UrbanMommies » Sleeping

Natural Colic Remedies

Jill — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 23:37:23 +0000

There have been several studies that have documented the benefits of using a probiotic supplement to relieve colic in infants. Colic is usually experienced in the first few weeks of life, when rapid colonization of the digestive system Is underway. One study found that colicky infants were less frequently colonized by Lactobacillus species of bacteria and more frequently by anaerobic gram-negative bacteria that can contribute to gas formation in the digestive system. Another study found that the species Lactobacillus reuteri improved colicky symptoms in breastfed infants within 1 week of treatment. In this study mothers of infants who’s colic improved also avoided dairy products. I usually recommend that if the mother is breastfeeding, she should take Lactobacillus acidophilus or Lactobacillus reuteri probiotic capsules containing at least 10 billion bacteria. She should also give some to the infant by placing some probiotic on her nipple before putting the baby to breast. Mothers who are not breastfeeding can put the probiotic into formula.

Other options for colic that are safe and gentle are homeopathic remedies. The most common homeopathic remedy is Chamomila. This remedy is indicated for a colicky infant who is very irritable and restless and wants to be carried. The infant will have one or both cheeks are flushed red, and the abdomen will be distended.

I also recommend a gripe water formula by Wellementsâ. It contains all organic ingredients that help to relieve gas and soothe the digestive system such as chamomile, ginger and fennel extracts.

Dr. Agnieszka Matusik is a Naturopathic Physician practicing family medicine in South Surrey/White Rock. Her practice focuses on women’s health and pediatrics. She has a special interest in pre-conception health, fertility, pregancy and labour support and children’s health issues. Contact Dr. Matusik at 604-293-2941 or at www.integratedhealthclinic.ca

Bedtime Brews for Babes

Jill — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:39:52 +0000

Got a child who needs a little calm-me-down at bedtime? Here are three great versions of the classic “Warm Milk” from The Caboodle Cookbook by Jay and Lisa Cestnik. Older kids can make them by themselves (with adult supervision of course).

Moolasses

1/2 tablespoon molasses
3/4 to 1 cup 2% milk

1. Pour molasses into a mug.
2. Heat milk on the stove or in the microwave, but do not boil it.
3. Stir 1 tablespoon of molasses into the milk. Gradually stir in the rest of the milk.
4. Enjoy.

Cloud-in-a-Cup

1/2 peeled frozen banana
1/3 cup 2% milk

1. Cut banana into pieces and puree in a blender or food processor.
2. Gradually add the milk while blending.
3. Puree the mixture until the banana is smooth and the milk is frothy.
4. Heat on the stove or in the microwave until warm and enjoy.

Mint Milk

1 Peppermint tea bag
3/4-1 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon sugar or honey

1. Combine ingredients.
2. Heat (on the stove or in the microwave).
3. Remove tea bag and enjoy.

Snugglings Baby Slings

Jill — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:14:35 +0000

Snugglings makes comfy, cozy, baby slings in great colours and designs and many sizes. Slings are a fantastic and safe hands-free way to cuddle and carry your baby close to your heart. Snugglings slings are reversible, versatile, can be used as a blanket or changing pad and are great for discreet nursing. These slings are also made with “eco-fabrics” which are great for the environment. Order yours today at the Snugglings Website.

Is my baby warm enough at night?

admin — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:51:22 +0000

A. We all tend to worry that our baby will not be warm enough during the night and during the day when we are out and about. An easy way to check is to feel the back of the baby’s neck. If this area is comfortably warm the baby is dressed appropriately. If it is sweaty, you need to remove some clothing, and if it is cool to the touch, a warmer sleeper or another layer of clothing should be added. Babies’ hands and feet are always cool and should not be used to judge how adequately the baby is dressed. A sleep sack is always a good option for babies – see our post on a great Jacadi Sleepsack.

Linda Ducholke is our resident Family Doctor and more of her posts can be found in the experts section.

