There is a lot of changes for your family when you bring your baby home.  My daughter had her baby five weeks ago and the biggest change she has is in sleep, or rather lack of sleep.  Because every child is different you can’t basic it on your other children.  Even though some babies start early sleeping through the night, others make you wonder if you will ever sleep again.

You’ve heard the advice given to moms, sleep when the baby sleeps.  While this may seem simplistic, it really does help. This one isn’t much fun. The free time and quiet time with your spouse (and yourself!) is eliminated.  Many moms treat nap times as work times, to get things done.  But if you aren’t well rested, you won’t enjoy time with the baby when she/he  awaken and ready to play.

Some babies are born with a “different clock”; they seem to want to be awake at night and asleep during the day.  While still in the womb, babies were rocked to sleep during the day by the mother’s movements.  Then when mom settled down for the night, the babies think it’s time to become more active.  So, once the little one arrives, it will take some time to adjust to the new routine and will develop good nighttime habits.

Even though it may be difficult at first, it is important to remind yourself that eventually things will settle into a normal routine.  Daytime napping will change.  But what is normal for one family isn’t for another.  You have to find what works for yours.  Start to establish a nap and bedtime routine as soon as you come home from the hospital, start with the basics.  It will help the transition, and hopefully the baby will start sleeping regularly for you at bedtime.

If your baby seems to be a night owl, and you want them to go to sleep at an earlier hour, try adjusting the time a little bit each day.  It can also be a help to dim the lights as it gets closer to bedtime.  This can help the baby adjust and realize it’s time to sleep soon.  Sounds helps, turn off the TV and maybe play some gentle music.  It will help both of you relax.  Once the baby is in a deep sleep, spend a little more time pampering yourself before getting some sleep.

Babies get hungry during the night’s.  How you handle night-time feedings can make a difference to how much sleep everyone gets. Night waking is not always the answer.  If you are nursing, keeping the baby’s crib in your room, or even co-sleeping, can reduce the amount of time it takes to get back to sleep.  If you are bottle-feeding, you can ask your partner to take a turn feeding the baby during the night so that you get a little extra sleep.

All babies take time to begin sleeping through the night and it won’t happen overnight.  As long as you are consistent in your approach, everyone will soon find they are sleeping better.  Remind yourself that you aren’t a bad parent if you baby doesn’t begin sleeping well right away.  It just takes time.

Do you have any tips to help teach newborns and mom’s to sleep better?  Go down to the comment section and let us here them.

Baby Sleep Solution Some good information if you still having sleeping problems.

Help Your Baby Sleep Your baby will stop crying and learn to sleep better with the help of our soothing sounds – guaranteed.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the leading cause of infant deaths in about 50 of every 100,000 births in the United States.
Normally, this happens when a baby is put in their cribs to sleep and is found dead later.  Even though no one really knows what causes SIDS there are some things you can consider that are a risk factor.  Some risk could be baby being exposed to tobacco smoke, born prematurely, laying baby on their stomach when sleeping, and excess bedding or stuffed animals in their crib.

SIDS is a frightening word to parents of newborns.  There is so little concrete unexplained  knowledge about SIDS, as every case is different.  However, there are a number of things you can do to help reduce the chances of your infant dying of SIDS.  Here are some of the ways you can reduce the risk factors of SIDS.

• One of the first things you can do to help prevent SIDS is good prenatal care.  A low birth weight can often contribute to SIDS.  So mothers who are careful about their prenatal care and nutrition can have a healthier baby.  Avoiding smoking, drugs and alcohol while pregnant also reduces the risk of SIDS.  It has also been shown that having two babies in one year can raise the risk of SIDS for the second infant.  Teen mothers have a higher risk of their infant dying of SIDS.
• Real important that some parents do not think about is sleeping with their baby.  The problem is parents could smother their babies while they are sleeping.
• Choose a crib with a firm surface.  Having the right bedding for the crib is crucial to reducing the risk of SIDS.  Putting the baby to sleep on the backs,  and using a firm mattress with a tight fitting sheet, is the first step.  Despite everyone loving those cute comforter and bumper pad sets, they are best left out of the crib.  The bumper pad reduces the amount of fresh air circulating around the baby.  Both sleeping on the stomach and the comforter being too close to the face can cause the baby to breathe back in too much carbon dioxide, which is a significant factor in SIDS.
• On cold nights instead of a blanket use sleepers or baby sacks.  However, if the infant is too warm, that can also contribute to SIDS.  It is important to find the proper balance.
• Use a pacifier, some studies have shown that pacifiers help reduce the occurrence of SIDS.  Another study noted that using a pacifier could reduce the risk of SIDS by 90%.  The pacifier helps keep the air passage open. It also helps keep securely items away from the infant’s mouth and nose.  This can help prevent suffocation.
• DO NOT SMOKE AROUND YOUR BABY THEY NEED OXYGEN.  Even though you would think that’s common since it’s done often.  Avoiding second-hand smoke also reduces the risk of SIDS.  Studies by the Surgeon General have shown that, “Infants who die from SIDS tend to have higher concentration of nicotine in their lungs and higher levels of codeine (a biological marker for second-hand smoke exposure) than infants who die from other causes.”
• One last thing that helps reduce the risk of SIDS is breastfeeding, although some experts do not feel it is the breastfeeding itself that reduces the risk of SIDS.  However, there are fewer breastfed babies than formula babies who have died of SIDS.  Breastfed baby’s tend to have a lower rate of respiratory breathing problems and gastrointestinal infections, both of which can contribute to SIDS.

