Toddlers are eager learners. They need activities to stay busy all day every day. Toddlers have the ability to play with the same thing in so many different ways as they grow.
Some actvities can keep them busy for longer if they have other siblings playing with them.
You can sure try these activities at home if you have a work from home schedule and you want to keep kids busy so you can work for a while.
Kids activities to keep toddlers and preschoolers busy at home
Painting Activity
You can do different sorts of painting projects with kids. In case if you are not worried about them painting the walls when you are not around or seem busy, you can choose the safer option that works best for you.
Tip : Always use washable paints for them, so you can easily wipe them off with a wet paper towel.
Canvas painting
Painting is my favorite activity and my kids love it too. We have got small size canvas frames so we can paint them together as a quarantine memory.
You can create a kids keepsake kind of canvas painting that remind you of being home and being safe. To be thankful of the blessing you have, a cozy bed and good food even when so much sad going on outside.
You can make painted canvas frame and glue kids’ pictures on them.
Veggies Painting
For a random every day painting activity you cannot use canvas obviously. Thus, you can do painting with veggies on a paper or a paper plate whatever interests your kid more.
Broccoli Painting – You can try painting with vegetables, like broccoli, potato, onion, etc to have a variety of prints on the canvas as they have different textures.
Potato Painting – Cut a potato in half- you do not have to peel it. Dip it in the paint and start printing.
Kids will learn about different textures and various strokes every vegetable has. Definitely worth a try. My kids enjoyed painting with potatoes more than broccoli.
Flour Slime Activity
Although I didn’t try to make slime using all-purpose-flour, and when the mixture got ready, my kids named it “slime.” For that reason, I would call it a Flour Slime activity.
You need a few things from your kitchen closet. Nothing fancy.
In order to save your kids from messing up their clothes, you may want to have aprons as well.
To my surprise they did so well with mixing and it was not even lumpy. Then you can add a food color or a paint. I added paint as I didn’t have food color at home. My kids are 4 and 2.5 years old and they know its not edible so they apparently not going to eat.
Although its a messy activity still its worth trying. You can have a old shower curtain underneath so they can be as messy as they want. In my opinion, it is much easier if they are on naked table that can be cleaned up easily.
At this stage give your kid(s) a scooper, a ladle, a cup, a pourer, and a dropper or whatever they can be creative with.
It’s an amazing pouring activity, with a right consistency of a slime.
For four years old – a super engaging activity is a card game.
You can use UNO Cards, Playing Cards, flashCards anything you want. Even they do not recognize the numbers and words, you can teach him about taking turns.
Randomly divide the cards – keep one half with you and have him hold the other half. Now you can teach him to put cards one by one -taking turns – so whoever is going to finish cards first, is a winner at the end.
If your child recognize the numbers, you can sure take advantage of UNO or playing cards. It is a great way to have your child improve grip of hid hand as well to hold a sufficient amount of cards altogether.
I used these baby shark card with him and it was really exciting activity for my son.
Clothing accessories you need for your baby realistically in the coming weeks and months are a few items not in a dozen of quantity as your baby is going to grow out of it before you even know it.
What your baby needs after birth and several weeks after, should be enough for you to get ready with before you bring baby home. Typically, it is not as easy to go out and shop around with a few days old babies. For that reason, have every clothing essential ready for at least 6 to 8 weeks for you and the baby.
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Baby’s Clothing and accessories new parents need
Although hospitals in the US provide with basic onesies while you stay at the hospital for delivery.
By week 34 your hospital bag should be ready as it could be anytime now. So here is what clothing essentials you need for the first several months for your baby.
Undershirts or onesies
You need a few basic onesies in a newborn size that can be worn as an undershirt.
Keeping the weather in mind, to dress up your baby in too many layers in heating and air conditioning, is not a good idea. Limit layers depend on the location if you are inside or outside the house.
Pajamas and sleepers – for newborns you do not need special Pjs, just a footed onesie or a nightgown whatever you prefer for your baby.
As a safety consideration, do not use baby blankets in the crib as it may increase the risk of SIDS. Although you may want to have a baby blanket for the car seat or just as a cover-up. You can get a cute customized blanket for your baby.
