While your newborn may seem busy in eating, pooping, and sleeping, her brain is rapidly developing with every passing day. Choosing toys and accessories that help in sensory development for your baby is essential. Not only just ordinary looking toys but now a lot of parents prefer modern accessories and educational toys for the little ones.
For newborns, simple black and white toys and books help to develop her vision, while soft toys with rattles can help to build her attention span.
Here is the curated list of toys that are absolutely gorgeous and entertaining at the same time
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Best contemporary toys for newborns
Many modern families prefer to have unique toys for babies that enhance their sensory skills and make them smarter as they grow. These suggested toys are budget-friendly, pretty looking, and educational for little hands and minds.
1. Sophie the Giraffe
Sophie the giraffe is a celebrity favorite teether and toy. Also, the dots print helps babies with eye and hand coordination. You can never go wrong with choosing this giraffe for your little one.
This trendy avocado rattle is way too cute to be on a stroller. Babies love this toy. It has a plushy texture and a clear rattle pit-center with colorful beads.
These unique and modern stacking cups are super entertaining for your baby four months and older. Mushie colorful stacking toy helps develop both the body and the brain starting around six months. The basic skills learned from stackable cups become the foundation for more complex tasks like using a writing instrument.
Coffee cup teether with rattle beads inside, a crinkle newspaper, and textured doughnut rattle. Now, the baby has her on-the-go toy coffee mug and donut to enjoy a fantastic start to the day.
These high-contrast rattles are unique for visual development, and they make a soft, cozy, and soothing sound by a gentle shake or squeeze, which cultivates baby hearing and touch development.
Cutely crafted with six plushy rings including a beeping duck, a windmill rattle, a sunflower rattle, a teether ring, and a crinkle ring. The crinkle sound is used to calm fussy babies because of its similarity to the white noise heard in a mother’s womb. A perfect entertaining toy for babies and toddlers.
Check out this similar plushy animal in this cute soft car, ideal for babies.
This wooden baby activity gym is a gorgeous first toy that will encourage him to reach and grab for the dangling toys and beads. Baby Play Gym features three hanging toys that stimulate your baby’s senses in so many ways. Not to mention, this toy is going to make the nursery look modern, unique, and very expensive.
These well-made rattles feature multiple easy-grip handles for babies with plenty of holding spots. They have lovely and appealing shapes and the perfect size for little hands to grab and shake. Your little one won’t get enough of them! Holding rattles improves the baby’s strong grasp reflex. As their fine motor skills develop, they will learn to hold and shake them. A thorough enjoyment for your baby altogether.
The Wimmer-Ferguson 3-in-1 triangle has a reversible, multisensory activity mat that features graphics to encourage infant visual development. A 12″ square mat can be placed flat or in a triangle position with magnets for tummy time play. It has a hidden mirror for a peek-a-boo effect, a teether, a squeaker, crinkle paper to engage little one in multiple ways.
This cute flashing musical toy is an absolute you baby’s favorite. This toy includes harp, flute, french horn, piano, violin instrument sounds, and much more than your child can learn.
Beiens baby visual stimulation cards are developed by educational experts. This pack included 80 flashcards, 160 Pages with shapes, geometric figures, etc. Not only these are helpful for visual development but also the learning process starts early which makes babies smart.
Not to mention, they are odorless, safe and soft for babies.
I’m hoping this list has helped you find a perfect gift for the baby shower basket or a cute gift you can give to a new baby in the family on the next visit.
Dealing with sleep problems in newborns when they are not sleeping through the night becomes challenging for a new parent. Sleep issues in babies are very common, and every parent has to deal with them at some point. Either it’s colic or teething, parents stay on toes if the newborn keeps waking up due to pain or discomforts.
When the baby is having trouble sleeping through the night despite a full tummy, a breastfeeding mom becomes a baby’s pacifier. consequently leaving a mom sleep-deprived, tired and exhausted.
Normally, newborns do not have a sleep schedule at this point. Sleeping almost 20 hours a day in a womb does not mean the baby continues to sleep that long after birth. As your baby grows the sleep hours reduce overtime – and for that parents need to work smart not hard. Keeping your baby on a schedule is extremely important at this stage.
