Choosing Babies New Clothes

It?s your first baby. You?re really excited and enjoying all the preparations: fitting out the nursery, sharing your hopes and dreams with other mums and dads to be and of course there is all that shopping for babies new clothes.

As far as buying baby clothes are concerned there are two things you must keep in mind. The first is babies comfort and the second, and it?s something you?ll soon discover ? babies grow very quickly!

It is nice to buy pink or blue and to have everything in baby?s wardrobe brand new but really what matters most of all is babies comfort and safety! If an older sister or workmate offers you some second hand clothes use them. Clothing your newborn is going to be a very expensive business and you will appreciate the help.

Let's have a look at possible fabrics:

You'll find that cotton, or cotton blends, are often the preferred option. They have several advantages over other fabrics. The material washes well and is durable. Baby stains are easily removed and it is safe to wash at a higher temperature. Look out for cotton knits, they are great at retaining their shape, they don't need ironing and in general will not shrink.

Terry fabrics are also worth considering. Terry fabrics for babies are often cotton and nylon blends. They are soft, breathe well and are comfortable A plain texture in a terry fabric can often feel like a soft cotton t-shirt.

That?s another important point when shopping make sure the item 'breathes,' i.e. body moisture can evaporate, especially in the summer months.

Pay attention to the care labels, read them carefully to discover what the garment is made from. While not all countries use the same marking symbols you should make sure that babies clothes are capable of been washed and dried at high temperatures.

In general it is best to avoid clothing that has to hand-washed or washed on the delicate/gentle cycle as these will not clean or last as long as other fabrics. It's nice to buy baby the occasional 'special' item but in general these products will cost you more money over the year.

Remember also that babies? skin is very delicate so if you want to use a softener use only dryer-sheet softeners as these are less abrasive.

At some stage you may want to bleach babies clothes check the label to see if you can use chlorine bleach or if you can only use a non-chlorine, color-safe bleach.

Check the seams of garments. Watch that the seams are will finished and there are kept to a minimum. Where the garment has a collar it should be small and lay flat.

When you come to buy sleepwear make sure it is not bulky or irritating. If the item has feet make sure there is plenty of room for babies? feet to move. Under no circumstance should baby feel restricted within the garment.

Pay close attention to the type of product you are buying, read carefully the manufacturers instructions, and always think comfort and safety. Enjoy baby!

Kevin Hart lives in Armagh City, Ireland. He is an author and researcher. More articles on babies and toddlers can be found on his website at http://www.babies-worldwide.com

By : Kevin Hart

The Baby Who Never Sleeps

It wasn't until I began surviving on two or three hours of sleep a night that I began to understand how child abuse happens. Prior to having children, nothing could have been more alien to me than the notion that anyone would even consider harming a child. But a few months into parenthood, having never had gotten more than a few hours of sleep at a stretch, I remember curling up in a fetal position on my bed listening to my inconsolable baby screaming in the next room. Oh, I would have given my left arm (and I'm left-handed, mind you), for maybe five or six hours of silence.

Five or six hours of sleep.

Fortunately, I'm a relatively stable person. Even bleary-eyed and on the brink of madness, I had enough sense to pick up the phone and call for help. ?I can't take it anymore!? I wept to my husband. ?I'm a horrible mother!?

My problem wasn't that I was a horrible mother, of course. On the contrary, it was that I was trying to be too good of a mother. I never wanted to let my poor, vulnerable baby girl cry. I never wanted her to have a moment of discomfort. I never wanted to be like the cruel and heartless parents that are, whether real or imagined, the parents of generations past. I wanted to be an empathetic mother.

It's a mentality that's popular with parents of my generation. ?Attachment Parenting?, some call it, as coined by the famous Dr. Sears. People who carry, sleep with, and respond to their children regardless of circumstance. And for some people, it works. Others, however, end up curled up in a fetal position, cradling a phone and begging for respite from anyone who might respond.

The first night I decided to let my baby cry, she was about six months old. We were going to ?Ferberize? her. My husband, who incidentally can sleep through the screams of a baby, wasn't completely comfortable with the idea, but I gave him a choice; a crying baby, or a wife who runs screaming to the nearest mental health facility. Fortunately, he made the correct choice.

It took three nights, but it worked like a charm. I would wake up in the morning after a good six or seven hours of sleep, hollering praises to the Almighty in gratitude for the mercy showered upon me.

I'm not here to endorse the lauded Ferber Method. In fact, this was not the end of our sleep issues. But it was the end of me feeling guilty for being a parent that doesn't cater to my child's whims, even at the expense of my own sanity and well-being.

The sleep issues have continued, on and off, through the years. That precious baby is almost four now, with a one-year-old baby sister. We've seen our share of sleep issues, from demanding toddlers to night terrors and more. I've learned to approach these hurdles as they come with a blend of both empathy and practicality. With balance. Sometimes there are tears or consequences, but more often than not, with commitment and a guilt-free conscious, we've managed our way into a bedtime routine that everyone loves.

Forget all the heated opinions about Ferber and co-sleeping, Ezzo and the "No Cry Sleep Solution". You're the parent. Whatever it is, you need to do what works. It's what's best for you, and best for your child. The bottom line is, everyone's happier when everyone sleeps.

To those who have asked me for any specific book recommendation, I always recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Dr. Weissbluth, who not only shares my philosophy, but will also outline to you exactly why it is in the best interest of your child's physical and neurological health to sleep properly.

Just in case you're feeling guilty.

We still have Weissbluth's ?Sleep Rules? poster hanging over my pre-schooler's bed to this very day. I've made it available as a free parenting tool on my web site, http://www.kideas.com along with other free downloadable crafts, activities, and more.

By : Jennifer Johnson