“A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age four years and under. Furthermore, for every child that dies, five are left with brain damage. The sad reality is that many parents still see swimming as only a social skill, not a life skill. It requires a fundamental mind shift and consistent education if we are to lower these statistics,” says Carolyn Idas of PowerPlastics Pool Covers.

Here are some practical tips for pool safety:

• Firstly, secure your pool with a solid safety cover that conforms to international standards, such as the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover. This cover completely seals off the water and curious toddlers are unable to tamper with the fastening system. Pool safety doesn’t end there – always ensure there is a responsible adult supervising children in and around the pool.
• Always check the weight tolerance of your pool cover or pool safety device (for example, the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover withstands the weight of two adults and a child).
• Ensure your pool cover has drainage holes to prevent sprinkler or rain water collecting on the cover, something a curious toddler might want to play in.
• Don’t consider cost over safety – choose the most effective drowning prevention measure and don’t put a price on your child’s life.
• Consider the hassle factor of a pool safety system and opt for the easiest to use. It is surprisingly common for children to drown in pools where a safety device is present but not in use because of the effort required. Add an automation system such as the EasyRoll or SafetyRoll for the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover for ultimate ease of use. Always re cover the pool the second your child leaves the water.
• Don’t let your pool’s water levels drop. Keeping the pool topped up allows for small arms to easily grab the edge if needed.
• If you live in a complex with a pool, insist that the body corporate covers the pool.
• For every two children in the pool, have one adult supervising. The more children, the more supervisors needed. Be aware that children’s summer pool parties are high risk events.
• Turn off fountains and water features. Not only do they waste water and power, they can cause ripples and splashing, making it harder to see when a child has encountered difficulty in the pool or has sunk to the bottom.
• Take a cordless phone outside in case you get a phone call, or let the call go answered.
• Familiarise yourself with what a drowning in progress really looks like. This can be found on www.topstep.co.za.
• If your child visits homes where pool safety has not been applied, chat to the owner and urge them to cover their pool, or avoid visiting them.
• Ensure that every adult in the home knows CPR, including domestic workers. Never hire a baby sitter or au pair who can’t swim.
• Don’t leave toys in or near a pool as children will be tempted to retrieve them.
• Teach your child to swim fully clothed and with shoes on.
• If your child develops a fear of water, don’t ignore this – a child who panics is at greater risk of drowning.
• Never allow swimming after dark.
• Discourage your dogs from swimming. Children and pets in a pool are not a good mix.

The post Practical advice for keeping your toddler safe around the pool appeared first on All4Baby.

“A swimming pool is 14 times more likely than a motor vehicle to be involved in the death of a child age four years and under. Furthermore, for every child that dies, five are left with brain damage. The sad reality is that many parents still see swimming as only a social skill, not a life skill. It requires a fundamental mind shift and consistent education if we are to lower these statistics,” says Carolyn Idas of PowerPlastics Pool Covers.

Pool safety regulations delayed

Meanwhile, the new swimming pool safety regulations expected to be passed in South Africa have also been delayed. The delay is due to a process taking place within the SABS which may make safety around a swimming pool a National Standard rather than just a by-law. Obviously the national Standard carries more weight than a by-law in one area or municipality.

“At present, pool owners are held accountable for pool safety and failure to do so and any negligence in this regard could result in legal prosecution. Interestingly, in 1977 there was a SA National Standard (SANS 10134) which dealt with safety around swimming pools and, at that stage, the legislation protected children. However, this Standard is now dated so the next step is to update it and incorporate it in a meaningful way within the National Building Act or SANS 10400.

“These committees have important work to do and ultimately their task is to protect children from drowning. There can be no doubt that the longer it takes to update the Standard, the more children will drown. While one would have thought that pool owners and the pool industry would have embraced safety around pools as part of their responsibility, this has not always been the case, hence the need to pass National Standards.

Drownings are preventable

“Drownings are entirely preventable with the right combination of pool safety devices, adequate swimming skills and responsible parenting in the form of vigilant adult supervision around pools. In most developed countries, pool safety has long been a legislative issue where the pool industry works together with home owners to ensure that safety measures are present on pools they install. Until now, South Africa has lagged behind and, if a pool has in fact been secured, it is down to being a responsible pool owner, not because of a formal directive. France is a particularly good example of how pool safety legislation and education can be rolled out effectively,” says Idas.