Image: Halo Technical Comfort System® Layette – Coolmax® Fabric

Beat the Heat

Jill — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:33:50 +0000

Severe heat can inhibit the safety of babies and children. With global temperatures on a slow march upwards, heat waves such as this are unfortunately likely to become more frequent than their previous once-in-a-lifetime occurence. Some people adore the heat, but babies and children as well as pets and elderly relatives are vulnerable to heat strokes, dehydration and other serious heat-related ailments. Here are some tips on surviving the heat:

Never, EVER, leave a baby, child or pet in a parked car during hot weather. The temperature inside a parked car can very quickly rise to extreme levels. Children and pets can become extremely over-heated and some have even died when left in a hot car. This tip is therefore very important.
Make sure babies, children and pets have plenty of water to drink. Heat produces sweat which causes the body to lose vital water. It is very important to replenish the body with water in order to prevent dehydration, which can be very serious.
Keep babies, children and pets where it is coolest. Find the coolest room in the house, most likely the basement, and spend as much time there as possible. Only go outside unless you are doing water-related activities or if your house gets so hot, it’s cooler in the shade outside. Restrict outdoor exercise, including walking dogs, to cooler evenings. Avoiding the heat is a great reason to spend the afternoon at the air-conditioned library.
Dress appropriately. Keep babies and children in lightweight, loose fitting clothing. Is your toddler not a fan of clothing? Well, this is a good time to let him get away with his preference for nakedness!
Hats and sunscreen. If you are outside in the sun at any time, make sure babies, children and yourself have hats and waterproof, high-SPF sunscreen on. Make sure to re-apply it when necessary. If baby is constantly taking his hat off, find a hat that has a Velcro strap that goes under his chin.
Fans and air conditioners. These are of course, summer-heat standbys. Here’s a good tip: put a bowl of ice in front of a fan. The fan will blow the cooler air around the ice towards you!
Don’t leave a baby or child to nap in direct sunlight. That tip speaks for itself.
Utilize water. Cold showers and baths, pools and natural bodies of clean water are of course great. But here’s another tip: fill up a bucket with very cold water and sit with your feet in it. As your blood circulates through your body, it will cool down in your feet and circulate cooler blood throughout your body. I tried this today and it helped a great deal. Just make sure there are no electronics that can fall into it to avoid electrocution.
Keep cool at night. Have the whole family sleep in the basement if possible. Make sure babies and children are in light clothing, if clothing is necessary, and that they only have a sheet to cover them, if necessary. Open windows, if safe, to ensure plenty of circulation of the slightly-cooler night air. A cold shower or bath before bed can also help.
Check in on elderly relatives. If elderly relatives live in hot areas, make sure to check with them that they have everything they need to beat the heat. The elderly are very vulnerable to overheating. Sadly, sometimes, it even causes death.
Be careful of worsening air quality. Heat causes air quality to diminish. Be aware of this and make sure people with respiratory problems, including kids with asthma, are looked after. Try staying inside where the air is a little better.
Indulge your children in frozen treats. If it’s very hot, the cooling effect of frozen treats can be more important than their sugar content. If you’d prefer a healthy alternative, pick up a popsicle mold and make fruit juice popsicles by filling the mold with fruit juice.

Have you got a tip? Email us at info@urbanmommies.com (subject: Beat the Heat) with your name, city and tip and we will add your tip to this page!

Here are some signs of overheating to look out for:
*rapid breathing or difficulty breathing
*weakness, dizziness, or fainting
*more tiredness than usual
*headache
*confusion or disorientation
*nausea

If you see these signs in someone help them cool down by removing clothing, having them drink cool (but not ice cold) water, bathing them with cool water and moving them to a cooler area. If they appear seriously listless or disoriented, take them to the emergency room or call 911.

The above signs to watch out for were taken from the Toronto Public Health’s brochure on beating the heat. This brochure also has tips similar to some of the ones above. You can view this brochure here: http://www.toronto.ca/health/heatalerts/pdf/beattheheat.pdf

For more information about the health effects of extreme heat call
Canadian Red Cross Heat Information Line 416-480-2615

-Danica Longair

Jacadi Sleep Sack

Jill — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 06:05:52 +0000

We are junkies. For everything French. And beyond the Bonpoint-Floriane addiction, there is one product that we can’t live without. The Jacadi sleep sack comes in two sizes, and each season there are a number of new, creative, soft designs for your precious one. It is among the heaviest bags we have found, and with snaps at the shoulders and a zipper up the side, it is easy to get on and off. Bonne nuit, little one. Oh, and with stores in Toronto, Montreal and now Vancouver, you have no excuse. www.jacadiusa.com

