• When you return home with the new baby, present her with a gift from her new sibling. A doll and accessories is always a good idea.
• Your toddler will play up and demand your attention just when you can’t give it, so expect her demands to intensify, especially if you have just sat down to feed the baby! To the best of your ability always attend to her needs first – this will make her feel secure.
• Have a pile of storybooks handy and place one of her little chairs alongside your feeding chair, so that she can sit with you and read a story when you feed the baby. This is a good habit to start, and she will start to look forward to this special time.
• When visitors arrive to see the new baby, let her show them to the nursery, and allow her to help open the baby’s gift, this way she will feel included.
• Avoid saying “don’t touch the baby” too much. She will cotton on that touching the baby gets your attention and will continue to do it. If possible ignore (unless she is feeding the baby a niknak, or holding him upside down!) Never leave her alone with the new baby.
• Use every bit of help offered.
• Take the phone off the hook when you are resting, or at least invest in a portable phone to keep alongside you.
• Limit visitors to a specific time of the day, so that you are not inundated all day. Visitors, while having your best interests at heart can kill you with kindness!
• Stick to your toddlers routine scrupulously – it will make the whole family feel more secure.
• Expect a regression in your toddler’s behaviour. She may demand a bottle or dummy again, or start wetting her bed.       Keep calm, give her what she asks for, and know that it will pass with time.
• Try to spend some special time alone with your toddler every day, even if it means quiet time in the garden for twenty minutes.
• Look after your relationship with your partner – remember that you are in this together.

Top Tip

When you are still pregnant, put together a little box of age-appropriate wrapped goodies for her (for example a small box of smarties or a toy bottle), and keep this in the baby’s room. When you are busy with the baby and cannot attend to your toddler (such as when you are changing a stinky nappy, or feeding), allow her to go to her ‘special box’ and select a present. The selection and the subsequent unwrapping and exploring will buy you the time you need to finish off your task. This way, she will only associate a positive experience with the fact that you are unable to attend to her immediately.

The post How to prepare your toddler for a sibling appeared first on All4Baby.

Try and keep this time of the day calm and quiet, so if Dad is home, try and limit the amount of horseplay and excitement that takes place – rather stick to calming, nurturing activities such as watering the garden, doing a puzzle, or play “I spy”. Avoid intensive movement activities and rough house play at this time, but encourage them in the afternoon.

Try and serve supper at roughly the same time each evening, and perform the same activities thereafter until bedtime

Follow these tips

• Tidy up – teach him to put his own dishes in the sink or dishwasher.
• Lay out his pajamas and toiletries on the bed – let him help you.
• Run a bath – let him help you (note: never leave him alone in the bathroom).
• Give him a warm, calming bath, or bath with him – add a drop of lavender or chamomile oil – a few stack toys are ideal for bath time – this is also a nice time for Dad to get involved.
• Wrap him tightly in a warmed towel when you are finished, and dry him with deep, firm strokes. Deep pressure activities such as this are most useful to help him calm down. Have a favourite song that you always sing at this time (such as “this is the way we dry ourselves….”).
• A massage (if he will let you) is a wonderful way to end off bathtime. Deep pressure touch, is for most of us, one of the most effective ways to calm when we are feeling overloaded. Massage enhances parent-child bonding, helps the child to calm to the quiet alert state, and so promotes deeper sleep. Contact the International Association of Infant Massage South Africa: 011 – 787-0681011 – 787-0681 for details of an instructor in your area.
• Have some calming, lullaby music playing softly in the background.
• If there is time before bedtime, keep all stimulation to a minimum, play quiet games such as puzzles and stacking games, and read stories (no dragon stories!) – try to remain within the ‘sleep zone’.
• Offer the last drink of the day (if appropriate).
• Last trip to the bathroom to brush teeth and wash hands, a nappy change or, if age appropriate, a loo stop! –
• Help him to choose a book for his bedtime story (if age appropriate).
• A cuddle and kiss, and into bed – no story unless he gets into bed and under the covers!
• Read a bedtime story that is age appropriate, and not too scary – stick to old favourites (toddlers love the same book over and over again). A good tip is to make up an ending that entails the hero/heroine also going to sleep! Try not to get hooked into more than one story.
• Last kiss and cuddle, and a firm and loving “goodnight”. Leave when your child is still ‘happily awake’, not drowsy or asleep. (you’ll only create an expectation to always stay with him, which may become a behavioural issue later). You may have to close the door if he keeps coming out of the room. Leave a night light on so that he is not left in the dark.
• Expect some tears (and the odd tantrum) – pop in and out the room to give cuddles and reassurance but remain consistent with your boundary – it is sleep time!