Baby swaddles are essential for a perfect sleep schedule that you may want to start right from the beginning.
Getting too many socks is not a sound idea for this newborn period. You also do not have to find non-skid onesies as long as your baby starts walking. Once the baby is ready to crawl and tries to stand holding on to something, then you need to get no-skid socks or no-skid onesies.
However, if you still want to
get something to cover baby’s feet, get footed onesie or put on socks
underneath to keep them warm and cozy.
Your preference for getting baby socks is highly related to the climate where you live. If you do not have centrally heated homes, you sure need a few pairs to be on the safe side.
Baby shoes
Newborn’s shoes look so cute but they are not for walking. I would not suggest you buy too many shoes for newborns. There is quite a possibility you get a few pairs in your baby shower gifts. However, you just have to make sure you have enough pairs for newborn Photoshoot or month-by-month photography.
Do you know why babies need to wear hats, despite how hot it is outside? Baby head being the largest organ as compared to lower body, tends to lose heat faster and for that reasons, baby has to wear hat at all times at least for the first several weeks after birth.
Get hold of a cute looking no -slip hats for your baby. Sometimes hats tend to slip away and covers baby’s face while baby is in the car seat. New parents need to be vigilant at all times once you have a newborn along.
Baby Bibs
For nursing moms and formula-feeding moms, baby bibs are a must-have. Baby bibs have a purpose, and that is, you need to make sure the baby’s neck folds do not have milk residue that may be dripping while you feed.
Right size clothes
For an average-sized baby around newborn clothing size fit for about 2 to 4 weeks. When your baby is about a month old, it is very likely, 3 months size would fit your baby.
Every baby has its own growth pattern. Generally, formula fed babies gain weight rapidly as compared to breastfed babies.
You do not have to pile up so many outfits for newborn size as baby grow out too soon before you even know it. However, you can stock up size 3 to 6 months and 6 to 9 months as they may fit for most of the months until your baby turns a year old. Keeping a significant amount of diaper blowouts in mind, you sure need enough size 3 to 6 and 6 to 9 during the first several months.
Read all size and weight specifications on clothing tags when you are purchasing outfits. Carter’s clothings are very practical for every day wear. For some reasons they do run small or accurate as per baby’s weight and height. Thus, the best thing is to buy a bigger size rather than getting a small one.
Remember sizing varies with every brand. Some may fit accurately as described, whereas some may run small or big. When choosing the colors, if you want to go for neutral colors that may be of some benefit for more babies to come.
Rest assured, babies size do not change that quickly, once she turns one (or as faster as the first several months).
Here is the list of minimums you need in each size. You can add or subtract as per your choice.
Newborn Size 0 – 5 to 6 outfits, if you really want to have plenty, not more than 8 in my opinion. .
Infant Size 3 to 6 months at least 10 outfits.
Baby Size 6 to 9 months at least 15 outfits.
Size 9 to 12 months at least 15 outfits
Other than that – I would highly recommend you getting significant amount of baby bottoms in each size. Thanks to baby diaper blowouts.
As per my experience, do not get anything that is tight on the abdominal or tummy area for night-time. Loose-fitting clothes will help baby release gas quickly. Read more effective tips to ease baby having gas issues.
Easy access for diaper Changing
When choosing your baby’s outfit for day and night, you have to make sure it has easy access for changing diapers at night too. Some parents find two-piece clothing as perfect for night time, however, some prefer the pack and play onesies with zipper. It’s all about preference. You will figure out in a few nights what seems easy for you and your baby.
If you choose clothing with
zippers, make sure you keep zip and fabric away from baby’s skin in order to
avoid inadvertently zipping your baby’s skin.
Dressing Technique
When you are dressing up your
baby, make sure you position her well on the changing pad.
Make sure you have your hand
at the back of baby’s head for support
Put on onesies Over the head
and then gently put baby on her back and then limbs one by one through arm
holes.
Be gentle and keep baby in
safe position at all times.
For zippers and one-piece outfits, lay down the outfit first on the changing pad. Lay down your baby gently on the outfit and then put arms inside and then legs and then zip it up.
For soiled clothing, for
those which have shoulder snaps, pull it down from the waist to legs to keep
mess contained and not getting it in the hair.
