Is It Safe For Baby?

Co-sleeping is a practice in which babies and young children sleep in close proximity to one or both parents, as opposed to a separate room. It is standard practice in many parts of the world, and is practiced by a significant minority in countries where cribs are also used. Bed-sharing, a practice in which babies and young children sleep in the same bed with one or both parents, is a subset of co-sleeping. Co-bedding refers to infants (typically twins or higher order multiples) sharing the same bed. There are conflicting views on bed-sharing safety and health compared to using a separate infant bed. The conflicts surrounding infant sleep are exacerbated by the misuse of the term co-sleeping interchangeably with bed sharing.

~wikipedia~

Is co-sleeping safe for your baby? Here are some views about co-sleeping, advantages & disadvantages to serve as a guide for parents.

• Co-sleeping encourages breastfeeding by making nighttime breastfeeding more convenient. The accessibility is very important, if baby and mommy are sleeping together then breastfeeding is definitely a lot more convenient. I did this with my baby and it's true. Be very careful though because the baby is very fragile, if you are not too cautious you might hurt and suffocate your baby.
  
• It makes it easier for a nursing mother to get her sleep cycle in sync with her baby's. If baby is sleeping in a separate bed or his crib, the communication between him and mommy is not too direct. Having to sleep together can give mom and baby better communication when it comes to sleep. Mommy then can take the chance to rest too while baby's enjoying his slumber.
  
• It helps babies fall asleep more easily, especially during their first few months and when they wake up in the middle of the night. Mommy being just there beside baby can attend to baby right in an instant. Baby then can feed easily and not needing to wake up in longer period to wait for mommy to notice he's up for his next feeding.
  
• It helps babies get more nighttime sleep (because they awaken more frequently with shorter duration of feeds, which can add up to a greater amount of sleep throughout the night). Just like I said above the faster you attend to your baby, the better.
  
• It helps parents who are separated from their babies during the day regain the closeness with their infant that they feel they missed. This is more likely for working moms. Those mos who had to leave their babies and will just end up seeing them at the end of the day. Breastfeeding promotes great sense of bonding and closeness between mom and baby so as co-sleeping. Baby can feel mommy and mommy can nurse baby too. It might just be hard because work has consumed your energy already making you less aware of certain actions that can put harm to baby.
  

Baby Budget Extra, Social Spark To My Aid

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

As you all know I am a first time mom and also self-employed. Me and my husband decided even before we conceived baby that I stay at home and work on my freelancing so by the time we have a baby, I can be full hands-on taking care of him. It worked pretty good for us for a year and now that we have a baby I want to have some extra budget through online opportunities. This is how I got acquainted with SocialSpark, blogger friend Betchai told me about it.

I have been blogging full-time for a year already and I'm really enjoying it. I met many friends through the blog world and it kept me "company" during my lonely moments after leaving home and migrating to the other side of the world. My freelancing job is doing good but the economy hasn't picked up so well yet therefore there's no abundance of works and also me being a full-time mom has a limited work time compared when I didn't have my baby. As everybody says, babies are expensive... I can totally agree with that. Having some back up help financially is very important for us right now that's why I'm taking my chance in .

Signing up was easy and I did it after I read through the Code of Ethics, which in overall sense tells about being honest with your post reviews and to indicate that it's a paid post. Simple and direct to the point. To all those blogger moms and all other bloggers out there who are trying to find extra means of income maybe you can try to Sign up for SocialSpark too and see what it can do for you.

Post Break: Strollers Online

When choosing a stroller, there were so many things to consider. I wanted to find one that would work as a car seat also and last with her as she grew. I used my wildblue satellite internet to research and find the exact one that would do what I was looking for in a stroller.

For the stroller to be perfect, it needed to work as a car seat also. I was searching for a set that also came with a base for the car. Safety is a huge issue and I wanted the car seat to have high safety ratings. I was able to look all over the internet. I looked through recalls on different brands. I searched for options to find out what I would want in my combination.

