Songs to sing and sign with your baby

Babies love the sound of your voice, lots of eye contact and follow carefully any gestures you make.

Here are a few fun songs to sing and baby sign to your little one. These songs are sung to some very familiar sounding old tunes ...

(to the tune of She'll be coming round the mountain)

Oh it's time to change your nappy, 'cause it's wet, cause it's wet
Oh it's time to change your nappy, 'cause it's wet, 'cause it's wet
Oh it's time to change your nappy, it's time to change your nappy,
Oh it's time to change nappy, cause it's wet.

(to the tune of Row, Row your Boat)

Wash, wash, wash your face.
Wash your little face.
Pour the water on your face.
And Wash your little face.

This is also a great way to learn new words.

Have a go yourself. Perhaps even make up some words to the sound of your favourite tunes.

Enjoy!

Saline solution for babies and toddlers

From the age of 3 months, I cleared my son's nose with a home-made saline solution, not more than once a week.

He remained free from coughs, colds and a runny nose until he was around 18 months of age.

The saline solution helped to loosen any build up in the nostrils.  Do not overuse.

I made a fresh batch of saline solution each time.

Saline solution for the nose:
Add 2.5ml (1/2 level teaspoon) of salt, never more, to 250 ml (8oz) of cooled boiled water.  Boil the water for at least a minute before cooling.  Use a good quality sea salt. Measure quantities accurately.

Cleaning your Infant's nose:

• Lay baby on their back.
• Place a full dropper (1ml) of salt water (saline solution) in each nostril.
• Clean inside very gently with a cotton swab (Q-tip) to catch any build up.  Use a new Q-tip for each nostril.

If there is any sign of a cold or congestion, apply another full (1ml) dropper of the saline solution in each nostril. Clean your dropper between applications, to avoid contamination.

When my baby was around 9 months of age I began showing them how to gently blow air through his nostrils. Blowing bubbles in the bath (face under the water), and blowing a cotton ball across the table, pushing air through your nostrils, is a great way for little ones to watch and learn!

Cleaning a Toddler's nose
Beyond the age of 12 months my son became too fussy to have his nose cleaned while laying on his back.  So, I began using Hydrasense when I noticed congestion (which rarely occurred).  Now 4 years old he uses a tissue when he needs one, and continues to remain free from any serious coughs and colds.

If you are using any type of nostril aspiration/suction system, then you will need to reassure your infant before and during the process. I was only able to use a nasal aspirator once with my son.  The sound of the mucus being sucked out of his nose gave him a fright.

Hydrasense is a saline mist that is great for adults and children with sinus, colds and nasal congestion.  There is a very gentle mist for children.  Use cautiously on children under 18 months of age.  Check with your pharmacist first.  Hydrasense is available in Canada and major pharmacies, and at well.ca (online, with free delivery).

I have used the Hydrasense spray mist, with my son, once or twice when there has been signs of nasal congestion, between the age of 18 months and 2 years.  I believe, if there are no major health issues, then the less intervention, the better.  

Hydrasense helps sore throats, colds and sinus problems, especially during North American winters when homes have much lower humidity because of our winter heating.

eat, play, sleep

Eat, play, sleep ... that is all your little one and YOU need do for at least the first 6 weeks!

When they are very young eat, play, sleep happens often. Sleeping takes up most of the time, next to eating and play is only for very short periods during the day.

As babies get older, anytime from 6 weeks on (or in my son's case at 3 and a half months of age) babies can and do stretch out their feeds during the night and sleep up to 6 hours quite easily.

Remember an older waking baby may not always be hungry (he may need a little soother, stroking for reassurance). Try and not pick them up or talk to them when they have woken during the night as this will send them a confusing message. They may think they are getting up to eat and play again. A hungry baby will not take a soother for too long before he is crying again.

eat
Milk feeds can be every 2 to 3 hours and last up to 40 minutes. As your newborns gets older you may notice they feed more quickly. By 6 weeks of age my son was done with one side of the breast in 10 minutes, sometimes less.

play
To encourage a burp, gently stroke the back of your baby, in an upwards motion on the left side. Ensure you are stroking their back well above the kidney area. Chat or sing to your little one. My son enjoyed being held with his arms up and over the top of my shoulder (while waiting for him to burp).

This is all part of play.

