Babies | Real Tech Mom

When to get rid of Soothers and Nipples from your bottles

July 4, 2008 By erincarrasco 1 Comment

So recently I’ve noticed some wear on my son’s favourite soother. And after an episode of Simpsons prompted me to keep more then one of the same brand of soother available to my child (for sheer fear of losing his favourite one) I have been vigilant to change it up every once and a while so this “favourite” does not become his “only” soother!

My son’s brand of choice is the Gerber Nuk. We tried a few different kinds but ultimately the Nuk won out. (thanks mom!) But wow do these things ever wear out quickly, I’ve maybe had the new one for a month and a half and it has started to show wear on it.

With all of the BPA-free hype, it’s made us parents “paranoid” about using anything that “could” contain this chemical that most plastics contain! So after all the years we’ve been eating and drinking things (how many of your water bottles had the little 7 in the recycling box hummm?) containing this harmful chemical only to now learn it’s not safe. (Much like lead paint and asbestos I guess)

Before my son was born I was unsure if I was going to use a soother, my nephew had a real strong attachment to his soother and at three was still clinging on to it for dear life. My sister had tried everything and finally on his third birthday, they’d made a “deal” when he turned three, he was a big boy–no more soother! So we all came over for his birthday party and at the end of it we tied his soother to a helium balloon and said “goodbye” to his soother. We told him that babies needed it more then he did, so we all watched in amazement as he attached it (with mom’s help of course) to the balloon string. Well he let go and waved goodbye like a big boy, all seemed well—until that night. While that soother would never return to their house, a new one certainly did, they luckily had another on in the house to spare. He did eventually (one day out of the blue) did not want it anymore, so there is hope! Ok back to my point!

I was given a great gift by my cousin (who had recently studied to become a Doula) for an in home education on something called The Happiest Baby on the Block. This Doctor (Dr. Harvey Karp) not only suggested it, he advocated, that in the first three months babies need to suck– as a calming reflex. So I decided after three weeks of no sleep and being raw from being sucked on—no fun! That I was going to use a soother. My son; however, had other plans. It was such a war to get him to take it. I guess some would say it’s a blessing in disguise but when he did take it, it was when he was tired and it really did help him calm himself. The good doctor deserves his own posting himself, so please check back for updates.

While doing research for some previous postings, I came across a question that plagued some message boards I belong to: When do I get rid of soothers and bottle nipples?

Gerber’s website stated in their FAQ:

How often should we replace pacifiers?

Pacifiers should be replaced when any type of wear is noticed. The strength of the pacifier should be tested by pulling on the bulb portion. If any tears, stickiness or swelling are noticed, the pacifiers should be discarded and replaced.

Why do the nipples and/or pacifiers get so big?

Continual use of rubber nipples and pacifiers can cause them to swell. Constant sucking action, the acidity of a baby’s saliva, microwaving and excessive boiling are all contributing factors to the breakdown of the rubber. Swollen nipples and pacifiers should be discarded, as they are a choking hazard.

For me, I err on the side of caution and would suggest that when your soother’s become cloudy in colour (if they were clear) I would discard them. The same thing goes for bottle nipples, if they become misshapen, get some new ones! Also out of all the pacifier maker’s I could find, (online) only Gerber had an answer posted on their website. (see answer above) So really my new motto as a mom has become, “if you are asking yourself, should I do this, is it safe?” answers my question. If I’m questioning it, I’d best not be doing it. But it’s all about going with your instincts, while there are so many outlets of information out there for you gawk at, you as a parent have to trust yourself to know what’s right for your baby!

Filed Under: Advice, Babies, Mom

Gifts to Grow: Earn rewards if you purchase Pampers

July 2, 2008 By erincarrasco 1 Comment

With so many brands of disposable diapers to choose from, and all at a variety of price, how do you choose? For some it’s simply what fit’s their baby best, for some it’s what people have given you as gifts and for most it’s the price.