The post Establish a bedtime routine for your toddler with these tips appeared first on All4Baby.

Between making breakfast, racing against traffic, beating the school bell, pleasing the boss, making your daughter’s ballet class, catching your son’s cricket game, conquering your kids’ maths homework, feeding the dog…it’s hard to find the time to constantly dream up dazzling new lunchbox sarmies that will make the little toddler happy.

How about chicken mayo with a difference? Replace the mayonnaise with creamy avonnaise!

Whizz one avo in a blender until smooth, drizzle about 50ml of avocado oil (or olive oil) through the feeder, followed by two tablespoons of lemon juice.

Mix into shredded cooked chicken, season with salt and pepper and spread generously on panini bread.

Go on, just add an avo!

For more avolicious recipes visit www.avocado.co.za, like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/iloveavocadoSA and follow us on Twitter @iloveavos

The post Liven up your toddler’s lunchbox with Avos! appeared first on All4Baby.

Discover what time works best for your baby or toddler. Play around with the bedtime in 10 to 15 minute increments to discover his or her “window of opportunity”. That is when your child is not overly tired, but tired enough.

Remember to compensate with an earlier bedtime if it was a bad nap day.

Keep in mind that your child has a natural awake and sleep rhythm, so be consistent with your bedtime – even on weekends!

 How does lack of sleep affect mood and behaviour?

• Irritability
• Depression
• Exaggerated emotions
• Increased aggressive behaviour
• Behavioral problems
• Hyperactivity

What about the effect of lack of sleep on my baby’s health?

• Reduced physical performance of small and large motor skills
• Delayed recovery from illness
• Disruption in natural growth and development

How will lack of sleep affect learning?

• Impaired hand-eye coordination
• Memory lapses
• Lack of concentration
• Impaired memory
• Compromised decision-making processes

Be on the lookout for the following signs

The post How much should your baby be sleeping? appeared first on All4Baby.

Between 5am and 7am is a tricky time for babies as they are in the lightest stage of their sleep and most likely already have 10 hours under their belt, so if they are woken, it is very tough to get them to go back to sleep.

The reality is, early mornings are probably going to be a part of your life for a while (a side effect of being a parent unfortunately), but here are a few suggestions that I recommend you try to see if you can make that early morning not quite so early.

A dark room

Is your baby’s room as dark as possible? Even the slightest bit of light can encourage your baby to wake before an appropriate time, especially during the summer months. We sleep best in complete darkness so investing in good blackout blinds for you and your family will help encourage restful sleep.

Eliminate environmental noise

Is there any environmental noise happening? Somebody getting up for work, building noise, a garbage truck rolling by?

Using a sound machine set to white noise can help eliminate the chance that an outside noise wakes your baby up. Make sure if introducing white noise that it is on when baby goes to bed and stays on all night long so their sleep environment is consistent.

Stick to wake-up time

Stick to your guns when it comes to wake-up time. I never suggest getting your baby out of bed prior to 6 a.m. If you start bringing them out earlier than this it will only persuade them to call for you at this time.

Decide on a minimum wake-up time (within reason) for your family and make it a rule. If you have a toddler who is in a bed, introducing a night light that changes colour when it is morning can be very useful.

Extend the first nap

What time is your baby’s first nap? If you’re putting your little one down too early after rising then they will start to use this as an extension of their night time sleep.

Delay the first feed

What is happening when your baby is waking early? Could they be waking up early looking for something?

Make sure to delay your baby’s first feed by about 10 minutes. If you rush to them and feed them right away when they wake at this time, you’re only supporting their decision that it’s time to get up.

An overtired baby wakes up early

What time is baby’s bedtime? It could be that your baby is overtired, which can lead to early wake ups.

