Colic: Even The Experts Can’t Solve It

Check out the excerpts from a recent New Yorker article via Daddytypes.

Teaching Kids Their Logos

Nontoxicreviews has put together a printable children’s book of colored logos (print it off and store the pages in a photo album.)

Solving Severe Diaper Rash

When diaper rashes break out, forgo wipes in favor of a small spray bottle filled with plain water or at most, a soft wet washcloth. Air dry after changes and baths while holding the baby’s legs up (perhaps on Chux pads or a washable surface like a soft towel or cloth diaper), or use a gentle hair dryer with a COOL setting.  Daddy blogger Ben of the Trixie Update let his daughter air-dry at each change, and never had a problem with diaper rash.  

The Girlfriend’s Guide to Baby Gear recommends “Aqualox,” a recipe used at the Denver Children’s Hospital for severe diaper rash. Combine 6 tablespoons of Aquaphor and an equal amount of regular Maalox in a stand mixer until smooth, and store in a small plastic container with a lid.

Ointments containing zinc oxide are frequently recommended, but they can cause a skin condition known as oxide pox.

 The zinc oxide content of popular diaper rash creams:
Balmex=11.3%
Arbonne’s Herbal Diaper Rash Cream=12%
Bourdreaux’s Butt Paste=16% zinc oxide

Pinxav=30%

Desitin=40% 

For diaper rashes involving yeast, a Nyastin cream or grapefruit seed extract oil (available at health food stores) may help. Or your doctor may approve of mixing some Monistat into Aquaphor.

Also try:

Switching to a different brand of diapers or trying cloth diapers.

Creams with 1 or 1/2% hydrocortizone (for NON-YEAST rashes only!)

Triple Paste (sold at pharmacies with the Enemas).

Milk of Magnesia in the diaper.

Soaking in a lukewarm or cool water with baking soda or oatmeal (finely ground in your blender so it doesn’t clog your pipes).

For an older baby, try avoiding acidic foods (tomatoes and citrus) and adding yogurt or children’s probiotic supplements to the diet.

Lotrimin AF for a fungal rash (looks like burn marks).

Neosporin in a rash has broken the skin.

Sprinkling the diaper area with cornstarch.

Rush, Little Baby

The Boston Globe covers The Better Baby Institute, Baby Einstein, and early readers and concludes it’s better for children not to learn to read early (!).

The key excerpts:

  Researchers from the National Institutes of Mental Health performed periodic MRI brain scans on children and teens ranging in age from 5 to 19, tracking the relationship between the thickness of the brain’s outer mantle, or cortex, with the subject’s IQ. They found that the people whose IQ scores put them in the “superior intelligence” category had cortexes that matured much later than those of average intelligence. The cortexes of the smartest kids peaked by around age 11 or 12, whereas the average kids’ peaked by around age 8. Jay Giedd, one of the lead researchers, says he and his colleagues were initially taken aback by the findings, but with more reflection they realized they made all kinds of sense. “By having this peak period of plasticity later,” he says, “the brain is adapting to the 12-year-old world, which is more complicated, more similar to the adult world, than the 8-year-old world.”

The idea is, patience pays off. “It’s like the tortoise and the hare,” says Giedd, a psychiatrist and brain-imaging specialist. “I’m not suggesting that we tell people to celebrate if their child is not reading at age 6. But for many people who didn’t read at age 2 – which is a ridiculous level – they may not only catch up, but actually surpass those few kids that did.” The point, he says, is “that until the brain is at a certain level, a lot of that instruction is wasted.“

Also:

A cross-cultural study of European children published in 2003 in the British Journal of Psychology found those taught to read at age 5 had more reading problems than those who were taught at age 7. The findings supported a 1997 report critical of Britain’s early-reading model.

Getting a Good Breastfeeding Start

From AskMoxie:

“Most of us are going to need more resources, in book form (The Nursing Mother’s Companion by Kathleen Huggins is extremely factual and covers a zillion scenarios, while So That’s What They’re For by Janet Tamaro has a bunch of actual information but also humor and commiseration) and on the internet (kellymom.com) and in real life (an IBCLC lactation consultant, La Leche League meetings, breastfeeding support groups run by hospitals and women’s centers, or even just another mom you see nursing at the bookstore).”

Moxie suggests putting the number of a local IBCLC lactation consultant on your fridge so you’ll have someone to call on your first day home with the baby.

She also has an important pdf of ways to prevent post-partum depression (ppd).

Where To Find Decent Kid’s Clothes

I hit Target just before a baby shower last night to buy the mother-to-be’s requested gift (a gift card), and decided to get something a little more interesting from the kid’s section as well.

GROAN. Every piece of boy’s clothing was light blue and had some tacky phrase like “World’s Cutest Boy” embroidered on it OR a dumb-looking bear/frog/truck appliqué OR the omnipresent “All-Sport” theme.  Basic, classic, and age-appropriate were rare.

Greg from DaddyTypes totally summed up the situation for girls:

The whole rack of toddler clothes was an uninterrupted smear of rainbow sherbet. Every pair of jeans was encrusted with some junk. Every pair of pants had three tiers of ruffles and ribbons on the cuffs. Every shirt and dress was the same, only frillier. You know you’re in trouble when Lilly Pulitzer starts to look sedate. [And Lilly’s fine, but there aren’t enough divots to be replaced between chukkers for her to wear all the Lilly she already has. As for everything else, it looked straight out of a Care Bears Gone Wild video.]

