Spending Time With Your Baby

When you first bring home your Bouncing New Baby, you will surely feel you want to watch over her and be with her much of the time, especially if you are a first time parent. Newborn babies are fascinating even if they are not yours; when they are your own, that special feeling takes off into the stratosphere. You may feel tempted to hold them, watch them and chat to them the whole time; even when they are asleep you will enjoy standing silently over them and observe them in their slumbers.

Those first few days are a magical time, but then a transformation may take place. For the first few nights, the night feed may be a novelty, and you may even feel "great, she's awake, I can see her again". But then sleep interruption may start to irritate you rather than be a signal for pleasure; tiredness begins to take a hold as your sleep is disturbed so often. Night feeds, cholic, bringing up her milk; all can contribute to an interrupted night. Insufficient sleep mixed with aggravation can start to eat away at that feeling of wonder you had when your baby first came home.

Your baby has not changed; but you have. She is the same gorgeous baby you brought home from hospital. Her simple life is evolving only very slowly to her; it is yours that is changing most rapidly. Those rapid changes, maybe mixed with a new level of tiredness you have not felt before, represent the first exertion of pressure on that very special relationship - you and your baby.

Then there is day time. The old day to day pressures are still there; the need to rush around to the shops, worrying about money, wondering how to deal with work, job and baby; the car not starting, the leak in the pipe under the sink, the washing machine seizing up under the constant use. The days spent wishing you could get a good night's sleep, wishing you were back at work earning more money, and being with your work colleagues. The time you spend thinking: "where's my life gone? I have no control anymore. That baby is my jailer in the day time and tormentor at night."

Stop! That is a train of thought you must either not board, or at least get off at the first station. It is a train fuelled by self pity, and heading down the track to unhappiness for you, your partner, and your baby. You are the only one who controls your life; you choose between the track to contentment and joy, or to discontent and misery.

Remember, that baby loves you more than anyone else ever has, unless you have had a baby before. Her devotion, her admiration, and her dependence are total. It is for you to decide whether that is something to cause resentment in you, or the overwhelming joy that it should. That little miracle of a baby is the biggest responsibility you have ever had, but she can also be the source of the greatest pleasure and joy.

Compare your baby's devotion with your work colleagues you miss; in 10 years time you will probably have lost contact with most or all of them. Your workplace is like a busy junction where people cross over. Your work? If you are employed, your bosses will ditch you as soon as they need to if they see a "better" alternative. Your car, your washing machine, your leaking pipe; do you really think they are important compared to that unique and potentially wonderful relationship that is in your arms, the relationship with your baby?

You make the choices; you take the actions. You have experienced in the first few days with baby at home that there can be sheer joy and excitement; wonderment and appreciation. The baby loves you to bits; you can love her to bits too, and put the exterior trivia in their rightful place. Or, the baby loves you to bits and you can wallow in resentment because she's interrupting your life, demanding attention when you have a leaking pipe or a car that won't start.

In black and white, on paper, it's a simple choice; but how can you make that choice and achieve the right balance in your life? Think about it quietly for a while; somewhere on your own. Think of the pleasure the baby gives you in those precious moments when you do not feel stressed. Then, make a conscious decision to perpetuate those moments; to make each moment you have with your baby, infant and child a moment when you and she are there simply for each other.

As your baby grows, there will be countless moments of development that can bring you a lot of pleasure and pride; learning to walk, getting out of her crib, her kisses and cuddles, her first word and every new word thereafter; her expressions, mimicry, her laughter and her first attempt to dance to the music on the radio; her attempts to control and manipulate you, and learning to use her charm to get her own way.

Such developments you can allow to merge into the noisy background of life's trivia, and miss the joy they can bring you. In so doing you are increasing the chances of an unhappy baby, and an unhappy you. Or, you can make each moment you spend with your baby one for you to enjoy to the full, shutting out life's trivia for those times you are sharing with your offspring. In so doing you would increase the chances of a happy baby and a happy you.

You make the choices; you take the actions. For your own sake and the baby's, spend as much time with your baby as you can, and set out to enjoy it to the full. Shut out the trivia that are trying to spoil your unique relationship, and your life will be considerably better for it.

It is not always possible, but try to organise the trivia around your time with baby। The more you give her precedence, and willingly, the more happy you will both be. Enjoy every single moment of watching her development. It is something that cannot be repeated.

source: http://www.bouncing-new-baby.com

Make Your Own Baby Food

Making your own homemade baby food will ensure that what your child is eating is fresh, nutritious and free of additives. By making your own baby food, you'll be saving money. Also, you will have total control over what is put into your baby's food. You can therefore take the extra steps to ensure that only high quality foods are selected and used. You will be able to feed your baby according to his or her needs because you will know what foods are best suited for your baby from experience.