As a parent, you must try to follow a schedule with your newborn right from the beginning. This certainly does not mean you sleep train a newborn with the cry-it-out or leave-the-room methods. It is too early for that – and I would never recommend that.
Newborns communicate through crying – they know no other language. So listen, understand and bond with your baby to make it all less overwhelming.
Newborns need to sleep, eat, and poop, and everything happens at very short intervals for the first several weeks – and they grow so fast over these several weeks. As the baby grows, she should be able to sleep through the night.
Understanding your newborn and their sleep problems gets tricky sometimes – and for that, educating yourself about potential sleep issues is going to be helpful for years to come.
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How to deal with sleep problems so baby can sleep through the night
Well, first things first, new parents should know that sleep deprivation is a real deal with newborns. The biggest favor you can do yourself during that time is DO NOT STRESS OVER BEING SLEEP DEPRIVED.
Just be mentally ready for the sleep-deprived phase of parenthood. However, you can still take some things under control so you don’t have to be a zombie for the whole time.
This is a prevalent reason for your baby waking up to an empty stomach because breastmilk digests within 60 to 90 minutes, whereas formula-fed babies sleep a little longer.
Using a formula at night could be helpful for your baby to sleep through the night. Some babies, if not all, are generally good eaters, get hungry every hour.
Formula guilt would not let some moms try anything but breastmilk- ironically, even when there is not enough supply.
Babies sleep while eating and then wake up after half an hour. This happens when your baby does not really eat well and falls asleep because she may be too tired or too hungry. The doctors suggest undressing your baby (just leaving the diaper on) and then feed 15 to 20 minutes each side (if breastfeeding) and then add 2 oz to 4 oz more for top feed.
Just be sure that your baby ate well before sleeping and burped before you lay her down.
If you have a nursery set up for your newborns or toddlers, the temperature should be moderately cool so that they could sleep well through the night.
Make sure they are not too warm or not too cold during the night according to the number of layers your baby is wearing.
The ideal temperature for babies is 68 degrees Fahrenheit to 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Do not place Crib or bassinet close to vent
Having a bassinet or crib closer to the vent could also be a potential sleep problem for some babies. The air coming from the vent continually may affect your baby’s sleep.
With that said, if your baby is waking up too often at night, try to change the crib placement and see if that helps.
4. Swaddling
Swaddling is a great thing to do with babies. It is a common practice for a very long time to keep babies snuggled through the night.
Ensure that you swaddle your baby every night for the first several weeks to establish a good sleeping habit. For newborn babies, you can use swaddles, sleep sacks, or wearable blankets to avoid startle reflux which is very common in babies.
NOTE: PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY BLANKETS OR PILLOWS IN BABIES CRIBS. It has a high risk of SIDS. I do not advise you to use any blankets or pillows in your baby cribs to ensure your baby’s safety.
Too many layers for your baby at night is not a good idea if you have a central air-conditioner and heating system. Try to keep the baby’s clothing suitable depending on the climate of where you live.
Keep babies’ feet covered during winters. However, in colder climates, you may have to use a hat. Hats may slip away at night resulting in interrupted sleep and to avoid such things, you must use a no-slip hat for the baby.
6. Ditch buttons and use zip onesies
Using buttoned onesies for bedtime make babies feel cold at night. Zip sleep and play onesie are awesome clothing essential to buy for babies because they will keep your baby packed and they feel more comfortable while asleep.
Sound machines can be a game-changer for you and for your whole family. Soon after I have started using a noise machine for my kids, I can firmly say that it has helped all of us sleep better.
Many moms swear by using the sound machine for their babies to sleep during the day or night that could significantly solve sleep problems for the baby. Especially for light-sleepers, babies, kids, or adults, this product actually works.
What a sound machine does?
Basically, noise cancels noise.
A Sound machine can have multiple sound options, but I only preferred rain sound as it feels natural and soothing at the same time. It can minimize louder noises of your household chores or the day-time sounds of your other family members.
This sound machine is perfect for traveling. It is compact, portable, and works on the outlets almost everywhere.
Some days your baby gets too tired; It could be due to a family visit, travel, or just overplaying throughout the day. Overstimulated babies and toddlers get cranky and cry a lot. Also, overstimulation results in trouble falling asleep. And if the baby falls asleep, she is more vulnerable to wake up in a few minutes.
