Here are some tips I get from my reading while dealing with a crying baby.

1. It is dangerous to shake the baby vigorously.

2. Tight cloths can cause irritation hence it should be removed.

3. If the room is hot put the fan and open the windows.

4. If the nappy is wet remove it and after cleaning the parts make it dry with a soft towel.

5. Pat her back or stroke her head slowly and let her here your soothing sound.

6. Give breast milk and make her quiet.

7. If the climate is cold cover her in soft towel.

8. Rock her gently in your arms and walk slowly in the room.

9. Take a music making doll and let her listen.

10. Try a pacifier or help her for thumb sucking.

11. If no response change her position.

12. Walk outdoors with her.

13. Put her on the cradle and rock gently.

14. If no response ask somebody to carry the baby.

Even after all these steps the baby goes on crying see for the following signs.
( Probable cause is given after every sign)

1. Press her abdomen gently,she may twist or resist you:—Colic

2. Pull her ear gently she may become worse or push your hands away:—Earache.

3. Feel her temperature with the back of your hands:–Fever due to any infection.

4. Examine the skin from head to foot:–Eruptive disease,nappy rash,measles,vesicles,allergy ect.

5. See the nose for any discharge:–Coryza.

6. Move the head gently to feel any neck stiffness:–Meningitis,head injury etc.

7. Keep your ear near her chest to hear any rattling sound:–Increased mucus in wind pipes.
(pneumonia, bronchiolitis, asthamatic bronchitis etc)
8. Examine the anal orifice:–Anal erosion,rectal polyp,crawling of worms.

9. Examine the genitalia:–Any discharge or erosion.

10. In male baby see the testicles which may be swollen or tender:–Orchitis,torsion of testes.

11. Also notice the body movements and see for any convulsions,rigors,vomiting,cough,laboured  breathing ect.

If you see the above signs or any other abnormal signs consult your doctor for proper treatment.

Yah, Jun Hui was hospitalised since last Sunday and things just happened so sudden. She had fever, followed by bad diarrhea and refused to drink water and milk. We brought her to family clinic but the doctor asked us to send her to hospital because worried about dehydration. She was not given any medicine in hospital but only the drip. The stools was sent for lab test and the lucky thing was her diarrhoea not causing by the rotavirus.

So, what is the real reason of her diarrhea? I’ve get a brochure from hospital and would like to share some of the info with you all.

What is Diarrhoea?

• Diarrhoea refers to the frequent passage of loose watery stools due to an infection of the intestines. The infection may or may not be accompanied by vomiting.
• The diarrhoea usually lasts for 2 to 4 days. Occasionally, it may persist up to 10 days.
• This infection of the intestine is known as gastroenteritis.

What causes Gastroenteritis?

• Viruses such as rotavirus are usually responsible for this infection.
• Rarely, it can be caused by bacteria infection such as salmonella, camphylobacter or shigella.

Is Gastroenteritis dangerous?

• The major problem with gastroenteritis is dehydration (drying out). This occurs when your child loses too much fluid from the diarrhoea and vomitting.
• Increasing the amount of liquid intake for your child can prevent dehydration.

Does my child need any medications for his infection?

• Majority of children with gastroenteritis do not need any medications.
• The main treatment is to ensure your child remains well hydrated.
• Occasionally, your doctor may give you some medication for sotmach pain or vomitting.
• Generally, medications used to stop diarrhoea in adults are not used in children due to side effects.

Is there any way to prevent my child from getting diarrhoea?

• It is difficult to prevent your child from coming into contact with the germs that caused gastroenteritis.
• These germs are present in the community all the time.
• However, good hygiene habits will minimize the risk of spreading the infection.
• For newborn and infants, bottle hygiene is very important. Milk bottles need to be sterillized either by boiling or with the use of sterilizing tablets.
• For older children, handwashing before meals and good toilet habits should be taught.

Junhui still need some time to fully recover from her infection of the intestines. So, what we can do now is only to make sure she is well hydrated.

Really appreciated and thanks all my friends who are showing the concern.

Healthy and Happy Gals~

Poor little baby Jun Hui~

]]> http://coolestbabymoon.com/little-baby-moon-jun-hui-was-hospitalised/feed/ 4 http://coolestbabymoon.com/guides-to-handling-baby/ http://coolestbabymoon.com/guides-to-handling-baby/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2009 11:25:29 +0000 babymoon http://coolestbabymoon.com/?p=836 Don’t think that taking care of baby is an easy job! You need to handle baby with extra care. I get the following instructions via my email and would like to share with you all. The following Guides to handling baby are just for your reference!