Time Changes and Jet Lag

Jill — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 18:51:36 +0000

A big concern many parents have about traveling is how time changes and jet lag will affect their child’s routine and sleeping patterns. It’s a valid concern; we all know how jet lag makes us feel (zonked and cranky), and who wants to cope with a toddler in that same state? According to pretty much any book or article you read, children cope with time changes and jet lag much better than adults do, acclimatizing much faster. The reason for this is that babies and children are less capable of fighting their bodies’ natural inclination to sleep when they need it (as difficult as that may be to believe at times!) It was Dr. Richard Ferber’s oft-controversial book “Solve Your Child’s Sleep Problems” where I found the most useful and comprehensive advice on how to manage. Whatever your opinion of Dr. Ferber’s “progressive-waiting approach” to independent sleep, his suggestions for coping with disruptions due to travel are very simple, and seem to support a parent’s natural instinct. Firstly, if the time change is minimal and/or the trip is short, consider living in your own time zone for the duration of your visit. For example, if you’re going East to Eastern Time from Mountain Time, bedtime would be 10pm instead of 8pm, and wakeup would be 9am instead of 7am. If this isn’t an option, Dr. Ferber does suggest ways to manage, depending on if you’re headed East or West… Heading back in time, or West, is in my experience, the easiest to cope with. Dr. Ferber seems to concur. Depending on how great the time difference, your best bet is to deep your tot up until their bedtime local time – which would be later than at home – and get them up at the usual time but local time. She may have a pretty sleepy (hopefully not too cranky) day, but you should have no trouble in getting her down for her usual nap(s). By the next day, if you’ve again managed to keep her up until her bedtime (local time), you should be right on track.

Going East, or ahead in time, can be a little trickier at first but the formula is pretty much the same. Trying to force your child to bed when he’s not sleepy will do no one any good, so your best bet is to put him down when they’re ready (a later than usual night – local time) but keep wakeup time the same as home but in your new time zone. Again, you’re in for a sleepy next day, but try not to nap any more than usual and by day 2, he should be adjusted to your new clock.

Time differences that are very great in either direction may take an extra day or so of adjustment, but if you keep to the same basic routine of eating and sleeping that you do at home, you should find that your tot seems to settle in quite well – probably better than you!

Corinne McDermott is the founder of Have Baby Will Travel – your online guide to traveling with babies and toddlers. For more information please visit www.havebabywilltravel.com or send a message to info@havebabywilltravel.com.

Sleeping through the Night

Jill — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:55:06 +0000

Q – When should my baby be sleeping through the night?

A – It really depends which definition of sleeping through the night you are trying to achieve as sleeping through the night means different things to different people. A baby can sleep longer stretches of sleep based on their age and weight. On average though by 4 – 6 months the majority of babies can sleep 11 – 12 hours with one night feed and some can do 11 – 12 hours without any night feeds. There are a few variables that have to be considered to determine a child’s capabilities.

Dawnn Whittaker is a baby and child sleep consultant and lives in Langley, BC. She provides sleep solutions for families throughout North America on an individual basis. Her approach is to first asses the sleep pattern and then put together a sleep plan that reflects the parenting style and supports them through the transition. Contact her at www.cheekychops.ca or 778-552-0069.

10 Months and Sleepless

Jill — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 17:34:20 +0000

Q – My baby is 10 months old and I am still up every 3 hours all night. I think I need to get some sleep in order to function properly during the day. How can I get my baby to sleep?

A – The way that your baby falls asleep is probably the way that your baby has to return to sleep during their night wakings. So you would want to start making changes at bedtime and then again do the same thing at all night wakings. You will have to teach your baby to fall asleep without props so that they can learn to return to sleep when they next wake up. The type of method that you could use would depend on a couple of factors but the underlying key in any method is for them to go into their crib aware – sleepy but awake.

Hushamok Baby Hammock

Jill — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 04:07:52 +0000

Well, we certainly had babies who just wouldn't sleep and did our fair share of sling-carrying, hammock sleeping, and rocking for hours. If only this had been available. Much like the Amby Bed from Dr. Sears, the Hushamok is a super-stylish alternative which will help to lull infants to sleep in a snug cocoon. It comes with 2 sheets, a travel bag, and a hip stand.

at www.funkymonkeybaby.com
or www.modernkid.com