Gently massaging overtired babies make them calm and relaxed which could help them sleep better.
9. help burp your baby after feeding baby is essential
For the first several weeks, your baby needs to burp after each feed. Having your baby burp may seem a boring task, especially when you just want to go back to sleep in the middle of the night. Try not to slack on burping your baby. If your baby doesn’t burp, wait for another 15 to 20 minutes and then try again.
In case your baby delays burping, you can use gas drops or put your baby slightly elevated in a safe position.
Some babies might have sleep issues when they start solid as their stomach is having a hard time adjusting to the new textures. At that stage using gas drops definitely helps.
Feeling sick is one of the sleep problems – when your baby could not breathe comfortably due to the congested nasal passage. Spraying nasal drops in each nostril help loosening the mucus so babies can sleep comfortably.
If you notice any other signs of sickness like fever, difficulty breathing, coughing, talk to your doctor about it.
13. Your baby might be sleeping during the daytime instead of the night
Day and night confusion is a common problem in newborns. It happens when babies sleep during the day and stay awake at night. Establishing a normal sleep schedule for babies is extremely important.
You have to make a clear distinction between the day and night once you are home with the baby after hospital discharge.
14. Keeping day time noisy and nights calm so your baby can sleep well through the night
Days are brighter with more natural light coming through the windows and night dark, calm. Eventually, once your baby gets the hang of this day and night difference, it will be much easier.
No matter how adorable your little one gets at night, do not respond if your baby is in the mood to talk at night. Even for nighttime feedings, keep a night light and never brighten up the room. The nighttime feel has to be consistently practiced.
15. Baby wants to sleep on your chest or Co sleep all through the night
Some babies want to sleep on the chest or they would end up co-sleeping. The moment you put them down in the crib or bassinet, they would wake up.
If your baby does not want to sleep in her crib or she just wants to be snuggled, do not stress and go with the flow. Eventually, your baby is going to sleep on her own, however, it may take more time for you.
For babies who want to sleep on your chest or want to be held up to fall asleep, the best solution is to co-sleep. That way you will be able to get some sleep too. Co-sleeping babies make the best memories.
16. Reconsider Baby’s bathtime
Most often new parents choose bedtime to bathe the baby instead of morning. Every baby is different. Babies get relaxed after bathtime and tend to sleep better for a while – once they wake up after a good cozy nap, they are super energized for the day.
With that said, you need to reconsider bathtime if your baby is waking up soon, after a couple of hours, and doesn’t seem to sleep again. Try bathing your baby in the morning and see what works well.
However, if your baby is sleeping well during the night after a lavender bathtime, don’t worry about changing the bathtime schedule.
Babies who have acid reflux issues might experience some serious reflux while they are sleeping. Parents need to be vigilant if the baby gets uncomfortable after nighttime feed or cry, as your baby may need to throw up to feel better.
Watch out for any sign of flathead or developing flat spots
Normally, some babies tilt their heads on one side while sleeping. This may cause the baby to develop flat spots on one side, or staying in one position may flatten the baby’s head as it is super soft and take 3 to 4 months to harden.
Despite all that feedings during the night, your baby might not be sleeping through the night and wakes up more frequently especially, when your baby is breastfeeding. Once you wean her off from breastfeeding, the baby’s sleep habits will improve drastically.
Is your child super picky about the smell and texture of food? The overwhelming addition of various ingredients gets in the way of your child’s eating habits.
In most cases, you may notice that picky eating comes from the parent(s), or sometimes your child develops sensitivity to food over time. You cannot blame your child for being a picky eater, rather you should be looking at the solution on how you can have your child try new foods or enjoy a proper meal.
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Why does your child become a picky eater?
My son is extremely picky about food and scared of trying new foods (and that comes from his dad). I made the mistake of not having him try new foods as I was being over-protective. Had I tried baby-led weaning for him, things would have been less challenging. Now after years of struggling with food, surprisingly, he has started taking interest in food – I would say, to some extent.
Not to mention, your picky eater would eventually fall for traditional foods and family preferences, regardless of how versatile cuisines you serve on your dining table.