Making your own baby food also ensures that your baby is exposed to a greater variety of tastes and textures. This will help your baby when making the transition to table foods and also help him or her develop healthy eating habits.

The ABCs of making baby food
Because babies are susceptible to digestive upsets, always work with clean hands and use clean cooking utensils, preparation surfaces, pots and pans, etc., when making home made baby food. Prepare foods immediately upon removing them from the refrigerator and freeze immediately after cooking any foods you want to store.

Steaming vegetables is the best method of preparation. This softens them, makes them easier to chew and preserves more of the vitamins and minerals than boiling. A steamer basket is cheap and by cooking fruits and vegetables in it, you'll be sure of keeping the nutrients in the food instead of in the cooking water.

To puree your foods, you can use a fork, a food mill or blender. A blender quickly purees almost anything into the finest consistency. When your baby first starts on solids, you'll be pureeing things to a very fine consistency; as baby gets a little older, you will make foods a little coarser.

You may wish to buy a food mill, which comes in large and small sizes. It is very handy and inexpensive. The food mill strains most cooked foods to a very smooth consistency, although meats can be a problem because they have a coarser texture. Remember all the tools you need to make baby food are probably already in your kitchen.

Prepare ahead of time
You can prepare large amounts of foods at once and freeze them. Take your prepared foods and plop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Freeze the plops right away and then take them off the sheet when they are frozen and put them into plastic bags. You can also freeze the food in plastic "pop out" ice cube trays.

Small Tupperware jars with lids serve the same purpose and stack easily. Label and date the packages and rotate them, putting the most recently frozen foods behind the previously frozen ones. Frozen baby foods can be stored for up to two months.

When you take frozen foods out for baby, warm the food in a cup placed in a sauce pan of boiling water with a lid on. If you use a microwave to thaw or warm baby food, be sure to stir the food well to avoid hot pockets.

What should you make?
Cereals are typically the first foods given to a baby because they contain lots of iron. You can prepare your own by running oatmeal through your blender. Fruits are generally given next. Except for raw, mashed banana, you will need to cook all other fruits till they are soft.

Try making your own apple sauce and pear sauce; don't add any sugar, since these fruits are sweet enough on their own. You can also peel peaches, plums and apricots and boil or steam them.

Buy and use organic fruits and vegetables. Use fresh and organic vegetables whenever possible in order to provide the best nutrition and flavor for your baby. Your baby deserves pesticide-free foods. Frozen vegetables are better to use than canned.

Yogurt, mashed cottage cheese, mashed pumpkin, baked potato, avocado and tofu (oriental soy bean curd) are all popular with babies. One good idea is to blend together cottage cheese, banana and fresh orange juice — delicious!

Meats should be added slowly. They can be boiled or broiled, then put in the blender with a little milk and perhaps banana or cream of rice to get the right consistency. Chicken is generally the first meat baby is introduced to and usually goes down fairly well.

There is no rush to start your baby on solid foods। Milk is his most important food. Your doctor's recommendations and your own intuition will help you to know when to begin introducing solids to your baby's diet. Introducing solids prepares the baby for the transition to adult food and offers further vitamins and minerals as the baby grows. Always remember to be patient with your baby and allow at least a few days between newly added foods to make sure the baby doesn't suffer any reactions.

By Bridget Mwape

Does Your Baby Need Vitamin Supplements?

Your pediatrician just prescribed vitamin drops for your new baby, but your girlfriend's infant wasn't given any. Or perhaps it's vice versa. Either way, you're confused. Does your baby need vitamins or doesn't he?

For the most part, healthy, full-term newborns receive all the nutrients they need whether they're being nourished on breast milk or prepared formula. But there are a few special considerations and exceptions:

• VITAMIN D
  Some pediatricians are concerned that not all breastfed babies are receiving adequate amounts of vitamin D. This nutrient is particularly important in the first year of life to make sure bones are properly calcified during this period of rapid growth. Besides being contained in breastmilk, the vitamin is synthesized from sunlight. But many infants today are protected from the elements; parents may keep them covered up in the summertime, and indoors -- or at least bundled up -- in wintertime.
  
  "Pollution may also curtail a lot of the UV light needed to make vitamin D," says Fima Lifschitz, M.D., chief of nutrition sciences at Miami Children's Hospital and a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Nutrition. "Even where sun is plentiful, babies may not be exposed to sunlight as much as they should be." Dark-skinned infants are especially at risk, since they do not absorb sunlight through the skin as readily as fair-skinned children.
  
