ML Interest Tag: tummy

Entertaining Tummy Time Activities for Baby

By Speech Blubs

Tummy time is an essential component for babies to promote sensory, visual, and motor development. You can begin doing tummy time with your baby as soon as you leave the hospital. For a newborn, start small with a few minutes of tummy time a day. By three months, try having your baby doing tummy time for a total of one hour. Don’t worry, that hour can be broken up into small sessions throughout the day.

For some babies, tummy time is not their favorite activity. Your baby may cry while on his/her tummy—it’s completely normal. Your baby just feels uncomfortable trying something new. If your baby seems distressed try tummy time at another time during the day. Preferably after a good nap and a full belly!

The Benefits Of Tummy Time

Your baby should continue tummy time until he/she begins to crawl sometime between 7 to 9 months of age. By placing your baby on his/her stomach, it will build the necessary muscles to begin crawling.

Tummy time benefits your baby in the following ways:

  • Helps build neck, back, and core muscles

  • Builds muscles to help a baby reach milestones like rolling, sitting, crawling, and eventually walking

  • Baby develops his/her tactile sense (sense of touch) during tummy time

  • Increases body awareness as baby shifts and adjusts his/her position during tummy time

  • Helps develop baby’s sense of balance and movement when he/she is placed into different positions

  • Develops hand and eye coordination

5 Tummy Time Activities To Try

1. Face-to-Face: This activity thrives on closeness with your baby. Start by laying down on a couch with your upper body slightly inclined, then place the baby on his/her tummy against your chest. Baby will lift and turn his/her head to see you. You can encourage your baby to lift his/her head by making kissing sounds or singing a song.

At first, your baby will only be able to lift his/her head for a couple of seconds. But over time, the length of time will increase as muscles are being built. Remember, practice makes perfect! This tummy time activity can be modified in difficulty when you see your baby doing well at a slight incline.

Simply, lay yourself flat on the floor and place your baby on your chest tummy down. This is a much difficult position for your baby. Always remember to keep a hand on your baby to prevent him/her from rolling!

2. Water Play: Place your baby’s upper body tummy side down on a nursing pillow or boppy. Take a baking or sheet pan (with edges) and put lukewarm water in it. Don’t worry you don’t need it too deep. Just add enough water to keep your baby entertained. Then add ball pit balls or small rubber duckies. I’ve found ball pit balls work the best for this activity because they are extremely light and will float. This activity will help keep the baby calm during tummy time, plus increase your baby’s sense of touch and vision.

3. Sensory Bags: Sensory bags are amazing for tummy time because they lay flat. To make a sensory bag for tummy time, take a gallon size Ziplock bag, and try some of the following combinations:

  • Clear hair gel with large buttons

  • A piece of white craft paper with 5 to 6 drops of paint. This allows your baby to mix colors without the mess!

  • Vegetable oil, water, and food coloring

Since baby’s don’t see an array of colors until between 4 to 6 months of age, try using contrasting colors.

4. Reading Time: Tummy time is the perfect time to read to your baby. Instead of reading to your baby sitting up, place your baby tummy down on a nursing pillow, and lay in front of your baby. This will help your baby turn and leave his/her head to see what story you are reading.

5. Black and White Books: Because babies do not fully see an array of colors until 4 to 6 months, contrasting colors like black and white are attention-grabbing for a baby during tummy time. You can make your own black and white images or purchase a baby book made up of black and white images. These are simple images of everyday objects like apples and boats. Many contrasting color books are designed to be folded out so every page is visible to your baby. You can either place the black and white images on the floor face up or place the images or book standing up. This will help your baby strengthen his/her neck and back by lifting the neck to focus on the images.

Don’t forget to have fun with tummy time! When babies first start tummy time, it can be uncomfortable for them because they lack the neck and back strength to keep their heads up. But with more practice, a baby will gain the strength to keep their head up longer to meet essential milestones. Thankfully, tummy time doesn’t have to be a struggle for your baby. It can be fun when adding in these entertaining tummy time activities into your baby’s everyday life!

Liz Talton is writing for the Speech Blubs blog. Her son received an autism evaluation, so she decided to start advocating. She is a creator of Pitter Patter of Baby Feet, a website dedicated to anything related to motherhood. She received a master’s degree in forensic psychology and mental health.

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Just Because Newborns Are Exhausting Doesn’t Mean You Need to Suffer

By Devon Clement

Photo: Pixabay

The idea of normalizing the really exhausting parts of parenthood is common, but it often comes with an air of “it’s just not fixable so don’t try” which a lot of people really do not want to hear, and makes them feel even more exhausted. But there is a way to fix it.

When your newborn won’t nap anywhere but on your chest: This is super common. All of the rules designed to keep babies safe while sleeping (flat surface, on their back) are not compatible with what babies actually want (to be curled up, tummy to tummy with someone cozy). Don’t try to force the crib issue during the day. Wear the baby in a carrier or just queue up your Netflix backlog and let them snooze! Sleep begets sleep so the more they’re able to nap during the day (whatever that looks like!), the better they’ll do at night in the crib. Also, visitors love this task, so if you don’t like being trapped under a baby all day, invite a friend over to do it for you while you get your body to yourself for an hour or two. (Better yet—have them do the chores! It’s up to you) 

When the baby won’t settle for the night until 11 pm: Start a bedtime routine in the “magic window” of 6-7 p.m. This is when babies are usually ready to settle down for the night but if you miss it, they’ll get a second wind. Get the whole family in the routine by turning down all the lights, turn off the TV, get baby into pajamas and do a last daytime feed. They need about 12 hours of “night time”, even if they’re waking to feed, and the first stretch of sleep is usually the most solid. 

