Best Parenting World

Etiquette for baby shower used to be quite rigid, but rules have relaxed in the past several years. Etiquette is a word that strikes fear in the heart of many party planners. You don’t want anyone to get upset or think that you are being rude. There are several rules of that you should be aware of. Whether or not you follow them is up to you.

It used to be that etiquette for baby shower said that mothers of the new parents should not plan a baby shower. Some people may have viewed this as a gift grab by the family. Even sisters were not supposed to plan the baby shower. However, in past years this rule has fallen by the wayside. If you are related to a new mom, go ahead and plan her baby shower to your heart’s content.

The next etiquette for baby showers rule you need to consider is whom to invite. If you know the new mom well, most of the guest list will be obvious. However, you should show her the list to make sure that no one has been left out.

This is it - the finish line. You and your partner have been training for this event for the last 40 weeks and there is no turning back. Hopefully, you have registered in a prenatal class (aka childbirth education class) to help prepare you for labor and delivery. And if you haven’t already registered, then you should as soon as possible since spaces always fill up early. Very few couples, who are of sane mind, decide to face the delivery room without any preparatory training.

That said, this article is not intended to be your sole resource on childbirth education; rather, it is only a simplified version of what you can expect. You may use this article as part of your pre-prenatal education program or as part of your post-prenatal review. However you choose to use this article is entirely up to you, provided that you do not use it as your only information source.

Labor, like pregnancy, is divided into three parts: stage one, two and three. Stage one is further divided into three phases: early labor, active labor and the transition period. Don’t worry if this doesn’t make any sense to you now or if you find it slightly boring, since everything will become clearer after you read this article and take your prenatal classes. That said, you should be forewarned that childbirth education is a complicated topic.

A New Diet For a Baby
 by: Yana Mikheeva

It seems nothing else can be invented in this eternal sphere of baby’s nutrition. Juices, fruits, semolina However, science moves forward. Unfortunately, ecology too. There’re more and more babies today, who cannot bear protein food that we think is so necessary for a growing organism. But, alas, almost all babies don’t “accept” cow’s milk now, and many of them even “refuse” from the most hypoallergic one - soy milk. Now even formulas for premature babies are prepared with minimum protein.

It is proved that great protein load while the first year of life leads to adiposity, cardio-sclerosis, nephritic pathologies and hypertension in future. We have quite opposite attitude to classic babies’ paps now. Substances, damaging a baby’s alimentary canal were found in them.

So, scientists have to re-invent a baby formula again and again. These changes touched not only modern adapted milk formulas, but also supplementary feeding - the first “adult” food in a baby’s ration. So, alas, we have to refuse from old approved methods and meet new ones.

Looking At Metabolism in Children with Down Syndrome
 by: Jane Orville

Research suggests children with Down syndrome have a lowered Basal Metabolic Rate, which is the rate a person burns calories for fuel when completely at rest - or sleeping. This means that children with Down syndrome use less energy when they are resting or sleeping.

Let’s look at an example. If you child is with a “normal” peer and eats the same amount of food and does the same activities, he will burn up to 15% fewer calories than his buddy. This means that his body has calories left over. Even 50 calories extra a day, a simple apple, will add up to 5 pounds a year. Take that over 5 years and you have an extra 25 pounds.

There are three ways to adapt for this difference in metabolism:

• Increase activity

• Limit calories

• Increase activity and limit calories.

Beginning with a focus on physical activity has many more positives. A person can choose from a variety of aerobic activities that are enjoyable. Additionally, regular aerobic activity has many health benefits: increased muscle tone, decreased resting heart rate, decreased blood pressure, a sense of well-being , better sleep, and an increase in metabolism.

Some Unusual Causes Of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
 by: Lucky Balaraman

On the list of horrifying things that can happen to a family, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is near the top. SIDS occurs when a baby between the ages of one and six months mysteriously dies in its sleep.

There are several causes for SIDS, and more are being discovered each year. Being suffocated by bedding is certainly one of them, as is being rolled on by parents and being a passive infant smoker.

But there are two other reasons responsible for a significant number of unexplained infant deaths.

Before World War Two, the number of SIDS (also called ‘Crib Death’) incidences was not very high. There was a dramatic increase in the number after the War, and it took quite a while for researchers to identify the cause.

Post-war, the industrially developed nations promulgated laws saying that crib mattresses had to be made fire retardant. Manufacturers achieved this by adding fire retarding chemicals to the mattress, which was a perfectly logical thing to do.

