Blanket Time..aka practice for traveling skills.

One of the skills I read about in Babywise II was to teach my baby Blanket Time.  It teaches the baby to stay in a smaller area without physical boundaries like a playpen.  It also teaches a child to focus on a small area of space with one or two toys.  I wanted to do this with Zara so that while traveling or flying she can play on a small area and be safe in a larger space.  

Blanket Time (Babywise II, Pre-toddlerwise, toddlerwise)

by suehaydon

What is Blanket Time?

Blanket time is an allotted amount of time in the day when you instruct your child to remain on a small blanket (3×3 or 4×4) and play with a select few toys that you have chosen for him/ her to play with. Blanket time can be started as early as you want with your infant and continued into toddlerhood.

What is the purpose of Blanket Time?

“Blanket time provides an opportunity to teach a child to play in a limited area without a physical parameter.” (Pre-toddlerwise p.142) It also teaches “sitting skills or what we call parameter skills (the ability to stay put within a boundary).” (Toddlerwise p. 45) This skill comes in handy when you need your child to obey you and stay put. A good example is when you are preparing dinner in the kitchen and you need to open the oven, you would want you child to stay away from the oven. With Blanket Time, you can tell your child to sit and remain still until you allow him or her to get up. Or perhaps you are out in public and you need your child to stay in one spot for a short period of time; this learned skill really comes in handy and keeps your baby safe. Ultimately, blanket time teaches your child at a young age to obey you. Blanket time also helps with mental focus by only allowing them a few toys that they must play with while on the blanket.

How long should blanket time last?

Start with 3-5 minutes once a day. Once your child demonstrates he can stay on the blanket and play without fussing or crawling or walking off, you can slowly increase the time up to 30 minutes a day. Use a timer to set a designated time. The loud noise of the time going off will signal to your child that blanket time is over.

What if he crawls or walks off the blanket?

The first couple of times he does blanket time, remain close to him to monitor him. When he does move off the blanket, quickly return him to the blanket and give clear instructions to stay put and play with his toys. I typically say to Cooper, “Cooper, it is blanket time, we stay on the blanket.” I then direct him toward a toy on the blanket.

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Vaccines

Vaccines

I haven’t written about vaccines before because I felt that it was an issue that’s very controversial and when making a decision about your child, you need to do the research and decide what’s best for you and your family.  I am going to share what I did, why I decided it, and some of the resources that I used.

We travel abroad a lot; particularly to Vietnam where Dr. Ho still has living family including Zara’s grandmother whom we will be seeing in August.  There are some particularly nasty bugs abroad that can be deadly to babies.  For me, I chose the vaccines against bugs I felt could be fatal to my daughter and declined or drastically postponed the rest. 

I recommend delaying or spreading out vaccinations if you are going to vaccinate at all. I look to Dr. Sears schedule and his book  “The Vaccine Book, Making the Right Decision for Your Child” for guidance on how to delay your vaccine schedule.  There are some other delayed schedules out there but this one is well researched with the largest study of mom’s following it.  The other delayed schedule that is getting traction is Dr. Bobs alternative vaccine schedule but not much is known about his schedule and thus I urge caution if using his. The other schedules can be good too so just make sure you are picking one that follow’s your philosophy.

If you are vaccinating whether following the doctor’s schedule completely or a delayed schedule; I do however strongly recommend a liquid homeopathic called Thuja.  Give this to your baby 2 weeks before the vaccine and 2 weeks afterwards. It helps the body mitigate any adverse reactions or some of the minor fatigue and irritability symptoms.

If you are not going to vaccinate, please fill out the legislative paper work that is allowed when entering children into school. Make sure to get a doctor signature. Word of caution; it is getting more difficult to find Pediatricians that work with parents that have chosen against vaccinations.  

Blog: Baby’s first Tooth Brush

As a parent, once the baby teeth start emerging (which usually occurs somewhere around  6-10 months) you can start worrying about decay and tooth problems like like all people.  Dentists recommend the first dental visit once the first couple of teeth appear.  

My next question as a parent was what type of tooth brush or gum stimulator does a baby need and when do we start using these devices to help achieve optimal oral hygiene.  

Luckily I have a wonderful Dentist and friend Dr. Karen Cun, D.D.s from Artisan Family Dental who answered this question even before I could ask it.  She was so gracious that at my baby shower she gave me this set (which is a 2 pack) one brush to start while the baby is an infant and one to use as a toddler with more teeth.