The boys’ section, meanwhile, was an unrelenting row of rugby shirts. If you’re in the market for brat clothes (Disneyfied, TV-character-laden, wierdly adult-oriented things like Che onesies and rhinestone shrugs for four-year-olds) — you’re in luck.

The rest of us can find non-encrusted, non-trendy clothes at the stores below. Solid colors are the way to go, people:

Basic Brillance

American Apparel

Jacardi

H&M

Old Navy

The Children’s Place

L.L. Bean

Land’s End

Wal-Mart

Target (sometimes)

PleaseMum.com

Basic overalls from OshKosh — easy to find at thrift and consignment stores.

Tea Collection

BabySoy collection from BabyCenter.com

Zutano

BabyRockApparel

Kohls

WonderBoyClothing.com

Bu and the Duck 

Tips: Preparing For A Newborn

1. Have all of the gear you will need on-hand. “Quick trips” to Target will suddenly become a major ordeal. So get a 2-3 MONTH supply of diapers, wipes, breastfeeding supplies, bottles, and basic baby clothing like onesies, blankets, socks, and hats.  Pre-launder clothing items, and get every bit of 0-3 or 0-6 month gear out of the box, assembled, tested, and in the exact place you’ll want it when you come home from the hospital. The crib and basinett should be ready to place a baby in — not covered with stuffed animals or things you haven’t opened yet. Practice handling the car seat and opening and using stroller so you’ll know how they work. Do a mock diaper change and make sure everything is within easy reach.

2. Get up-to-date on the rest of your life: your oil changes, financial records, home improvements, scheduling service workers, etc.

 3. Outsource as much of the non-sleep, non-baby care tasks as possible. Plan to use services like Peapod (grocery delivery), Let’s Dish (prepared freezer meals), Amazon.com prime, and/or a cleaning service for a few weeks. Consider getting a Roomba, and have your floors professionally cleaned (you’ll be spending a lot of time down there.)

4. Get round-the-clock, hands-on help for at least one week. If your mom or other close relative or friend with baby experience isn’t available, seriously consider hiring a postpartum doula or baby nurse.

5. Nightlight the place up and prepare some good lullaby tunage.

Gifts For Small Children

6-months:  Stacking cups, water-filled blocks, bumbo seat, Burt’s Bees products, Lamaze fishbowl, music, magnets, bath toys, colorful Container Store boxes.

1-year:  Radio Flyer or IKEA walker wagon, push/pull toys, play drum, cut-apart vegetables, rocking horse, table and chairs, doll, doll stroller, board books.

1.5 years: Play kitchen, instruments, blocks, art supplies, sidewalk chalk, play dough, play foam, cars, magna or aqua doodle, dress-up clothing, board books.

2 years:  Play tea set, easel, lacing cards, wooden and matchbox cars, Plan toys, doll house, doctor set, tools, trike,  Mr. Potato Head, sewing block,  doll stroller, Automoblox, Bilibo, sand/water table, slide, climber.

3 years:  Puzzles, Memory, duplo/lego, little people, lincoln logs, play wooden food, puppet theatre and puppets, nesting Russian dolls, magna-tiles, playmobile, Kinder-Eggs, simple dollhouse.

How To Get Babies To Stop Crying

Some suggestions compiled from The Happiest Baby On the Block and The Baby Whisperer:

 White noise (Turn on radio static, a fan, a noisy appliance such as the vacuum or washing machine, some soft music, or an actual lullaby or white noise machine)

 Movement (“Sleep dance,” put baby in a swing/bouncer, use a rocking chair, bounce on an exercise ball, or go for a walk or drive. Make sure breathing isn’t obstructed.)

  Swaddling (With a  specialty blanket (Swaddler, Miracle Blanket, or swaddling sleepsac) or  an extra-large receiving blanket).

 Warmth and Comfort  (Try warming up a towel in the dryer to take the chill of the crib, or dressing baby in a warm sleepsac or removing extra layers for comfort. Make sure nothing is scratching, poking, or binding him or her.)

 Space (Perhaps the crib seems too large –  try a small basinet, pack ‘n play, or co-sleeper. If she likes being  positioned in the swing/carseat/bouncer, try using a sleep positioner or crib wedge. Also, make sure baby is not afraid/distracted by the mobile/bedding/other décor. Try removing bumper pads or other extras.)

Stomach or Side (If  you’re going to be sitting right there, try allowing baby to nap on her stomach.)

 Discomfort, Gas, or Teething (Try teething tablets, gas drops,  gripe water, a cold washcloth, ice, or an actual teether. Try infant massage. Try an upright position.)

 Darkness (Try using blackout shades or tin foil to cover windows. If out, try draping a blanket over the stroller or car seat handle.)

Continuity (Overnight, try to avoid noise, playing, turning on the light,  and diaper changes — use special overnight diapers.)

Makes The Medicine Go Down

FLAVORit is a home kit for adding flavorings and sweetner to liquid children’s medicine.