Make Your Own Baby Food

If you are serious about making sure that your baby eats only the best, then try making your own baby food. It is not as hard as it seems and both of you will feel better. It is even easier on your budget, so if you are worried about buying expensive jar foods, put those behind you and start making your own. You will not only be saving money, but you will know exactly what your child is eating.

The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have the right equipment. You can use a blender or a food processor, but having a hand-turned food mill with different sized blades will help ensure that your baby's food is blended well enough. If you want to puree smaller amounts of food, then a hand blender is best.

If you aren't sure what fruits or vegetables to start with, look in you local grocery store and see what foods they have for your child's age group. They usually start off with bananas, pears, apples, plums, peaches, prunes and apricots. These are easier on your baby's stomach. Once you have chosen the types of food you want to introduce, make sure you choose the freshest fruits you can. The fresher they are, the healthier for your baby. If you are thinking about organic foods, there is one thing to remember, the thinner the peel, the more organic you should go. Buying organic bananas won't make a big difference. Buying organic peaches or apples will. Their skin is thinner and more likely to have been affected by pesticides.

Once you have chosen your fresh fruits and vegetables, make sure you do not add anything to them. If you take the time to ensure that your child is eating healthy, then do not ruin it by adding salts and sugars to their foods. You can steam the vegetable to help keep the flavor in them. Steaming will also soften them for the puree process. If you have leftovers, this is a good thing. You can freeze and label them and they will be ready for another day. Making food for your baby is not that hard. Doing what is best for them will come easy.

Kennedy Brown is a mother of five. She is a regular contributor to Baby Gear Product Reviews. Check out the website it has High Chair Reviews, Baby Crib Reviews and advice on every hot topic.

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Teaching Baby to Eat Solid Foods

When the time comes to introduce solid foods to your infant, mothers can fell a bit overwhelmed by the wealth of information and advice available on the Internet. Mothers can rest assured, there are quite a few truths amid thousands of voices and these truths will make the transition from liquids to solids, for your infant, all the easier.

Infants are ready for an introduction to solid foods between the ages of 4 and 6 months. This age is the same for both bottle and breast fed infants. It is important not to introduce solid foods before the age of 4 months in order to reduce the chance of food allergies.

Mothers will be able to gage when their baby is ready for solid foods, by watching your babies actions and movements during times other than feeding times. When infants have attained enough head control to hold the head steady in an upright position, are able to sit upright with support, have doubled their birth weight and show signs of curiosity when you eat solid foods, they are ready to try a little solid food on their own.

The little bits of food you introduce in the beginning of your infants transition will set the stage for future eating habits. It is important to introduce only one new food every 3 to 5 days. The wait time is important in the discovery process of possible food allergies. If a mother introduces more than one food at a time, there will be no definitive cause for a reaction. The first food to be introduced is most often rice cereal. In the beginning of the eating process, the baby will not want to eat large amounts of solid foods. This is common, do not worry. Eventually your baby will catch on to the eating process and move from rice cereal to vegetable and other foods with ease.

When introducing new foods to an infant, the foods should never have spices or additives, such as butter. A baby needs to taste the food only. Adding other ingredients can lead to over eating and excessive weight gain in later years.

Infants are born with the ability to stop eating when they are full. While this ability may cause parents to feed more than the traditional three times a day, it remains the healthy food choice for infants. Mothers will be able to tell when their infant is full when food is pushed out of the mouth over and over again or the infant turns the head to one side when they view the food.

As soon as the first day after introducing your infant to solid foods, there may be a change in stool appearance. This is a normal change. Stool may appear firm, change color and exhibit a foul smell. Welcome mothers, to the joy of normal poop. If your infant seems to be having trouble passing stool or the stool appears too hard, the cereal the baby is now eating could be causing constipation. Try adding some fruits or vegetables to the daily feeding schedule.

Introducing solid foods to your infant will be a joyous occasion. As a now active part of family meals, your infant will no doubt add laughter and happiness to the dining experience.

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The article written above is just a sample of the great content Summer Banks can provide.