Ensuring that your child gets to bed somewhere between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. is ideal, depending on when their last nap ended.

Keep in mind that when changing bedtime you often need to stick to the new time for a week or two to see any results, so be patient.

If that doesn’t work, try a later bedtime

If after trying an earlier bedtime for a week or two with no change in wake-up time, it may be time to look at slowly moving bedtime later by 10 minutes every three days until it is 30 minutes later than normal.

Again, you cannot expect to see results for at least a week, if not two; just be consistent and patient.

“Wake to Sleep”

This is usually the last thing that I suggest to parents when nothing else has worked and you have looked at all other possible causes for the early rising. This can only be done if the wake-up time is fairly consistent;

• Set your alarm to go off 10 minutes before the time your baby wakes up
• Go into the room and lightly rouse baby, but not fully awake (this is the tricky part), then quietly leave the room.
• If your baby still wakes at the same time then leave them until your decided minimum wake-up time. I suggest 6 a.m. at the earliest.
• If your baby manages to sleep longer but still not until your minimum wake-up time, still leave them until that time.
• This will have to be done for a full seven days until you will start to see any success, so be patient.

About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za

The post Is your baby an early riser? Follow these 14 tips to stretch your baby’s sleep! appeared first on All4Baby.

Small children develop colds for a number of reasons;

• Often because their immune system is just developing
• In winter, heating can dry out the sinuses causing additional problems
• Being around other adults or children who are ill is another common cause

How do you know if you baby has a cold?

Colds are difficult for babies, as they can’t tell you what’s wrong. So how do you know if your baby has a cold, or something different?

For the first few days of a cold, your baby may be fidgety, irritable and hard to settle. Once a congested nose kicks in, they’ll tend to prefer trying to breathe through their nostrils even when they are blocked. As a result, they will find it hard to feed so may be a little off their food.

Like adults, sneezing, coughing, a hoarse ‘voice’ or cries and red or watery eyes may be signs.

How to help your baby

There is still no cure for the common cold. So while you wait for the symptoms to go, you can try the following to make your baby more comfortable:

Warm baths and showers

To ease congestion (and make them feel better) a hot, steamy and humid environment is perfect. Just a few minutes will help, though half an hour or more will do wonders.

Whether you bathe them and relax them, or just take them into the bathroom while you shower yourself, it should help, and will clean away some of that horrible ‘ill’ feeling.

Vaporisers and humidifiers

These do the same job as a steamy bathroom, but can be left in your child’s room at night. Night time is the worst time for a cold, as lying down worsens congestion.  Humidifiers will help to combat a blocked nose, but for additional help, try propping the mattress up using a few folded towels so your baby sleeps at a more upright angle.

Saline nasal drops OR breastmilk

Sometimes, that congestion just won’t budge. Saline nasal drops can help this but should be used carefully. Make sure that any nasal solutions you use are pure and do not contain any decongestant medication.

Breastmilk can double as a nasal solution as it is pure, and full of goodness. If the area underneath the nose is getting sore, use petroleum jelly to protect it.

Offer more feeds

If your baby is finding it hard to feed, their fluid intake will be down. But when you have a cold, the first thing you need is more drink and nourishment.

Little and often is the best way to feed, and for toddlers you should offer drinks, ice pops, even frozen breastmilk ice cubes and runny, liquid based foods regularly.

Watch out for signs of dehydration, and if you’re worried about their fluid intake, seek help.

Be there to comfort and keep wiping their nose

Often all an ill and confused child will want, is reassurance from you. So just be there to keep wiping noses, cuddle and soothe. Even if you feel helpless you’ll be helping more than you know!

When to seek help

If your baby’s symptoms do not improve after a few days, they have a high temperature (over 37°C), they refuse to feed, pull on their ears a lot, or they shows signs of a rash or hives, take them to a doctor immediately.

They may have a more serious condition, infection or even an allergy.

Dehydration may rapidly become a concern if babies are taking in less than half of their normal feed amount.  Always seek professional advice if you are unsure.

Do not give your baby cold treatment medications unless prescribed, as these are usually designed for adults and can cause damage to young children.

