Introducing Solids for Your 4-6 Month Old Infant

I bet you can't believe how fast your little one is growing!  Now they're starting to eats solids, next they'll be moving out of the house for collage!  Some important key elements to remember when introducing solids to your baby is to always have it pureed and give them small amounts at a time (1-2 Tablespoons).  Also, giving your child one fruit, vegetable, or infant cereal dosing at a time and waiting for a whole 24 hours to make sure they aren't allergic to it specifically.  Talk to your pediatrician for more in depth information on this topic before your start!

WIC. (2009, August 1). Feeding your baby the first year! UT WIC Program . Salt Lake City, Utah, USA: WIC.

Blog Recommend Alert!

Planning Family Blog

If you still have questions unanswered then this blog is perfect for you!  It has been around for a long while and has extensive posts that will be helpful for you and your family.  At http://www.planningfamily.com/ they have information on Preconception, Pregnancy, Newborn, Baby, Toddler, Parents, and even Free Baby Stuff!  I will answer a couple questions you may have about this site and then I urge you to check it out for yourself!

First: “Is this blog good for me, as a new parent?”

Yes! In skawering through this blog I’ve found that it is perfect for the needs of our own audience of new parents.  In their section labeled “NEWBORN” they have articles and videos of what you might need to know with having a newborn baby such as: Bringing your baby home, Feeding, Newborn Care, Depression, Circumcision, Baby Blues and Postpartum, Premature Babies. They also have sections on quizzes, recipes, checklists, and tools (example: Birth Announcements, Breastfeeding and Diaper Changing Log, ect.) Come and look through on your own: http://www.planningfamily.com/newborn/

Second: “Is what I’m reading reliable?”

Reliable information is hard to come by on internet sometimes! This is why we, UpAllNight, started our blog.  We’ve worked hard in providing reliable information from reliable sources.  With that said, it is still important for you, as a reader, to always double check your answers.  Since anyone can post things on the internet what you need to do is check if their article has “references” at the bottom of it.  References show you where the author got their information.  If the article doesn’t have references, don’t be distraught!  Just double check the information with your local pediatrician, with a quick call.  Planning  Family has many great articles, but if you have a question about what you’re reading don’t be afraid to double check your information. 

Remember: Planning Family offers general information and is for educational purposes only. This information is not a substitute for professional medical, psychiatric or psychological advice.  Nothing on this website should be taken to imply an endorsement of Planning Family or its partners by any person quoted or mentioned.

Third: “Will I be able to apply what Planning Family in my own life?”

Lucky for you, this blog has hundreds and hundreds of articles!  Since this blog was made to educate their reader, it not hard to find what you are looking for.  You may go looking for one specific question and come out with an answer to that question along with other ideas that you hadn’t thought of before.

Fourth: “Is it an easy read?”

Everybody likes easy reads, don’t they?  The nice thing about this website is it gives you the information, without you needing to go hunting for it.  For example, if you have a question on feeding your newborn you go to the section on “feeding” and click on the article that best describes your question.  There isn’t a lot of “fluff” so they give you the information without you needing to hunt for it.

Last question: “What do you think about this blog, Chelsey?”

I’ve loved exploring this blog!  It has A LOT of information, which is very comforting to you as a reader.  I’ve loved how well established this blog and updated the information provided is.  I would recommend it to anyone!  But REMEMBER, check your resources and call your pediatrician if you have any questions and as always, don’t settle on one article or blog to answer your questions!

Book Review! The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding is a wonderful book for mothers who need guidance with the idea of breastfeeding their infant.  Written by an ever-changing group of mothers who call themselves the “La Leche League International” who have strived for the last 56 years to develop and refine all the information contained in this book.  Since they’ve had so much time to refine their work, the La Lech League has a vast amount of information which aligns with the research on breastfeeding and because it is “The leading source of breastfeeding support and information” for mothers and soon-be-mothers the quality of application is evident.  I have a friend who recently had her first baby and recommended this book to me telling me that it helped her understand more about breast feeding and what to expect as a new mother to the area.  The reason this book was so helpful to my “new parent” friend was because of all the real life experiences this book shares as well as the vast amounts of topics it explores.

                The wonderful thing about this book is that it not only focuses on breastfeeding an infant but explores other topics as well!  And it applies to new mothers or returning mothers alike; walking the reader through the steps of having a baby.  It starts out with the first part labeled “New Beginnings”- where the reader learns about breast feeding and if it is right for them.  Other topics this book covers are birth (with areas of how to cope with a difficult birth), weight watchers, emotional roller coaster (dealing with your out of “whack” hormones), nursing schedule, concerns you may have with your baby through their growing stages, sexual life with partner (labeled: “Is This the End of Sex?”), sleep routines for baby, working mothers, pumping, weaning, dealing with a baby’s death, and technical support during breastfeeding (ex: Blebs, Blood in your milk, Colic, Eating Disorders, ect.).

