaction to your baby's stomach acids, and is part of the digestion process), and mixed it with the excess saliva that was both in your baby's throat, and in his mouth. Another common kind is a large amount of milky-white chunky stuff. This usually comes right up from the tummy, and is often the result of a strong gag reflex getting triggered accidentally by a burp (...or a finger, or a toy, or a pacifier). It can also be caused by a bit too much horsing around too soon after eating. And, more rarely, it can be caused by nausea from a sickness. In general, white chunky spit up is absolutely normal. Other common types of normal spit-up are mostly milky (few chunks) and mostly watery (no milk or curdled milk chunks).

4. Is my baby spitting-up too much?
Almost always the answer to this question is "no". If your baby is eating regularly, having a normal number of wet and dirty diapers, and is continuing to gain weight, then she is getting enough to eat. It can seem like your baby is spitting up an awful lot, but it is extremely rare for a baby to spit up an entire feeding. The reason for this is, that digestion begins as soon as your baby swallows her first mouthful. And for a baby who is 3-4 months old digestion proceeds at an average rate of 1 ounce (30 ml) every 10-15 minutes. So if your baby eats approximately 5-6 ounces (150-180 ml) and a feeding lasts around 15-25 minutes, a great deal has been digested by the time your adorable little lactarian has finished. Even if your baby occasionally empties everything left in her stomach within 5-10 minutes after eating, the most that would come up would be around 2 ounces (60 ml). Now, don't get me wrong, 2 ounces (60 ml) can seem like an awful lot when poured down your neck, but as far as it being a sign that your little tulip isn't getting enough nutrition, it is unlikely. However, trust your instincts, and if you feel like something is really wrong with your baby, always check with your pediatrician.

5. How can I tell if my baby's spit-up is not normal?
In some cases there are conditions that cause strange spit-up. Some signs that you should immediately bring to your pediatrician's attention are:

• If your baby's spit-up is discolored (Yellow, green, red, blue, etc).
• If your baby spits up something that looks like coffee grounds.
• If your baby is not gaining weight appropriately.
• If your baby is forcefully expelling spit-up type fluid (projectile vomiting) frequently.
• If your baby resists feedings and is still spitting up large amounts.
• If your baby spits up constantly throughout every feeding.
• If spitting up seems to be causing your baby sharp pain (screaming and crying immediately after spitting up on a regular basis).

 Unless you see one of these strange types of spit up, your baby's spit up is probably normal.

Although there are many things to worry about with your new baby, generally spit-up shouldn't be one of them. The worst thing about spit-up for most parents is the inevitable spoiling of a favorite shirt, or getting some splattered on  your face. If you have found these tips helpful, please forward them to any new, or expecting parents you know. As always questions and comments are always welcome! Happy Parenting!


There is a NEW post from NAOMI up today (9/5/14)! Check it out HERE.

Toddler Tuesday! 5 tips for knowing when to take your toddler to the ER.

For most bumps and bruises a kiss will do. For fevers, coughs and colds a visit to the Pediatrician might be in order. But how do you know when a symptom that your little bug collector has is more serious than the rest? Well, besides the obvious things, like gushing blood or getting bitten by a snake, here are a few more subtle symptoms you should watch out for.

1. Refuses to use an arm or leg.
As your little gymnast grows his bones will to solidify and thicken. suddenly one day a fall from a bed could snap a bone that just days before would have been able to bend and spring back. So if your child does break a bone, you might not know it right away. Some kids show pain very vocally, while some will keep it to themselves. However, if your little one is limping, crawling or suddenly left-handed all the time it's time to go get it checked out. A broken bone that is left unset can not only heal improperly and leave a child unable to develop normally but it can sometimes damage other tissue including nerves and blood vessels. So if you have a strong suspicion that your little boy has a broken bone, don't let it go for a few days, head straight in to the hospital for an x-ray.

2. Redness from a bug bite begins to travel up the arm.
Most bug bites, even spider bites will be itchy but ultimately harmless. Of course if your child shows evidence of an allergic reaction you should rush to the hospital right away, but if they just have an itchy bump most of the time it will go away after a day or two. There is an exception to this rule though. Sometimes a bite will develop an infection. The skin does not have to be broken for this to happen, and though there might be a low-level fever it might not be high enough that you would notice. The danger with infection is that it would enter your little entomologists bloodstream and travel to her vital organs. However, as long as you keep an eye on the bite it is easy to tell if this is happening. If an infection is traveling up an arm or leg, you will see a bright red line leading from the bite. Some infections travel faster than others, so as soon as you notice the stripe, get moving!

3. Absence of urine, or urine that smells like solid waste.
After the first 6 months or so most parents start to lose track of how often their baby is peeing. However, it is very important that you keep a habit of making sure that your little toilet-paper sculptor has gone pee at least once a day. If you notice that it has been about 24 hours since the last wee-wee, watch carefully to see if there are any wet diapers or potties over the next 12 or so hours if there are not, take your baby in. Also, if you begin to notice that your child's urine smells just like a poopy diaper this is another alarming indication that there might be something very wrong with his kidneys, bladder or digestive tract and a trip to the hospital is in order.

