What is colic?

Colic is common in infants. If your baby is healthy and well fed, but is crying over three hours a day and at least three days a week, then your baby may have colic.

What are signs and symptoms of colic in infants?

There are many different symptoms of colic and it differs from baby to baby. Below are some of the most common symptoms of colic in babies:

• loud & continuous crying for over three hours a day and at least three days a week
• the baby’s face often gets flushed or red
• the feet are often cold
• legs are pulled up to the stomach and then may be fully stretched
• hands may be clenched
• the crying can occur at any time of the day or night, but it usually gets worse in the late afternoon or early evening
• baby may lift their head or legs and pass gas
• baby may seem generally uncomfortable and appear to be in pain
• the baby may have difficulty in falling asleep

Check out the following video on how to soothe a crying baby with infant colic:



Summary: Ways to stop a crying baby; learn how to soothe a crying baby with infant colic in this free child care video with parenting tips for newborns and infants.

Tags: colic, crying baby
Posted by Nelson | No Comments »

Previous post I’ve talked about how to handle choking baby. But do you know if you still do not dislodge the blockage, you must be ready to perform CPR (Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) on the infant? CPR is a life-saving measure which could be vital if your baby stopped breathing, but how many of us would have the confidence to carry it out? Below shows step by step on how to perform CPR on a baby:

1. Ensure the airway is open.
2. Seal your lips around the baby’s mouth and nose.
3. Blow gently into the lungs, looking along the chest as you breathe. Fill your cheeks with air and use this amount each time.
4. As the chest rises, stop blowing and allow it to fall.
5. Repeat this 5 times.
6. Place the baby on a firm surface.
7. Locate a position in centre of the chest.
8. Using 2 fingers, press down sharply to a third of the depth of the chest.
9. Press 30 times, at a rate of 100 compressions per minute.
10. After 30 compressions, give 2 Rescue Breath.
11. Continue resuscitation (30 compressions to 2 rescue breath) without stopping until help arrives

Note:

1. If you have someone with you, send them to dial ‘999′ for an ambulance immediately.
2. If you are alone, carry out rescue breaths and chest compressions for 1 minute before taking the  infant with you to call an ambulance.

Even if your baby seems to be fully recovered from the choking episode, take her to your doctor that day. You can have a look at the following video showing how to perform CPR on a baby that is less than 1 year old. CPR on toddler is a bit different from baby, the 2nd video below shows how to perform CPR on children.

How to perform CPR on a infant

How to perform CPR on a child

Tags: baby choking, CPR
Posted by hoho | 1 Comment »

There are many reasons why babies choke. For the most part, it has to do with their small bodies and lack of practice. Babies are most likely to choke when he or she is starting solids. Because the pureed food does not go down as easily as the milk or formula they are used to, it is easy for the food to get stuck in the back of their throats. Most breastfeeding mommies face the same problem when their baby chokes while breastfeeding.

Do you know what to do if your baby choking on milk or choking while feeding? Especially first time mommies do not know how to handle their newborn baby when they choke and you will scream for help “MY BABY IS CHOKING!”

If you’re at home alone, and there is no time to rush to the hospital. Your baby needs help immediately and what can you do?

The first thing to do is to not panic. Keep cool, and assess the situation. If the choking baby can still cry, then he or she is still breathing.

Then you can try:

1. Hold your baby so that he is lying face down along your forearm with his head lower than his body and his back and head supported.
2. Use the heel of your hand to give up to five back blows.
3. Check your baby’s mouth and remove any obvious obstructions. Do not use your finger to sweep inside his mouth - this could push the obstruction further into his throat.
4. If your baby is still unable to breathe, turn him onto his back and give up to five chest thrust.
5. Use two fingertips to push inwards and upwards (towards his head) against his breastbone, one finger’s width below his nipple line.
6. Try to dislodge the object with each thrust. Don’t automatically do all five.
7. Check your baby’s mouth after each thrust and remove the obstruction.

If the obstruction does not clear after three cycles of back blows and chest thrusts, dial 999 (or if you have direct emergency number) for an ambulance and continue giving your baby back blows and chest thrusts until help arrives. If the child loses consciousness, begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while waiting for emergency crews to arrive.

We will further discuss on how to carry out CPR on your little baby in future post.

If you are still not clear about how to handle choking baby, you can have a look at below video. It shows clearly on how to dislodge the blockage of your baby.

Tags: baby choking, CPR
Posted by hoho | No Comments »

On last post, I talked about the types of diaper rash, diaper rash symptoms & what causes diaper rash. Today I’m going to talk about the diaper rash treatment and prevention.

How to treat diaper rash?