For us, we have chosen Pampers as our Diaper of choice. Not that I didn’t try Huggies, or Teddy’s choice, because we did, but the way that my son fit the diapers just seemed to bring huge poo disasters. I mean, you know you’re going to have some blowouts, so let’s not be unreasonable here. My little one (not so little–18lbs at 4 months) has always been on the ~~chunkier~~ healthier side of the spectrum. We always went back to the Pampers Swaddlers, as they seem to fit him the best with minimal leakage. Now not all diapers just because they have a "brand" name stamped on them are in the same category for me in terms of effectiveness. While I love the swaddlers (I’m still squeezing him into size 2-3–not an easy task to find those in stores), I’m not crazy about the cruisers (that’s what starts at size 3). He’s been in size three diapers since he was just over three months old, and is not cruising. He’s kind of like the Goodyear blimp. But I digress.

The program

When I was expecting, I had someone tell me about the Pampers website (she was big into coupons–Thanks Jenn!) and let me know she’d entered me into a draw to win diapers for a year, Yippie! So I decided to check out what else I might be missing out on, and discovered Gifts to Grow. It works for us mainly because we buy the swaddlers for the fit, not for the brand name and certainly not for the rewards. (something silly like 110 rewards get’s you a Starbucks gift card for 10$) Considering you get anywhere from 3-5 rewards per purchase, that’s a lot of diapers just for 10$ at Starbucks. But instead you can enter monthly draws for trips and other sweepstakes as well as (and this is probably the best reward to give) Donating your points for vaccines. Where one point = one vaccine!

So Where do you find the codes?

Now when you open a pack of Diapers (Click here to see what products qualify for points) it’s on the inside of the bag of diapers (it’s a sticker you peel off). If you buy a box, there are usually two codes, one on each bag within each box (again a sticker you peel off). The one thing that miffed me (and it’s my fault for not looking on the website sooner) was that every time I bought the refill packs for the sensitive wipes, there were no stickers to be found! So after going through two boxes (that’s 7 bags of wipes–each) I got peeved at Pampers for "forgetting" my sticker. I went on the website and do you know where they were???? (see below)

They were on the side of each freaking pack of wipe. So frantically searching through trash–maybe it’s a good point to tell you all, I had maybe been getting only 1.5 intervals of sleep for 2 and a half months, to find any left over, and to my surprise I found 2! So all excited, I went to the website, logged in and started entering my code.

Two things, the code is in black in and on plastic… it rubs off! and number two, you can’t read some of the numbers/letters because it’s been printed on plastic (almost as an afterthought)

Ok so I salvaged one code, and guess how many it was worth–0.5! Yes that’s right folks I went in search of .5 of a point through the trash. I went to my son’s room in search of the new ones freshly out of the box, and out of 7 codes I could read 3. So I got 1.5 codes out of 3.5 possible codes. At that point I got frustrated and switched to Kirkland brand wipes, they are cheaper and are thicker, and you also get double the wipes in most cases.

The Rewards

So here is a sample of the rewards you can save up for, but when I joined, two points got me a "spin" on a wheel to for different prizes, last month there was a trip for 4 to somewhere exotic that cost you 4 points to enter. So I’ll say it again, the best thing about these rewards is the fact that you can donate your point to Unicef for vaccinations around the world.

The Bottom Line

If you are going to be buying Pampers anyway’s, then this is an added bonus. So if you have some pampers stuff laying around, check it out for stickers, and if nothing tickles your fancy in the rewards category then by all means donate away!

But I would not purchase pampers just to get these rewards. If you find that another brand of diaper works just as well for your child then by all means, continue to use them. The extra price for the brand name and the rewards that go along with it; frankly, is just not worth it. The program was originally scheduled to end by March of 2008, but has been extended until March 2009.

Oh and for all of you cloth diapering momma’s out there, you are amazing, thank you for saving our planet one baby at a time! We’re not there yet, but we may just get there soon!

Filed Under: Advice, Babies, Mom, Product Reviews

Social Networking for your baby?