There are different ways to secure a pool but long considered the best layer of safety is the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover, a solid PVC cover that conforms to international safety standards with its weight tolerance of 175kg. Whereas other devices such as nets and fences still leave the pool water exposed, the PowerPlastics Pool Covers Solid Safety Cover restricts all access and provides an impenetrable barrier over the water, with drainage holes to avoid rain or sprinkler water forming a small pool on top of the cover – something that poses a drowning risk. This cover is simple and quick to use as it is. Furthermore, because the water is entirely covered, savings can be made on water, power and chemicals, making this an eco-friendly solution too.

Pool safety should be high up on the agenda

Local pool builder Horizon Pools admits that when selling a pool, many pool builders tend not to place pool safety high on the agenda.

“Pool builders in general tend only to talk about pool safety when asked by the client – it is not something that is typically brought to their attention at the point of sale,” says John Jager of Horizon Pools.

“I also notice that pool safety is often a ‘semi grudge’ buy. Customers see pool safety as;

• An added cost
• Something that detracts from the visual appeal of the pool area and
• A hassle to put on and off.

No one is actually thinking that they would rather take a risk and have someone drown, but the seriousness of pool safety during the sales pitch is overpowered by the excitement of getting the pool built. I hope that through consistent education, pool builders too will take a more proactive stance on pool safety,” says Jager.

PowerPlastics Pool Covers highlights the massive discrepancies when it comes to safety in other industries.

“The motor industry is not allowed to manufacture vehicles without seatbelts and neither can the chemical industry be negligent with hazardous substances. Parents need to wake up to the fact that open pools are equally hazardous. It’s much like letting your toddler play near a bonfire! I’d also like to see mandatory health warnings on every pool product, much like those found on cigarettes,” says Idas.

Tips, medical advice and industry insight

When by-laws for pool safety regulations were first tabled some years back, the public outcry highlighted the need for a public platform from which to comment on pool safety and better understand the issue. As a safety advocate and industry thought leader, PowerPlastics Pool Covers launched www.topstep.co.za, the home of pool safety, a non-commercial educational blog that aims to lower child mortality rates in domestic pools through education and domestic water safety awareness.

The first blog of its kind locally, www.topstep.co.za offers tips, medical advice and industry insight. It also explores some common myths around drowning and how it is often misrepresented in media.

“Many tragedies occur because those nearby think they know what a drowning in progress looks like – shouts for help, thrashing in the water, waving for help etc. In reality, drowning is quick and silent. The child shows no sign of violent struggle and remains upright in the water, often looking like they are just treading water or doing doggie paddle,” says ldas. “Another myth is that only unsupervised children will drown, whereas most drownings occur within 25 metres of an adult. A few swimming lessons won’t make a child drown-proof either.”

www.topstep.co.za is a call to action supported by the pool industry. Safety regulations aside, every pool owner must understand the associated risk of swimming pools, whether there are children in the home or not,” concludes Idas.

Watch a video on the PowerPlastics Solid Safety cover here. Learn more about the PowerPlastics Solid Safety Cover at www.powerplastics.co.za or call 021 703 5880 or 011 234 5949. All products are available nationwide through a national distributor network. For more tips and a guide to pool safety, visit www.topstep.co.za .

The post Is your pool toddler-proof? appeared first on All4Baby.

(It always starts with potty training, yes?)

We began on a Monday, planning to take full advantage of the rainy weather. Our house was stocked: juice boxes, salty snacks, tons of fibre, and two brand new packs of “Cars” undies. Bring it on.

At the risk of being that mom blogger, this is what I really want to say about potty training: the potty training was easy; the poop training is a whole different story. It’s all fun and games until your toddler gets constipated.

Moving on.

Picture this: Brett and I stuck in the house for an entire week with a toddler peeing on the floor and a newborn that needs to nurse every two hours and so much rain and so much laundry and nobody is sleeping well and is it okay to give your toddler a laxative?

I’m an optimist; always have been, maybe always will be. When I read a book about running a three-day potty training bootcamp, I assume we will be done potty training in three days, maybe four or five at the most. We needed to be done quickly because on day five, we had big plans—The Polar Express. We had dropped a serious chunk of change on tickets months ago. It was going to be our big family Christmas experience: a one hour train ride to the North Pole, a visit with Santa, cookies and hot chocolate, and our best friends in tow. All the ingredients for a magical evening.