Since your baby’s immune system is still developing, don’t use those baby products in the early months. Do wash your baby’s clothes, blankets and bedding separately from the family’s laundry and use only baby laundry detergents that are fragrance-free and dye-free. Try not to bath your baby too frequent because this will remove the natural oils that protect baby’s skin. Newborn won’t get dirty unless for drool and diaper changes. Therefore for the first month, a sponge bath two or three times a week will keep your baby safely clean.

Eczema is skin problem that appears as a red, itchy rash mostly on face and scalp, at the elbows, and behind the knees. You could prevent your baby from eczema with bath your newborn only once a week to allow her skin to retain natural oils. You should also limit your the use of baby skin products and make sure she wears only soft clothing. Diaper rash on the other hand is caused by the irritating wetness of a soiled diaper. The causes of rash might also due to the baby’s skin not properly dried after a bath.

You could try to prevent newborn skin problem with the following tips:
- Check diapers frequently
- When the diapers wet or soiled, get it change immediately
- Wash the diaper area with plain water or mild fragrance-free cleanser.
- use a soft clean cloth for cleaning the diaper area.
- Don’t use the baby wipes as the perfume or alcohol in many baby wipes can further irritate and dry baby’s skin.
- Don’t rub your baby’s skin, just gently pat your baby dry and let the diaper area air dry fully before putting on a fresh diaper.
- If the rash doesn’t clear up in two to three days, see your family doctor or pediatrician.
- A prescription treatment is needed if the rash is caused by eczema, a bacterial or yeast infection.

It’s also important for you to get some good skin care products for your newborn. Your newborn needs fragrance-free and dye-free baby skin care products.
- Before buy the products, always read the labels carefully
- Natural baby skin care products are safe for most infants
- The label “hypoallergenic” can be misleading
- Look for products that are phthalate-free and parabens-free

You can consider to get the following newborn baby skin care products for your baby.
- Baby oil is an alternative to lotion to moisturize skin.
- Mild baby lotion is good to use after baths to keep your baby’s skin moisturized.
- Baby powders with cornstarch are recommended for use after diaper changes.
- It’s a good idea to have a diaper rash prevention creams. However, the best way to prevent diaper rash is frequently change your baby’s diaper.
- If your baby has diaper rash, you need to apply some diaper rash treatment creams at the diaper area.
- Only get the laundry detergents that are not too harsh for a newborn’s skin. Choose wisely to avoid your baby’s to have skin care problem.

Common baby skin care problems like infant acne, cradle cap, heat rash and eczema can be avoided if we adopt the right baby skin care and it can help keep our babies happy, healthy and comfortable.

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After some researches, I found that pacifiers have it’s advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages
- Help your baby go to sleep. This was the main reason my mom told me when wanted to get pacifier for Baby Moon. She said a pacifier might do the trick if the baby has trouble with the sleep. And we found that it really help to settle down the baby.
- Babies are always happy when they are sucking on something and a pacifier may actually soothe a fussy baby.
- This is one of the most important information for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) by researchers. They found that pacifiers may help reduce the risk of SIDS and this is another tool to keep your baby safe other than the baby monitor.
- It’s good to use when you need to divert the attention of your baby especially during blood tests or injections. It also offers temporary distraction for you to get the time to prepare your nurse or milk bottle.
- If compare to suck on baby’s thumb or fingers, pacifiers are easier to break the habit. You could slowly break the habit of sucking the pacifier by hide the pacifier or throw them away. You hardly control your baby when they suck on their own fingers.

However, pacifiers have its disadvantages too.
- When your baby too dependent on the pacifier to sleep, you need to prepare extra pacifiers in case of the lost. Your baby might also have frequent middle of the night crying spells when the pacifier falls out of your baby’s mouth.
- If you give your baby pacifier too early, they might have problem learning how to nurse and it may interfere with breastfeeding. This is because it’s different when comes to sucking on a breast and on a pacifier.
- Pacifier may lead to dental problems if your toddler cannot kick the habit. Your toddler’s top front teeth may slant out or the upper and lower jaws may be misaligned when he use a pacifier persistently.