For onesies which have no
wide shoulder to pull it down, roll up carefully to contain the soiled onesie
getting into baby’s hair.
Use mitten to Keep the baby’s hands covered in order to avoid face scratching. Mitten may tend to stay loose on the baby’s tiny hands. Look for newborn outfits that come with a flap inside the baby’s sleeve to keep hands covered.
Safety consideration for baby’s clothing and accessories
Your baby should feel safe and comfortable to sleep.
There should be no strings, pins or anything that could be dangerous for baby’s health.
Making sure your baby does not have any removable object on her clothing that could be a potential risk in any way.
How to Clean and wash baby clothes
Some babies, not all, may have sensitive skin and it could trigger some allergies with particular fabrics. So, just to be safe, you can wash all baby clothes prior to use only those which are going to have direct contact with skin, not outerwear.
I know many moms and grandmothers like to pack washed and clean baby clothes in your hospital bag. I did not do it for my kids because I never thought bout doing it, so it’s your choice anyway.
However, if your baby happens to have a skin allergy or sensitive skin, you should get Burt-bees organic clothing for your baby. I am a huge fan of soft fabric, and Burt Bees have the organic material that is safe for baby’s delicate skin.
Washing Baby’s clothes
Detergents, using baby-safe soaps or fragrance-free detergents for at least the first three months, is not a MommyTrap kind of a thing. Some fragrant products may trigger eczema in babies. Before you switch to regular laundry detergent, it is indeed a great way to wait for the first couple of months to rule out any signs of skin allergies or irritations which the baby might develop after birth.
Stain removal
Washing breastmilk or formula milk spit up, or a soiled outfit instantly can minimize stains but sometimes you do not have that option. Some diaper blowouts are so massive that you cannot even think about washing them in such circumstances. I even had to trash some brand new onesies at public restrooms while we were traveling as they were impossible to be washed or packed dirt.
You can use this stain remover to save your baby’s new outfits.
In order to prevent diaper blowouts, you can get a diaper extender to protect your baby’s clothes from poop stains. I think it’s time to go to a whole new level of baby essentials.
Pregnancy is the most important time in a woman’s life. Expectant moms need to be super careful and vigilant about taking care of themselves and their unborn child. Nurturing a human inside you is absolutely amazing and a lifetime experience.
When it comes to being vigilant about consuming and eating, you need to keep a close eye on your everyday activities.
In this post, I tell you about a few pregnancy health mistakes that pregnant women should avoid.
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Common Pregnancy health mistakes you should avoid
1. Not drinking enough water
Do you know why you need to drink plenty of water in pregnancy? Besides getting dehydrated, not drinking enough water leads to body cramps, leg cramps, body aches, swelling, UTI’s, and many other discomforts.
Try to drink plenty of water, if you do not like drinking regular water, you may try vitamin water or other non-caffeinated flavored liquid. Make sure your caffeine intake is moderate as too much caffeine could lead to more frequent urination.
Some of the flavors of vitamin waters are having caffeine so you should be avoiding that to be on the safe side.
2. Consuming too much Caffeine
Typically, pregnant women should not take more than 200mg of caffeine each day. Less than 200mg is considered to be okay. Always read a label for how much caffeine your drink has. If you are a coffee or tea person, you must take note of how much caffeine you are consuming that is recommended for mom and your unborn baby.
Here is a breakdown of the caffeine intake you should keep as a counter.
3. Not taking proper rest when your body is telling you to
If you are a working woman, it is very likely for you to get tired due to lack of sleep, leg cramps, fatigue, nausea and so much more. Listen to your body. Whenever you feel tired, stop doing, what you are doing. Try to lay down or sit, put your feet up and relax for a while.
For instance, If you are standing for a long time, and suddenly you start feeling tired in your legs, sit or lay down. If you have been doing a lot of physical work lately, slow down and take rest.
Pregnancy discomforts are normal still you should always respond to your body right away.
Once you find out about your pregnancy, you need to start taking prenatal vitamins if you are not already taking that. Typically, doctors advise taking prenatal vitamins even If you are trying to get pregnant until you are breastfeeding the baby.
