Breastfeeding Pointers for First-time Moms

Posted on by Dina Lanche

Photo credit: Aurimas Mikalauskas via Flickr

Photo credit: Aurimas Mikalauskas via Flickr

Breast milk is still best for babies. So goes the line every time an advertisement for a brand of infant milk is shown on TV or played on the radio. Indeed, the milk that comes from the mother is liquid gold, especially the first breast milk that a mother makes during pregnancy and right after birth, which is known as colostrum. Compared to synthetic milk, breast milk is very rich in nutrients and antibodies needed by a newborn.

If you’re an expectant mother or have just given birth, here are tips you can follow to make the experience of breastfeeding more successful and healthier:

Do it right after giving birth

After a baby’s cleaned up after his delivery, he’s put right beside the mother. This is their very first moment together after the child’s birth. What you can do is cuddle up your baby and let him feel your chest. Once you feel each other’s skin, your baby’s feeding reflexes kick in and your milk production is at the same triggered. Your baby will then start looking for your breast and you will be making more milk sooner. That first breastfeeding moment can be mutually beneficial to you and your baby.

Know the signs that your baby wants to feed

When a baby’s hungry, he’d do things like licking his lips, rooting, and even putting his hands to his mouth. Some mothers take crying as a cue for hunger. This cue, however, is the latest manifestation of his hunger pangs.

Know how to hold your baby while breastfeeding

The first step to breastfeeding properly is to bring your baby to your breast, not the other way around. Hold him close and support his neck and shoulders. You should also support your breast. Rest your baby’s chin on your breast and his nose on your nipple. The moment he feels your nipple, he will open his mouth wide to start sucking.

Let the sun (literally) shine on him

Sunlight is the principal source of vitamin D, which both grownups and babies need. Breastfed babies should be exposed to sunlight to get ample supply of vitamin D. If you’re breastfeeding during the winter months, however, or when there’s no available sunlight, you can just give your baby a vitamin D supplement, as per doctor’s advice.

Store your breast milk if you can’t breastfeed

There are working moms who want to or must immediately go back to work a few days after giving birth. If this is the same case for you, you can still feed your baby with your breast milk even when you’re away by squeezing out milk from your breast using a breast pump and storing it in clean feeding bottles. You can check out and buy electric breast pump via Getprice for several selections.

Wonderful Ideas for Baby Gifts

Posted on by Dina Lanche

Are you tired of searching for that perfect baby gift for someone special? Well, it seems as if there’s actually no reason for you to fret when it’s time to buy baby gifts, especially not after reading this article. That’s because you’ll find several baby gift ideas throughout this article, which would certainly help make your shopping a lot easier.

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First item on the list is a baby blanket. Do you remember how Linus, in the hit comic strip Peanuts, would always lug a blanket around everywhere he went? Apparently, there is a special connection between babies and blankets. A baby probably thinks that the softness of the blanket is his mom’s soft skin. That’s why a blanket is always a perfect baby shower gift that’s full of love and thoughtfulness. Blankets are also among those baby gifts that may be personalized.

Of course, you can opt for monogrammed baby linen especially if you have the means and you have a penchant for classy and elegant things. For people who have eclectic tastes, a baby gift basket might do the trick. Baby gift baskets come in varying shapes and sizes. Moreover, these baskets speak volumes of your thoughtfulness. Why is that? Well, it takes time, effort, money, and creativity to put together such a gift. Besides, you can personalize it to suit the gender of the baby. Hence, if the baby’s a boy, you can go fill the gift basket up with blue blankets, blue bonnets, blue mittens, blue Avent bottles, and even blue booties.

Some other possible gifts are wall art for the nursery, bedding, simple keepsakes, and foodstuff. Some baby gifts, on the other hand, are quite expensive. If you have the budget or if you’re related to the baby, these would be ideal gift options. These include nursery equipment, furniture, jewelry, or even a starter savings account. However, more than the monetary value of the gifts, it’s the love, time, effort, and attention that you have poured as the gift-giver that counts the most.

The list of possible gifts goes on and on. You just need to know where to look for the items. Furthermore, it’s just a matter of creativity and advanced planning. You can also visit websites where you can draw inspiration for possible baby gifts. Finally, you could visit blogs where it’s possible to find not only gift ideas but also other practical tips for taking care of babies.

Practical Ideas for Baby Gifts Baskets

Posted on by Dina Lanche

If a friend of yours recently gave birth, one way you could show your happiness and care for her and her baby is by giving her a baby gift basket. When you think about it, a gift basket is usually filled with items that the recipient would find valuable. Hence, giving one to your friend and her baby could be one of the greatest expressions of concern and care.

Moreover, the gifts in the basket you would prepare for the baby may just be what the parents need for their child. Some of the items they plan to buy for the baby may already be included in your basket, so you’d have saved them time and money. You could buy a ready-made gift basket if you choose to, but it becomes even more special if you prepared the gift basket by yourself. Besides, it’s not that difficult to choose the items you would include in the basket.

Practicality Counts

Practicality should be your top priority when deciding on the things you would include in the gift basket. As much as possible, you should choose items that the baby can use for right away. These items include rattles, pacifiers, feeding bottles, bibs, cloth diapers, booties, baby clothes, and infant formula. You could also prepare a gift basket filled with bath time goodies for the baby. You could include baby shampoo, baby powder, towels, brush set, or any other things to freshen the baby up.

Nursery room items also make great items for baby gifts baskets. Colorful mobiles, CDs of lullabies, breast pumps, beddings, blankets, pillows, and other things the baby can use in the nursery are included here. Speaking of breast pumps, you’ll find several online stores with a wide range of electric breast pump selections, some of which are even hospital grade. Hence, finding the most suitable one for your recipient would be a breeze. If budget is not tight, you could give bigger items like changing mats, cribs, layettes, and other nursery furniture. The important thing to remember is the items should conform to the gender of the baby in terms of color and uses.

The items should also be right for the baby’s age. There’s no point in giving items that are not relevant to the child’s age or can’t be used right away. Remember, a small gesture such as giving out well thought of baby gifts baskets can surely go a long way. The smile on the face of the parents would be enough to mean a sincere “Thank You”.