                This book was a great easy read that was designed so that anyone can use it.  The stories in it will make you laugh and cry, but also learn.  I’ve loved having this book in my home, it has helped me feel more comfortable with my body and my future decisions of breast feeding my own infants.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to breastfeed their child or who even has questions of breastfeeding!  

Reader Question Response: Jealousy Among Siblings

Queston: How can a mother of three children (one is a newborn) deal with jealousy of the other kids? Particularly the middle one who is lashing out by biting?

Gemma had been the only child in her family for three years.  She loved her mommy and daddy and always loved spending time with them.  They would take her the Disney Land and Sea World on the weekends, and play in parks and at home on the weekdays.  One day Gemma’s parents took her to dinner at her favorite restaurant the Olive Garden. There, they told her that mommy was going to have another baby!  And the baby was going to be a girl!  Gemma was so excited to be a big sister.  The months leading up to when the baby was to be born were exciting. Gemma got to help mom decorate the baby’s new room and pick out new clothes for her.   When the time came for baby Mia to be born Gemma was so excited!  She had to go to her Grandparent’s house while her parents were at the hospital, but she couldn’t wait until it was her turn to see her.  The next morning she got to go and see baby Mia and hold her.  The next month was a lot different than what Gemma was expecting, with Mia crying at night and her mom’s attention more on the baby than Mia than herself.  Though she still liked Mia it was hard and she just wanted her old life back.  About a year later Gemma’s parents told her that she would be moving to a new state for her dad’s work.  After they moved Gemma started to become sad, she was in a new preschool trying to make new friends and her mom and dad were busy with work.  Mia had just started to walk and always wanted the toys Gemma wanted.  Gemma started to become angry with Mia and felt like she was the cause for everything.  She would often push Mia down, to make her cry. 

                Gemma’s parents were confused by her violent nature towards her younger sister; they wanted their kind sweet Gemma back. Fortunately for Gemma’s parents, Gemma isn’t the first and only child to have these jealousy emotions. Jealousy is a common emotion for children (Miller, L, Volling, & MEwain, 2000).  How do children become jealous? Children become jealous when they see their parent or caregiver giving their attention to another child other than themselves for extended amounts of time (Miller, L, Volling, & MEwain, 2000).  Gemma became jealous of her sister because there wasn’t enough attention given to her to make her feel validated and wanted (Thompson & Haberstadt, 2008), so she lashed out on the person who was getting that attention.  Gemma’s parents were distressed by her actions, but by giving Gemma the positive attention that she needed she became more loving and open to her sister Mia.  Gemma’s mom would take her on mommy daughter dates, with just the two of them, and she made an effort to give Gemma some special attention at home.  They started to see a change in Gemma over time, she would include Mia in her play and eventually there were no problems with Gemma being jealous.  Gemma’s parents made an effort to help her feel loved and validated, which helped Gemma realize that they still loved her too.

Works Cited

Miller, L, A., Volling, B. L., & MEwain. (2000). Sibling Jealousy in a Triadic Context with mothers and Fathers. Social Development , 433-457.

Thompson, J. A., & Haberstadt, A. G. (2008). Children's Accounts of Sibling Jealousy and Their Implicit Theories about Relationships. Social Development , 17 (3), p 488-511.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding can be quite daunting at times, but I’m here to help you put your fears aside and become aware of the amazing effects it has on your child throughout their whole life!

The First Weeks of Breastfeeding

All you need is breast milk to feed your baby!

·          

• Breastfeeding should begin as soon as possible after birth (usually within the first hour)

•  Use breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for your baby (for about 6 months) (Steven P. Shelov & Tanya Remer Altmann, 2009)

•  Breast feed your baby at least 8 to 12 times each day (1 ½ to 3 hours)

•  Breastfeed your baby whenever they seem hungry, not on a set schedule (Baydar, McCann, Williams, & Vesper, 1997)

• The length of time varies in the first few weeks of nursing, it could be a couple minutes or 45 minutes (Steven P. Shelov & Tanya Remer Altmann, 2009)

Benefits of Breastfeeding

There are many benefits of breastfeeding, I’ll cover only a few and add links were you are able to read valid websites that will help inform you more.  In no particular order:

·          

• Breastfeeding compared to bottle/formula feeding helps improve a higher cognitive development in babies (especially in pre-termed babies) (Quiqley, Hockley, Carson, Kelly, Renfrew, & Sacker, 2012)

• There are far greater amount of nutrients that your child is getting from the breast milk in comparison to formula (Heslett, Hedberg, & Rumble, 2007)

• The following is a video and article ABC new did about breast feeding:

 http://www.abc4.com/content/news/top_stories/story/New-health-benefits-of-breastfeeding-discovered/_FmqKEHTTEuzF8t07SRcOw.cspx

Don’t Give Up!