4. If your child is extremely lethargic.
Now when you think lethargic, you might just think sleepy. Well, what I mean when I say lethargic is if your child is so sleepy that you can put her in a cold bath and she will barely open her eyes for a few seconds. This type of lethargy can be a symptom of quite a few majorly dangerous problems. Whether there is a problem with your doodle-bug's blood sugar or some type of pressure on her brain you want to get the worst possibilities ruled out fast.

5. Inability to keep solid food down over an 8 hour period.
Many viruses and colds can cause your child to vomit. However, no matter what the reason, if your little wall artist can't keep solids down over a fairly long period, chances are that he is in danger of becoming dehydrated. There are many very serious reasons that a child could be vomiting, as well as thousands more that are nothing to worry about. However, if your little one goes too long without taking in any solids, even if he can keep down fluids it is important that you have him checked out. Remember that often fluids will be expelled along with solids when your child throws up, and the serious things that could be causing this type of reaction, which could be anything from an allergic reaction to an obstruction of some kind need to be caught early to prevent serious complications.

I know that most parents who read this are going to feel immediately freaked out, but keep in mind, that most children will probably never have any of these things happen. The purpose of this post is to give you more things to keep an eye out for in the worst cases. Too often if a parent does not know that a certain symptom can be serious it can be left to cause more serious damage before it is eventually discovered and sorted out. If you have found these tips helpful, please forward them to any new and expecting parents that you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for the best baby toys for 6-12 months.

Nearly over night sweet little babies has grow and changed so much that it can be hard to know what toys are best at ay given age. Are rattles still a good choice now that your baby can sit up? Or should you brows the local toy store looking for toys that are approved for the specific age that your baby is now? Well, despite what toy manufacturers would have you believe, baby development, and its relationship to the toys your baby plays with, is far from an exact science. I think that there are a few toys that seem to be a pretty good bet, but beyond the basics, it is 100% personal choice. You know your baby better than anyone and if you think your baby will enjoy playing with a certain toy, you are most likely right. Here are a few suggestions as a place to start from.

1. Lamaze Spin and Explore Garden Gym.
After your baby has a strong and stable neck, but before he is creeping and crawling all over the place, it is the perfect time for this toy. Rarely will I recommend a toy from a specific manufacturer, but to my knowledge, this is the only toy of it's kind right now. This toy might strike you as a bit odd the first time you see it because of the slightly elevated lady-bug in the center of the mat, but once you and your baby get the hang of it you will both enjoy exploring the circular "garden". Making tummy time more enjoyable for your baby is a constant struggle for parents, but this is one toy that many parents find helpful.

2. A ball.
Once your baby can sit up on her own for several minutes at a time, the magical toy that has existed for many a millennium can be introduced to your little pip squeak. Well, you can introduce a ball or two before now, but around the age of 6 months will be when your baby should start to engage with and really enjoy playing with a ball. Try rolling it to your baby while she sits with her legs crossed. When she picks it up tell her that she "caught" it. Then encourage her to roll it back to you. This type of play encourages the development of reciprocal play, the concept of taking turns and gives you an opportunity to build your little chickadee's self esteem as well as her vocabulary.

3. An electronic floor piano.
An electronic floor piano or a low-to-the-ground regular piano are toys that encourage tummy time while stimulating your little pianist's cognitive development. If the version you select is electric but not battery powered, I recommend that you closely monitor your baby while he plays with it in order to avoid the possibility of his becoming entangled in the cord or becoming interested in where it plugs into the wall. Another fun option is a cordless synthesizer. You can change the sounds from piano to marimba or even saxophone or human voice if you prefer. Just be careful about monitoring play with one of these because since they are generally not intended for babies, the keys or buttons might come off with rough use.

4. Toy remote control or cell phone.
Since your real remote control and cell phones are going to be favorite toys whether you want them to be or not, you can try to give your baby a safer option for these fun things. It may sound funny to offer toys to your baby that are such adult tools, but it is natural for babies to want to be like their parents from a young age. They look to you as the source for all things fun, interesting and good, so when they see you constantly talking into something covered with buttons that shows pretty pictures too, of course they want to play with it. Offering them their own version can save you both a power struggle and the hassle of having to replace your cell phone every few weeks.

5. A walker.
This is going to be my most controversial suggestion in this post. Infant physical therapists have come out pretty strongly against walkers, because of the tendency of little ones to begin putting weight on their legs before their bones are ready for it. However, after your baby is naturally beginning to creep and even crawl, pulling up onto furniture is a natural progression. As long as the walker is introduced at a developmentally appropriate time, and your home has been sufficiently baby-proofed for the added height that a walker gives, this is a wonderful way to let your baby explore her world while encouraging physical activity and giving you a little bit of a break.

Honestly, almost anything makes a great toy for a baby in the age range of 6 months to a year, the only real limitation you need to consider is for safety. Coins are shiny and make a great jingling sound, but they are germ-ridden choking hazards. Real cell phones are colorful and covered with neat buttons, but they melt down at the first hint of baby drool and they can come apart more easily than you'd expect. Plastics often leach questionable chemicals, especially those not used in baby-specific products and glass or wooden objects are breakable and can be finished with toxic chemicals respectively. When considering what to give your baby to play with, always ask yourself "what's the worst that could happen?" and if the answer is not good, choose something else. If you have found these tips to be helpful and informative, please forward this site to any new or expecting parents you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for staying organized after you have a baby.

