There are so many fun facts about pregnancy. We’ve compiled a few and hope you’ll enjoy them.
Selecting a twin stroller is a big decision. If you have one that you are happy with it will make all the difference to your desire to get out and use it. Some advice: you may as well splurge on this purchase. Getting one you are sort of happy with will be a decision you regret when you go back to the store to get the one you really wanted in the first place. In the case of strollers, you really get what you pay for. It helps to remember that the resale value of good strollers is fairly high and it should be easy to sell when the time comes.
Did you know that teething causes gas? Another side effect is that the baby exhibits cold-like symptoms with runny noses and irritated coughs. It may help (once they are six months old) to feed them cold food, like applesauce to help, or let them suck on half a frozen whole-wheat bagel if they are a bit older.
Pacifiers work because sucking calms babies. However, you may want to consider some of the downsides to pacifiers. If the baby gets used to having a pacifier, they may not learn how to ‘self-soothe’. Who will be picking that soother off the floor in the middle of the night to return it to baby’s mouth? (Incidentally, this is how I convinced my husband that we wouldn’t be using a soother).
Irritated skin may be a sign that your baby has sensitive skin. Perhaps your laundry detergent or baby soap is not mild enough and / or your baths are too hot. Maybe your baby is reacting to something in your breast milk or has an intolerance to cow based formula? It is possible that they are sensitive to new foods if you have started feeding them solids. Giving isolated foods for three to five days in a row should help you to pinpoint if it is a new food that is bothering your baby.
Circumcision of baby boys is a surgical procedure to remove the foreskin of the penis, often done during the first few days of life. Not medically necessary, circumcision is a ‘non-therapeutic’ procedure and therefore not an insurable expense. Parents who opt for circumcision often do so for cultural or religious reasons.
In order to make the right decision, parents should be fully informed of the risks and benefits of the surgery, and therefore should speak to their medical professional. The Canadian Pediatric Society does not recommend routine circumcision for newborn boys, and many pediatricians no longer perform them.
Although serious complications from surgery are rare, newborn circumcision has been associated with surgical mistakes including having too much skin removed. Other things to consider are that too much bleeding or infection may occur in the area, or urinary tract infections before the age of one.
Urinary tract infections can also occur in babies who are not circumcised, and some require circumcision later in life for medical reasons due to reoccurring infections. Older children who are circumcised may have more complications than newborns.
When baby just can’t be soothed there are a few tricks to try. Here’s what we found effective:
- swaddling
- football hold (2 thumbs up!)
- walk in a sling or baby carrier or holding baby close
- tummy or back rubs
- take a shower together, warm water may be comforting
- pacifier – sucking is calming to a baby
- white noise – babies like lulling sounds created by vacuums, clothes dryers, TVs or driving in a car
- colic drops or gripe water – perhaps there is a burp that needs to come out!
- Infacol is available to relieve trapped wind