 According to a study about childcare and breast feeding, there is a reduced likely hood that mothers will breastfeed their child when the child starts going to childcare (Pearce, Li, Abbas, Ferguson, Graham, & Law, 2012).  Here are some simple tips for mothers who have children in childcare or working mothers: 

•  Invest in a breast pump, and start pumping the excess milk that your child doesn’t eat; send that breast milk with the child when they go to their care facility

• If possible, take breaks from work to come and feed your baby

• For working mothers, during your lunch break, have someone bring your baby to you

• Or if none of these work only have your child drink formula while they are in childcare and when you have your baby feed them breast milk

Additional Website References

I believe that it is exceptionally important to have more resources than one.  Below are web-based sites to give you more information on the art of breastfeeding.  Look through them, it’s always fun to see that not only are you making the right choice in breastfeeding your child but you are not alone and there are resources to help you in addition to this one.

• This is a website is published by pediatricians, and has a wide variety of information not only for breast feeding in helping raise your child http://www.healthychildren.org/English/Pages/default.aspx

• This is a fantastic resource.  Breastfeeding Today Magazine: Follow this link and you'll be able to access all of their issues http://www.llli.org/breastfeedingtoday

• This link talks about why breastfeeding is a public health issue and not just a lifestyle choice
  http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/02/22/peds.2011-3552

• Info about la leche league meetings here in Utah (La Leche League is a group that supports breastfeeding moms) http://www.lllusa.org/UT/Utah.html

• You'll find a lot of great links here on a few of La Leche League's Salt Lake City facebook page
  http://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Leche-League-of-Salt-Lake-City/316634971605

Just remember, you are your child’s hero for breastfeeding!

 

Works Cited

Baydar, N., McCann, M., Williams, R., & Vesper, E. (1997). Final Report: WIC Infant Feeding Practices Study. Seattle: Centers for Public Health Research and Evaluation.

Heslett, C., Hedberg, S., & Rumble, H. (2007). Did you ever wonder what's in... Breast Milk and Formula. BC, Canada: Douglas College, New Westminster.

Pearce, A., Li, L., Abbas, J., Ferguson, B., Graham, H., & Law, C. (2012). Childcare use and inequalities in breastfeeding: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study. Archives of Disease In Childhood [Arch Dis Child] , 97, 39-42.

Quiqley, M., Hockley, C., Carson, C., Kelly, Y., Renfrew, M., & Sacker, A. (2012). Breastfeeding is associated with improved child cognitive development: a population-based cohort study. The Journal of Pediatrics , 160, 25-32.

Steven P. Shelov, M. M.-I.-C., & Tanya Remer Altmann, M. F. (2009). The Complete and Authoritative Guide, Caring For Your Baby and Young Child, Birth to Age 5. USA: Bantam Book.

Theory of Attachment

Have you ever wondered if you, as a parent, were doing anything of worth to your new born infant?  Do you feel like all you do is nurse, change diapers, and put them to sleep?  What if I told you that by doing these things for your infant not only takes care of their basic needs, but is a model for them in terms of relationships.  What you are doing does count, and it is something that your infants will take with them through the rest of their lives.

Studies have shown that caregivers have an impact on their infant in the first year of the infant’s life through how responsive they are in caring for the infant’s needs.  For example if the infant is hungry, their reaction to show that they are hungry is to cry and once that need is met they will quit crying.  If the need is not met they will continue to cry.   Those caregivers who respond promptly to their infant’s distress calls form, what I call, a positive attachment.  The infant trusts that their needs will be met when they ask for it.  Later in life these children grow up to have positive relationships as well.  They care for others and trust people because their caregivers modeled this for them.  This is the type of attachment that we all should be working on with our infants.  The infant only cries when it has a need to be met whether they need a new diaper, food, holding time, or sleep.  There is an opposite attachment as well which I like to call negative attachment.

A negative attachment is formed when the infant’s needs were met inconsistently enough that the child doesn’t trust or rely on the caregiver for support.  What does it mean to meet the needs of an infant inconsistently?  This means that when the child gave its cues that it was hungry or had a soiled (poopy) diaper and the caregiver didn’t fix the problem right away, so the child was left in their dilemma.  These children became to learn that they couldn’t trust people to get their needs met, so when they were older they had dysfunctional relationships.  They couldn’t trust others and which would lead to broken relationships, these types of people never let their “guard” down because they learned early on in life that people can’t be trusted. 

Some people believe that if they quickly respond to their infant’s needs they are “spoiling” the child.  Let me assure you, your infant in no way can be spoiled if you are respondent to their own cues (crying, sucking, ect.), but it needs to be on the child’s time.  I am hopeful that this information was helpful to you, please let me know if you have any questions.

Crain, W. (2011). Theories of Development (Concepts and Applications) (6 ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Chelsey

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