Raising Children With Choices
 by: Barbara Freedman-De Vito

It’s undeniably difficult raising children in a changing world. You want the best for your children and you want them to fulfill their potential with each new activity that they undertake but, in a society where certain endeavors are still too often considered to be the domain of males only or of females only, it may take a bit of effort to create a maximum of opportunities for your children, whether they be girls or boys.

Every child, and for that matter, every adult, has innate aptitudes for certain things. Some kids may do better in school than others do, some excel in verbal skills, and for others their forte may be analytical skills or problem-solving. Mathematics and science come more easily to some children than to others, while some are good with their hands. Many are curious about how machines function. Some have the patience and perseverence to stick with a complex new project, and some don’t. Certain children have a talent for drawing or for music. The possibilities and the individual variations are limitless.

Just like Willy Nelson, I could not wait to get on the road again.

After five years of marriage my husband and I had traveled to France, Florida, Missouri, Georgia, and the Caribbean. We had also taken many weekend trips around my husband’s hectic work schedule.

That all changed January 16, 1992 - or so we thought.

The next three months were a blur; bottles, diapers, and lack of sleep, times two. When I finally returned to work, after twelve weeks, my life had drastically changed.

My husband and I did not venture on another vacation for seven years. By that time the twins were seven and our youngest was two.

I quickly learned how traveling with our youngest children could be fun, exciting and definitely not tiresome. With a family of five our preferred mode of travel is driving.

We make our hotel stops safe, fun, and exciting by following some simple rules, and, with minimal planning, easy.

Just remember that jumping up from your chair each time your toddler/preschooler reaches danger is exhausting!

1. Travel with a child proofing kit: electrical outlet covers, doorknob covers, string to tie cabinets closed and the number to the poison control center.

A Covert Marketing Tool For Parent Buyers - The Kiddie Ride
 by: Damon Carson

Choosy mothers choose Jif. But what do choosy kids choose? “Automobiles and electronics,” says Mark Snyder, senior vice president of brand management for Holiday Inn. “Children very much get to participate in making those purchasing decisions.” Let’s face it. Anyone who has ever stood in a checkout line in the supermarket knows that kids have always had a say in purchasing toys, food and other smallish items. What’s new is how far that influence now stretches—and how advertisers are reacting.

Let’s look at one tool the grocery industry uses to influence kids and ultimately to get parents to buy foodstuff at their location. This tool is beginning to be used by smart marketers in other industries as we’ll detail. The tool - a kiddie ride.

Every grocer wants to create a carnival type atmosphere to attract kids and their grocery-buying parents. Kiddie rides provide a great way to attract kids and their money-spending parents. Most every parent can tell you which grocery stores have kiddie rides because their kids alert them to the fact, and of course, which grocery store is the kid going to want to shop at when tagging along with Mom or Dad. Of course, the one with the kiddie ride.

Learning To Breastfeed Can Be Such a Vulnerable Time
 by: Dr. Melanie Beingessner

Learning to Breastfeed Can Be Such A Vulnerable Time

Learning to breastfeed can be a difficult and frustrating time

for first-time mothers and their babies. Under the best

circumstances, most of us have patience and determination to

learn a new skill. However, after the physically draining

effects of labour and birth, breastfeeding can easily become

frustrating if the baby is slower to learn to latch at the

breast.

During this period just after birth, your internal resources are

fragile and you can be vulnerable to outside criticism or

disapproval. With respect to breastfeeding, “well intentioned

help” can easily sabotage the breastfeeding process. Many new

mothers are offered suggestions from people who truly believe

that they are providing great advice, when the advice is dated

and can actually interfere with the breastfeeding process. Here

are a few situations that can arise, the problems that they can

create, and suggestions on how to handle them.

The Postpartum Period

“You are so very tired. Why don’t you sleep and let us take care

Children with ADHD
 by: Hoe Bing Lo

There is a perplexing state of affairs in today’s society, there lies a strong correlation between the affluence of a society and the amount of disease that is present. There is also another correlation that troubles many a people and that is with affluence comes disease at an Earlier age.

Working with children and the parents of these children I often get asked the question, ‘Why are Children with ADHD on the increase?’

The answer as you shall find is one that is both interesting and challenging.

Children of today are really no more different from the children of yesterday in terms of genetic makeup. However, if you examine the issue more closely you will tend to find that many children today have been given labels. For example, ‘Oh, those are children with ADHD’ or ‘Those are the children who can’t sit still.’ Or ‘That is the kid that always gets into trouble.’

These labels are not only destructive but also become a self fulfilling prophecy as it is repeated adnauseum.