If you must use decongestants, apply them to fabrics in small amounts, not sensitive skin. Ensure these fabrics will not be exposed to little faces as they can cause skin discomfort.

Within a week, your baby’s symptoms should be easing and they’ll be back to their old selves. Colds are a part of growing up however, and they are sure to have (and get through) many more in future.

About the author: Suzanne Gibbard is a mother of three and owner of Bundles of Joy, a company that sells christening gifts and new baby gifts.

The post Help your baby through his first cold appeared first on All4Baby.

A mom’s perspective

“Often, while shopping with my daughter Reilly, she’d get bored with sitting in the trolley. Soon she’d start touching the trolley and then would put her hands straight into her mouth! When I saw retailers offering sanitising trolley wipes to shoppers, I wondered just how clean trolleys were,” mom Kerry Costa explains.

She investigated the issue and found startling statistics pointing to the dirtiness of shopping trolleys. She also visited local malls and saw trolleys stored in parking lots and used for packing shelves and fridges and transporting fresh produce waste.

More bacteria than a public restroom

Just think, trolleys are passed from hand to hand, all day, every day without the opportunity for disinfection. At the end of the day, a trolley has just as much (or even more) bacteria than a public restroom. Yuck!

Bacteria E.Coli can cause major infections

Researchers at the University of Arizona analysed the handlebars of 85 shopping carts and found fecal bacteria in 72% of them. With further analysis they determined that 50% of these bacteria corresponded to variations of E.Coli, along with other types of bacteria.

E.Coli is a bacteria that usually lives in the intestines of humans and animals. This bacterium has many varieties, some of which are harmless, but others however cause diarrhea because of their toxins.

Some varieties can cause severe diarrhea that can damage your intestines. The bacteria can also be found in vegetables and spread from person to person if the infected person has not washed their hands after going to the bathroom, contaminating surfaces such as handles of shopping trolleys for example.

Cover all surfaces with a trolley pouch

Kerry’s research prompted her to develop the ReillyRooz Shopping Trolley Pouch, which effectively covers all the areas of a trolley that young children (up to 4 years) sitting in the front seat are exposed to. The easy-to-assemble pouch slips easily into the seat and wraps over the handlebar of the trolley, offering a hygienic and comfortable shopping solution for both parents and their children.

For further information, visit ReillyRooz on Facebook or www.reillyrooz.co.za

The post How hygienic is it to put your baby in a shopping trolley? appeared first on All4Baby.

Swimmers ear, which is an external inflammation of the outer ear canal caused by trapped fluid, is a painful affliction suffered by people of all ages. “Not many people realise that it’s not just an extended period in the swimming pool that leads to swimmers ear – you can easily contract swimmers ear from submerging your head in the bath,” says Neethling.

Neethling says that he recommends that parents consider a barrier product for use with their children at bath time. “It just takes one dip for liquid to get into the ear. Prevention is the best way to avoid infections.”

Ryk recommends South African brand SwimSeal – supplier of protective ear drops that create a barrier in the ear, preventing any fluid passing through. Jessica McArthur, brand manager for SwimSeal says that the product leaves the ear naturally after a period of time and doesn’t affect hearing or balance in any way.

“The SwimSeal product was developed by Ear Nose & Throat (ENT) specialists and is a proven formula for the prevention of ear infections as a result of water exposure. SwimSeal is now on offer in a variety of international markets as more and more parents and swimmers realise the benefits of prevention, rather than treatment.”

SwimSeal contains no alcohol and can be used on babies, children and adults of all ages. “Protecting your young children from any pain relating to bath time is important for a healthy routine as they grow older,” says McArthur.

For more information on SwimSeal visit www.swimseal.com or like SwimSeal on Facebook – www.facebook.com/swimseal.

The post Prevent swimmers ear in your toddler appeared first on All4Baby.

Just think back to the last time you had a cold: Even though you felt more fatigued, and your body needed the rest, you definitely did not sleep as well.

I’ve, very rarely, met a child who sleeps perfectly through an illness. The ugly truth is that no-one sleeps well when they’re ill, and very few children sleep soundly when they are sick.

Prepare yourself. There are definitely going to be some wake ups that you should respond to. You have a sick child that will need some comfort and attention, and it is important that you support your child through this uncomfortable stage.

