Comfort Cotton

After making sure your baby is dry and not hungry, here are some other ways to comfort a crying baby:

* Swaddling – most infants enjoy this secure feeling. But don’t swaddle too tightly, or there may be more tears.
* Rocking – hold them, rock them and walk with them. It is often found that walking around and around your home works well.  You get a workout, too.
* A pacifier – sucking is very important toinfant and comforts them.  Some babies may need to suck more frequently than others.

Sometimes, you might want to cry right along with your baby when it seems the tears are endless. Realizing that crying is normal will help the time to pass. A crying child does not mean you are a bad parent. Just reading this blog shows that you are a caring one.

It is a fact that babies sleep for about 70% of their first year.  If you are an aware parent, you will have checked out everything in your baby’s nursery room for comfort and safety.  Since they spend so much time in the crib, it is important that they not be exposed to toxins from the sheets or the mattress you’ve chosen.

Cotton makes up the majority of the bedding. Studies have been done to detect how long chemicals used to grow and treat cotton last in the treated fabric, as in ordinary cotton.  The results are not good.  On the other hand, chemical-free organic cotton fabric involves no chemicals from the time it’s grown in a field to when it’s made into a fabric.  It is inspected all the way and has to meet rigorous standards. You’re better off choosing organic crib sheets for the health of your baby.

Looking for a baby safe crib might turn into a really heavy and serious business. In this situation, none of safe features should be ignored.  Does the crib meet the basic safety standards?   It can be stated that all cribs meet safety standards and that statement would be absolutely right. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission every crib made nowadays must meet these standards. Even the least expensive crib will meet the minimum safety standards.

There are also other voluntary safety standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials. In this case, cribs are certified by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association. All the baby cribs that meet these additional safety standards have past the basic safety standards and are safe for your baby.  Now you need to insist on an organic cotton and wool mattress because not all mattresses are made equal.

Baby hats serve so many purposes.  They are used to block the sun, keep baby’s head warm and complete an outfit when they’re all dressed up.  Most babies don’t like anything on their head so it’s important to get a hat the fits well and doesn’t irritate.

In the summer, you want to find nice, lightweight cotton hats to keep the head cool and soak up any moisture from baby’s skin.  In winter, an organic sherpa or fleece or knit hat is perfect for warmth and comfort.  It mustn’t fit too tightly or it will put pressure on the delicate skull.  Make sure there are no irritations inside the hat from decorations or embroidery that has been done with nylon thread.

A lot of babies learn to crawl between the ages of 4-10 months. When your baby is in this range, crawling should not be too far away. There are exceptions to that rule, though. Some babies never learn to crawl and instead go from sitting to standing and then to walking.  Crawling is not required for all babies, and it is sometimes assumed that all babies have to crawl before they can walk.

The most important thing you can do to help with the process is to encourage tummy time. Lay a blanket on the floor and set your baby on his or her tummy for short periods of time. When baby is younger, tummy time helps build their back and neck muscles so that they can hold their heads up by themselves and eventually sit up. Dressing them in an all-in-one jumpsuit is a very practical idea, also.

When they get a little older, tummy time helps to increase their back muscles and arm muscles so that they can get into the position to crawl. If your baby just doesn’t like tummy time, another idea is to lie on your back on the floor and place baby on top of your tummy facing you. This way they don’t really feel like they are on the floor, but it gets the same results.

When planning your gift for a baby shower, it would be so thoughtful if you personalized your basket. There are lots of personalized baby baskets available and they often come in personalized packages with custom wrappers, ribbons and other decorations.  These items can also be purchased a local craft store.

To fill your customer basket, fill it with a number of personalized items, such as embroidered blankets, clothes, hats, booties, engraved picture frames and keepsake boxes. There are so many personalized baby items available online that making a choice is the difficult part.  Browse the internet, especially eBay, and visit your favorite online stores to see some more creative gift ideas that you can use to fill your homemade baby basket.

Daily bath time is very important in the life of your baby.  It rids baby’s skin of the all the germs and toxins that have been picked up during the day.  It is also a wonderfully social time between parent and child or other siblings, if bathed together.  When baby is dried off, wrap them in a soft, organic cotton, double layer swaddling blanket for a last cuddle.

However, here is a safety rule to follow so that it is a lovely experience.  First, always check the temperature of the water.  It should be a little warmer than room temperature, no more.  Your hand is not a good judge in this case as it is hardened and not sensitive enough.  It’s better to use your elbow as it will register the heat much better.  Stir the water around a bit so there is an even warmth all through.  Place baby at the oposite end to the taps so there’s not risk of them accidentally turning them on or bumping their head.

This information on organic cotton comes from the Organic Trade Association:

“Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers and build biologically diverse agriculture.

Third-party certification organizations verify that organic producers use only methods and materials allowed in organic production. Organic cotton is grown without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. In addition, federal regulations prohibit the use of genetically engineered seed for organic farming. All cotton sold as organic in the United States must meet strict federal regulations covering how the cotton is grown.”

When planning to buy a gift for a newborn baby, blankets will be a good option.  They are an essential item for baby’s comfort and warmth.  Any parent would love to receive a special blanket as a gift at a baby shower.  Wrapped in a blanket, baby is much easier to handle and carry.

There is a huge variety of styles and fabrics to choose from.  Some are made of sherpa (a type of fleece), some are stretchy and some are bigger than others.  There is a single fabric organic receiving blanket and ones that have double fabric.  They all do the job they’re designed for, snuggling baby in a little cacoon for safety, comfort and warmth.

It’s a good idea to always check the size of the bed you’re planning the sheets for as some beds are full sized twin mattresses, while some are smaller sized and others can be somewhere in between.  After knowing the bed’s size, you must know what kind of toddler sheets to get for your child.

I suggest seriously looking at getting organic cotton sheets as they are not only safer for your child to have next to their skin for 8-10 hours but they will also wash and wear wonderfully and last longer. Cheap sheets usually won’t hold up to frequent washings and with any child you can count on washing  them a lot more frequently than with older children.

When you’ve picked out a couple of designs online, have your child take a look and choose.  This will help to meet their approval. While it might seem like a little thing, it can go a long way to making sure they are comfortable with the choice.