Sing a song, say a nursery rhyme or read a book. It is never to early to start reading to your child.

sleep
Then get ready to change their diaper (make it a short time of play), sing a little more, give them a cuddle and talk about getting ready to go to sleep.

At 8.5 months of age I still sing this little song to my son (while signing to him) to the tune of 'Frére Jacques' after changing his diaper ready for bed...

"Are you sleepy? Are you sleepy?
Baby mine, Baby mine,
Now it's time for bed, Now it's time for bed,
Time to sleep, Time to sleep

Try putting your baby down to sleep within 20 to 30 minutes of a feed. Watch for the signs that your little one is ready to sleep. Are they rubbing their eyes, pulling their ears, or giving a small yawn. The sooner you can put them to bed after catching that first sign of sleepiness the easier it will be for you, and baby will go off to sleep well.

Awake time = 1 to 1.5 hours (up to 3 to 4 months of age)
Sleep time = 2 to 3 hours (up to 3 to 4 months of age)

For extra help and ideas go to http://www.thesleepstore.co.nz for articles on baby sleep.

Homemade Baby Purees (for a 6 to 7 month old)

As a first time older mum I recently attended a Baby Puree making workshop and learned about nutrition, and how easy it is to make my own baby food. If you need a little motivation, here are some homemade baby puree recipes for you to try ...

Sweet Potato Puree, Pumpkin or Squash Puree
Peel and cut 2 or 3 medium to large size sweet potato into cubes. Steam for 15 to 20 minutes, until soft. Reserve the cooking liquid. Puree the cooked cubes of sweet potato with a stick blender or a kitchen blender until very soft and fine. As you are blending add some of the reserved cooking liquid to make a nice soft consistency for baby to swallow.

Remember that sweet potato, and, if you are cooking pumpkin or squash will absorb quite a bit of water when blending into a puree, so add at least a 1/2 to 1 cup of cooking liquid.

The same recipe can be made with carrots, BUT you must ensure that when you puree the carrots use freshly boiled, slightly cooled water and NOT the cooking liquid.

Carrots contain nitrates that leak into the cooking liquid and are too strong for a young baby.

Green or Yellow Bean Puree
Another good source of vegetable containing fibre to start introducing to your 6 month old. Steam the beans until soft and puree together with some of the cooking liquid.

Zuchinni Puree
Quick and easy to steam lightly.

My six month old seemed to really enjoy it unpeeled, cooked and pureed finely.

There is no need to add water to this mixture when blending Zuchinni as it contains alot of liquid.

Apple Puree
Peel and slice your favourite eating apples. Simmer until soft in freshly boiled water, use approximately 1/2 cup of water to 3 to 4 large apples. Puree when slightly cool. Freezes well in ice cube trays.

Prune Puree
Soak approximately 2 cups of pitted prunes in 2 - 3 cups of boiling water for 20 minutes (in a pot). Then simmer gently in a pot on the stove for 15 to 20 minutes. Once slightly cooled blend with blender stick. Note: Prunes can be frozen in small containers, but will remain slightly sticky (which makes them more difficult to freeze into ice cube trays).

Freezing homemade baby purees
Vegetable and Fruit Purees can be made at home quite easily, cooled and frozen into ice cube trays. Once frozen store them in labelled containers or ziplock bags. Remember to rotate and use up older frozen purees first. Frozen fruits and vegetables have a relatively short shelf life (no longer than up to 6 months in a large deep freezer, or 2 to 3 months in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator). Pureed frozen meats, frozen purees containing milk and frozen legumes (lentils and tofus) should be used within 2 to 3 months.

Remember it will be only a few short months and your child will be enjoying table food (around 11 or 12 months of age you will be able to make them dinners almost the same as you are serving the rest of the family, simply mashed lightly with a fork, without a lot of spices or added sugar or salt.)

Getting Baby started on solids 6 months+

As a family, we always enjoy eating breakfast together. Our son seemed ready to sit at the table, in his highchair, with my husband and I, at around 5 months of age.

When he was much younger we lay him in his stroller next to us, so he could see what was happening, and be able to interact with us.

At 5 1/2 months of age I noticed our son moving his mouth up and down, while sitting in his highchair (as if he was mimicking my husband and I eating), and he began to reach out to grab a banana, when he saw it, so I began making baby purees for him to try.