The best way to treat diaper rash is prevention. The best prevention is keeping your baby’s diaper area clean and dry. The following will help you treat diaper rash:

• Let your baby go without a diaper as often as possible in order to dry out the rash and let it heal. The more fresh air that your baby’s bottom is exposed to the faster the rash will heal.
• Try changing to a different brand for the diapers if you think they are irritating your baby’s skin and contributing to diaper rash.
• If you use disposable baby wipes and your baby has a rash, you may need to switch to another brand or stop it. Wash your baby’s bottom with warm water using wash clothes or cotton balls instead of baby wipes.
• Allow your baby’s skin to dry before putting on a clean diaper. Pat your baby’s skin dry — don’t rub!
• Some products can irritate your baby’s skin. If you use harsh detergent, bleach, or fabric softener, you may need to change brands or stop using the product.
• Using a barrier cream or ointment — one that forms a protective layer on the skin — after every diaper change can help protect your baby’s irritated skin from stool and urine. A good recommendation is the Buds Baby Diaper Rash Barrier Cream.
• Avoiding using talcum powder, which can cause lung problems and cornstarch, which can cause yeast to form in your baby’s diaper area.
• If possible, let your baby sleep with a bare butt whenever he has a rash. You could protect the mattress with a plastic sheet under the bed sheet.

How to prevent or avoid diaper rash?

• Keep the diaper area dry and clean. Change your baby’s diaper often.
• Avoid using disposable baby wipes. They can irritate the baby’s skin. Clean your baby’s bottom at each diaper change with plain warm water is the best.
• Gently pat the diaper area dry after washing it.
• After each diaper change, you may apply the diaper cream such as the Buds Baby Everyday Diaper Cream. This is to use everyday for prevention where the Diaper Rash Barrier Cream is used when your baby has a diaper rash.
• Studies have shown that the use of single use disposable diapers increase the likelihood of diaper rash. Consider using cloth diapers while you’re at home.
• Use a very mild detergent when washing cloth diapers. You can also try boiling them for 15 minutes after you wash them to get all of the soap and germs out.
• Avoid using tight fitting diapers that could rub against the skin.

When do I seek medical help for diaper rash?

Home remedy treatment is usually all that is needed in most cases to cure diaper rash. If standard home treatments such as frequent diaper changes and the use of diaper rash cream don’t bring improvement after a few days, you should consult a doctor. If the diaper rash is severe or getting worst, if blisters appear, if your baby is not eating well, appears to not feeling well, or at any time your baby develops a fever, call your doctor immediately.

Hope this article is useful and helps you to cure your baby’s diaper rash.

Tags: baby wipes, cloth diaper, diaper rash, diaper rash cream, disposable diaper
Posted by Nelson | 1 Comment »

What is diaper rash?

Diaper rash basically means any skin irritation, regardless of cause that develops in the diaper-covered region. Other names for diaper rash are such as diaper dermatitis, ammonia dermatitis, nappy rash, nappy dermatitis or nappy dermatitis. Diaper rash is very common in babies and is not a sign of parental neglect. Though diaper rash is very common to infants and toddlers, it can also occur in adults who are unable to routinely wash the genital area, or any individual wearing a diaper (for example, an incontinent adult).

What does diaper rash look like? What are the signs and symptoms of diaper rash?

If your baby’s diaper area looks irritated and red, chances are he has it. Your baby may seem uncomfortable, especially when you are changing his diaper or washing his diaper area. Diaper rash may be very mild, just a few red spots in a small area. If the rash is particularly bad, the rash can cause pimples, blisters and other sores. If your baby’s rash gets infected, the rash may be bright red and the skin may be swollen.

Here are two diaper rash pictures:

This is a more severe diaper rash picture:

Below is a list of diaper rash types and what they usually look like:

Chafing dermatitis (diaper chafing): This is the most common form of diaper rash, which can make the genital area and folds of the thighs & buttocks appear red and puffy. Diaper chafing or the baby being in a wet and dirty diaper for too much time causes this type of rash. This type of rash generally comes and goes, causing little discomfort as long as it’s not complicated by a secondary infection.

Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema): This type of rash shows up as red scaly patches on the legs and in the groin area. This rash may turn up in other parts of the body first while spreading to the diaper area between 6 and 12 months of age.  Atopic dermatitis can be caused by many things including allergens, irritants, environmental and hereditary factors.

Candidal dermatitis (yeast infection): This type of rash is usually tender and painful, appearing in the folds of the baby’s genitals, legs and the creases between the abdomen and thighs. This rash will start as small red spots that become more numerous and then form together as a raised bright red rash with distinct edges. The most common cause of this type of rash is a baby that is taking or has been taking antibiotics.

Perianal dermatitis: This type of rash appears as a bright to dark redness around the anus. The stools of bottle fed babies being more alkaline than normal are sometimes the cause it.  This rash will usually not appear with breast fed babies until after solids are introduced.

Seborrheic dermatitis (cradle cap): This rash will appear as a deep red rash that is rough, raised and often has yellowish scales. This type of rash usually starts on the scalp as cradle cap, although it can sometimes begin in the diaper region and then its spreads upward. This rash is usually caused by overactive oil glands in the skin.