  For all these reasons, many pediatricians recommend that nursing babies receive vitamin drops containing vitamin D. (These drops usually also contain vitamins A and C, two other vitamins that may occasionally be lacking in breastfed infants.) Since prepared infant formulas are fortified with these vitamins, additional drops aren't necessary.
  
  
• IRON
  Babies are born with enough stores of iron to last four to six months... which is the time they begin eating solid foods. While some pediatricians will recommend iron supplements or formula with iron early, many doctors wait until a child is close to six months of age. Because many children don't eat ideal diets, at that point physicians may recommend iron-enriched cereal, iron-enriched formula, or vitamin drops with iron. "Iron deficiency can have long-term consequences for children," says Dr. Lifschitz. "It can interfere with normal neuropsychological development."
  
  
• FLUORIDE
  This mineral is essential to the formation of strong, healthy teeth since it helps form tooth enamel which prevents decay. Fluoride is found naturally in foods like vegetables and grains, and is added to drinking water in some water supplies. But if your town doesn't have fluoridated drinking water, your baby should be given a liquid fluoride supplement to take each day. Since toothpaste also contains fluoride, be sure to use only a small pea-size amount when brushing your baby's teeth since too much of the mineral can actually damage the teeth.

Experts stress that the above recommendations are for healthy, full-term babies। Low-birthweight babies or those born prematurely, as well as babies with certain medical conditions and illnesses, will have special nutritional requirements. As always, never give any supplements to your child without first discussing them with your pediatrician.

By Beth Weinhouse

Baby Meals Made Easy: Recipes and Feeding Tips

Once your baby is ready for solids, at around four to six months, mealtime becomes an adventure. Baby learns new flavors, textures, and eating skills, while you figure out -- through trial and error -- how to satisfy her appetite. Preparing and serving homemade baby foods is a great way to help your infant develop a preference for wholesome foods, says food and child nutrition expert Annabel Karmel, author of the cookbook First Meals (DK Publishing, 1999).

"Foods like ripe, mashed bananas, avocados, and papayas make fantastic and instant baby food," says Karmel, a trained Cordon Bleu cook whose feeding experiences with her three children ignited her interest (and career) in cooking and nutrition for babies and children. "Preparing homemade baby food isn't time consuming or complicated," she assures.

Below, Karmel shares three of her favorite baby food recipes, specifying the ideal age at which to introduce them. All of the foods can be frozen for later use. Simply freeze unused portions in ice cube trays and then transfer frozen cubes to freezer bags. Frozen portions will keep for three months; simply reheat individual cubes as needed. Before getting started, you'll need the following cooking gear:

• Steamer
• Electric blender (for simple purees, a hand-held blender will suffice)
• Metal mesh strainer (to eliminate indigestible bits of food)
• Ice cube trays
• Freezer bags and a marker (to record the date when food is made)

RECIPES:

Four to Six Months
Karmel recommends introducing root vegetables before fruits, which babies tend to prefer more.

First Vegetable Puree
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients: 1/2 lb carrots (or any other root vegetable: butternut squash, sweet potato, or parsnip)

Directions:

• Chop the carrots into small pieces. Place in a steamer over boiling water and cook for 15 minutes (until tender).
  
  
• Blend the carrots using a little of the steamed water from the pot to make a puree. Serve lukewarm.

Makes 8 portions.

NOTE: Use the same process to make apple (10 minutes to steam) or pear (5 minutes to steam) puree.

Six to Eight Months
Introduce lumpier textures so baby learns to chew.

Tomato and Cauliflower Gratin
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:

• 2 cups cauliflower florets
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 lb tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Place the cauliflower florets in a steamer and cook for about 12 minutes.
• Simultaneously, melt the butter in a pan under medium heat, add the tomatoes and sauté until mushy. Remove from heat and add the cheese, stirring
• Mix the cauliflower with the tomato and cheese, then blend to desired consistency.

Makes 4 portions.

Nine to Twelve Months
Combine baby's favorite foods with new foods to introduce different tastes and textures.

Baby's Bolognese
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion
• 1 tbsp finely chopped celery
• 2 tbsp grated carrots
• 1/4 lb ground lean beef
• 1/2 tsp tomato paste
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1/3 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 1 oz spaghetti

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a pan, add the onion and celery, and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the carrots and cook for 2 minutes.
  
  
• Add the ground beef and stir until browned. Stir in the tomato paste, tomatoes, and stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the meat is cooked through.
  
  
• Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the spaghetti, and cook until soft (about 10 minutes). Drain and chop into small pieces. Transfer the bolognese sauce to a blender and puree well until it's uniform in texture before combining it with the pasta.

Makes 6 portions.

Note: Only the sauce is suitable for freezing।

By M.E. Vier for Your Baby Today