Here are some tips and ideas for getting your little one started on solid foods.

Firstly, it is wise to remember that 'breastmilk or formula is the best source of food' for your young baby.

Your baby needs a good source of daily milk supply, with all its vitamins and minerals, up until, at least, the age of 2 years and beyond. Cow's milk (3.25%) can be introduced to an older infant from the age of 9 months+, but it may be better to wait a little longer until they are aound 12 months of age.

When introducing solids, start around 6 months+ of age. We started a little earlier as our son was almost 10 pounds at birth and he seemed ready. Continue to offer the breastmilk or formula first, before offering any solid food. I usually wait 15 to 20 minutes after giving our son milk before I offer him cereal, fruits or vegetables.

Be sure your baby can sit well, and hold their head up on their own before introducing solid foods. This is to avoid any type of choking hazard. Look for signs that your baby might be interested in beginning solids eg reaching or grabbing for food while you are eating.

Start with a Cereal
I started my little one on 1 Tblspn of rice cereal for breakfast and dinner. His milk feeds remained at 3 to 4 hourly during the day, with his first feed at 5.00am and his last feed around 5.00pm (half an hour or so before bed).

Then Introduce a Vegetable
After 3 days of cereal only, I then introduced 1 Tblspn of vegetable puree (squash) in place of the rice cereal at dinner time.

Gradually he began eating more cereal and vegetable puree at mealtimes. It wasn't long before I added a fruit puree to the breakfast and dinner menu.

Offer Water at mealtimes
Remember to always offer cooled, boiled water to your baby at mealtimes, along with cereal and purees.

I began offering water to my son in the little cup off the lid of his baby bottle. He is gradually learning to hold that cup in both hands, and drink himself. He drinks when he his thirsty, and I don't worry too much if he turns his head away or pushes the cup away.

At 6 months of age my son was enjoying cereal for breakfast, and squash, carrots, beans or zuchinni for dinner. He had also started to enjoy finely mashed banana, apple puree and prune puree.

Remember to introduce your little one to only one new item of cereal, fruit or vegetable at a time for a period of up to three days. This is to help identify any potential allergies or reactions to the food. It wasn't long before my son was eating one serve of fruit, vegetable and cereal all in the same day!

My son quickly gained an appetite and I gradually increased the quantity of serves to 3 Tblspns of cereal, fruit and vegetable over the course of 3 to 4 weeks.

Hope for the future

'Hope' and 'change' seem to be the latest buzzwords. Many people pin their hopes and dreams on other people, and are often left disappointed and let down. The harsh reality is that not one of us is perfect.

Where is there hope for the future? Who can we put our trust in today?

As a new mum, I find myself 'hoping and praying' that my baby will settle quickly. There are just so many things to catch up on during a one and a half hour nap time... washing, cooking, cleaning, answering messages, making appointments and so on - not to mention getting a little rest too!

When we are out and about my young son is often complemented on being happy and calm. He seems to be able to take most things in his stride, and with a cry lets me know when he is not right. Is he hungry? Does he need to sleep or a nappy change? Has a toy escaped his reach, or, would he simply like a cuddle? I can hear my baby now as he wakes from his morning nap, babbling away to himself. At eight months, he is experiencing change everyday. This week he is now able to hold and feed himself from a bottle (which gives me confidence that he could be weaned at any time). He has eaten home made chicken liver puree (for the very first time), as babies around 9 months need a good source of iron rich foods. And he has learned to make the consonant 'ba ba ba ba.' His future is going to be filled with many new experiences!

Babies need to know there is security around them, and there is a sense of rhythm in their life. Too many changes, too quickly and they easily become unsettled.

Are you struggling with how much your life has changed since your newborn arrived? Have you lost hope that you'll be able to do the things that you loved doing before this little bundle came along?

Stay focussed on the task at hand for now and allow yourself to catch a glimpse of the future when you can.

Life is different now and the rewards are immeasurable. As parents we have the priveleged task of teaching our children to become kind, compassionate, well educated neighbours and friends.

Someone who cares

Have you ever that it is 'all up to me' to get things done? Perhaps, as a new Mum, you are wondering 'Where am I going to get the energy from to do all the cooking, cleaning, feeding, nappy changing, bathing of baby?' Are you facing these things alone?

Be encouraged - there is someone who cares for you, more than you could ever imagine.