Although having a new baby can throw your life into chaos, you don't have to let that decrease your ability to keep an ordered household. Try setting small goals for yourself, and setting out generous time lines for their completion. Chances are you will have less than half the time and less than half the energy you used to have to spend on organization projects. I recommend picking one tip that looks particularly helpful, like the clothing tip, and getting started on it early. As babies grow, they sleep less and less during the day, use the day time naps wisely in your first 3 months. By the second month you should have a good system in place for keeping incoming gifts of clothing organized, and you can move on to implementing another tip that seems particularly helpful to you in your own circumstances.

1. Separate baby clothes into like sizes and store in clear bins.
After the birth of your little sugar bee, you will most likely find yourself inundated with gifts of second-hand baby clothing, as well as gorgeous new stylish outfits from friends and family. However a good 90% of these wonderful donations and presents will be too large for your baby to wear right away. Rather than just stuffing them all into drawers and boxes and bags in the closet, developing a system to easily sort and store them will relieve a constant irritation and frustration from your first year or two. I recommend getting 5 large clear bins from an office supply store and labeling them: 3-6 Months, 6-12 Months, 12-18 Months, 24+ Months and Give Away or Store. When you first receive clothing, immediately put it in the baby's laundry. This is not meant as an insult to friends and family, but keeping the detergent that your baby is exposed to limited to your exact brand will help limit possible allergic reactions, and many new clothes are packaged with harsh chemicals that should be washed out before your baby wears them. As the new clothing emerges from the laundry, take your regular laundry-folding time to sort the clothes by the sizes listed on the tags (if there is no size, compare it to similarly sized clothes and write a size in the neck or lining with a permanent pen). Then, as you put the clothes away, you can place the cleaned, sorted and folded clothes in their appropriate storage bins. This also will help you keep an eye on what sizes of clothing you might need to get more of. Sizes 0 (or infant) through 3 months can be fairly easily organized in most baby nurseries, and as you move up in sizes, use your sorting time while folding laundry to remove items that are too small, and place them in the 5th bin for give-away or storage. Just try to stay on top of maintaining this system, because if it gets out of control the job becomes pretty intimidating pretty quickly.

2. Implement the "one toy at a time" rule early.
Baby toys seem to have a life of their own sometimes. I have a theory that they secretly multiply at night, but I have yet to catch them in the act. To keep your living room from becoming a mine field of ankle-twisting toe-stubbing hazards, I recommend that you, your partner, your friends and family all be held to the rule that only one baby toy can be out at any one time. No doubt they will call you crazy, and think you are taking things too seriously, but eventually they will marvel over how clean you are able to keep your living room. You will also be able to spend less on replacing broken toys and vacuum cleaner parts.

3. Use decorative dispensers that you can place things in while still in their original packaging.
There have been about a million times that I have seen beautiful nurseries set up with all kinds of pretty diaper-dispensers, wipes dispensers and fancy bottles to put baby lotion in that get completely over run with packages of diapers propped up against them and packages of wipes on top of them and bottles of baby lotions jammed in between the pretty bottles that are empty. If you have a hanging diaper holder that is the right size, you can just slip the whole package of diapers in there, and save yourself the hassle of unpacking and stacking. I would do away with the idea of decorative bottles for baby lotion all together, or use cozies instead. Also, refills of diaper wipes should be able to go into just about any container while still in their plastic over-wrap. You may be reading this thinking that you'll never be so busy that putting a bag of diapers away will seem like an enormous job, but once you have a baby you might find yourself quite surprised by how fast you move through things, and how little extra time and energy you actually have.

4. Incorporate a 10 minute tidy/top off into your evening routine.
Just after your little luv-bunch nods off for his 1-2 hour sleep in the evening, try to spend ten minutes picking up things that didn't make it to where they were supposed to go, topping off containers that are near empty and making sure that your changing table is properly stocked. Just ten minutes every evening will help keep your organization systems running and your sanity from taking a vacation. If the ten minute tidy becomes a habit, you might find that it can help you stay on top of your household order for years to come.

5. Place baby logs near where you feed your baby & attach a pen.
Keeping track of what is going on with your baby is both important and deceptively easy. All you have to do is jot down the last few things that happened with her every few hours or so. The problem comes when you are unable to find the book that you log your baby's bowel movements in or you can't find a pen to write with, or you know where they are, but you have a sleeping baby on your lap, and you don't want to move from fear that she will wake up. I recommend that you attach a pen with a short string to your baby log, and attach the baby log with a short string to the chair or couch where you normally feed your baby. This way, you'll always know where it is, and you will find yourself tied down near it often enough that keeping at least a partial record of your baby's ups, downs, ins and outs will be much easier. Wet and dirty diapers, sleep patterns, medication administration times, feeding amounts and feeding times are all important things to keep a record of. If your baby takes ill, and you have to rush to the Pediatrician, it is great to have a written record of all the things that you will be asked. It is surprising how much information we lose through each day if we don't write it down, and new parents are hardly getting refreshing sleep every night.