Having a strong sense of smell makes your child eat or leave
Having a strong sense of smell is one of the reasons your child refuses to eat. Well, having a sharp sense of smell is inherent or it develops with time.
If your picky eater likes Pizza, chances are, he likes the aroma of Oregano. How about cooking pasta or Mac and cheese with a dash of oregano?
Adding Too many textures in one meal
For some kids or adults, an overwhelming plate is a big turn-off. When you have a picky eater, start with a simple menu, with the simplest ingredients so they can enjoy food and its flavor.
Your child is Hesitant to try a new type of food
No matter how tempting the food may appear, picky eater would feel reluctant to try new food. The good news is, this may get better with time.
Whether it is a refusal to eat or being selective about their food, all children go through these phases and that’s completely normal. There is a possibility that sometimes your child will eat anything, and some days they eat nothing; this is normal, but at the same time, quite frustrating and worrisome for parents.
Understanding your child’s preference is key to healthy eating. This does not mean that you should only get your picky eater to eat, what he likes. Instead, try making new recipes with the favorite ingredients of your picky eater.
Simple Hacks to get your picky eater to eat a fulfilling meal
Picky eating starts around the age of one when your child starts to self-feed. He would choose what to eat and how much. Baby-led weaning is an incredible approach to have your child learn self-feeding and also, it will reduce the chances of becoming picky when it comes to food. This process will help you funnel down to your child’s most favorites and fewer favorites.
Most importantly, you need to have your picky eater get hungry before you serve the food. When you are hungry, it is very likely that your child would eat anything (or at least some of it) that you have to offer.
1. Limit sugar intake
Avoid offering candies, juice, sugar, or any junk in between meal times. Eating too many candies suppress hunger, and your child is getting energy in the form of sugary drinks and candies.
2. Increase appetite
You can expect your toddler around the age of 2 to 3 to not sit and eat properly. Generally, toddlers are too busy playing, running, and exploring new things all the time; they would hardly want to sit and eat. However, as your child grows out of the age of 3 to 4, the growth spurts kick in, and now it’s time to start trying new foods.
Children at the age of 4-7 watch their parents, siblings, friends, and teachers eating and trying new foods. So, try to lead by example. Try new foods yourself and don’t force-feed or pressure them to eat new foods.
Try to include a pleasant smell that is not too overwhelming if your child has a fairly strong sense of smell.
4. Never force your child to eat
Many parents try to force, coax, argue or bribe their children to eat food. They may also start preparing something else or try to punish, threaten, or become angry or frustrated. This makes children more stressed and worried and they may end up eating less food.
5. Schedule proper meal times and snack times
Try to have regular mealtimes so that your child starts feeling hungry at the usual meal and snack times. If your child refuses to eat, don’t offer him food until the next scheduled meal or snack time.
6. Limit mealtime
Children usually eat most of their food within 30 minutes; so, try to limit mealtime to 30 minutes. This will also give time for your child to become hungry before the next mealtime arrives.
7. Keep distractions away while eating
Keep away all the distractions by switching off the tv, mobile, and tablets so that your child can focus on their meals.
Or download these pretty alphabets printable for free, both uppercase and lowercase, that you can insert into a sheet protector.
8. Start with smaller portions of food
Try to give small portions of food that your child may eat. Big portions are always overwhelming for children. Please do not force them to clear their plate, in fact, you should keep reminding them about not being wasteful in any way.
9. Try to add things to mealtime that may interest your child
Try to bring something new related to food during mealtimes. Toddlers enjoy exploring a fork and spoon, so having some fancy kids-friendly cutlery helps develop their mealtime interest.
Make the praising process enthusiastic by having an eye to eye contact, a warm smile, or by giving them a hug or high five.
12. Avoid using discouraging words
Don’t use negative words or avoid bringing up past events. Encourage every time by saying as you did better today.
13. Do not make your child’s picky eating an issue in front of anyone
Don’t discuss your child’s eating problems in front of them; this may imply that they can overpower you. Remember, you are the parents, and they are just kids.
14. Consider your child’s likes and dislikes
The likes and dislikes of children can be evolved over time. So, make sure you keep offering your child foods that he disliked previously.