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What Dads Need to Know About Breastfeeding

Breast milk is the ideal form of nutrition for your baby. Human milk was designed for human babies. Although artificial formulas for feeding babies have been around a while, scientists have not been able to duplicate all the components of breast milk. Breast milk contains at least 100 ingredients that are not found in formula. Not only does it have the ideal combination of fats, protein, and other nutrients, it also contains antibodies and hormones that help your baby fight off infections. In fact, according to information on the FDA website, "About 80 percent of the cells in breast milk are macrophages, cells that kill bacteria, fungi and viruses." Breast milk is also designed to be easier on your baby's digestive system. Babies that are exclusively breastfed tend to have less problems with constipation and diarrhea than formula fed babies. Breastfeeding may also protect your baby from ear infections, allergies, asthma, diabetes, obesity, and SIDS. Also breastfeeding makes a lot of economic sense as it is completely free.

Things dads can do to help make breastfeeding successful

Encourage mom to breastfeed on demand. The first few weeks of breastfeeding a new baby can be tiring. A lot of new moms quit right before things start to get easier. A good milk supply is established by breastfeeding frequently (around every two to three hours and some breastfed babies need to nurse more often than this). When your baby acts hungry mom should go ahead and offer the breast. Some signs that your baby wants to nurse are crying, squirming around, rooting for the breast, smacking lips, or aggressively sucking on fingers.

Hold off on offering baby a bottle. Dad wants to help feed the baby and mom wants a break from the baby. So it makes perfect sense for mom to pump off some breast milk and let dad offer a bottle for night time feedings, right? In the short term offering a bottle may give mom a break and give dad some time to bond with the baby but offering a bottle too early can create some breastfeeding obstacles such as nipple confusion and decreased milk supply. It is best to wait until your baby is at least four weeks old before introducing the bottle if possible.

Help her feel comfortable with breastfeeding around others. Support her decision to breastfeed. When friends or family are visiting you can help by making her feel more comfortable breastfeeding. Follow her lead. If she feels comfortable nursing the baby around other people, support her and make her feel comfortable. If she is nervous about breastfeeding with others around, you can help by getting her a throw blanket or moving the conversation to another room so she can breastfeed without the distractions.

Reassure her. When babies are little, they cry a lot. A lot of new parents worry about whether or not mom is producing enough milk and whether or not all the crying is because the baby is hungry. It is normal for newborns to lose a little weight in the beginning. As long as your baby regains his birth weight by the time he is two to three weeks old, he is doing fine. After that he should be gaining about 5-6 oz per week. You can keep an eye on how much milk your baby is getting by counting diapers. Your baby should be nursing about 8-10 times a day and producing about 6-10 wet diapers a day. If your baby is gaining weight, nursing frequently, and has plenty of wet diapers, then breastfeeding is likely going well. Crying a lot doesn't mean that your baby is not getting enough milk.

Take your wife's side on breastfeeding: Your wife may get beat up by family and friends when it comes to breastfeeding. Take her side. Don't suggest formula or agree with family members that think formula would make more sense. If you are concerned about your baby gaining weight talk to your wife privately or go with her to your pediatrician to discuss it rather than discussing it with naysayers.

Take turns caring for your baby. Getting up at night, nursing frequently, and not getting time to rest can make a new mom tired. Give your partner a break by watching the baby in between feedings. Let her take a nap, watch tv for a while or go out with a friend for a couple hours without the baby.

What about breastfeeding and sex?

Some moms go through a period of losing interest in sex after having a new baby. It is hard to make time for lovemaking when the baby barely gives you a break. You can help make intimate times more comfortable by making time for sex after baby has nursed and is napping. A crying baby is very distracting and makes it harder to relax and enjoy sex.

The hormones involved in breastfeeding can cause vaginal dryness. Sometimes dads can mistake vaginal dryness for sexual tension or think that their partner is not in the mood. You might want to consider using a lubricant if vaginal dryness is a problem.

Can you touch your wife's breasts during sex or are they off limits? There is no reason you can't continue having sex as you always have but keep in mind that she will probably experience a "let down" from any breast stimulation during sex. Some women will have let downs during orgasm as well. For some couples this is no big deal or even a sexual turn on but other couples find this annoying and don't like it. If you or she is not comfortable with breast-play during sex, you can avoid breast stimulation. Some things she can do to try to reduce sexual let downs are to nurse baby before sexual activity or wear a snug fitting (but sexy) bra with nursing pads in place.