As with all lifestyle changes, the most important thing to keep in mind is to make organizational changes that you can maintain. Setting unrealistic goals for yourself will only lead to frustration and self-defeat. If you are an organized person, many of these suggestions may come as second nature to you, but for many parents figuring out where to start when trying to organize a growing household can be overwhelming. I hope that one or two of these suggestions helps relieve a bit of the stress that comes with the chaos of an expanding family. If you have found these tips helpful please forward them to any new or expecting parents you know. Comments, questions and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for avoiding the biggest mistakes parents make in the first 2 years.

Making the right choices for your baby's safety and proper

development is the first priority of nearly all parents. However,

there is so much conflicting advice out there, and so many

different philosophies on how to raise your children, it can be

very overwhelming. Many parents find themselves just winging

it as they face the small day-to-day decisions, and that is

where some of the biggest mistakes can be made. Here are a

few common mistakes that parents often make, so you can

watch out for them.

1. Too much T.V.

I used to be a great fan of the "Baby Einstein" videos, and

generally scoffed at the idea that a little T.V. now and then

could be harmful to babies. After all, T.V. today is much

different than it was when I was a kid, the educational aspects

seemed to outweigh the idea that T.V. could be harmful. That

was before the latest study came out showing that babies who

were exposed to T.V. on a regular basis during their first year

displayed a significant developmental delay in many areas.

Most notably, their social development was affected. I have

seen myself the positive effects on a borderline-autistic toddler

who had T.V. removed from his routine. The social skills

flourished and the delays in his gross motor coordination also

dissipated. I highly caution parents against falling into this bad

habit, the effects on your baby are likely to be negative and any

potential positive benefits are generally over estimated or

non-existent.

2. Weening too early.

This is a difficult one, because there are often reasons both

personal and physical why a mother must help her baby ween

early. However, whether your baby is breast fed or bottle fed and

whether she eats breast milk or formula, most of her nutrition is

going to come in fluid form for the greater part of the first 2

years. Even after she is consuming three or more regular meals a

day, a baby's digestive tract is not strong enough to break down

many foods. Even when you puree table foods, they will only yield

a fraction of their potential nutrients to an immature digestive

system. I recommend that parents always feed their baby a bottle

first and then top off with the solid foods, instead of allowing

your little munchkin to fill up on indigestible roughage before

trying to squeeze a little nutritious breast milk or formula in

afterwards.

3. Unsafe teething toys.

A baby will chew on anything. From a pinky to a pencil, everything

is fun for him to munch on. But there are many common things

that a parent might want to think twice about before allowing in

their baby's mouth. The number one things ironically, are fingers,

yours, or other peoples, especially children's. Hands go

everywhere, they touch everything, and they get washed way too

rarely. Make a habit of asking visitors to your home to wash their

hands as they enter, and be sure to always wash your own hands

when you get home. Carrying a bottle of hand sanitizer with you

is another good tool for keeping yourself baby-ready. Another

terrible chew toy is a key ring. Keys are filthy. They have many

crevices where germs can hide, and no one ever washes them.

However, babies love to chew on the cool metal and shake them

to hear the jingling they make. I highly recommend using a

sterling silver multiple-ring teething ring in the place of a key

ring. Watches, necklaces and other jewelry are also terrible choices

for teething toys. Jewelry, even if it is well-made, is rarely made

strong enough to hold up to the drooling, shaking and chewing

abuse that a baby can put it through. Besides the risk of illness

from the types of germs that might be hiding in the crevices of

your jewelry, the main risk is that your jewelry might come apart

and become an immediate choking hazard. Beaded necklaces are

at an especially high risk for this problem.

4. Too little sunshine.

From the moment your little butter cup takes her first stroll

outside you will probably find that you have suddenly become

hyper-aware of the amount of sun exposure she gets. Though

many pediatricians do not recommend sunscreen for infants,

others prescribe the liberal application of sunscreen from the

first month on. Many parents end up covering their babies from

stem to stern with layers of cloth and sunscreen any time they

might encounter a drop of unfiltered sunlight. The problem with

this is that the best source for vitamin D is from sunlight and

vitamin D is a wonderful mood booster and sleep regulator. As

babies become more and more shielded from the sun, reports of

sleep problems continue to rise exponentially. While you do want

to avoid burns at all cost, gentle exposure to indirect sunlight is

wonderful for your little sun bunny. Practice moderation, and use

common sense, but do regularly give your baby a dose of the

sweet warmth of natural light. You'll both sleep better, and feel

better.

5. Not enough rough-housing.

While, like anything, physical play can be taken to the

extreme, regular tossing, swinging and rolling of your baby

after 2 months has enormous benefits. While your baby is

becoming aware of his position in relation to the world he

will also be developing his sense of balance and a rudimentary

grasp of general physics principles. Of course this can also be

called becoming sturdy, but whatever you call it, it is an

important part of physical development. Fathers are generally

very good at engaging in this type of play, but mothers and

other caretakers can do it just as well. I recommend that this

type of play be done over soft surfaces, like carpets and

blankets, and that the delicate nature of your baby's joints be

considered. But as long as you are safe, this type of fun is

healthy and very beneficial to your little gymnast.