15. Try to make mealtime a healthy experience for everyone at the table
Keep mealtimes a happy and relaxing experience. Try not to add conflict with the child or other family members during mealtime that may trigger anxiety in kids or deter them to eat properly.
16. Engage your child while cooking meals
You may also engage children (6-10) to help in cooking. Children are more likely to eat food which they take part in preparing.
How can you make your picky eater (child) get hungry?
Before you start reading about the food you want to try with your picky eater, try this amazing hack to get your child to sit and eat properly.
First, let them get hungry. Get them to do lots of physical activity, like running, dancing, playing and moving, etc.
Practically and medically, your child will eat when he gets hungry. Every child has different eating habits; some are good eaters and some are frequent eaters. As your child grows up, have him decide when and how he wants to eat.
Remember: NEVER force food. I know, I know. It’s hard. I have given this advice to moms many times, but a mom’s heart never pays attention to this one. Kids don’t starve themselves unless there is a medical reason for it.
Adding multivitamins to your kids’ diet increases appetite and significantly helps with eating habits.
In my opinion, the best way to get your child hungry is by including multivitamins in his diet. Have your child eat his favorite gummy vitamins, any specific time of the day because multivitamins tend to increase hunger in kids and adults both.
The above-mentioned suggestions and quick picky eater recipes will help you and your child get into a good routine with food and meals and avoid long-term battles at mealtimes. Try to be consistent with these strategies but do remember that things will take time to develop or change.
Baby formula is derived from milk that is then fortified with lots of wonderful nutrients, micronutrients, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, and all the good stuff. Breastfeeding is not always possible or the best fit for every family and that is okay. At the end of the day, all parents want what is best for their baby. The organic formula gives parents the option to feed their little ones the cleanest possible milk – free of antibiotic treatments, abuse, and GMO’s.
When you choose an organic baby formula, a whole new world of options begins to open up. You will start to encounter questions such as:
What are stages? What are the differences? And the one that caught my interest the most was the option for cow’s milk formula and goat’s milk formula.
The best way to measure the differences between goat milk formula and cow milk formula is to compare them in a fair comparison within the same brand:
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What you need to know: Ultimate Guide to Organic European Formula
What are Stages?
European baby formula is different from American baby formula in many aspects, but on the simple terms one of the most noticeable differences in addition to the higher quality is that it is broken down into stages. Each stage is carefully designed to meet the nutritional needs of your baby, classifying them into 3 stages all of which are exceptionally rich in all necessary nutrients with slight variations depending on that stages’ developmental needs.
Kendamil stage 1 formula is the best starting point if you are weaning a breastfed baby to formula, as it is gentle and as close in composition to breastmilk as possible. The formulas are designed to be fattier and higher in calories to mimic the high colostrum volumes in mother’s milk in the first 6 months of infancy:
The main difference between Stage 1 and Stage 2 is the whey:casein ratio, which changes from 60:40 to 40:60. This gradual change is designed to reflect the natural changes in breast milk and helps prepare your little one for weaning. Stage 2 milk also contains higher lactose and less fat.- Kendamil
This second stage is designed for babies who are 6 months and older. During months 6-12, many parents begin to introduce table food to their babies. Though they may be trying these new foods, their main source of nutrition is still milk. This stage is designed for infants who eat few or no solids and/or still need a supplement to breast milk.
The move from Stage 2 to Stage 3 is designed to support your little one’s transition from infant formula products towards cow’s milk. This means our Stage 3 formula contains more protein, calcium, and phosphorous than Stage 2 (like cow’s milk) and has a whey:casein ratio of 80:20 (like cow’s milk). —Kendamil
At 12 months and older, families may notice that the baby is no longer satisfied with their current baby formula. This is usually because at this point most families are trying to incorporate finger foods, along with purees: that way baby is getting used to an assortment of flavors and texture.
This stage offers higher calorie nutrition and has more vitamins and minerals that are appropriate for their growing body. At the toddler stage, table foods are now part of the nutrition although toddler formula is an excellent form of making sure the baby is getting all of their required nutrients and support.
Milk Source, where does the formula milk come from?
More specifically, which animal is making the milk – most American formulas only provide the option for cow’s milk formula for infants 12 months of age or younger. This can sometimes be a stifling option for babies with more sensitive tummies. EU formulas offer the option of fortified goat’s milk for all three stages acknowledging that not all digestive systems respond the same way to certain kinds of milk.