As a new mom-to-be, you need to make sure you are taking prenatal vitamins with the right amount of folic acid, as it plays a vital role in the baby’s brain development.
You should talk to your doctor about the safe dosage or supplements you need every day.
5. Not taking an iron supplement or iron-rich food if you are anemic
Also if you are low on hemoglobin levels or having breathlessness during pregnancy, (as it could be one of the symptoms of being low on iron level) you may want to start prenatal vitamins with iron. GNC has a prenatal formula with iron and I have used them for about 3 years and highly recommend these. You can get it from Amazon too.
If you are a second-time mom or had a previous C-section, you should be super careful about your hemoglobin levels.
6. Using harsh cleaning chemicals
Typically, doctors and midwives do not recommend using harsh cleaning chemicals while being pregnant, as you inhaling the strong chemical is not a good idea.
Avoid as much as you can. Make sure you have a proper ventilation system if you REALLY have to do it. Also, wear gloves if possible.
Try to avoid using products that have warning labels about toxicity.
Ideally, you should get the help of your partner because of the fact, pregnancy is the only time when they are actually willing to help.
7. Not emptying bladder while Urinating
Pregnant women are vulnerable to getting urinary tract infections quite often. It is highly advised for pregnant women to empty the bladder every pee time.
Due to a full down belly, the bladder does not get empty on its own every time you do for a pee. The simple tip is to lean forward to put pressure on your bladder and pee. This way it will help your bladder to get empty and it would significantly reduce the chances of getting UTI just because you are pregnant.
Secondly, drink plenty of water, and if you get UTI often, start using a peri bottle for better cleaning. Especially, if you are using a toilet for number 2.
Once you deliver your baby (Vaginal or C-section), your nurse is going to give you one to use for washing. So, why not start using the peri bottle now.
8. Ignoring bleeding
You may or may not notice implantation bleeding or spotting in the earliest weeks of pregnancy. But for some of you notice a stain on your panty gets super stressful. Besides spotting during the first trimester being normal, you should never ignore bleeding at any stage of pregnancy. Always talk to your doctor about your concerns.
Some pregnant women, if not all, may experience Subchronic Bleeding and deliver healthy babies. Subchronic bleeding occurs when there is an accumulation of blood under the outer fetal membrane or between the uterus and the placenta. This can only be found out in an ultrasound. Most o the time it resolves on its own over the course of pregnancy.
For the most part, bleeding in pregnancy is very disturbing mentally and emotionally. However, not every time it means a miscarriage. In most cases, babies seem to be healthy and happy inside the womb.
As a general rule, if you are soaking one full pad, always call your doctor and schedule a sonogram to see if everything seems okay.
Although it may seem fine in your ultrasound but you still need to take these precautions if you have experienced subchronic bleeding during pregnancy.
Limit your physical activity
Avoid sexual intercourse
Stay hydrated
Take proper rest
Do not do any heavy lifting
If you have travel plans, delay.
That being said a pregnant woman, needs to be super careful and needs to take a lot of rest if she is bleeding at any time during pregnancy.
9. Eating food with high sugar content if you have a yeast infection
Yeast infection is very common during pregnancy. Most pregnant women have experienced mild to severe yeast infection.
Eating sugar is like nourishing a garden having yeast infection. The best remedy to treat a yeast infection is to avoid sugar altogether for the time you are fully recovered. Stop consuming Juices, sweets, chocolates, fruits anything that has processed sugar in it. That being said, you can resume your love for sugar once the yeast infection is gone.
Meanwhile, eat plain yogurt as much as you can to treat the infection effectively.
10. Ignoring gum infection
Do you know one of the earliest pregnancy symptoms is, triggered gum or tooth infection? It is advised to treat the ongoing infection before getting pregnant because dental infections may lead to preterm labor if you are pregnant.
Practicing adequate oral hygiene during pregnancy is extremely important, especially if you have pre-existing dental issues. You must brush your teeth every night before going to bed, anyway.
Doctors advise antibiotics that are considered safe during pregnancy and as per mom’s history related to the safe medication.
Are you breastfeeding a toddler while being pregnant?