One mistake that I don't have an answer for is the tendency of parents

to beat up on themselves for every mistake that they make. Give

yourself a break, and try not to let every little thing that you wish you

had done differently keep you up at night. Parents today are some of

the most well educated and responsible people ever to raise babies in

this world. By all means, educate yourself, and do the best you can, but

always remember that babies are resiliant and as long as you are giving

them love and doing your best, they will probably be okay. If you have

found these tips helpful, please forward them to any new or expecting

parents you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always

welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for the best kinds of baby toys months 3-6.

As babies grow and develop, they will be able to play with, and learn from new toys. But as any parent who has visited Toys "R" Us knows, there are hundreds of different toys to choose from for any age. Though many toys are labeled with an indication of the age range that they are appropriate for, it is difficult to know which ones are going to be the most fun and educational for your little wiggle-bug. These are the kinds of toys that I have had the most success with for babies ages 3-6 months. Although, if something looks fun to you, your baby will probably appreciate it too.

1. Toys with lights.
Your baby is probably enjoying a new found control over his hands right now, and he is looking to grab a hold of some new and exciting things. Toys that light up when your baby hits, kicks or shakes them are not only fun, the help spur the next big development: recognizing cause-and-effect. There are battery powered rattles that light up, some hand held toys that need to be pulled on to light up and many that light up if your baby takes a swat at them while laying in the baby gym. Any of these that are in your price range and look fun to you will be great for your baby.

2. Musical toys.
It is a truth of baby toys that you will rarely, if ever, find a toy that lights up which does not also play music. However, there are some musical toys that do not light up. A little piano, a caterpillar that plays songs when you touch his feet or a stuffed animal that sings songs when it is snuggled or grabbed are fun choices if you want to separate the two types of stimulation. Music of any kind has been shown to very beneficial for babies, but especially classical, and most especially Mozart, so even if you don't get musical toys, getting in the habit of regularly playing some classical music in the play area is a great idea. I do not recommend the "Baby Einstein" DVD series however. A very recent study showed no improved mental functions from watching them, and a marked lag in social development from lack of parental face time among babies who did view the DVD's regularly.

3. A baby-safe photo album.
One of the first things your baby learns is to recognize facial structures, and one of the next things is to be able to tell one face from another. Giving your baby a safe, flexible photo album is a great way for your baby to enjoy these new-found skills and to stimulate the next social skill: facial memory. Being able to see different faces on a fairly regular basis is one thing that helps to reduce the frequency and intensity of stranger anxiety. It is a great idea to fill the album with pictures of friends and family, as well as pictures of you and your little diaper model. Having a variety of faces, both familiar and those seen less often, will prompt your baby to associate the same positive and comfortable emotions she experiences when looking at you with all of the faces in the album.

4. A bouncy seat or an exersaucer.
I will admit right off the bat that most infant physical therapists will disagree with me on this one. Before your baby can crawl putting weight on his feet will stimulate both the urge to stand and the muscles that he will be using to keep his balance while erect, but most infant physical therapists place such a strong emphasis on crawling before walking that they would not recommend putting your baby in an exersaucer until after he has started crawling. I still do recommend these play structures for babies because, in my opinion, the interactive and independent play behaviors that are stimulated outweigh the worry that it might discourage crawling. If your baby is getting an appropriate amount of tummy-time, and is developing the skill to roll over, there is no need to be worried about them playing in an upright position. When a baby is always oriented tummy down on the floor, it is hard to use toys effectively because they need to use their hands to hold themselves up. I have seen so many babies become frustrated with this aspect of tummy time, and after a while, they don't want to have tummy time at all. However, if after a long and productive session of tummy time you notice that your little blankie surfer is getting frustrated, a bouncy chair or exersaucer (the "circle o' fun!" as my friends Beth and Brad called it) makes a great place for your baby to take a break while still being entertained.

5. Cloth baby books.
Cloth baby books are the best thing since board books! They crinkle, squeak and jingle. They have flaps that cannot be ripped off, and baby saliva wont cause them to crumble into millions of tiny choking hazards. You might still have board books, but it is best to keep them out of your little librarian's reach unless she is sitting in your lap. Cloth books, on the other hand are good for reading time and for independent play time. One of the best features is that they lay flat on the floor, making tummy time more fun. And, when your baby gets tired of playing with one part of the book, you can just turn the page for a whole new selection of fun. This kind of toy stimulates tummy time, fine motor coordination, image recognition and cause-and-effect relationships. These awesome toys/books are one of my top recommendations for new parents.

Armed with these tips, your next trip to the toy store should be a lot easier. Don't be too quick to throw out old toys though, some baby toys will still be fun for your little goof-ball when he is two years old! A good strategy for keeping your baby from losing interest in his toys is to periodically take about a quarter of the toys in your baby's play area away and store them out of sight for about 2-4 weeks. Then, when he begins to lose interest in the toys he has, trade out the toys for the ones he seems to be getting used to. With fewer toys around you will be able to tell more easily if there are certain toys that your little firefly just doesn't use anymore and you can give them away or donate them to charity. If you have found these tips helpful, I hope you will forward them to any new or expecting parents you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for caring for your toddlers teeth.