Cow’s Milk
Cow milk formula is the standard. Most cow milk formulas are derived from skimmed milk. This means all of the fat, or a lot of the natural fats from the milk, are removed before it is dehydrated and processed into the soft powdery substance mixed with all the power of nutrients. This is the standard for most cow milk formulas; though, there are some who believe in the wholesomeness of full cream milk.
Kendamil is a British brand that produces their cows’ milk formula as “full cream.” What that means is that instead of stripping the milk from its fats, they are incorporating the natural composition of the milk, including all of its rich fats. Their process is scientifically aligned with the fact that breastmilk is abundant in fat, making this whole milk composition most similar to a mother’s milk.
Goat’s Milk
Goat milk formula is an excellent option for a number of reasons; most specifically, if your baby is not reacting well and is showing digestive sensitivity to cow milk formulas. Goat’s milk naturally has slightly different proteins than cow’s milk, allowing for easier digestion.
The curds resulting from the casein proteins, or the white chunks that come up in spit up, are a sign of how the milk digests inside the baby’s belly. When goat milk proteins make their way into the stomach, they produce a smaller and softer curd than cow’s milk proteins that are most similar to how breast milk curds. These smaller softer “chunks” move from the stomach and into their intestines more comfortably and easily. Additionally, the digestive system can digest goat milk proteins more quickly, and more completely than cow’s milk proteins.
Kendamil recently updated their above standards, full-cream organic cow’s milk formula to be the first to contain HMO’s. During the process of updating their cow milk formula, they were finalizing their research to release a new goat milk formula. Kendamil Goat milk formula follows the same standard of excellence and cares that they have with their original cow milk formulas.
The best formula for babies with milk allergy symptoms tend to be sensitive formulas. If your baby is allergic to cow’s milk, it may help to use goat milk formula. Goat’s milk has a tenth less protein than cows, so it’s gentler on the stomach. Check out Kendamil Goat formula for mild and easy digestible milk for babies who tend to have sensitive digestive tracts.
Whether you are a first-time mommy, a pro, a first-time formula feeder, or a well versed long timer there is always new information and research happening in the formula industry to make sure your baby has the best possible nutrition. Although we are still waiting for some of our home-name brands to catch up to the quality of European baby formula, know that you have options. There is a stage to fit your baby’s needs, a source that suits better for your baby, and a lot of care and attention from the companies that make these options available to our families.
Breastmilk comes in naturally for moms after giving birth, but not every mom produces the same amount of milk. Dealing with a low milk supply is a common problem that many moms have to face at some point in their breastfeeding journey.
Mother feed is widely known to make babies smarter and improve their immunity naturally. Breastfeeding helps in gaining a healthy weight for the newborns and also helps moms to shed some post-baby weight faster.
Breastfeeding encourages healthy hormones in your body. These hormones help in reducing your pregnancy weight and lessens the risk of postpartum depression. If you’re struggling to increase your milk supply, this post will be super helpful for moms, especially after a C-section delivery.
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Best Tips to increase Low milk supply for breastfeeding moms
These amazing tips will help you increase your milk supply faster. In this post, we are talking about lactogenic food and some other non-food items that can significantly increase milk production for nursing moms.
1. Massaging Breasts
After the baby is born, your breast produces colostrum, a thicker form of milk. Colostrum produced initially is yellow in color, has high proteins and low sugar valuable nutrition for the infant. The transitional milk comes next after colostrum, and massaging your breasts with a warm moist towel helps with milk letdown.
Apply both hot and moist compresses to increase the flow of breast milk naturally at home. The correct way to massage is by using your fingertips, beginning in a circular motion from the top of your breast, and coming towards the nipple to stimulate the milk course.
Warm towel massage, hot showers, and warm compresses are ideal for mothers before breastfeeding.
How to do warm towel massage?
Take a hand towel or washcloth, and soak it in a little over warm water. Wring it to remove excess water and massage your breast with this warm moist towel. This massage would help with the milk flow and the letdown process starts sooner.
Gently massaging breasts helps significantly with low milk supply. Lavie Breast massager can help improve low milk production and relieve clogged milk ducts, mastitis, and other nursing issues.