July 1, 2008 By erincarrasco 6 Comments

With social networks dominating our lives (especially in the last few years) it’s no wonder that there has now become a place for babies to be friends with other babies! Check out the latest craze called TotSpot!

What is TotSpot?

According to their website, Totspot is:

“…a place for parents to publish a page about their kids and share with family and friends. It’s part online babybook, parent journal, and social network. Childhood is an ongoing story and TotSpot is the first site that makes it super easy for parents to securely share their kid’s story with friends and family.”

What better place to boast about your favourite things in life: your children! The best part about this website is its commitment to privacy. Let’s get a few things straight. You can only search for babies by knowing their username, first of last name, or email. It’s not to be confused with facebook, where you can search for people you know and add them as friends. This site is designed specifically for Kids and their friends and families. So making a profile for your child, the child can add his “baby friends”, and his “big people” friends, but “big people” cannot search each other, after all that’s what facebook is for.

TotSpot is also designed specifically for kids! It allows you to add the following to your child’s webpage! This allows you to invite aunt Salley or uncle Bob to view what’s new and exciting in your child’s life, no matter where they are in the world!

Growth charts Firsts Beautiful themes Hi-Res photos Favorites Videos

One other thing that I think is neat and “facebook-like” is the fact that they have “status” updates (i.e. Little Suzie is taking a nap with mom!) and instead of “poking” someone you can “tickle” someone.

Let’s get Started!

To get things started you need to create an account:

There are two types of accounts you can sign up for, the child’s account (the parent or guardian would create your child’s account) or the Grownup account (this is where grandma/grandpa or aunts/uncles create accounts so they can tickle them and look at their profile!)

Child Account

Depending on how many children you have (let’s start with one) you would select the number on the left and hit next. Once you are past that stage, and fill in mandatory information (such as username, first/last name, and an email address that you’ll need to verify the accounts authenticity).

The next step will be to create the first child’s page. It asks things such as username, (this will identify your child, not you) first name, last name birth date and gender. For expectant moms, you can still register your babe, without a name, because you can use the username to hold your child’s place on the site- also if you need to change the date of birth it allows you to do that on their profile as well as the gender. Hit create and you’re well on your way to showing that cute little baby off to your friends and family!

Grownup Account

The Grown up account is similar; you need a username, name, birth date and email address (used for verification). You’re well on your way to showing up as a grownup on your favourite baby’s page!

Searching for the babies you know (if you didn’t receive and invitation) requires you to know, their username, first and last name or email address, and even then, you need to be accepted by the “guardian” who set up the baby’s profile in the first place.

Your account (say you’re grandma, or aunty) will show activity on your grandson/daughter, nephew/niece in the “activity from my network” part of your webspace.

It also allows you to see if you are a “contributor” to your favourite baby’s page. You can contribute photo’s and video’s of your favourite baby!

Three Ways to Invite your favourite baby:

It’s easy to build your TotSpot community. Invite your friends and family to participate. You can enter e-mail addresses directly, import an address book from Outlook, or import your contacts from any of the major web services: G-Mail, Yahoo, Flickr.

Your Child’s Page! (This is the Fun Part!)

Your baby’s biography is the heart and soul of this site! It brings together your child’s profile with everything customizable in TotSpot like their status updates, their birth details, their photos and videos even certain milestones playfully named their “firsts.”

This is also where you edit their birth details (if you want too–but remember even 22 hours can fit in a single word, LONG). If you’ve made a mistake when you are signing up you can edit things here. If you were expecting and have since given birth this is the place where you can edit the name, gender and birth info in.

You can even input your child’s eye colour and hair colour. Two of the features off of this page are the growth Chart, the Profile picture and Theme.

To edit your growth Chart, simply input the height and weight, and it will keep track of your baby’s development! There are also a multitude of themes, so if your child likes blue or the outdoors there are specific ones that reflect their favourite themes!