At some point your little toothless butter ball is going to sprout some teeth. Toddlers teeth appear in a fairly predictable pattern: two on the bottom in front, four on the top in front, two more on the bottom front, four molars two on top and two on the bottom, four canines two on top and two on bottom, and finally four more molars. From the time that your baby's first tooth sprouts it is time to start implementing oral care. For the first six months or so, after those first couple of teeth show up, a washcloth dipped in a weak mixture of water and baking soda should be enough to combat any type of decay. However, at some point you will need to introduce the toothbrush in order to continue to maintain good oral hygiene for your toddler. Here are a few more helpful ideas for getting the most out of your little beavers tooth brushing routine.

1. Get an electric toothbrush.
It may seem a bit extravagant, but for your toddler it will make brushing his teeth a lot more fun. A regular tooth brush is fine if you can't afford or find an electric one, but it has a lot of drawbacks. Firstly, your little grin master will only let a foreign object which is under your control in his mouth for a very limited time, so getting to all the teeth and brushing them thoroughly will be harder. Also, your toddler will quickly lose interest in the idea of using the regular toothbrush as a tooth-cleaning tool and will begin to think of it as a funny spoon that is for feeding him baby toothpaste, which kind of defeats the purpose. And finally, the struggles that you have over trying to get your little guy to use the regular toothbrush properly might instill a strong aversion to the idea of brushing teeth. An electric model is interesting, fun and easy to use. You can often brush your little chompers teeth in half the time with half the struggle.

2. Teach your toddler to chew gum.
I know that this might sound counter intuitive, and just so we are clear I'm not talking about huge wads of sugary goo. I'm just talking about huge wads of goo. The American Dental Association has come out in support of sugar free gum, especially gum that contains xylitol. They recommend giving your children gum to chew for about 20 minutes after meals in addition to regular brushing. To teach your toddler how to chew gum, give her a large amount to start with. One and a half sticks should be enough to discourage swallowing without raising the risk of choking. The entire wad should be about the size of your toddlers thumb. After your toddler has gotten the basic idea of chewing without swallowing, you can reduce the amount of gum you give.

3. Offer your toddler a sippy cup of water before bed.
Throughout the day food, milk and juice will leave residue in your toddlers mouth. Even if you brush once in the afternoon and once at bedtime the food and drink particles in your little nibbler's mouth can do some damage during the rest of the day. Having some water will help rinse away most of those harmful little tooth destroyers. I recommend giving your toddler a sippy cup of water in the morning and in the afternoon. Not only is drinking water a great habit for preventing tooth decay, but the health benefits of drinking water throughout the day will have lasting positive effects in all aspects of your toddlers development.

4. Sing a fun song or rhyme while you brush.
Getting your toddler to spend an appropriate length of time scrubbing his chompers can be very difficult. A great trick to help extend the time he spends brushing his teeth is to sing a little song or recite a rhyme while he brushes. Having a nice rhythm to brush to helps your toddler grasp the concept of repeated up and down/back and forth brushing. Also, knowing that the song comes to an end will help you little brush man anticipate how long he should brush. Time is still a slippery concept, and after 10 seconds your little fella might feel like he's been at it for hours, but a song or rhyme will keep him going for a few more minutes.

5. Give your toddler a turn.
To make sure your toddlers teeth get sufficiently clean, you should take the first turn with the toothbrush. A quick once-over from you will get the best results, but then turn over the tooth brush to your little chicklet so she can both imitate the example you just set and gain a feeling of personal pride in her ability to brush her teeth by herself. Doing the brushing at the beginning, rather than after your toddler has had a try at it, will help avoid your little bubbie from feeling like she has done something wrong and is being corrected while giving her a good example to follow for her own turn. As she gets better at brushing, you can eventually let her take over and do the whole routine herself.

One of the best ways to save money as your children get older is to eliminate expensive dental bills, and this starts with good oral hygiene habits. Teaching your little sugar-fiend how to care for his teeth early will instill a great sense of awareness that can have lasting positive effects. Remember to talk to your dentist for the latest information on childhood tooth care and to schedule regular checkups for your little snuggle bug. If you have found these tips helpful, please forward them to all the parents of toddlers that you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for parents returning to work.

Eventually, whether it is after four months or thirty, you will have to return to work. Leaving your baby in the care of a person or group of people is undoubtedly one of the hardest things you will ever have to do. Just finding someone you trust is hard enough, let alone managing the intricacies of the transition. Your baby knows you, and trusts you to always be there when he or she needs you. Adjusting that roll to include other people can be tricky, but there are some things you can do to help smooth the transition.

1. Investing true trust in the child care you choose.
At some point you will have chosen a nanny, a daycare or a preschool that you like and you will have decided to invest a certain amount of your trust in them. Now the real test comes when you leave your precious baby in their care. If you have chosen them to care for your baby, it will be counterproductive to both your relationship with the child care provider and your baby if you second guess every rule, or executive decision they put in place. Trust is a principle that you will teach your children through example, and the sooner you exercise this emotional muscle the better. If you invest nearly full trust in your child care provider, you will be spared many headaches, ulcers and sleepless nights. However, trust should always be given conditionally, and if you ever have the feeling that something is wrong, or that your child's safety is at risk, do not hesitate to investigate and remove your baby from the child care situation.