Poor planning on our part meant that on Polar Express day, Everett was still potty training and Carson was due for his two-month shots.

The day was sheer chaos, as you can imagine. Everett had a tummy ache and in a moment of preventative panic, we decided to put him back in a diaper so he wouldn’t have an accident on-board a one-hour train ride with no bathroom. Anytime Carson was awake, he was screaming like a banshee.

We left the house late, as usual, and our process of getting into the car was worthy of reality television. Sometimes I wish we had a nanny cam set up in our garage to capture the show that is our family trying to leave the house with two kids.

While Brett put both kids in the car, I triple checked the diaper bag: burp cloths, diapers, pacifier, baby wrap, extra change of clothes for both kids, sippy cup for Ev, snacks, wallet, phone – check, check, check. I could hear Everett whining from the car for his hot wheels jeep because he simply cannot function with less than four toys in the car seat with him.

Forgot a jacket for Everett.
Forgot a sweater for myself.

Back inside.
Back inside.

My phone had 20% battery, need the USB charger.
Back inside.

(Heaven forbid my phone dies and I no longer have the ability to capture these impending magical memories.)

Carson woke up screaming bloody murder, red face, hyperventilating. Need Tylenol stat.
Back inside.

Where’s the syringe? We have no syringe? What happened to our medicine syringe?! WHY ARE WE SO UNPREPARED FOR LIFE AT THIS VERY MOMENT?

We pulled out of the driveway as Everett was crying and Carson was screaming. Brett and I looked at each other and laughed, not because anything was funny but because everything was stressful in a way that makes you laugh awkwardly as a coping mechanism. This better be worth it, I thought to myself.

We parked in the structure and started walking towards the ticket station. It was cold and just starting to rain and Everett was complaining that his tummy hurt and Carson was squirming in the wrap, attached to me with a permanent “shhhhhh” streaming from my lips. Our friends showed up and saved the day with a syringe, like drug dealers, only better.

Once aboard the train, we all got settled. There were children everywhere. I shouldn’t be allowed to say this because I am a mother but when there are children everywhere, I want to evacuate. This is how I know I am not meant to be a preschool teacher or a childcare worker or even a nanny for more than three children. Our train was very, very loud.

30 minutes later we arrived at the “North Pole”. Carson was starting to fuss so I rocked my body back and forth, holding him close in the wrap and shushing him as best I could. I looked over to my right just in time to see Everett with his hands pressed against the window, taking in the sights. When Santa came into view he started waving in that adorable way that toddlers do, shaking his entire arm back and forth with excitement.

“Hi Santa! Hi Santa!” he said over and over again.

I stared at him, desperately trying to see Santa from his perspective. I tried to see the magic that he saw. The innocence. The belief. For two minutes, I forgot all about potty training and the rain and Carson’s shots and the drama of us leaving the house. For two whole minutes, I watched the world through my toddler’s eyes and my heart skipped a beat watching pretend snow fall over pretend elves wrapping pretend presents.

And then those two minutes were over.

And then Carson lost his mind. The only thing worse than a screaming baby is a screaming baby in a confined space, such as a train. I frantically ripped him out of the wrap, attempting to unwrap fabric from my body while simultaneously unsnapping my bra strap and arranging the nursing cover around my neck.

Santa was on the train now, walking down the aisle passing out bells. He nonchalantly threw two at me and made a joke about me having my hands full.

Getting off the train was just as much work as getting on it. Can you take the diaper bag? Don’t forget Ev’s blanket. I need to get the wrap back on. Is that your sweater? Where’s my phone?

We walked back to the car and Everett started to cry, complaining of a tummy ache again. Carson screamed while I wrestled him into the carseat. I wish I could scream sometimes and get away with it.

Brett and I climbed into the car last, exhausted and hungry.

What do you want for dinner?

I don’t care.

I’m hungry.

Me too.

Should we stop and get something?

With the kids melting down in the backseat? No.

We lament over everything: the potty training, our empty fridge at home, the diaper bag that is never properly packed. I tell him that sometimes I am tired of life feeling so hard. That in the grand scheme of things, our life isn’t hard, but that taking care of a toddler and a newborn is a special kind of difficult. I feel like I spend hours and hours and hours trying to get us to wherever we need to be, just so we can be there for 30 minutes and not fall apart. It feels like it takes all day to prepare for something like The Polar Express just so I can watch my toddler wave to Santa for two whole minutes.