Impetigo: This type of rash can appear as yellow-brown crusty patches or pus filled pimples or blisters, which is usually accompanied by a lot of surrounding redness. This rash can cover the buttocks, lower abdomen, anus, umbilical cord, and thighs and then spread to other parts of the body. Impetigo is caused by bacteria (streptococci or staphylococci). If you think your baby’s rash is a bacterial infection, be sure and notify your doctor immediately. Your doctor will most likely prescribe a topical or oral antibiotic.

Tidemark dermatitis: This rash is an irritation that occurs from the edges or bindings of a diaper rubbing against the skin.

Intertrigo: This rash will appear as a reddened area, which occurs as a result of skin rubbing on skin. It is usually found in the folds between the thighs and abdomen and sometimes in the armpits.

What causes diaper rash?

The majority of diaper rashes are caused by skin irritation, where the baby’s skin is constantly exposed to a variety of irritating substances. The most common irritants are urine, stool, bacteria from urine and stool, detergents, perfumes, plastics and dyes from single use disposable diapers, pre-moistened baby wipes, and soaps. Some babies will become irritated by a particular diaper or baby wipe.

On next post, I’ll talk more about how to treat diaper rash, how to prevent or avoid diaper rash. I hope I can help to solve your baby’s diaper rash problem.

Tags: diaper rash
Posted by Nelson | 2 Comments »

Do you know how to diaper a baby? Check out the following video on how to diaper your baby. You will learn the diapering procedures & diapering tips. The video shows how to diaper a baby boy and also baby girls.

Video Content:

• How to diaper my baby?
• How to clean the baby girl’s genital area with washcloth?
• How to prevent diaper rash?
• What to do if my baby have diaper rash?
• Why my baby crying?
• How to coping with colic?

Tags: colic, crying baby, diaper rash, diapering
Posted by hoho | No Comments »

The following is a very useful video on bathing a baby girl. Same should apply on bathing a baby boy. It shows you the steps on how to bath a baby, and lots of bathing baby tips.

Video Content:

• How often do I need to bath my baby? Do I have to bath my baby everyday?
• How important is the water temperature?
• How do I test the water temperature?
• What is the ideal water temperature for baby?
• What do I need to prepare before bathing a baby?
• Steps of bathing a baby.
• How to hold my baby during bathing?

Hope you find the above video helpful. More bathing baby tips in the future on AnythingMaternity.com!

Tags: bathing baby, water temperature
Posted by hoho | No Comments »

Do you know how to swaddle a baby? When to stop swaddling your baby?

On this post, I am going to talk about the swaddling techniques or how to swaddle your baby. It’s very simple. I will show you the step by step instructions and also the how to swaddle baby video.

Why swaddle a baby?

Swaddling creates a slight pressure around your baby’s body that gives most newborns a sense of security because it mirrors the pressure they would have felt in uterus. It can also reduce the incidence of the startle reflex, which can upset babies and increase the frequency of waking and crying which help babies sleep longer through the night. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) is a syndrome marked by the symptoms of sudden and unexplained death of an apparently healthy infant aged one month to one year.

New research shows that swaddling can help reduce the risk of SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome by promoting better sleep when infants are on their backs but make sure do not swaddle a baby in warm room because overheating is a SIDS risk factor.

Do you have question about swaddling your baby for how long or when to stop?

Research shows that swaddling is only effective for the first few weeks after birth. After one to two months, swaddling, which inhibits movement, can restrict your baby’s motor development. You can choose to change it to baby sleeping bag so that your baby’s arms and hands are free to move around.

How to swaddle your baby? Just wrap it!

While it can look complicated, once you get the hang of it, swaddling a baby is incredibly simple. You should use a small cotton sheet or special swaddling sheet/ swaddling blanket to swaddle your baby; blankets or synthetic wraps should be avoided as they can cause overheating.

1. Lay the swaddling sheet down on a flat surface and fold the right corner down approximately 6 inches so that the sheet takes an almost triangular shape.
2. Place your baby diagonally across the sheet so that their neck rests on the edge of the folded corner.
3. Gently place your baby’s right arm flat against their body. Take the left side of the blanket and brings it across your baby’s chest. Ensure that your baby’s arm is securely under the wrap. Tuck the edge of the wrap under your baby to firmly fix the wrap.
4. Take the bottom corner and place it up over your baby’s feet so that it points upwards along the legs.
5. Take the right corner of the sheet, wrap it across the left hand side of your baby’s body and tuck it round underneath. Your baby should now be swaddled securely with only their head and neck exposed. To ensure that your baby’s swaddling is not too tight, check that you can slip your fingers down the top of the sheet.
6. While you should not need to use additional sheets and blankets when your baby is wrapped in swaddling, you will need to adjust their clothing according to the temperature of the room in which they will be sleeping.

If you still aren’t very sure on how to swaddling a baby, please take a look at the following “How to swaddle a baby” video.

Tags: SIDS, swaddle blanket, swaddling baby
Posted by hoho | No Comments »