2. Leave an overlap of at least a half an hour for arrival and departure.
When you drop off your baby, or when your nanny arrives always have that time be at least a half an hour before you have to leave. Most day cares will accommodate this transition time, because they know how much easier it is to help a baby or child adjust to a new environment or new people if their parent is there during the transition. Clingy, and separation-anxiety prone periods will happen, but if your baby is used to your comfort and support during times of transition, he will be much more likely to adjust easily.

3. Make a voice recording of you reading a book for nap-times.
This is an easy and simple tip. Buy a small tape recorder, and a small tape to go in it. then, record yourself and your spouse reading stories and singing songs to your baby. Any skilled nanny or reliable day care should be able to ensure that your baby gets to hear these recordings before nap times or any time that they are feeling sad or lonely. It is amazing how strongly babies react to hearing the voices of their parents and other voices that they hear regularly.

4. Take unannounced lunch trips to visit your baby.
Especially if you are a family who has hired a nanny, I recommend periodic unannounced visits home, just to check on your nanny and your baby. It has been shocking to many parents to discover the liberties that daycare institutions and nannies can take with child care when left unsupervised for too long. Just two or three unannounced visits home every two or three months is enough to leave an impression on your caregiver that your are always watching and invested in insuring your baby's care level is maintained. It is also helpful to let your daycare and your child care worker know that you will be making these unannounced visits because just the idea of an unannounced visit has been shown to promote a higher level of consciousness about maintaining the level of care that you expect.

5. Leave your work at work.
When you come home from work, you will be tempted, even pressured to bring projects and deadlines home with you. These extra curricular activities may have only eaten into your personal time before, but now that you are a parent, they will take a big bite out of the time that your baby needs from you. No matter how great the care your baby receives each day is, and no matter how important the deadline you are looking at is, your baby needs you. Your baby needs to hear your voice and to experience you choosing her over your work. This will teach your baby self esteem and basic self respect early on. Sacrificing the opportunity to help your baby understand their own important status in your life as above and superior to work is an opportunity you should not squander lightly.

As you ease back into the workforce and you begin to find your place again, keep in mind that your position as a person has changed. You are basically someone who is the CEO of the business of raising your little bib dribbler but have been put in the position of outsourcing many of the day-to-day aspects of that business to another entity. It may be helpful to always make an effort to view your regular job as something you are doing to supplement your ability to focus on your baby's growth and development. If you have found these tips helpful please forward them to new and expecting parents you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!

5 tips for using a pacifier efficiently.

Many parents choose to try offering their baby a pacifier. There are quite a few good reasons to introduce a sucky to your little one, as well as a few concerns. If you do decide to try soothing your baby this way, you should wait until your baby is at least one month old and breastfeeding is firmly established, or concretely ruled out. When the time comes to introduce the pacifier, you might want to try some of my helpful tips that follow.

1. Offer the Pacifier as a last resort in the daytime.

During the day most babies will not need to suck on anything unless they begin to feel hungry. There is so much to see and do in the daytime. But there are times when a pacifier in the day can be helpful. Gas pains can sometimes feel very similar to hunger pains, and some babies find some relief by sucking on a pacifier until they pass the gas. If your baby does begin to feel hungry, she will probably take the pacifier, but only for a short time.

2. Warm the pacifier by sucking on it.
Breastfed babies are often much less likely to accept a pacifier than a bottle fed baby. Part of the reason for this is that the pacifier feels nothing like your nipple. It is cold, rigid and doesn't taste or smell like you. When you are just beginning to introduce the pacifier to your baby, try sucking on the pacifier yourself for a minute or two before giving it to your little Swee'Pea. Also, try giving the pacifier for a few minutes just before breastfeeding as this is the time your baby is going to be the most receptive to suckling.

3. Use a burp cloth to prop up the pacifier at night.

Night time is the best time for babies to use a pacifier. The sucking motion is soothing and relaxing and the use of a pacifier at night reduces your chances of SIDS. The problem is that often as babies get sleepy, their pacifier falls out waking them up. A little trick I learned from the nurses who cared for my son in the NICU is to roll up a burp cloth and lean it up against the side of the pacifier while it is in your baby's mouth. If your baby sleeps directly on his back, you can also drape the burp cloth across his chest, with one edge just high enough to cover the bottom half of the pacifier.

4. After your baby is asleep, remove the pacifier.
Whether you use a burp cloth to prop up your baby's pacifier or not, as soon as your little nightingale is asleep you should remove the pacifier and the burp cloth if you used it. This way, your little cub won't get used to sucking on something all night long while asleep. Also, even if your baby is not sucking on a pacifier, if it drops out of her mouth, the sudden motion can startle them awake. And if the paci is laying right next to her cheek while she sleeps, it may make her uncomfortable or make her think it is time to eat.