The Dashboard

The Dashboard is the “home page” of your child’s profile. It allows you to see if anyone has sent a “tickle” to your child, or uploaded photos, video’s and sent a message to be posted on his “dashboard” (much like the Facebook ‘wall.’)

Here is where it will tell you how much you’ve completed of your Child’s profile. At first there will be quite a few things that you can add (and it’s so nice, it points it out for you to just click away and it appropriates it to the right spot!) So if you want to add certain things like “favourite drink” all you have to do is fill in the blank and on the display page to others it says, “Dominic’s favourite drink is Milk.” There are also other pages that tell you about their milestones, or “firsts” and they even have a list to choose from! So for all of you mom’s who may not have time to fill in the baby book, or locate your baby book, (I never bought one to begin with) This creates and easy, hassle free way to keep records of when your child hits wonderful milestones like sleeping through the night–that’s my personal favourite! This is also where you can update your Child’s “Status.”

You’ll also be able to see how many people have viewed your child’s page as well as any activity that has happened on your child’s page. (i.e. someone comments on a picture you have posted) If any of your children’s friends update their pages, it shows up on this page as well!.

The Friend Page

The Friend page is simply, just that, where you can see your baby’s friends. (I’ve blanked out my babe’s friends for privacy reasons) It also updates you on your babe’s friends status updates as well as telling you how old they are!

It also allows you to see the “big” friends. So these are the grown-up accounts for friends and family such as grandmas and parents of other babies. Their profiles aren’t clickable (you’ll soon learn that I like everything to be clickable), and at first I was disappointed, but my husband reminded me that this site is for our babies, to show them off, not to chat about like a message board or grown up social network. (like Facebook)

The Bottom Line

TotSpot is a neat and private place where you can share details about your little one(s) with friends and family. It’s a great way for your family members to be included in milestone moments and to check out new videos and photos. It’s very user friendly so give it a whirl and make a profile for your child go to TotSpot. Remember it’s like any other Social Networking tool, you choose who you add to your child’s profile, so if you do not know them, please do not add them!

Filed Under: Advice, Babies, Mom, New Mom, Product Reviews

The Top 5 products to help you cope when your child is teething!

June 30, 2008 By erincarrasco 1 Comment

Congratulations your baby is growing up, and while it might not feel like it now, he/she is taking the next step necessary to enjoy one of life’s finest things: food! By popular demand, it seems like people want to know what products moms use to help their children (and parents) deal with teething. I’ve come up with a few things that some moms swear by, but like anything else to do with your child none or all of these may work for your baby!

1)Sophie the Giraffe

This is currently the rave right now by my new mommy friends. But most people who’ve spoken of this chewey, really like her. This pricey chew toy ($20.00 CAD at ToysRus) has been around since 1961 and is made in France (French Alps to be precise). The giraffe is made from natural rubber and non-toxic paint, so in theory is safe to chew on. She looks bigger in photos but is actually quite petite in real life! This chew toy aims at stimulating baby’s five senses:

Sight: The dark and contrasting pattern on Sophie’s body provides visual stimulation and makes her easily recognizable to baby. (S)he soon becomes a familiar and reassuring object.
Hearing: Her squeaker keeps baby amused, stimulates his hearing and helps him to understand the cause and effect relationship. **Note: for those of you with dogs, this toy sounds like a chew toy, so watch your animals while you play with it at first, hopefully the dog doesn’t charge you!
Taste: Sophie the giraffe is very flexible and has lots of parts for baby to chew (ears, horns, legs). She is perfect for soothing baby’s sore gums when teething and is completely safe. Made of 100% natural rubber and food grade paint.
Touch: Sophie the giraffe is perfect for baby’s small hands. She is very light and her long neck and slender legs are easy for baby to handle. Just like Mummy’s skin, Sophie’s very soft to touch, which baby will find soothing and comforting. *note: my son has just started to grasp things, but doesn’t yet have the coordination to bring them to his mouth so I don’t know if I’d drop the 20$ just yet.
Smell: The singular scent of natural rubber (from the Hevea tree) makes Sophie the giraffe very special and easy for baby to identify amid all his/her toys.