Tips when using pacifier
- Don’t force your baby to use the pacifier if she doesn’t show interest in it.
- Don’t introduce pacifier too early before they settled down into a regular nursing routine. Recommended to get your baby pacifier only after one month old if you are breastfeeding.
- Pacifiers may have different shape for different ages of baby. Choose the correct size and shape to prevent your baby from get choking.
- Always clean the pacifier before give it to your baby.
- When get a new pacifier, wash it with soap and water to make sure the pacifier is safe to your baby.
- Check the pacifier and replace them often.
- If you are using pacifier string or strap, don’t let them to get caught around your baby’s neck.
- Never pop the pacifier back to baby’s mouth when it falls out of her mouth while she is sleeping.
- Try to kick the habit during the age of 2 to 4.

Baby Moon on pacifier. She kicks the habit by herself at her age of 1.

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Many children whose mouths are ravaged by dental disease and parents should have some dental healthcare knowledge to avoid the development of dental disease in children.

Pediatric dentist said that dirty teeth is the primary reason for dental disease in young children. The main culprit is dirty teeth but not the juice, candy or nightime bottle such as milk. That is the bacteria grow on the surface of the baby teeth cause all the dental disease. And the bacteria naturally exist in the mouth that turns sugars into acids that then eat holes in the tooth enamel. The bacterial plaque begins to colonize and grow upon from the moment that the baby teeth first enter the infant’s mouth and usually when they are around six month old.

The very simple way to avoid the development of dental disease in children is to thoroughly cleaned their teeth twice a day that is morning and night. This task must be performed with or without your child’s permission or cooperation. If you find difficult to brush your toddler’s teeth, you could use some creative techniques such as songs or story or toys to make this job easier for you and your child.

Tips to get start
- Sit yourself down and with your child’s back towards you.
- Place your child between your legs.
- Have your child’s lower body in a control position by placing your legs around her.
- To prevent your toddler’s head from moving, place her head between your torso and your arm.
- Pick up a soft wet toothbrush and if your child is too young, no toothpaste is necessary.
- Use the heel of the brush, slid the brush between the lips and alongside the cheek.
- Turn brush and very quickly go back and forth, gently scrubbing the teeth and gums.
- You could sing, laugh or do something to divert your child’s attention if she is crying.
- The brushing is not more than one minute and you should remember that you are doing a good thing for your child.

Here are some suggestions to keep your baby’s teeth healthy.
- You should start brush your baby’s teeth as soon as his first tooth erupts. Start with a damp washcloth and brush his teeth twice a day.
- Buy your baby a toothbrush and toothpaste that designed for babies. Start to brush their teeth with toothbrush and toothpaste once he is a year old.
- Bring your baby for dentist by the first birthday and make sure they have regular checkups every twice yearly.
- Juices that contain lots of sugar can lead to decay. You should avoid too much juice for your baby.
- Try don’t give your baby a bottle once he has reached 1 year old. Teach them use a cup for drinking.

Baby Moon enjoys this video a lot. Haha…

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Bilirubin
Bilirubin could be found in everyone’s blood and it is removed by the liver. Babies normally take few days for their liver to get better at removing bilirubin. If the bilirubin level increases, jaundice may appear in the face, then following to baby’s chest, abdomen, arms and legs. You could also find your baby’s whites of the eyes become yellow.

Normally it’s not harmful to your baby if she has only mild jaundice which she would get recover in 2 to 3 days time. However, serious jaundice would also cause brain damage and this is very unusual situation where the bilirubin level gets very high. Therefore, for the newborn, hospitals normally pay more attention and check for jaundice before they are approved to bring home.

The good way to keep the bilirubin level down is to breastfeed your baby at least 8 to 12 times a day for the first few days. For the first few days, both mother and newborn are learning how to nurse and suck on breast, therefore if you encounter problem in breastfeeding, seek your doctor or nurse help. Generally your doctor would ask you to bring your baby back for check up when your baby is between 3 to 5 days old. This is where the baby’s bilirubin level is the highest.

You need to pay more attention and have follow up visit if your baby has a high bilirubin level before leaving the hospital. Don’t hesitate to call your doctor or send your baby back to hospital if you discover your baby’s skin turns more yellow and her abdomen, arms or legs are yellow also. This is where the level of bilirubin becomes higher especially when the whites of your baby’s eyes are yellow.

For babies have mild jaundice, they may be placed under a special ultra-violet light or wrapped in a fiber optic blanket for photo-therapy. This light allows the bilirubin to be broken down to a form that can be excreted by the infant’s kidney. Also to increase your feeding because more feeding frequency will cause more bowel movements and more bilirubin to be excreted in the stool.