Experts advise not to breastfeed as it may trigger preterm Labor putting your unborn baby at risk. However in a few cases, some moms might have successful experiences of breastfeeding while being pregnant, still, doctors and midwives advise expectant moms to make safe choices when it is about the health of mom and a baby.
12. Eating raw or undercooked meat when you are pregnant
Ideally, pregnant women should not eat undercooked meat like poultry, fish. Undercooked eggs are also not advised for pregnant women. Always prefer fully cooked meat and anything but half fried eggs when it comes to safe eating for two. Undercooked meat has bacteria that is not considered safe for a pregnant woman to consume.
Wash produce thoroughly that you can consume raw. For instance, you must wash fruits and veggies like carrots, strawberries, blueberries, and celery, etc to ensure safe eating for mom and the baby.
Another safety measure, you should wear disposable gloves when you are handling meat or poultry. or wash hands thoroughly before and after handling meat. Try not to handle meat with bare hands of you have cuts or injuries on hand in order to keep yourself safe from bacteria.
13. Never be too busy to count baby kicks every day
When you are pregnant with baby number 1, you would be extra vigilant to notice everything about your baby and her movements. But, sadly when it is about baby number 2 or baby #3 or more, we are too busy to notice or do a kick count.
It is very important to do a kick count every day. Babies are sleeping in the womb for the most part about 20 hours, thus, it is just a four hours window when you have to feel your baby moving. However, if you think the baby is not moving enough, try to eat something sweet or cold and you should be able to get a kick count.
Diapering is an unavoidable part of parenthood. Your kids cannot go diaper-less until they are 2 to 3 years old. On average parents change 3000 diapers during their first year alone, and that makes roughly about 8 to 12 diapers a day.
The art of Baby diapering – Everything new parents need to know
As a matter of fact, not everyone is a pro in diapering. There are potential risks of pee sprays, blowouts and a lot more battle going on for parents. The art of diapering involves doing it, faster, less mess, and getting better every time parents change baby diapers.
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Cloth versus disposable Diapers
There are two ways for diapering, one is a disposable way and the other one is a washable way, meaning cloth diapering. Before you decide which one to choose, as a new parent you need to consider both options.
Disposable diapers
Disposable diapers are very absorbent and feel dry for the baby until they get over soaked in pee. Most of the good diaper brands take about 8 to 12 hours on average with one diaper taking in pee only.
However, newborns tend to change at least 8 to 12 diapers a day as they are peeing and pooping more frequently.
Also, Using disposable diapers make babies more vulnerable to diaper rashes believed by cloth diaper advocates.
However, no matter what may be the pros and cons are of cloth and disposable diapers, the biggest advantage of using disposable diapers is it definitely adds convenience to parenthood.
Cloth diapers
Cloth diapers are made with soft cotton and believed to be more comfortable than disposable ones. However, they are not very absorbent and needs diaper change quite frequently. They have an outer layer of stay dry cover which does not let everything getting wet outside.
The main advantage for moms using cloth diaper for their babies is, it is COST SAVING only if you are washing it by yourself at home. If you are getting the washing done from diaper service then it is going to cost for detergents and water. That being said, it is not as cost-effective if you have to pay for washing services.
Certainly using a cloth diaper is an environment-friendly choice and less convenient for the most part.
That being said as a parent, you know what is best for your child.
Choosing a good brand of diapers is very important. Generally, some more absorbant diapers tend to be more expensive, and the cheaper ones happen to be less absorbent. Either way, It costs you pretty much the same meaning, more cheap diaper approximately equal to less expensive diapers.
And one more thing is about the baby’s sensitive skin. Keeping the baby’s skin in mind is an important aspect of choosing diapers (Cloth Vs Disposable).
Pee detector is another factor you have to choose for the newborn phase. Diapers that have pee detectors are perfect for the first 3 months when you have to monitor baby’s wet diapers. Just FYI pee detector turns the line blue when your baby urinates.
Diaper sizing
Choose the right size for
your baby. As babies grow they get to pee and poop more so eventually you would
need more absorbency.
If you notice you are having frequent diaper leaks and blowouts, it’s time to go a size up. Bigger size means more absorbency.
For some babies, the diaper size and weight limit run small, do not be afraid to try one size up if your baby feels tighter in the tummy area.