And I am left with the burning question: is it worth it?

Truth be told, it would be a lot easier to stay home and turn on the TV than go anywhere with two kids. It would be much easier to be permanent homebodies, only leaving the house for an occasional run to Chipotle when necessary.

But what kind of life is that?

And this is where being a parent becomes tricky because when you are a parent, you live an entirely different reality from your child. When I talk to Everett about The Polar Express, he remembers going on a choo choo in his jammies and eating a cookie and seeing Santa. And to him, it was perfect. He doesn’t remember (or care) that it was chaos getting in the car. He doesn’t remember or care that his baby brother was screaming half the night. He probably doesn’t even remember that he had a tummy ache. Those two minutes of magic that I witnessed? Those two minutes were the whole night for Ev.

And maybe that’s just what parenting is in this season. Maybe this is what life will be like for the next couple of years raising two small children who seem to need something every second of every day. Maybe I will spend 95% of our days working and preparing and cleaning and packing and checking and double checking and triple checking that damn diaper bag. All so that we can have 5% magic in our lives.

Is it worth it?

You tell me.

About the Author: Ashlee Gadd  is a Writer & Photographer. Founder of Coffee + Crumbs +instagram | twitter | facebook

The post Is it worth it? appeared first on All4Baby.

“Did you get the butt wipes?” my wife asks.

“The  — um —”

“Or bibs, there’s free bibs,” my wife’s cousin points out.

My pockets are full of Starburst and Milky Way bars. I thought I had scored.

“Go and get the butt wipes and bibs,” my wife says. “We can’t keep going back to the same tables!”

I throw myself back into the baby-mama scrum, determined to hunt and gather this time in a way more befitting of an engaged and enthusiastic baby-daddy. I am far from the typical football dad, perhaps too far, but that’s a topic for another column.

Throughout our pregnancy (yes, my wife’s pregnancy, but darn it, I’m trying to be sensitive here) the books have mostly included chapters for the new dad with little condescending sidebars about learning how to use the washing machine, helping out in the kitchen or not being afraid of poop. For the record, I do all the laundry in our home, am an excellent prep cook and have begun learning my own recipes and as for poop, I am the king of poop. Not only do I not fear poop, but I am an active supporter of the process. In my book on hiking with kids (The Adventures of Buffalo and Tough Cookie) I have a chapter dedicated to going in the woods.

But I digress. My point is, I’m sensitive, okay? But this enormous ballroom, awash with tiny babies, and everyone smelling like diapers and baby powder, is a little out of my league.

My first inclination is to look for a booth or vendor or workshop that has anything to do with being a dad. The expo is a tidal wave of breast pumps, natural skin lotions, and Goddess spa parties. And then I see my path in. For some reason, one of the local power companies has a booth, so I begin my entrance into baby-daddy-ville there. Turns out they just want me to switch providers and I’m soon bored by all the talk of megawatts and power streams. So, I do what I always do in situations like this; figure out what’s relatable. My wife likes green, natural kale drinks and there’s a vender selling some form of the stuff. They also sell post-baby diet wraps and for a brief moment I mistake the little tent next to the booth as some kind of odd weight loss sweat lodge. But the patient woman at the booth explains it’s just a changing tent. She gives me some of the green supplement, and it tastes exactly like what it is: liquid kale. “Good,” I say.

Next up, baby wraps. I’m going to be wearing those, so I better learn how to put the thing on. Again, the lady at the booth is a bit uncertain about my credentials but I can chat her up about different brands and wrapping techniques and soon I’m sharing my due date and we’re laughing like two moms at the playground.

There’s the car seat booth, where I strike up a conversation about different seats for different cars. I have a Subaru and my wife has a Mini. I am able to learn what a Doula is. Before this expo I had no idea such a thing existed. And finally, there’s a vendor selling exquisite cotton crib blankets and Moses Baskets. I even buy some cute little stickers of woodland creatures to paste onto my daughter’s onesie.

After a while, it’s time to regroup and with a puffed chest I recount my successful afternoon drifting among the moms. “That one table has some of those drinks you like,” I begin. “And I think I have the car seat situation figured out, as well as the type of baby wrap that we can both use; oh, and that basket you bought a couple month ago, that’s called a Moses Basket.” Then I show my wife the adorable stickers and wait for the accolades to shower down on me. “Where are the butt wipes?” she asks. I sigh, and set off to find the free butt wipes.