2)Teething Feeder

This item is definitely on the cheaper side ($5.99 at ToysRus) compared to Sophie. It has an interesting concept. It allows you to put age appropriate food in the mesh and allows your child to suck on the mesh (and whatever is inside the mesh–without choking on it). So once your baby is on solids, putting some frozen fruit in there is a great idea to cool their mouths and give your child some nutrients at the same time. The biggest complaint with this one is that the compartment to open up to get the food into is hard to get into. But at 5.99 it’s worth a shot.

3)Winnie the Pooh – Cuddly Teether Blanket -Tigger

This item serves a few purposes besides teething, also available at ToysRus and is still cheaper then Sophie ($11.99 CAD at ToysRus). This teether doubles as a toy and a blanket. Here are Tigger’s features:

Textured teether soothes tender gums– the teether is the rubber part on one side of the blanket.
Easy-to-grasp plush character makes fun rattle sounds–maybe not such a great idea at bed time, not to mention the “nothing in the crib” but baby warnings.
Fun crinkle material for tactile stimulation–again not such a great idea at bed time.
Fleece material is soft for comfort and security.
Machine-washable and dryer-safe for easy cleaning.

*Note Tigger comes with this Warning: As recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, never place an infant to sleep with soft bedding, blankets, or stuffed toys. Inspect teether frequently for tears or cracks. Discontinue use immediately if tears or cracks develop.

4)Soother’s and teething rings and face cloths or your finger

Soothers are great comfort to babies who enjoy sucking (and what baby doesn’t!) But soother’s are baby specific so any brand that has the nub on the end will work for my next tip (some you can put your finger in, those won’t work for my text tip). If you find your baby is too young to hold on to teethers, try filling the nub with water and freezing the pacifier works wonders. Squeeze the nub while submerged in water and let go so it sucks water in. This allows the baby to suck on something cool and not drop it.

Teething rings I find for the most part to big and clunky to stick in their mouths, let alone for them to hold on to. I’m sure as they get older this problem goes away, but if your baby is smaller, the sheer size of some of these rings is ridiculous. One teether for smaller babies that was given to us as a gift is becoming more popular with our son. At first he didn’t quite know what to make of the cold thing in his mouth but this night has been the night from hell for teething and this Nûby’s Ice-Gel teething ring helped our poor little guy a little bit. This particular teething ring simply states: No more lips that stick to a freezing teething ring! –personally I have yet to have his lips stick to a teether, but that’s certainly not something I want to try out! It’s made with something called “Pûr Ice” (non toxic) this Ice Gel stays cold much longer than water and soothes your baby’s painful gums. This coolbite can be kept in the fridge for any length of time thanks to its very solid covering. While the gums enjoy the coolness, the little baby hands are not bothered by the cold. The keys are easily to grab and look like a rattle.

Facecloth’s This is pretty standard, some babies like them frozen, some like them cool and wet so they can suck on them. Again my little fusspot angel of a baby does not like to suck on facecloth’s just yet, who knows if he ever will. You can get these facecloths’s from any store you please, and they don’t have to be the baby ones. Just remember to wash them (along with all products you first buy) first, and don’t use dryer sheets or fabric softener on these little items as they’re going in your child’s mouth!

Your finger when all else fails, try your good old finger, usually an index or pinkie finger works best, and remember to keep those hands clean and nails trimmed. Sometimes babies just want to chew on us for the sake of it. For the mom’s who are still breastfeeding, teething is an interesting time, and babies will try to bite you. Remember not to pull away (Dr. Sears) reminds us, that by pulling away (not to mention hurting like there’s no tomorrow), and yelping may actually cause your baby to be weary of your breast. Instead he suggests pushing baby into the breast so that baby’s face is covered. Please be very careful when doing this, it is meant to startle the baby to release the nipple, and please take this seriously as it cuts off your baby’s air supply when (s)he is pushed into your breast.