The most common types of jaundice are:
- Physiological (normal) jaundice
- Jaundice of prematurity
- Breastfeeding jaundice
- Breast milk jaundice
- Blood group incompatibility

What are the tests done for jaundice?
Blood tests are done to assess the overall function of the liver. The test will also help to identify the type of jaundice and will show whether the synthetic function of the liver is good.
Other various clotting tests can be done to see if the liver is producing adequate proteins for clotting purposes too.

When does jaundice go away?
Jaundice often lasts for more than 2 to 3 weeks for breastfed babies. For formula-fed baby, most jaundice goes away by 2 weeks. Always see your baby’s doctor if you find the jaundice is very serious and last for more than three weeks.

Jaundice can’t be prevented and normally the amount of jaundice experienced by most newborns is not harmful. If your baby already has jaundice and the jaundice still increasing after had bilirubin check, you need to have plan to revisit your doctor and recheck your baby’s jaundice again. Do remember that high levels of bilirubin is harmful and may cause damaging to the baby’s brain.

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If a mother is being infected by common illnesses, such as colds, flu, skin infections, or diarrhea, it normally cannot be passed through breast milk. In fact, it will help mothers to create antibodies which the antibodies will transfer to the baby via the breast milk and protect her baby from those same illnesses. However, if a mother is being infected by serious viruses, for example a mother who is HIV positive, then, breast-fed should totally be avoided as the HIV will cause AIDS in which the virus can be transmitted through breast milk.

Illnesses such as herpes, hepatitis and beta streptococcus infections can also be passed through breast milk. However, it is not necessary means that a mother with those diseases cannot be breast-fed, but it is advisable that the mother should consult with the woman’s doctor beforehand. This is to ensure the safeness of breastfeeding as each case of the above-mentioned diseases is being evaluated on an individual basis.

Besides, a drug abusers’ mother should obviously not breastfeed their children. Drugs such as tranquilizers, cocaine, heroin, methadone, marijuana, or alcohol can be transmitted to the child through the breast milk.

FOOD TO AVOID
It is advisable that before breastfeed, we should know whether any foods in the mother’s diet that will appear some negative reactions towards baby. A baby may become fussy like having trouble in sleeping or develop gas after the mother consumed certain type of foods. Foods that may triggers of fussiness in babies include chocolate, spices, citrus fruits; and gas-causing vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli. However, not all babies will have the same reaction to the above-mentioned foods.

It is recommend that not to consume caffeine while breastfeeding as high levels of caffeine may cause the fussiness of babies or disturb the baby’s sleep patterns. Alcoholic beverage is also strongly not recommended it can increase blood alcohol levels to a point where the alcohol transmit into breast milk. And the alcohol also can interfere with the body’s ability in enabling the free flow of breast milk while breastfeeding.

A breastfeeding mother should limit their exposure to mercury in fish due to it may causing the mercury poisoning. It is advisable to limit in consuming the canned white or light tuna and should be totally avoided in taking shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish (so called golden or white snapper) because of the potentially high levels of mercury.

WAYS FOR BREASTFEEDING
There are few ways for a mother to choose for breastfeeding. You, as a breastfeed mother can find your own comfort position to breastfeed your cute baby.
Cradle Hold
This is the classic breastfeeding position whereby a mother requires cradle baby’s head with the crook of the arm. It means that cradling the baby with the mother’s arm on the same side as the breast presented so that the baby can reach the nipple without turning his or her head. If he or she is nursed on the right breast, rest their head in the crook of your right arm. Hold the baby in your lap and lying her with the face, stomach and knees directly facing you and tuck her under your lower arm. Extend your forearm and hand down her back to support her neck, spine, and bottom. Secure her knees against your body, across or just below your left breast and lying horizontally, or at a slight angle.
Cross-Over Hold
This way need not support the baby’s head with the crook of the arm but hold your baby with your hand and arm. It’s just opposite with cradle hold because if you’re nursing from your right breast, you need to use your left hand and arm to hold your baby. Hold your baby in a way that her chest and tummy are directly facing you and with your thumb and fingers behind her head and below her ears, guide her mouth to your breast.
Clutch or Football Hold
In this position, you need to tuck your baby under your arm at the same side that you are nursing from, just like you are holding a handbag or a football. The baby should be facing you with her nose level with your nipple and her feet pointing toward your back. Rest your arm on a pillow in your lap or right beside you, and support her shoulders, neck, and head with your hand. Using a C-hold position, guide her to your nipple, chin first and use your forearm to support her upper back.