The post Working the baby expo circuit appeared first on All4Baby.

We have received a lot of conflicting advice on how to deal with this. Some people say that because they are still so young they don’t know how to cope with the emotions of not getting what they want and as such, they should be picked up and comforted. My concern here is that I am then sending the message that if they throw a temper tantrum they will get attention? Others say that the best thing to do is to ignore the child until they stop crying and then comfort them? They are also too young to understand timeouts, so we are at a bit of a loss here?

Do you have any advice on the best way to deal with these temper tantrums?

The post Yikes! How to deal with twin toddler tantrums appeared first on All4Baby.

Top 10 tips

1. Your caregiver is there to help you. You have hired this person to assist you with your children – this sets the basis of your working relationship, so stick to it.
2. When hiring a caregiver, make sure that you have a employment contract in place. This protects both you and the caregiver.
3. Make sure you understand your rights as an employer. This is very important! If you do not understand what you are allowed to do or not do as the employer, you could find yourself in a very difficult position. At the same time, make sure to understand your employee’s rights. You may not like some of their rights, but it’s the law and quite frankly, there’s absolutely NOTHING you can do about it!
4. Make use of warning letters. This is your right as an employer. Not only does it show your seriousness as an employer, these letters are there to protect YOUR RIGHTS as an employer further down the line should a dispute between you and your caregiver arise further down the line.
5. Record and / or document everything including leave days, warning letters (they must be signed), sick leave, compassionate leave, late for work days, etc. – this is for your protection in the long term.
6. If there is ever a dispute between you and your caregiver, NEVER EVER say YOU ARE FIRED! Replace YOU’RE FIRED with YOU ARE SUSPENDED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. Then, make sure to consult a labour consultant. The CCMA is not a place you want to land up at…
7. Make sure to pay UIF. This is protection for your employee should they find themselves without a job for some reason whether due to dismissal, you immigrating, etc.
8. Remember to give credit where credit is due. A happy employee is the best employee and rewarding when you can and crediting for good work / ethics can only be well received.
9. Avoid their personal issues – this is a very difficult one for me and those who know me well, will know it’s true. I care too much and I then get involved. DON’T DO IT!
10. Keep communication channels going by having a regular sit down, so that they know their roles and responsibilities and to keep communication going between you and the caregiver – allow them to feel heard and try to listen before getting cross or annoyed.

Useful Links

• South Africa Labour Department
• Labour Protect

I hope this helps you! It’s not easy being an employer, so understand that dealing with the more difficult situations is normal and although they may not be fun and can be quite stressful, you need to address things given that we are dealing with your kids and with someone who is in your home.

Have any more tips? Leave a comment below.

The post 10 Important nanny tips you need to know appeared first on All4Baby.

• Make a handprint stepping stone for the garden. Simply pour cement into a simple square wooden mould and let the kiddies press their hands into the wet concrete. You can even take it a step further and make a new stone every year, documenting your little ones’ growth.
• Instead of a family portrait for the living room, cut each family member’s hand print out of paper and create a collage which you can then have framed.
• For a kiddies’ DIY project, let them turn their hand prints into quirky animal pictures – for instance a turkey, a crab, a bunny or a chicken.
• Make handprint paperweights! Let each child print their hand in sand to create a mould of sorts, then pour concrete into the print and let it set.
• Next time you’re out of ideas for a birthday card for Gran or any family member for that matter, let your little ones decorate the front with their painted hands – the grown-ups will love it!
• Instead of your traditional family tree, let each family member decorate the “tree” with their handprint. Just remember to write their name and age next to it!

Original images and their credits available on Pinterest

The post Happy handprints (DIY inspiration) appeared first on All4Baby.

All babies refuse food at some point or another

Weaning your baby onto solids can be a hit and miss for both of you and the most important thing is not to worry too much. There are so many reasons why your baby may go off eating;

• Baby could be too tired to eat
• Baby may not feeling very well or,
• Baby quite simply, does not want to be fed

Just like you, a baby may not want to eat if he is feeling unwell

Just as adults experience loss of appetite, your baby too loses their appetite when they are not feeling well. This could be due to a cold or a sore throat, or especially if they are teething. As a mom, it is our natural instinct to feed our child, but sometimes this instinct can become an obsession.

In our weaning workshops we talk at length about this and we remind moms to step back, take a deep breath and to ask themselves the following;

• Do you like to eat when you are feeling unwell?
• Do you want to put food in your mouth if you have toothache?

