Childproofing Your Home

One of the most important steps you can take to prepare for a baby is childproofing your home. Little hands will get into things you never even thought of, so being prepared is critical to your child’s safety. Here are some areas of your home that need attention to get you started on your childproofing project.

· Electrical Outlets – You can buy inexpensive covers to keep little fingers out of your outlets, or simply put a piece of furniture in front of them.

· Cords – Be they electrical cords or cords for blinds or draperies, they are a risk. Cords from blinds or draperies are a choking hazard, and electrical cords can cause a shock, or can cause baby to pull something heavy (such as the lamp at the other end of that cord) down on top of them

· Rickety furniture – Be certain that you don’t have unstable furniture around. When your baby begins pulling up, he could pull the furniture right down on top of him. Sometimes it’s necessary to attach furniture, such as top heavy bookcases to the wall.

· Plants – Some houseplants are poisonous, so be certain to keep plants out of baby’s reach.

· Radiators – If you live in an older home with radiators, you will need to put barriers in front of them or radiator covers over them during winter months.

· Fireplace – Be certain your fireplace is equipped with a grill or glass doors to protect your child’s little fingers.

· Stairs – Install baby gates to keep your little one from tumbling down the stairs.

· Cabinet doors and drawers – Install childproof latches so that your baby is unable to open drawers and doors, particularly those where you store sharp objects or cleaning supplies.

· Railings – Be certain that any railings in your home, such as those on your stairs, have no more than a five inch gap between any vertical posts. You’d be amazed at how easily a baby’s head can get stuck.

All of these are important steps to readying your home for those days when baby starts crawling around. But, probably the most important thing you can do is to learn to keep your everyday things put away. Items that adults use regularly, like scissors, pins, coins, buttons and letter openers can all be very hazardous to a baby. It’s going to take some getting used to, but with some preparation, you can organize your life so that your everyday activities don’t put your baby at risk.

Why Taking Care Of Mommy Is So Important

It’s a novel concept, isn’t it; somebody taking care of you? Well, that somebody ultimately has to be you, and I know how it is, you’re way too busy taking care of everybody else to give yourself any time. But, let me tell you why you have to take care of yourself, and give you some ideas as to how to do accomplish this monumental feat.

You’re the Mom – and if you’re out of commission, everybody suffers
If you can’t manage to take care of yourself, for yourself, then take care of yourself for everybody else! A well-rested, happy Mom is much more likely to have happy, thriving children. If you’re tired, or you haven’t had an adult conversation in weeks, it will start to show. You’ll be grumpy to say the least; at worst you could be downright dangerous when doing something like driving a car. A frazzled Mom is no good to anyone.

How you treat yourself is how you’re teaching your children to treat you
If you never let your children see that you have needs, or that you take the time to meet those needs, you’re teaching them that you are, indeed, a doormat, and should be treated as such.

Ok, so now you know you need to take care of yourself, physically and emotionally, but how do you make it happen?

Start with your calendar
Put some appointments in it that will let you have some time to yourself. You choose the activities that will soothe your soul, but whatever they are, make time for them. A few hours a week devoted to something you love other than your family, will help keep you refreshed and feeling like your old self.

Ask for help
You know by now that men are different, right? Well, one of the ways they are different is that they don’t mind telling their partner what they need. And they expect the same from us. If you need your husband to plan to watch the baby for three hours every Saturday so that you can have some time to meditate, vegetate, shop, whatever, you need to tell him. He’s not going to come up with that idea on his own, but if you tell him what you need, he’s likely to oblige.

Make friends with other women in the same boat
There is no substitute for a girlfriend who understands. If you’re a stay at home mom, find some others to hang out with. It may mean some company for you and a play date for your child at the same time. If you’re a working Mom trying to juggle everything, hook up with some other working Mothers to talk things through. It works wonders to know you’re not alone. Plus, you might get some valuable ideas for handling some of the issues you face.

As the Mom, you’re really the heart of your family. Your well being translates into everyone’s well being. Take the time to enjoy the whole person that you are, not just the Mom.

Pacifier Or Not?

Before I had children, I swore my child would never use a pacifier. To me, they were simply signs that a child was just not very well taken care of. You know, Mom doesn’t want to pick the baby up and comfort her, so she just puts a pacifier in her mouth to quiet her. But, I’m older now, and I have three children, so I’m wiser too. There definitely are times when a pacifier is a huge help – not just a crutch for Mom. As it turns out, some newborns just have a greater urge to suckle than others. If your baby is like this, a pacifier is almost a necessity. For these babies, the suckling they get from nursing or taking a bottle is simply not enough. My daughter was one of these babies, and unless she fell asleep while nursing or taking a bottle, that pacifier was critical to getting her to sleep. Other children simply don’t need this extra suckling, and, for these children, a pacifier is usually not necessary. Occasionally sucking their thumb or fist is satisfying enough for them. Watch your child in those first few days, and make the decision based on your baby’s behavior. One caution, however; if your baby is nursing, you should avoid the pacifier until your baby’s nursing habits are fully established. A pacifier can cause nipple confusion in babies who are struggling with breastfeeding. The problem with pacifiers isn’t really the use of the pacifier itself, rather overuse, or use of it long past a normal age. Pacifier use can cause serious dental issues, and should be used only for the required amount of time. Plus, the older your child gets, the harder it will be for you to keep it clean. Also, if your child relies on a pacifier to fall asleep, you will be required to retrieve it for him multiple times during the night, when he is unable to locate it on his own. If your child uses a pacifier, look for the natural opportunities that will arise for giving it up, and seize them. For example, my daughter caught a bad cold at about six months old, and wouldn’t use the pacifier; because she was so congested she could hardly breathe. As soon as she started to refuse it because of the cold, I put it out of sight. Once her cold was over, she had forgotten about it. My middle son held on to his a little longer, but at about thirteen months, I noticed that just before he fell asleep at night, he would toss the pacifier out of his crib. So, one night, I picked it up off the floor, and put it away. Same ending – he never noticed it was gone. If your child needs it, a pacifier can be a great comforter, and can make life easier for you, too. Just be sure not to let it go on for too long, or you and the baby can become dependent!