Safety 1^st Advanced Solutions Baby’s Oral Care Set:

You Can Find it at:

http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Advanced-Solutions-Babys/dp/B009UQPTKQ

Swimming Lessons

It is important for Kids to get used to the water early, mostly for safety reasons but also cause it is a good source of exercise and fun.  We started Zara when she was one month old doing 3 skills back float, tummy float and submerging.  Now that she is tenth months old we started lessons at Water Works in San Jose.  Here is her first lesson picture.

Water Works is great with flexible class times and a pool that is 92 degrees so babies aren't cold.  It is also indoors so no sunscreen.

Here is the Link:
http://waterworksswim.com/San_Jose/index.php

First Cold and Flu

Babies inevitably will catch a bacteria or virus.  In breast fed babies it occurs later in their life because they have mom’s immunity and antibodies fighting for them.  When they do get sick, it is important to know the difference between a bacteria cold or a cold virus for treatment purposes.  They are subtle differences, which your doctor will diagnose for you.  It’s important because it will let you know whether or not having a child on antibiotics (if you decide to go that route) is not only a waste of time but actually can be harmful as it kills all the babies’ good probiotics in their intestinal tract which causes constipation or diarrhea and makes them more susceptible to future infection or yeast over-growth in their body. 

 

Zara got her first cold after 2 weekends at large family gatherings.  After examining her, I realized she had the bacterial kind so I mixed her a tincture at the office and gave it to her mixed in rice cereal 3 times a day for 1 week.  You may not always want to come running to our office for a herbal biotic or anti-viral, so here are 3 general ones that I keep in my medicine cabinet for infants:

1. Pharmaceutical Grade: Rose-hips - bacteria and virus
2. Pharmaceutical Grade: Sambucus Elderberry Syrup - bacteria
3. Pharmaceutical Grade: Acer Campestrae – virus and slight bacteria

Please make sure and consult your doctor for dosing based on your child’s size and age; this can make the difference on the remedy working or not.  You may also want advice on which remedies work best for which aliment.  I also employ homeopathic remedies for illnesses such as fever and body aches to help the little one sleep or reduce pain if necessary.  

We can supply you with these in our office.

Diaper Rash

A diaper rash, known as Dermatitis, is an inflamed, red and patchy area of skin on a baby’s bottom. The common causes are:  

§  Prolonged urine and fecal matter against the skin

§  Inadequate drying of the skin after a bath

§  Seborrheic Dermatitis

§  Thrush and Candidiasis

o   Babies on antibiotics are extremely susceptible to candida-related rashes

§  Food sensitivities, most commonly dairy

When a rash does occur, and most babies will have a mild one even with the most vigilant of moms, early treatment of is the best solution to the problem.  Zara got her first small rash after having a poopy diaper in the middle of the night and not waking for us to change it.  Here are the best prevention and treatment options:

§  Frequent diaper changes, at least every 3 hours while awake

§  Drying off completely after bath time

§  Using non-alcohol diaper wipes as the alcohol can be more irritating to the skin and spread the bacteria. Kaiser sells some wipes that you just add warm water to.

§  Giving the baby more fluids. If on solids offer water in a sippy cup.

§  Add 2 Tbsp. of baking soda to a warm bath to help dry and heal the skin.

§  Use creams like Burt’s Bee’s diaper rash to protect healthy skin.  Desitin can be used in more extreme cases to keep skin dry. 

§  Don’t use baby powder as it can cause skin moisture to get trapped in the creases.

Teething

Unfortunately teething will occur way before you are ready for it or want to deal with it.  So what happens when those evil teeth try to come in?  You will go from having a cheerful sweet baby to one that goes from laughing to crying for, what seems to be, absolutely no reason.  It’s a stressful situation for both mom and baby.  Typically this is a time when your baby will be very clingy and want mom a lot more than any one else, even dad. 

Are your little one’s first two teeth trying to come in?  Here are some soothing remedies to try:

o   Amber necklace

o   Clove necklace

o   Camilia Homeopathic remedy

o   Tylenol/ibuprofen (some side-effects)

o   Teething toys (Sophie the giraffe and ones that go in the freezer are best)

o   Frozen pacifier (set it in an empty ice cube tray)

o   Frozen fruit in the munchkin cloth bags (make sure to sterilize between each use)

o   Warm bath to break the fever

To soothe Miss Zara we used a frozen pacifier, Camilia drops and teething toys.   The Camilia drops are really helpful because you can treat baby every 15 minutes. They also relax baby and can help her sleep.