2. Eating the Right Food
Eating a balanced diet to increase breast milk supply is equally essential. Some of the best foods to include in your diet are:
Barley increases the production of prolactin, also called the breastfeeding hormone.
The combination of fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, and cumin seeds are believed and researched to show an increase in milk production. Cumin and fenugreek seeds are widely used, in Asian countries for ages.
Oats, whole wheat, and rice (brown) contain beta-glucan in abundance, which is famous for increasing milk production.
Papaya and foods like apricots, asparagus, anise seeds, caraway seeds, coriander seeds, dill, garlic, poppy seed, and red beets are called lactogenic foods – Consuming lactogenic food helps improve milk supply for breastfeeding moms.
Moreover, the intake of spinach and other green leafy veggies is good for nursing mothers to boost their healthy milk supply. Some mothers might also use lactation supplements to increase milk production as their babies grow.
New parents often get upset with an infant’s continuous crying; hence they start using a pacifier to solve the problem of low milk supply. Most doctors say a big ‘NO’ to pacifiers as using a binky too soon might create nipple confusion and the baby will have trouble latching on for breastfeeding.
Not to mention, babies need to put a lot of effort into a good latch and amp up their suckle for faster milk let down. Hence, the doctor suggests that a pacifier should be avoided in the first four to six weeks. Instead, the mothers should try and feed the babies at short intervals, monitoring the excretions and the infant’s digestion by burping them.
4. How to increase milk supply when Pumping exclusively
Initially pumping milk seems overwhelming and difficult to handle, but it is very beneficial in the long run.
In some cases of sudden milk let down mothers can hand express breast milk into a bottle. Haaka Manual Pump is a breast pump made of 100% silicone; a power pump that uses suction to pump milk. Haaka is not electrical or manual; it acts to support pull instead. By using a strong suction, the milk gets out of your breast and most importantly, you can save milk from leaking breast on the other side while nursing.
Exclusively pumping is helpful if you are a working mom. It is always best to pump from one breast and then pump from the second breast. Remember to pump milk till the breasts are completely emptied. You must use an electric pump if you are exclusively bottle feeding your breastmilk.
You must take Online Class on Pumping Breastmilk by Milkology to have yourself prepared for exclusive pumping, storing the milk, and keeping your milk supply up. At Milkology, Stacey is a lactation educator and has helped thousands of moms on their breastfeeding journey.
Electric pumping allows hands-free pumping the breastmilk directly into the storage bag. Using an electric pump will help you produce more milk. You can store extra milk in the freezer storage bags for later use.
If you are exclusively nursing, Haaka manual pump helps in easier milk storage to make sure nothing gets wasted.
5. Feed More Often On-Demand in Short Intervals
Feeding more often is essential for the first two weeks as the more your feed your newborn, the more milk will be produced. The newborn suckling signals the hormone prolactin to be produced further triggers the brain to increase milk supply overnight. Exclusively breastfeeding your newborn on demand would help increase milk supply faster; as your baby grows, your body will produce more milk according to your child’s need.
6. Empty Breasts Properly on Each Mealtime for the Baby
The infants should be breastfed after every 2 hours till they get the hang of it and latch perfectly – and your supply keeps on increasing as the baby grows. Realistically speaking, the feedings are not evenly spaced during 24 hours – throughout the day. However, the first week is the hardest for a new mother to establish the milk supply as it may take 3 to 5 days for flow to kick in.
If your baby goes to sleep after 5 minutes of feed while the regular time is 15 mins, it is essential to wake the baby up by tickling the feet or move the baby by holding the chin. The breast continuously keeps producing milk when your newborn is being nurtured.
A newborn must take a feed of 20 to 30 mins so that the baby’s stomach is full and the breast is empty. That way the brain gives the signal of producing more milk to meet the requirements of the baby.
Not to mention, emptying the breast will fix the issue of leaking breasts and pain due to engorgement.
The four supplements to increase milk supply strongly recommended for increasing breast milk includes
Fenugreek: this comes in numerous forms powders, seeds, liquids, and capsules. The recommended dose is 580 to 610 mg per day as needed. The positive results might be noticed in 24 to 72 hours.