5)Pain relievers such as infant Tylenol,infant Advil, infant Motrin

Acetaminophen-Most doctors that I have spoken to about pain relief has always suggested acetaminophen (AKA Tylenol) so when I went out pre baby to purchase some things for after baby arrived I chose Infant Tylenol. I’m sure the no name brands work just as well but as a first time “paranoid” mom, I wanted a brand name. This can be administered every 4 hours to your infant (following dosage guidelines) and helps ease, fevers, teething pain, immunization pain etc. I have only used it once because it’s hard for our little children’s liver’s to process the pain relievers. I would use this method as a last resort, but when you know your child is screaming in pain and no amount of chewy things or food will comfort your baby, pain relievers as long as you use as directed can help your little one fall asleep for a few hours to give them (and you) a break from the crying.

Tylenol’s Dosing Chart:

Weight(lbs)	Age	Dose (mL)
Under 12	0-3 months	Ask your doctor
12-17	4-11 months	1 mL
18-23	12-23 months	1.5 mL
24-35	2-3 years	2 mL

*note- It states this “Find right dose on chart below. (If possible, use weight to dose; otherwise, use age.)”

Ibuprofen- I was surprised to learn that my public health nurse swore by using Infant Advil. She said it worked better and longer then infant Tylenol for her child. Infant Advil and Infant Motrin lasts up to 8 hours whereas the Infant Tylenol lasts only 4 hours. The only difference I’ve found on their websites were the age restriction. Dosing on both Motrin’s (my prenatal instructor–also a public health nurse uses infant Motrin) and Advil’s websites stated that children younger than 4 months should consult a physician before using these products for pain relief.

Advil’s Dosing Chart: Motrin’s Dosing Chart:

Weight (lbs)	Age (mos)	Dose (mL)
——————————	Under 4 months	Ask your doctor
12-17 lbs	6-11 mos	1.25 mL
18-23 lbs	12-23 mos	1.875mL

Weight (lbs)	Age (mos)	Dose (mL)
———————-	Under 4 months	Ask your doctor
12-17 lbs	6-11 mos	1.25 mL
18-23 lbs	12-23 mos	1.875 mL

*note- it states this “If possible, use weight to dose; otherwise use age”

So basically all of them state what to give your child after 12 lbs, Advil and Motrin just state that at 4 months or under to talk to a Doctor. I also found this warning on the Advil page in regards to ibuprofen:

Warnings

Allergy alert: Ibuprofen may cause a severe allergic reaction, especially in people allergic to aspirin.

Symptoms may include:

hives facial swelling asthma (wheezing)
shock skin reddening rash blisters

If an allergic reaction occurs, stop use and seek medical help right away.

Interesting Dosage calculator!

I was browsing the Canadian website and came across a calculator to see which product may suit your child’s needs best, check it out!

Advil’s:

http://www.advil.ca/content/learning/tools/dosagecalc/default.asp

Tylenol’s

http://www.tylenol.ca/english/dosage/calculator.asp

The bottom line, Ibuprofen should not be used by people with severe asprin allergies, Tylenol boasts on its page that it’s(acetaminophen) safe for people to take who have asprin allergies. Also both Ibuprofen pain relievers are good for 6-8 hours and Tylenol needs to be re-administered every 4. Also Motrin, Tylenol and Advil (in Canada only) all come in Dye free formula’s. As for price, they are relatively around the same price range, where you’ll find a break in price in on the generic brands.

But moms will do what is best for their children. As long as you talk to your family doctor about pain medication, and you feel comfortable with the discussion then by all means pain relievers are an option. Remember that even if you speak to one health care provider and you don’t feel comfortable with their response, advocate for yourself and your family and go and get another opinion.

Filed Under: Advice, Babies, Mom, New Mom, Product Reviews, Top 10 Lists

When to get rid of Soothers and Nipples from your bottles