Avoid diapering on the umbilical cord until it comes off. Many newborn diaper brands have umbilical cord safety curve on top, you can still fold the diaper from the top just to be safe with the umbilical cord.
As a first-time parent when you buy diapers do not stockpile small sizes too much. To get an idea, your baby is going to grow out of newborn size and size 1 within 6 to 8 weeks.
Pampers Swaddlers are the best for size 0 and size 1 diaper with urine detector.
Pampers cruisers are the best so far in absorbancy, fitting and coverage once your baby moves to size 2 and up.
Get the small size in lesser quantity
By the end of two months, most babies fit well in size 2. therefore, Do not buy too many small sizes in the beginning.
Divide the number of diapers with a cost of so you will know how much it going to cost you per diaper and how many you going to need in a day. Do your math and find deals.
Every baby is different, some may have a chubby physique and some are lean so fitting and absorbency both matters.
Find and Cut coupons
You can get coupons deals,
use them to cut diapers costs.
Think big and buy in advance – if you find good deals, think about buying diapers in advance. Moreover, you may able to find deals online on Amazon for a good price. Other stores like Target offer a gift card on the purchase of baby essentials for a certain amount.
Watch out for the fake diapers that are low on quality as well as absorbancy.
Wipes for newborns
Wipes are used for cleaning poop after every soiled diaper change. Diapers and wipes are frequently bought together. However, wipes can still be harsh for a baby’s soft skin.
For sensitive skin, the best you can do is after wiping baby’s bottom, use a wet soft washcloth or you can wash baby bum every time you change a diaper. Make sure you dry the baby’s bottom thoroughly with a clean towel. A poop residue may trigger skin rash, in that case, washing with water is the best remedy.
Ideally, keeping skin sensitivity in mind choose wipes that are fragrance-free as fragrant wipes may trigger eczema related issues in babies. I highly recommend using fragrance-free Huggies wipes. They are soft and cleans well.
Baby wipes are not normally flushable wipes, so do not flush them in the toilet unless you are using flushable wipes.
In order to be cost-effective in terms of buying wipes, you may prefer washing to minimize the overuse of wipes.
Wipe warmers -why you don’t need it
Wipe warmers keep wipes warm when the temperature is cold and wipes feel cold on the baby’s skin. Your baby is going to adjust with wipes temperature fairly quickly even if you do not use wipe warmers.
Tip: do not try to waste your money on warmers.
Tips on Changing diapers
Changing a diaper is a technique new mom and dad need to follow.
Keep diapers, wipes, diaper disposing sacks, diaper pail, diaper rash cream at an arm’s reach.
In case of accidents, an extra outfit, a towel, an extra help of your partner (if he is around).
You need to have multiple locations in your home for diaper changing.
Keep in mind, most babies tend to pee as soon as they are exposed to air. Cover baby boy’s penis with a paper towel when you open baby diaper. You will learn the technique once you change a couple of diapers for your newborn.
Put a fresh diaper under baby bottom before opening the wet or soiled diaper.
Make sure you have a picture side on the front and tabs side on the back.
Lift her legs up and wipe off the bottom. You can put wipes in the dirty diaper and fold it. Make sure the baby’s bottom is clean and it is not going to soil the fresh diaper.
Once you make sure the baby’s bottom is clean, put the soiled diaper in a disposing sack and put it in the trash can.
Close the clean diaper by
sticking tabs on the front side.
Make sure it is snuggled well on the baby’s thighs and belly. A loose or low diaper would lead to early, messy and undesirable content to escape from the diaper.
boys tend to spray during a diaper change. Be cautious when you have a boy at hand. Leave him open for a lesser time, be quick in your task and once you are about to close, point his penis downwards to avoid unnecessary urine sneaking out.
A word on the girls’ Diaper change
On the contrary, girls tend to have areas where poop is hidden. Well, to ensure a gentle cleaning, do not be harsh on the inner areas of the lady part as it could cause undue irritation. It is not necessary to wipe a white discharge between the folds of labia.
However, this is to remind you, just to avoid Urinary tract infections, you have to make sure you wipe from front to back.
Moreover, a healthy way could be a little wash down with fresh water to ensure cleaning.