Patty Hone is a wife and mother to four kids. She is also the cofounder of Justmommies.com. For more tips visit Justmommies social networking for moms and be sure to check out Justmommies Baby Names at http://www.justmommies.com/pregnancy/babyname.shtml

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Baby Thank You Wording - 4 Thank You Note Samples

Here's some sample baby thank you wording for after a baby shower, along with notes about the thank you words to fill in for yourself.

Baby Thank You Note Samples For Clothes:

Dear [Name]

Thank you so much for [baby's name] new outfit [article of clothing]. {Baby's name] will look great in the outfit you got him/her [make sure and mention something about the article of clothing - its color, or material, or a picture if it has a picture of something on it, etc.]. You've got great taste!

Thank you so much,
[Your name]

Sample Baby Shower Wording Thank You Note For Money:

Dear [Name]

Thank you so much for your generous gift of money. [It's generally in bad taste to mention the exact amount.] We used it for/planned to use it for [blank]. [Be sure and mention what you plan to use it for - it really helps the giver to feel appreciated. If you haven't decided yet, then make your best guess!]

Having a baby can be expensive. Your gift at this time is really appreciated.

Thank you so much,
[Your name]

Baby Thank You Wording For a Gift Certificate:

Dear [Name]

Thank you for the [Store] gift card. [Again, don't mention the specific amount]. It's one of my/our favorite stores. We used it/will likely use it to buy ______________.

The gift card was a really generous and practical gift that will help us grow our family. It's really appreciated-thank you so much!

Thanks again,
[Your name]

Baby Thank You Wording For a Blanket:

Dear [Name}

Thank you for the cuddly baby blanket. Seeing [baby's name] in it will be adorable, and at the same time remind us of you!

The blanket you gave us was a warm gift in more ways than one - you're a great friend to have. Thank you so much.

Yours,
[Your name]

Here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Always mention the specific gift in your thank you letter, note, or card - unless it's a specific dollar amount.

Hand-write the notes and/or have someone else help you write them.

Give your baby shower host a special thank-you - candy, a fruit-basket, a gift picture-frame, or any small nice thing that will show your appreciation.

Do your best to send every thank you card with your special baby thank you wording, within two a week time frame. If you miss the two-week deadline, remember that you're still better late, than never!

At a loss for words? Feel free to copy and paste any of the baby thank you wording to add to your after baby shower thank you cards. Lots of examples for baby shower wording can be found at Thank You Note Wording.info including examples of baby christening thank you notes.

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The Truth About Homemade Baby Food Vs Manufactured

For ardent votaries of homemade food for babies, the homemade baby food vs. manufactured match remains pretty one-sided. Of course, women that are clock watchers on the move, and hence dominate the other end of this putative divide are sure to treat these results with scorn. But even though radioactive stocks of manufactured baby food tend to fly off the racks in supermarkets with amazing speed, the fact remains that fresh and healthy food cooked within the hygienic precincts of your kitchen is the best for your toddler.

The Benefits Are Infinite

If you're still finding it hard to get your mind around the supreme benefits of homemade food, here are facts that will surely wipe the mildew blighting the world:

• Homemade food involves the selection of ingredients by the person preparing the food. So, there can be no compromise on their freshness.
• There are no niggling doubts about the quality of the ingredients that make inroads into your baby's delicate system.
• It also ensures that your baby remains protected from the pernicious impacts of pesticides.
• Nifty mothers will tell you that food prepared at home does not cause a drain on your bank account.
• And before you make any snap judgments about the effort involved in creating delicious treats for your baby, rest assured, the process can be uniquely exhilarating.

All In A Day's Work

Contrary to popular thinking, preparing meals at home for kids does not always have to be a nerve-wracking situation. Simple recipes like mashed potatoes mixed with instant formula or mashed bananas with apple juice are sure to leave your kids craving for more.

Generic fruits and vegetables pureed in the blender minus the negative impacts of addictives, salt and sugar will surely send their spirits soaring.

Yet another time-saving technique is cooking foods like cream corn, mashed potatoes and beans and storing them in ice cube trays. One frozen, they can be stored in air-tight pouches with labels mentioning the type of food and date. Heat them in the microwave and serve these treats piping hot.

Is there blood in your infant's stool? Just what do your know about your child's developmental stages?

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