5. When the time comes to wean, cut a small hole in the tip of the pacifier.
This is a great, easy way for your child to naturally lose interest in his pacifier. When he is not teething, and has been needing the pacifier less that he did in the past, nick the tip of the paci, leaving a small hole. This makes it impossible to keep suction on the pacifier without a lot of work. Your little chimpanzee will tire out his sucking muscles and end up using the paci less and less. Eventually, you should be able to whisk it away without him ever asking for it again. Once the soothing magic of the suction is gone, or too much work to be worth it, your little dude will wean himself off of it.

Like many things, a pacifier is just another parenting tool. It has been around for a very long time in one form or another, and so have the troubles that parents have had with them. Whether you choose to use a pacifier or not, there will be challenges that result from your choice. I hope that if you do decide to offer your baby a pacifier that these tips will come in handy, and might even save you a little grief. If you have found these tips to be helpful, please forward them to any new or expecting parents you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!


There is a NEW post from NAOMI up today (9/5/14)! Check it out HERE.

5 tips for the best baby toys 0-3 months.

Deciding what kinds of toys to get for your baby is a very important job. An enormous amount of development and brain growth happen in the first three months. New neural pathways are being formed all the time, and play is a huge part of the appropriate stimulation of that development. While just about any toy that isn't a choking hazard will be good for your baby, my personal top picks are listed below.

1. Black and white mobile.
Shortly after your baby is born, she will be able to see in slightly fuzzy black and white. Since she can only see for about 8 to 10 inches, and will not have very good motor coordination yet, hanging images nearby so that she can look at them is a great idea. There are a few commercial black-and-white mobiles, or you can make your own. Just be sure that if you make one to keep it out of reach of your baby, since it may not be safe to be chewed on. Black and white images will be the most enjoyable for your baby through the first couple of months because the high contrast will make them easier to focus on. As your baby gets older and her eyesight improves, colors and more complex shapes will also become more interesting.

2. Baby gym.
This contraption is a great invention. My only argument with it is that it can encourage back time more than it encourages tummy time. However, if you make an effort to limit the amount of time your baby spends on his back in the gym, it is still a lot of fun. The cause-and-effect connection is easily made with baby gyms that have crinkly cloth flaps, little mirrors and peek-a-boo images for your little giggle bug to find. This toy will also last until your baby begins to scoot and crawl, so it has a pretty long life compared to many baby toys.

3. Rattle.
Any rattle will do. A small heavy-duty maraca, a plastic bead filled shaker or a wooden rain-stick are all great options. Rattles are the most basic of baby toys, they have been around almost as long as people have. Some of the earliest artifacts ever recovered were rudimentary forms of baby rattles. The rattle stimulates sound-orientation, cause and effect, and fine motor skills. All around, this toy is a great one for your baby. Also, rattles stay interesting to your baby for up to two years, and even longer as a part of music education, so it is a toy that will grow with your little hermit crab.

4. Bells.
Bells are really just a fancier form of the basic rattle. But there is unquestionably a very high amount of fun and interest that most babies have for the clear ringing tones of metal bells. The most important thing to consider when looking at bells is safety. Jingle bells can be choking hazards, and even the striker from regular bells can become this type of concern. The best type of bell for a baby is one that is encased within cloth or better yet, a metal rattle. This site is a great place to find my very favorite kind of baby bell-rattle. The major drawback is that they can be quite expensive. Though if you are not on a budget you could also look at their interlocked silver teething rings which double as bell-like toys.

5. Shatter-proof Mirror.
One of the first combinations of shapes that your baby will be able to recognize will be a human face. Most new parents could spend hours just gazing at their precious new bundle of baby rolls, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, if you want to mix it up, a great toy for your baby is herself! Babies love to look at other babies, and at this early age, their reflection will seem to be exactly that. Then, when your baby begins to develop more of a sense of self, a mirror will be great to give her a clear mental image of what her expressions look like, and what the difference is between her face and other peoples faces. This is a very fun and educational toy, just be absolutely certain that the mirror you get is shatter-proof. As a side note, bendable baby mirrors are not a very good choice, because the images on them are warped and indistinct. If you want a mirror for developmental stimulation be sure to get one that is flat and rigid.

Trick: Water bottle.
One of the funnest and most fascinating toys for your baby is an old water bottle. You can leave a little water in it, or dry it out and throw some beans and bells into it. It crinkles when your baby squeezes it, it rattles or sloshes when your baby shakes it and it is light and easy to grab. I recommend taking off the paper label, half-flattening it and then sealing the lid on with hot glue, this will keep the squish-able crinkling quality, and minimize the possibility of your baby getting it open. You can put glitter in the water, or dry it and put small pebbles or twigs in it, there are endless possibilities for this amazing baby toy that only costs a buck or two. Just be sure that if you have any items that could be choking hazards in the bottle that you do seal it securely, babies often figure out how to twist off a lid long before you would think that they would.

Babies tend to find and make toys out of anything around them that they can get their tiny hands on. But to be safe, you should always inspect and ensure the safety of any new toys before they go into your baby's mouth. Watching your little dimpled doll figure out new toys is almost as fun for you as it is for your baby. And similarly, when you are picking out a new toy for your baby, if it is a toy that looks fun to you, chances are that your baby will love it too. If you have found these tips helpful please forward them to any new or expecting parents you know. Questions, comments and suggestions are always welcome. Happy parenting!