Diaper changing safety
consideration
Never leave your baby unattended
Avoid changing table falls by strapping your baby securely
Beware of talcum powder. Do not use baby talcum powders on diaper areas as they are a risk to lungs if inhaled. However, if you still want you can use TALC free.
Keep plastic bags, safety pins or any harmful object out of baby’s reach
Facts about Strange diaper objects
Crystal-like particles are formed due to over soak in diapers. Changing frequently can stop them from appearing.
Very rarely you may notice a Colored secretion in a diaper. Always discuss with your doctor if something concerns you in any way.
Ways to dispose of diapers
Disposing diapers can be tricky. If you have a sensitive nose you may want to get specially designed odor eliminator diaper pails. Although it won’t smell outside still the odor gets worse inside.
Just a reminder – Anything similar to the diaper pail and diaper genie can be super smelly and for that reason, I would never use that. Those who may use it and recommend may have a better way to do it.
For both of my kids, I was disposing of diapers in a regular lid trash cans and manage to trash them out twice or thrice a week. I use diaper disposing sacks for soiled diapers every time I dispose them of. Also, You may not need to dispose of wet diapers in the sack.
Here are the things I would recommend for disposing of diapers.
Skin irritation on the diaper
area is called diaper rash.
Babies could get rashes due to a number of factors but generally, it is hard to find a reason in their newborn period. The most significant reason is, contact with pee or poop can sometimes be enough to cause skin irritation.
In some cases, a yeast called Candida Albicans is responsible for causing considerable redness and irritation. Sometimes this yeast finds its way to the inside of an infant’s mouth causing thrush.
Diaper rash may get worsen due to pee or poop, hot weather, and long hours without getting changed.
How you can Treat a diaper rash
Frequently changing wet or dirty diapers and keep the area clean and dry minimize rashes significantly.
Minimizing anything that triggers rash is all you have to do, as the use of detergents, soap, diaper brands, and wipes anything can cause diaper rash. Meanwhile. changing any of them may help.
Additionally, the use of zinc oxide, ointments or petroleum jelly may help.
For severe rash, always discuss with a doctor about possible treatment. Your pediatrics may prescribe steroids or antifungal cream to treat diaper rashes.
Remedies for treating rashes
Using just a bit of baby
powder (talc free) to keep area dry and avoid rashes.
Mix organic mustard oil mixed with water with equal proportions. Apply on a clean area before putting on the diaper. This is tried and tested and works 99.99% of the time to treat rashes.
Applying breastmilk is also known to be one of the most effective remedies for treating rashes.
Apply corn starch mixed with water is an effective remedy for treating rashes.
For swimming, your baby cannot wear a regular diaper as it is going to soak up water and finally burst into crystal-like particles and that is not recommended for public Pool settings anyway.
For babies and toddlers that are not toilet trained, you need to get swimming diapers. They are not going to soak pee while in water, whereas the purpose is to contain poop so it doesn’t get into the water.
For toilet training, toddlers need training diapers that are easy to pull down and up and save your home from accidents.
Diaper blowout Blocker
Newborns ruin their onesies A LOT due to poop explosions. There is a solution to protect your baby’s new outfits from getting poop stains by using blowout blocker, diaper extension. As a new parent, diapering is a whole new thing and challenging as well.
Getting sick is no fun. If one person gets sick in a household, it is very likely for others to fall sick too. However, It is very essential to have a healthy lifestyle to keep a community safe and strong.
As a parent, a healthy lifestyle and a strong immune system are the best way to fight all kinds of viruses and allergies in a sane way.
When we talk about safety and fighting against diseases, immunity goes a long way. This does not necessarily mean you would never fall sick or there is no way you could get any infection. Rather your body would be more responsive to fight back in a better way.
Tips to make healthy choices for kids
We need to make changes in our everyday habits to be a more responsible and aware individual of a society.
1. Choose Healthy Alternatives to junk food for your kids
Avoid feeding junk food to your kids. Try to feed them healthy snacks like dates, figs, nuts, and honey on a daily basis. This does not mean you should never give them chips or chocolates, rather gradually replace them with healthy alternatives for the most part.
Dates have antioxidants, vitamins B and C. They are known to be brain boosters.