The answers are always No! Allow your baby the benefit of the doubt – they will eat as soon as they are feeling better…

Ensure that your baby is alert at mealtimes

If your baby is over-stimulated and tired, trying to get them to do anything you want is a task. It is important to ensure that your baby is alert and awake and not starving before meal times.

Too much milk

If your baby is well and breastfeeding or drinking formula milk, it could be that he just isn’t hungry enough.

Babies’ appetites vary from day to day, and there are various factors to consider such as;

• Baby may not have been as active as usual
• Baby may have had an unsettled night with more frequent night feeds, which means he’ll have less appetite for solid foods during the day

This is more often than not the case as to why babies stop eating, to find out more about this, read Bumbles™ QOTM.

Cognitive and physical changes

From about nine months, your baby will start showing off their personality, along with those long awaited belly laughs that we all love so much. As their sense of humour shines through, they will also begin to show signs of social skills. However, they will also start to understand that behaviour can prompt a reaction. This can be great fun for them as they will have you picking up their toy again and again and again!

Finger foods play an important role in the development of their fine motor skills, something that develops rapidly during this stage. Bumbles™ believes in self-feeding as early as possible, however, if you haven’t started yet now is the time.

You may find that just by putting some food in front of them to explore and self-feed, they will start eating immediately.

Fussiness

Your baby may appear to “go off” solids because they don’t like the taste or texture of the food being served, or the food may be too hot or too cold.

If you’re offering your baby food that’s new to him, he may refuse it at first. While younger babies often happily eat lots of different foods in the early days of weaning, older babies are more likely to reject new tastes and textures.

Babies do tend to like sweeter tastes, so your baby may reject sour or bitter foods. This includes strongly flavoured vegetables like spinach, broccoli or fish.

Getting baby accustomed to savoury tastes before seven months is best, as after this age, most babies become more opinionated about what they eat and introducing new flavours becomes more of a challenge.

Despite this, try not to just stick with what you know he likes. Instead, keep offering a variety of foods. It’s normal for your baby to be wary of new foods, so be ready to offer something new as many as 15 times before baby accepts it.

If your baby has a sweet tooth and you are struggling to introduce vegetables, try combine each of the food groups, you will be surprised at what baby likes.

The Bumbles™ Baby Food Range offers some great combinations including;

• Beetroot & Apple with Quinoa
• Baby Spinach Pea & Pear with Quinoa
• Blueberry, Apple & Pear with Quinoa
• Sweet Potato Dahl

Follow your baby’s lead (and these guidelines)

Be guided by your baby. If they turn their head away, won’t open their mouth, spits out food, or stores it (like a squirrel!), baby probably isn’t hungry. If they push food away, cry, shout, try to climb out of their highchair, gags and retches – they are telling you that they don’t want to eat. It’s best to stay calm and try again another time.

Don’t put pressure on your baby to eat, and never force an extra mouthful. It will probably only make feeding more difficult and make mealtimes stressful for both of you – and could put them off some foods completely.

Try to keep mealtimes relaxed. Avoid long mealtimes, which may make your baby bored and restless. If your baby wants his food, he’s likely to eat it within about 15 to 20 minutes.

Rest assured that changes in your baby’s appetite are very common and nothing to worry about! If your baby’s appetite doesn’t improve or if your little one is not picking up weight, we advise speaking to your clinic sister or doctor for a professional opinion.

In the meantime though “Stay calm and keep trying”

The post Why has my baby gone off solid foods? appeared first on All4Baby.

Dr.  Avela Mayekiso, a dermatologist and a Pampers Institute Expert advises that, “Unlike you and me, babies don’t need to bath twice a day. Their skin is still delicate; too much washing may cause them to develop rashes, infections or dry skin. Wiping their bodies with a warm, damp cloth should be sufficient at a younger age.”

