Teach Your Children Well
Some parents don't do much talking at all to their babies until they start talking back. That's a long time of missed opportunity. By the time a baby can say ten words, he probably knows 1,000 he just can't pronounce yet - if you're talking to him regularly.
Even before a toddler starts talking, start using please and thank you with him. It will be almost automatic for him to use these polite terms when he does start talking.
When you give your baby crackers or other snacks, count them out as you do so and he will learn to count.
Dressing your baby is a great way to teach colors. "Let's put on your red shirt today."
Cloth Diapers or Disposables
The initial cost of cloth diapers seems high, but research shows that they cost far less in the end than disposables. The cost of disposable diapers is at least 36 cents per change, but cloth diapers cost a maximum of 22 cents each but as low as 6 cents per change, including laundering. These figures probably do not include the cost of all the extra trips to the store for more disposables - cloth diapers remain in the home. Also, cloth diapers can be handed down from baby to baby, cutting the expense in half again. Some cloth diapers can also be used for housecleaning later.
Today's cloth diapers can be found with snaps or velcro tabs to make them quick and easy to use. Diapers that are prefolded, bleached or unbleached, or unfolded and need diaper pins cost less. And you can even sew up your own diapers to save even more money.
Besides the cost savings of cloth diapers, disposables are reported to be the third top item in landfills and one of the slowest items to decompose. Chemicals are used to create disposables, and more have been added to them to make the diapers absorbent. Laundering cloth diapers uses less than half the water than is used in the manufacturing process of disposables.
Sign Language
Babies Can Communicate
Your little one has a lot to say, and with sign language you don't have to wait until baby begins speaking to know what's on their mind. Studies suggest that babies who sign tend to read earlier, talk earlier, and have better social skills. Signing takes the guesswork out of a child's early attempts at speaking and reduces tantrums. Start communicating now with the baby sign language starter kit.
 Homemade Teether
Freeze a moistened washcloth for baby to chew on when teething. When you give baby the washcloth, put another in the freezer.
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Newborn Security
Newborns just spent nine months "hugged" in the womb. Pediatric nurses swaddle newborns to give them back this feeling of security.
To swaddle, lay a receiving blanket out on the diagonal. Fold down the top corner about six inches. Place baby on the blanket with his head on the fold. Hold baby's arms down and wrap the right side over baby and tuck it under the left side of baby's body. Pull up the bottom of the blanket over baby, not too tight that his legs can still move slightly. Wrap the left side over baby and around baby's back. Do all of this wrapping snugly, with only baby's head exposed.
A crying newborn that is not hungry or wet should stop crying immediately after being swaddled. This also takes away your feeling of the baby being too fragile to hold.
If the baby doesn't stop crying right away, don't feel you'll be spoiling him if you hold him for a while. Holding your baby helps you two to bond and get to know each other. And, he may just still be a little scared after the shocking experience of being born.
If he still cries, he may just be too hot. Letting his little feet out of the blanket will allow him to still feel the comfort of swaddling but will also cool him down quickly.
Familiar Smells
When you must leave your baby with a sitter for a few hours, your odor can keep him calm and secure. Before going out for the evening, leave behind an item of clothing that you wore all day. Better still, use the same receiving blanket all day and express a small amount of milk on it. Babies are comforted by the smell of you and your milk, and the odors will make even a new sitter seem familiar.
Baby Freebies
Bablies Online is offering
free stuff to new and expectant parents.
Cornstarch As Powder
Cornstarch is a great natural powder - unless baby has a diaper rash. Many diaper rashes are caused by yeast, and cornstarch feeds yeast, which makes the rash worse.
Diaper Rash
Changing your baby right after he wets or has a bowel movement should keep most diaper rashes away.
Applying shortening to a healthy diaper area can prevent diaper rash.
To heal a diaper rash, use baby wipes to gently clean the area, then thoroughly dry the area with a towel or allow to thoroughly air dry, and apply zinc oxide (Desitin or California Baby Diaper Rash Cream) over the entire area to keep moisture and fecal bacteria away from the skin. The drying is the most important step.
See the section about Diaper Rash on our home remedies site for more information.
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