Figs are rich in minerals including, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. That is great for muscle health and helps relieve cramping. Also, figs are a source of fiber that helps to relieve constipation
Fennel seeds-If your child complains about stomach ache quite often, be friends with fennel seeds. Fennel seeds significantly help with bloating for kids and adults both. For babies, you can boil fennel seeds in water and have them drink it for relieving common gas issues in babies.
Dried fruit and nuts – My kids love eating all sorts of nuts like walnuts, cashew nuts, peanuts. Indeed these nuts are healthy alternatives to candies and chocolates.
Having a trail mix with M&Ms is a healthy alternative toa whole bag of M&Ms.
Eating Vitamin C rich food is a healthy immune booster.
Honey- Including Honey in your everyday diet is the best way to avoid sugar and it has more health benefits.
2. Add Multivitamins in your diet on a daily basis
I am not a medical professional to give you medical advice. But there is one thing I would emphasize on start taking multivitamins if you do not have any health concerns that keep you from having these as part of your everyday routine.
Healthy eating would help you develop good immunity against fighting diseases and you are less vulnerable to getting sick.
Also, start feeding your kids multi-vitamins every day that would help improve immunity to fight all kinds of virus infections.
My kids’ Pediatrician recommended using multivitamins made with Elderberry fruit that is popular for improving immunity against viruses.
Taking these multivitamins every day to have better immunity for your kids and yourself. If your kids are allergic to pollen, you may notice they are doing a lot better during the pollen season health-wise.
I highly recommend Zarbees for kids and GNC multivitamins for adults.
3. Establish a habit of washing hands more often
The everyday practice of washing hands for at least 20 seconds is a must. Teach your toddlers, preschoolers, young kids, and your elders to wash hands thoroughly, and more often.
In addition to that, teach kids to sneeze on their sleeves when they have to, and avoid covering it with their hands instead.
4. Drink water and staying hydrated
Health experts recommend drinking at least 8 glasses of water every day. Water has tremendous amounts of health benefits. Encourage everyone around you to drink water preferably at room temperature. Avoid Ice water or cold water if you can.
If you are a breastfeeding mom the best you can do is, keep baby hydrated with more frequent nursing sessions if the baby gets sick.
The antibodies found in breastmilk helps babies to have a better immune system. The stronger is the immunity, the better is the resistance against diseases.
5. Wash your clothes, jackets, and clothing and bedding more often
Normally, we do not wash our jackets and coats more often. if you are coming back from a vacation or going on a vacation, once you come back, laundry everything.
Change beddings more frequently, especially around the pollen season as it may take longer to feel better if anyone in your household is allergic to pollen.
Wash or dry clean the comforter sets and quilts if you can.
6. Sanitize your luggage and bags
If you travel often or you do a lot of outdoor activities the best thing to do is, wipe off your luggage more often with disinfecting wipes and sanitize to contain the spread of germs.
7. Sanitize cell phones and kids gadgets
Since we all know cell phones tend to have a significant amount of bacterial contamination due to poor handwashing, and using them while doing business sitting on a toilet.
Similarly, kids touch a lot of dirty stuff throughout the day and eventually, that makes their gadgets dirty. Practice a good cleaning habit before putting gadgets on a charger is a great way to keep them tidy.
8. Shower Every day
Like every other viral infection, showering every day is a healthy habit. Ideally, you should follow a bathing routine for you and your kids, before bedtime or in the morning according to your schedule.
9. Have a better sleep schedule
Last and not least, managing a good amount of sleep is very essential for a stronger immune system. Experts say lack of sleep keeps you vulnerable to falling sick. For light sleepers, I have been recommending this for a while now. For both kids and adults, this sound machine is going to significantly improve your sleep quality.
Hi -I am Madiha, mom to two beautiful kids. Here you can find helpful tips about pregnancy, postpartum, newborn care, toddlers and product reviews. Join the tribe and let’s grow together as moms. Enjoy having kids while they are still little and more fun.
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Hi -I am Madiha, mom to two beautiful kids. Here you can find helpful tips about pregnancy, postpartum, newborn care, toddlers and product reviews. Join the tribe and let’s grow together as moms. Enjoy having kids while they are still little and more fun.