I found a few that I liked the safety ratings and options on the best. Next I was able to read reviews from other moms on these strollers. This was very helpful for me. I found out what they liked and did not like about the different models. I was able to narrow down my decision to two different strollers. Once I narrowed it down, I started searching for prices and availability. One of the strollers ended up being about $50 less. I was able to order this one online using wildblue satellite and have it delivered right to my door. Being able to shop this way, made it all so much easier for me. I was very happy with the purchase I made online. I don't think I ever would have found what I was looking for without being able to do this much research.

This is a guest post by new mom Rayana Usten

Preventing Diaper Rash

The best way to prevent diaper rash is by keeping your baby's skin as dry and clean as possible and changing diapers often so that feces and urine won't irritate the skin.

HOw can you prevent baby from having diaper rash?

• change your baby's soiled or wet diapers as soon as possible, don't wait til the diaper is too heavily soiled before doing so
  
• occasionally soak your baby's bottom between diaper changes with warm water by running tap water over it or by squirting with a water bottle, clean and squeaky.. fresh as can be
  
• allow your baby's skin to dry completely before you put on another diaper, very important as moisture tends to promote skin rash
  
• pat the skin gently with a soft cloth when drying it — rubbing can lead to irritation
• put the diaper on loosely to prevent chafing, if the onesie is already short just leave it unbuttoned so diaper doesn't hug baby too much
  

Post Break: Mother's Day Meal

The car was running and we were heading to Mario's for a quick Mother's Day outing. I forgot to set the new alarm I’d just gotten from www.allhomesecurity.com and had to go in to set it The kids ordered the usual hamburgers and fries. My wife and I had the veal. As usual it was a filling meal and pretty good. It was priced right considering the hit the economy performed on us.

Living in the big city is not my idea of the good life, but we try to make the best of it. Going out to eat from time to time on the kids' birthdays, holidays and special days like today. Since I wasn't driving I was able to wash down the meal with a couple of Beck's beers. I wouldn't think of driving after drinking.

When we arrived home the usual thirst hit us all, with all the spices and additives they put in the food. Too bad the restaurant can't follow the customers home and sell them things to drink. We turned in early that night, and started to wonder where we would eat out the next excuse for a day or night out arrived. All in all it was a fine afternoon out, though the kids were complaining as usual.

Written by Roger Fuller

Handling a Newborn

Here are a few basics to remember in handling your newborn:

• Wash your hands before handling your newborn. Young babies have not built up a strong immune system yet, so they are susceptible to infection. Make sure that everyone who handles your baby also has clean hands.
• Be careful to support your baby's head and neck. Cradle the head when carrying your baby and support the head when carrying the baby upright or when you lay him or her down.
• Be careful not to shake your newborn, whether in play or in frustration. Shaking that is vigorous can cause bleeding in the brain and even death. If you need to wake your infant, don't do it by shaking — instead, tickle your baby's feet or blow gently on a cheek.
• Make sure your baby is securely fastened into the carrier, stroller, or car seat. Limit any activity that would be too rough or bouncy.
• Remember that your newborn is not ready for rough play, such as being jiggled on the knee or thrown in the air.

Post Break: How Online Shopping Has Improved My Lifestyle

It is amazing how many great purchases I've been able to make since I got my computer and internet service in my little country town. I have to drive 30 miles one way just to get to a major shopping center or anywhere that I could find what I need at an affordable price.

I did not realize until two years ago when I finally got a computer how much I was missing out on! I had dial up services and decided to sign up for access to videos to learn how to set up my own website, but found that was a grave mistake because I could not view the videos with dial up. I was frantic because I had paid a pretty penny for use of those videos and couldn't even watch them.

My only other option turned out to be hughesnet internet so I ordered it and I was sure glad I did because not only could I watch the videos just fine with it but my online shopping experiences quickly started to save me lots of money. I shop for my mother's clothing needs online and she loves it when a package arrives for her.

I recently had to replace my computer and was thrilled to find that TigerDirect had some great prices on refurbished computers and I ordered one for under $200 and I absolutely love it. I didn't have to leave my home and drive 60+ miles round trip, shipping was free and I paid no taxes on it, so I ordered an awesome digital camera from them a few months later.

I find incredible deals online now and cannot imagine having to get in my car and spend all that time and money every time I need something. It's also much easier to compare prices and take advantage of sales for internet purchases only.

This is a guest post by Mike Stanton! Thanks Mike!