Even though there’s no guarantees or definable cause of SIDS anything you can do to reduce the risks is worth it. Don’t be a victim and don’t wake up one morning and go in to wake your baby and fine yourself coping with a nightmare.  Use your common sense as well as your good health habits.  Make the necessary changes to prevent a possible life of heartache.

For more information and other resources on SIDS visit

American SIDS Institute

AASPP (American Association of SIDS Prevention Physicians)

ASIP (Association of SIDS and Infant Mortality Professionals)

CJ Foundation for SIDS

National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center

If you know of any other ways to help prevent the risk of SIDS please let us know below in our comment section.

Get the facts about the benefits of Cord Blood Banking

What is a Cord Blood Bank?

A cord blood bank is a place where the umbilical cord blood is stored.  There are public cord blood banks and private blood banks.   It is recommended to use the public banks over the private in most cases.  Private banks have been criticized for aggressive and misleading marketing campaigns to expectant parents.

Why Should You Preserve Your Baby’s Cord Blood?

During pregnancy the umbilical cord is the main source of nutrition for the baby and is what connects the newborn to the mother.  After delivery the umbilical cord is discarded.  The blood in the umbilical cord of a baby is extremely rich in stem cells.  If discarded you lose the chance to preserve the cells that are an exact match for your child.  If the cord blood is stored then the stem cells would be available to treat over 70 diseases that your baby or parent’s or your brother or sister could develop.

Cord Blood Banking is very beneficial because cord blood stem cells are currently used in the treatment of several life-threatening diseases.

In the past the most common way to transfer stem cells from one person to another was through bone marrow transplantation.  Studies have shown that cord blood can have advantages over traditional bone marrow transplantation.  Using cord blood eliminates many of the problems associated with bone marrow transplants.

How do they collect cord blood?

After the birth of the baby you have a 15 minute window to collect the blood from your babies umbilical cord and then the laboratory has 48 hours to process the blood. The doctor will use a syringe to draw the blood which is very simple with no risk. The the blood is sent to the facility that you have chosen to store your babies blood and will be there if every needed.

What are the risks?

There are no health risk to the baby at all or any risk to mom.   No pain, no discomfort and no harm, completely safe.

There is only one chance to save your baby’s cord blood and that’s right after birth.  This is the only chance that you have to to give you baby an advantage for a healthy future.  It’s also an investment in your family’s health as well.

My daughter had her new baby eight weeks ago and I think one of the best times she had prior to coming home was planning for the baby’s nursery, baby’s shower,equipment,etc.  There is a lot of preparation for welcoming your baby not only into the world but into their new home.

I ask my daughter a slew of questions about how she geared up to made sure everything was ready and safe.  Here were her thoughts and suggestions to help you be ready.

• Know the route to the hospital you will be delivering at,  even if you are home birthing know the route to the hospital in case of emergency.
• Prepare home birthing area if needed.
• Attend a childbirth class to know what to expect.
• Purchase the crib and all the things that go with it, such as bumper pads, sheets, wipes, etc.
• Buy the appropriate seat (rear facing) and make sure you have it installed properly, you may also want to buy your front facing toddler car seat at this time so that you’re prepared for your quickly growing little one.
• Choosing a name is one of the most important things.  Your child will carry this for the rest of his/her life.
• If your baby is a boy, decide ahead of time whether or not to circumcise.
• Make the decision to breastfeed or bottle feed, or alternate between the two.
• Choose a pediatrician and discuss care with them.
• Pack a hospital bag for yourself and the baby, complete with blankets, diapers and his/her “going home” outfit.
• Purchase a book on parenting, this is especially helpful for the first-time parents.
• Make sure you have the necessary toiletries at home such as baby-powder, diapers, baby wash, thermometer, layette items, etc.
• Wash all the baby’s bedding, baby clothes, etc. baby’s skin will be delicate and anything his/her skin will touch should be washed in mild detergent.

Having everything ready can make everything much easier and less worry.  Taking the time in advance to cover the basics will help you rest easier after you return home.