Fennel is a nutritious food available in different forms and combinations to support a breastfeeding mother and is an essential ingredient to promote lactation.
Palm Dates: are rich in zinc, magnesium, copper, selenium, potassium, Vitamin-C, B-complex vitamins and have increased fiber content.
Coleus Amboinicus: is used in Chinese cooking and given for increasing woman’s milk supply.
8. Milk Tea
Milk tea is a special supplement prepared by herbs to increase milk production in breastfeeding mothers. This tea is a herbal remedy to help with a low milk supply. To prepare this at home you need coriander (210 mg), blessed thistle (35 mg), fennel (560 mg), fenugreek (35 mg), and anise (350 mg). This tea can be consumed 3 to 5 times a day depending on the need to improve milk supply.
Here are some amazing Milk teas that have been beneficial for improving milk supply.
Did you know that experts have suggested drinking at least 128 ounces of fluid a day when you are breastfeeding?
Water alone helps regulate so many body functions. Drinking a sufficient amount of water is essential when you are breastfeeding, as 90 percent of breast milk is water.
Bone broth is an ideal diet for new moms, especially after a C-section. It gives new moms nutritious hydration and helps them recover faster after giving birth.
Newborn babies need to be fed every two hours or on-demand during the day. Nursing your baby on long stretches, like 3 to 4 hours, reduces the milk supply significantly. If you are overproducing milk, pump and store it for bottle feeding.
Also, feeding according to a timetable or a rigid feeding routine can lead to low supply. A mother’s body does not act as a clock;-it does not manufacture milk during the day at a steady rate.
2. Supplementing with formula feeding
Offering a formula bottle at night or missing nighttime feedings, showing the absence of breastfeeding demands eventually results in a lower milk supply. In addition to that, allowing the baby to sleep while nursing when your breasts are still full of milk, sure reduces the milk supply.
When the breasts do not feel full, or the mother does not feed the baby or pump out the milk; the flow decreases as the body gets the signal of producing less as there is lower demand. Latching your baby on the breast gives the brain impulses to produce more milk naturally.
3. Green Tea with peppermint May Have a Negative Effect on Milk Supply
Caffeine is strictly not endorsed by the doctors for younger children. Similarly, it is not advised for newborn babies. Research shows that the intake of caffeine doesn’t have any life-threatening side effects during lactation. It certainly causes beneficial effects to become side effects in the infant.
The caffeine can be transferred to the infant through breast milk affecting the sleeping pattern of the babies. Other times the babies tend to become irritable and harder to handle by parents due to caffeine as it stays in the babies’ system longer in comparison to the adults.
4. Stress and Anxiety kills milk supply
Research has proven that anxiety and stress are the two most significant reasons for low milk supply in lactating mothers.
Sleep deprivation and lack of interest in breastfeeding would not let you get enough milk for the baby. After giving birth, the mother’s routine changes altogether, her lack of sleep, adjusting to the baby’s routine, and the nursing schedule could keep her exhausted all day. It can raise the level of cortisol, the primary stress hormone and decrease the milk supply. Researches show that due to this reason, the milk supply of the breastfeeding mother or lactating mothers is negatively affected.
Mothers who are suffering from severe or mild anxiety, stress, or postpartum depression should consult health care providers for the right treatment.
The best and most traditional position is the side-laid position, where the infant is laid on the elbow of the mother on the right or left side facing each other. This position situates the breast in a manner where gravity helps in improving the blood flow. This position also creates a space for the baby as the mother cuddles him all night. This is an ideal position for mothers with C-sections to start breastfeeding.
Sleeping on the chest may have a negative impact on breastmilk supply for some women. Suppressing the breasts decreases milk expulsion at night, affecting the milk flow for some women, so it is important to keep track of it.
Low milk supply is a common problem for new mothers but it can be avoided with a proper understanding of breastfeeding. Lactation consultants are extremely helpful on that topic if you are nursing for the first time.
Nursing baby in short intervals, making sure baby is eating well every nursing session, and emptying breasts completely help your body produce more milk.
I am Madiha, mom to two beautiful kids. Here you 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 little and more fun.
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I am Madiha, mom to two beautiful kids. Here you 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 little and more fun.