Guidelines to help you keep your baby’s skin soft:

• Fragrance free products – It’s best to opt for fragrance free products when the baby is still young to eliminate allergies and infections.
• Permanent skin tone – Some babies are born with a reddish complexion regardless of their ethnicity. This is caused by the baby’s thin skin and more visible circulation system getting up to speed. Some babies take longer periods to develop their permanent skin tones.
• Skin rashes – Baby skin is prone to dermatitis or baby acne. It will clear after a while but it’s important that these are not squeezed or scrubbed, rather use gentle products on their skin and be patient.
• Babies do not have a developed temperature regulation system like adults – This means that you will need to be more careful and make sure that they remain cool in summer and warm in winter months.
• Sun protection – Sunburn in babies is dangerous. It’s important that they avoid direct sunlight and have sunscreen applied on their skin at all times especially when the sun rays are strongest from 10 AM to 3 PM. Also ensure that they wear protective clothing and remain in the shade.
• Heat rash – When it’s too hot, some babies may get heat rash. Dress them in lighter layers or use a damp cloth to cool them down if you feel that the rash is not going away consult a paediatrician for medication.
• Avoid using powders on baby’s skin, it’s unnecessary, they can irritate the skin.
• Laundry tips – Wash your baby’s clothes with a gentle detergent that has fewer chemicals for their soft skin.

Pampers® cares for the baby’s skin. The Pampers Premium Care is Pampers’ driest and softest diaper. The nappy is designed by experts to provide the following benefits:

• Ultra Care: A breathable outer cover with micropores on all sizes lets fresh air in and humid air out. A unique lotion with aloe (sizes 1-5) adds an extra layer of protection with a unique honeycomb layer for absorption of runny mess on size 1-3
• Ultra Dry: The Dry Max^TM technology is clinically tested to keep baby’s skin dry for up to 12 hours
• Ultra Thin: Pampers Premium Care is not only our driest nappy, but also our thinnest, thanks to the unique Dry Max^TM technology
• Ultra Fit: Pampers Premium Care features a super stretchable fastening system on all sizes and flexes with baby while providing great leakage protection – overlapping fasteners that hug even very small babies (on size 0-2)
• Ultra Comfortable: All round softness to create a comfortable, snug feeling

For the perfect partnership when caring for your baby’s precious skin, the Pampers Sensitive Wipes restore skin pH, gently moisturises baby’s skin and are clinically proven to provide gentle cleaning.

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The problem is that she gets distracted easily because she can be a bit in her own world. When I give her a task to do – for example – to pick up the toothpicks that she threw out on the carpet to play with. She will obediently start doing it but then she will play with the toothpicks and start making different shapes with it. She forgets that she is busy cleaning. Then she gets distracted to do something else and I have to remind her to go back and put the toothpicks away. She will start again but will get distracted again. I need to remind her about five times to go back and finish what she has started.

I also take her to a gymnastics class once a week. It seems as if she really struggles to focus on what the teacher is saying. She will rather look somewhere else in the class and start jumping or running off in the middle of an instruction or demonstration. I have to call her back the whole time and tell her to listen and watch what the teacher is showing her. It becomes really frustrating to me. I know she enjoys the class but she struggles to focus.

Am I expecting too much of her at this age? If not, what can I do to help her focus and not get distracted? I want her to dream but I also know that she must be able to focus to get something done. I’m just worried later that it will be a problem in school.

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From what you have described, your daughter sounds like a bright creative little girl who is able to concentrate on an activity she enjoys. Being able to make shapes with toothpicks is a difficult fine motor task for any two-year-old to do, yet your daughter seems to enjoy it. She has only been alive for 30 months and is still discovering her environment, so she will become easily distracted when asked to do something, especially if she finds something more interesting to do along the way.

As children love doing things with their parents, in order to teach her to clean up you need to do it with her making it fun and turning it into a game. Toddlers learn best through games, so the more fun games you can think of to teach her things, the better. Being able to put away a few toothpicks at this age would be considered a major accomplishment. It is important to remember that a two-year-old can only concentrate for a few minutes at a time and then loses interest in what they are doing, which would explain why she gets distracted at gym. If her gym teacher is taking a long time to explain something or she is not very clear with her instructions, your daughter would get bored and move to something more interesting. As she is still young you may want to consider rather taking her to a Moms & Tots group, Clamber Club where they do a variety of activities rather than gym.

To help her focus and develop her listening skills always ensure you make eye contact when talking to her and only give her one short instruction at a time.

At this stage give her the independence and freedom she needs to explore her environment and her creativity, while keeping her safe.  Supervise her when she is playing with toothpicks so she doesn’t hurt herself or accidentally swallow one. Let her grow and develop at her own pace and play as much as possible without too many demands from you. She is learning and developing so quickly at this stage that within six months you will see her do so many things she can’t do today.

Question and answer provided by Claire Marketos, www.inspiredparenting.co.za

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