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As a new parents, we need to always find out why our babies cry and learn how to cope with the tears. We normally need to use our parents sense and tender love to listen to our babies cry. Babies would give you signs on her crying and don’t panic while your baby cries non stop because she would feel your fear and unsecure feeling born in your heart.

There are always reasons behind your baby cries and you may consider the following when to figure out what to do when your newborn cries.

- Hungry. This is the most common reason for baby cries. Feed your newborn more often and don’t hesitate to feed them every few hours.
- Pooped. Some babies don’t like to have wet or soiled diaper. They will show you through crying and do check your baby’s diaper often to keep them clean and dry.
- Tired. Babies always get fussy when they are tired. Give your newborn sleeping environment and let them have enough sleep.
- Burp. Try to burp your baby during and after each feeding. They might feel uncomfortable without burp and sometimes they need to burp between feedings also.
- Lonely. Your baby needs accompany too. Spend some times with your baby and if by simply seeing you she stop her cry means she miss your accompany.
- Hot. Baby feels uncomfortable when she is too hot or too cold. Always check their temperature and keep them under comfortable situation.
- Tummy hurts. They would also cry if their tummy is not feeling well. This could due to the new ingredient in the solid food or gas producing foods.

There are few things you can try to comfort your baby when she cries.

- Wrap her up and hold her tight just as they were in the womb. Hold your baby close, especially when she can hear their heartbeat, or putting her in a baby sling is soothing.
- Try playing gentle music or singing a lullaby. Repetitive voices can also have a calming effect.
- Walk around rocking your baby or sit with her in a rocking chair may calm her down. Most babies love to be gently rocked.
- Giving your baby a massage or gently rubbing her back or tummy can help soothe her.
- Let her suck on pacifier. Some newborns like to suck and sucking can bring great comfort.

It’s always important to take care of yourself too besides listen to your baby cry and take good care of them. Remember that your baby’s cry is not permanent and would improve from time to time when you know the reason of their crying. It’s always good for you to take a break if you have done what you can and recharge your energy. Do discuss with your partner and share with him your thinking.

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Tips for your baby tooth care

Wipe your baby’s gums off after each feeding - There are some soft rubbery devices available in the market and these devices help to rub off excess food inside your baby’s mouth. However, you can also use the wet and warm washcloth wrapped around your finger and wipe your baby’s gums. We use this method to clean Baby Moon’s gum after each feeding.

Baby’s first teeth is important – Actually the baby’s first teeth preserce the spacing for the permanent ones and help baby chew and talk. Some parents think that this baby set of teeth will only be around for a short time and they might change teeth again when they grow older. Therefore they overlook this and don’t take good care of their baby’s first set of teeth. This might lead to a gum infection and hence affect the spacing of permanent teeth.

Cavities – Discoloration and minor pitting are the first signs of cavities in baby teeth. Always remove the bottle when notice that your baby is no longer feeding. The main reason for causing cavities is you put your baby to bed with a bottle of milk or juice and leave it for long periods.

Give her water after meals – This is a good practice and the main purpose is to wash off baby’s teeth. I practice this and make it a good habit and we also bought Baby Moon a toothbrush as a toy. We let her get use of the toothbrush and having it in her mouth. We also educate her the importance of taking good care of our teeth and show her when we brush teeth day and night time. We teach her to wash her mouth after each meals too.

Use nonfluoride toothpaste – There are lots of nonfluoride toothpaste in the market and you can choose from different flavour such as grape, strawberry for your infant. It is good to start using nonfluoride toothpaste when you toddler reaches her age 2. Becareful don’t let your kids swallow the toothpaste.

Regulate baby’s fluoride intake – Fluoride is important for preventing tooth decay. Our children need protein, vitamins and minerals to build strong teeth and to resist tooth decay and gum disease. It is good to seek doctor’s advise the good time for your kids to use fluoride toothpaste.

Remember to bring your kids for dental exam and make this a good habit for your child. Your baby should have her full set of 20 primary teeth by age 3 and her permanent teeth won’t begin to replace them until she is 6 years old. You can start to bring your child for dental exam at age 3 and continue to visit dental half a year or once a year.

Baby Moon’s first tooth brush