Maintain a normal sleep routine

It is important to maintain the normal sleep routine as far as possible. It is easy to fall into an emotional trap. Many parents, at the onset of child illness, commence with night-time feeding.

However, if you’ve got a healthy, six month, eight month old, or 10 month old, who has had several weeks or months of peaceful sleep, there’s no sensible reason to start night-time feeding if they are ill.

You could offer your child a sip of water as their throat might seem a little dry. You might need to wipe their nose. It’s even fine to give a few cuddles. However, you want to make sure you put your child back in their usual sleeping environment.

Most children will not let you change their usual routine. Even if you try to rock your ill child to sleep, he or she will most likely resist it. Parents have experienced their little ones pushing them away or arching their back toward the crib. Older children might even point to their cribs, or say “no” to the cuddling.

If your doctor has recommended that you offer some night feeds to aid the healing process of a serious illness, or if your child has had a very high fever for a few days and night-time feeds will curb the dehydration, then it is essential to follow doctor’s orders.

Always remain mindful of how you are implementing your actions, however, as you definitely don’t want to let your child fall asleep while feeding or by using it as a prop when the child is ill.

The goal should be to maintain the healthy sleep habits that were learned by you and your child, while providing the nurturing and support to your ill child.

Set up camp in your baby’s room

Offer to feed, keep her awake through the feed, and then place her right back in the crib again. When people are very concerned about their sick babies, they often put the baby in bed with them. However, it is more sensible to move a mattress to your baby’s room.

Set up camp, and keep an eye on the sick child without changing her immediate sleep environment. Once you’re convinced she’ll manage on her own, get yourself back to your own bed as quickly as you can.

While this might initially be more effort, the long term benefits are priceless. It is far less disruptive to move into your child’s room to watch over her, than taking her into bed with you.

Keep the long term reward of sweet sleep in mind, and continue to nurture and support the sick child to wellness, so that the sleep cycle is maintained.
About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za

The post Sleep and a sick baby: what to do and what not to do appeared first on All4Baby.

Burns can range in size as well as severity and are classified as follows…

Superficial burns

Superficial burns occur when the skin is red, sore and inflamed but the layers of the skin are not damaged. This type of burn can be caused from;

• Mild sunburn
• Steam
• Touching a hot object

If your toddler has a superficial burn, the first thing to do would be to run the burnt area under the tap for five to ten minutes. Once the inflammation has calmed down, a multi-purpose burn cream should be applied every two hours. The cream will cool the burn and alleviate the pain. You should continue to apply the cream twice daily, reduced to daily until the burn is completely healed.

Partial thickness burn

Partial thickness burns involve blistering and damage to the the epidermal layer of the skin  which may cause the skin to peel. This type of burn could be caused by;

• Boiling water
• Hot oil
• Cooking accidents involving toffee or hot wax on the stove

It’s important that you never pop or burst the blisters or pull the skin off. Also, never apply butter, toothpaste or polish to any partial thickness burn wounds.

Cool the wound under cold water as soon as possible for up to 15 minutes, until the pain goes away. Take care not to open the tap too big, as the force of the water might burst the blisters.

After cleaning the skin (with cooled boiling water or saline solution), an aseptic dressing should be applied.

As with a superficial burn, a multi-purpose cream should be applied as soon as possible. These creams are designed to repair and regenerate the skin, assisting in the formation of new granulation tissue.

It’s important that you keep the burn covered while it is healing so as to avoid infection.

Full thickness burn

Full thickness burns involve damage to the dermal layer and the skin may bleed.

This type of burn can be caused by;

• Boiling water
• Heaters
• Stoves
• Gas

For any partial or full thickness burns, a doctor or emergency room should be consulted. Your toddler may go into shock or loose fluid and this could be life threatening. Infections can also occur which can be prevented by seeing a healthcare provider at a medical facility.

Never use butter, any fatty or oily substance to treat a burn.

About the Author:
Sister Jenny’s JEN-TIL Multi-Purpose Healing Cream  is made from all natural ingredients that are non-harmful, non-toxic and are in a dosage that is ideal for safety. For more information, visit www.jentiltouch.com

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