Baby Care

Taking care of a baby is hard work!  (And taking care of a toddler is every bit as difficult, just in different ways!)

Yesterday I wrote about baby registries, some of the reasons why Ben and I did things the way we did, and some of the things we learned along the way.  Today I want to share some tricks I’ve picked up that have helped all of us be more comfortable.  In my conversations with new moms, I’ve become convinced that it’s so important to have access to the experiences of other mothers.  It’s one thing to read about a diaper rash cure on the internet; it’s another to hear about it from a friend who’s actually tried it.  And the last thing a new mother needs is to feel like she’s out of options.  With the lack of sleep, the rollercoaster of emotions, and the general this-is-hard-ness of it all, feeling out of options is a dangerous place to be.  I have found that as long as I always have one more thing to try, I’m okay.  That back-up plan in my pocket gives me hope – a reason to believe that things will get better, and that whatever misery we’re currently dealing with (fevers, teething, not sleeping well, etc.) is only temporary – and it also gives me a sense of purpose.  I’ve already tried Plans A, B, and C without much success, so if things start to go downhill at bedtime tonight, I can see what happens with Plan D.  See where I’m going with this?  I never want to find myself able to say, “I’ve tried everything.”

So here we go.

• I am forever losing the medicine dosage chart our pediatrician supplies us with, and during Brynleigh’s first year, when she was growing so quickly, her weight changed often enough that I needed to reference the chart frequently.  One day, after searching for it to no avail, I decided to Google it.  Lo and behold, I found the information I needed…and later compared it with our doctor-approved chart to find it was exactly the same.  If you’re ever in a pinch, you can find the acetaminophen (Tylenol) chart here, and the ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin) here.  Remember that you can’t administer ibuprofen to a child younger than six months of age (some doctors say it’s safe down to two months; ours is definitely in the six-month school), and also remember that I’m not a doctor (!!), so be sure to check with your pediatrician before you give your baby any medication!
• Speaking of medicine, I always buy generic store brands.  They work just as well as actual Tylenol or Motrin, they cost significantly less, and they provided me with a lot of peace of mind when Johnson & Johnson did that major recall of its children’s products earlier this year.  It’s been more than six months, and I still haven’t seen those products return to store shelves!
• Somehow, we managed to avoid diaper rash until Brynleigh was about 13 months old.  That first one, however, was awful!  I called our pediatrician and they gave us the following course of action, which we’ve had a lot of success with.
  • Go diaper-free whenever possible.  Exposing baby to air helps dry out the rash.  Even five or ten minutes here and there helps: during diaper changes, before/after bath, etc.
  • NO BABY WIPES until the rash clears up!  For wet diapers, gently clean baby with lukewarm water.  Gently pat dry with a clean, soft cloth.  For dirty diapers, cleanse with lukewarm water and plain Dove soap, then rinse with clean.  Pat dry.
  • At each diaper change, apply a good, thick layer of  Aquaphor to the rash.  Then, on top of the Aquaphor, apply a thin layer of Lotrimin (an anti-fungal medication you can find with the athlete’s foot treatments in the store).
  • NOTE: To help prevent diaper rash, we actually slather Brynleigh in Aquaphor every night before bed.  The best defense is a good offense, as they say.
  • I have also taken to giving Brynleigh oatmeal baths when diaper rashes really seem to be bothering her.  They seem to be really soothing, and she enjoys baths anyway, so I think it helps take her mind off the discomfort.  The first time I did it, I made the mistake of dumping the oats – I just used regular Quaker oats – straight into the water.  Then I realized I couldn’t let them go down the drain, so I had to fish soggy oats out of the tub with my hand.  Oops.  My sister-in-law, however, is a genius, and she shared this little tip with me: put the oats in a sock – I used one of Ben’s! – and slip the sock over the faucet.  The water runs through the sock and gets all that oatmeal goodness in it before it hits the tub.  Awesome.  You don’t need a whole lot of water for an oatmeal bath; just a couple of inches is fine.
• That first diaper rash was the result of a course of antibiotics that wreaked havoc on Brynleigh’s digestive system.  In addition to invoking an “all-you-can-eat bananas” rule at the house (because bananas help solidify things, you see), Brynleigh got to enjoy lots of yogurt, and her pediatrician recommended we add probiotics to help rapidly replace what the antibiotics killed off.  We used one capsule of Culturelle (adult-strength is fine) a day; I just broke it open and sprinkled the powder in yogurt or applesauce – another “bulking” food.  Between the probiotics, the change in diet, and the diaper change regimen, Brynleigh’s rash cleared up in no time.
• When Brynleigh is teething, peaceful nights can turn into waking nightmares.  I usually give her a dose of ibuprofen before bed, and again if she wakes up in the middle of the night (I’ll switch to Tylenol if it hasn’t been long enough to give another ibuprofen dose, but I think the ibuprofen is more effective).  Ben swears by the homeopathic teething tablets and recommends them to everyone who’s ever asked.  I have tried Baby Orajel, but judging by the screaming, it just seemed to make Brynleigh mad.  Some people have had a lot of success with it.
• This temporal artery thermometer has saved us a lot of time and a lot of fussing.  It’s super fast, non-invasive, and accurate. Really, it makes taking Brynleigh’s temperature a pleasure.
• One of the most frustrating things for us is congestion.  There are few (if any) medications that are effective against congestion/runny noses in young children.  We’re dealing with a bout of congestion right now, in fact, and while Brynleigh is being a little trooper, it’s evident that she doesn’t feel 100%.  Here are some things we can do to help:
  • Saline and suction.  It’s a pain, for sure.  I’m trying to teach her how to blow her nose, but she doesn’t quite understand.  She’s really trying, but her blowing isn’t very effective yet.  I’ve had to break out the bulb syringe a few times over the last couple of days, and she hates it – BOY, does she hate it – but the more I do it, the more she’s figuring out that it really does help her breathe.  Having to pin down a screaming baby is no fun, but sometimes it’s necessary.  In those moments, you just have to take a deep breath and do what you have to do.  It’s not forever.
  • Hot showers.  Brynleigh can’t take a hot shower, obviously, but sometimes when the congestion is really bad, I’ll turn on the water and take her into the bathroom to breathe in the steam.  It can help loosen things up.
  • Humidifiers help for the same reason.
  • Elevate baby’s head.  Brynleigh slept in her bouncer (when she was small enough).  You can also put a couple of books under one end of your baby’s crib mattress.  If the Nap Nanny had been around when Brynleigh was a baby, I definitely would have purchased one….
  • Vicks BabyRub. I don’t know if it actually helps the congestion itself, but its scent is so darn soothing!

What are your favorite baby care tricks?  How do you soothe your little one when he or she isn’t feeling well?

Stay tuned…I’m planning a post on how we get Brynleigh to sleep!