When both partners exhausted every day: Switch off with your partner at night. A mistake I see new parents making a lot is both parents staying up late and then both waking with baby. As tempting as it is to stay up together for a few hours when the baby goes to bed, you’re going to be miserable at 4 a.m. Have one parent go to bed at 7 or 8 p.m. while the other watches over baby in another room. Then switch off baby duty halfway through the night so the night owl parent can get some solid sleep too! You’ll be out of the newborn stage and back into your evening routine together before long. 

When you don’t like the advice you’re getting from well-meaning family members or friends: Don’t take it! If you’re perfectly happy with how things are going, just let it go in one ear and out the other. They don’t know your baby better than you do. If you WANT advice, pick a few other parents you really trust and like and listen to them. Or hire a postpartum doula or sleep coach for the really professional touch. 

Don’t be afraid of a little fussing. If you put your baby down and they hang out awake in their bed, but calm, let them be! Even if they get a little fussy, you don’t need to be spring-loaded to scoop them up. They’re just trying to get comfortable. If your baby is old enough (3 months or check with your pediatrician), sleep training is always an option. You and your baby don’t have to suffer.

 

Hi, I’m Devon and I am completely baby crazy. I’m a postpartum doula, parenting guide, and baby sleep coach that helps new parents adjust to parenthood, figure out what your baby wants (and what YOU want), and offer practical guidance and emotional support.  
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Top 3 Cringe-Worthy “Talks” with Your Kids

By Ruthi Davis

The bathroom was a bloodbath. It seriously looked like someone was murdered in there, nasty. My poor daughter walked into—not once, but twice—the horrid crime scene of an undisposed pad/sanitary napkin/towel on the floor of a public bathroom. The other time it was a used tampon, floating in the murky toilet waters. Just absolutely gut-wrenching to see my innocent munchkin’s face turned pale and frightened, as she muttered to me, “Mom, I think someone got really hurt.” So just like that, it all began.

Truthfully, this kind of blog would have likely been irrelevant in my pre-teen and teenage years because it doesn’t seem like it was discussed that openly at home. I never had a talk about menstruation, puberty, or sex with my mom—it was just embarrassing. I learned through a quick lesson at school about our changing bodies and then through my friends. Being a late bloomer myself, I was actually cheering when the “Flow Fairy” finally visited me. Finally, I felt like all of the other girls! Don’t even talk about bras. I think I was one of the last to sport a training bra and probably started wearing one way before I needed to. Forget the talk about sex. My mom may have nervously asked me about that once in college.

Let’s face it—we live in a much different world. Social media and reality television have dominated and shaped much of our youth’s culture now. If we don’t talk about it, someone else will.

I don’t think parents truly ready themselves for all of the cringe-worthy talks that we need to have. We ask each other if it comes up in conversation, brush off the idea, and kind of wing-it in the moment, mostly. I have always been staunch on my belief to be honest, but also age-appropriate with all of my answers to my kids about life. From the beginning, all talks should offer a semblance of honesty and easy-to-understand language. It’s all a big puzzle that you unveil, bit by bit, until the entire picture becomes clear in its own time.

Some, I admittedly figure out in the moment, while others I actually think about and speak to other moms for ideas. Thankfully, I live in a culturally diverse community, where global perspectives are so interesting and eye-opening for me.

So here goes—no matter how YOU choose to shape your answers, perhaps this Q & A scenario will help you prepare for when the time comes.

** Please note that this is just an early, basic introduction to some truly important topics, and all of the variables in parenthood should become unveiled with time. This may vary in discussion for parents in different life scenarios.

Baby Talk

After having four children about 2.5 years apart, my kids have seen my belly grow to ridiculous proportions, witness my slowing down, baby pop out, stay at the hospital, and constant breastfeeding for the first year. This cycle is as interesting as it is confusing for siblings.

Q-Where do babies come from?

A-Mom and dad have to make a decision together to have a child. When they agree, daddy gives mommy a special seed, and then mommy starts to grow a baby inside.

Q-How does the baby eat inside? Can it breathe?

A- Yes, on the inside of mommy’s tummy, there’s a long “straw” called an umbilical cord that connects from mommy’s belly button to the baby’s. This straw carries all of the oxygen to help baby breathe. Also, when mommy eats, all of the most important healthy parts of the food travel right into the baby’s tummy through this straw. Inside of mommy’s tummy is kind of like a balloon, called an amniotic sac. It’s filled with warm water and baby floats in it while growing. As baby grows, so does mommy’s tummy. 

Q-How does a baby come out of your tummy?

A-Well, all females have 3 holes—a pee hole, a poo hole, and a baby hole right in the middle. You may not even know you have it because it’s so little. Well, when baby is all finished growing, mommy feels a strong knock on the inside of her tummy. Then mommy goes to the doctor to help baby come out. The doctor will help baby come out either through that middle hole, like a baby slide from mommy’s tummy and out, or through mommy’s baby door. The doctor has a special key to get baby out.

Q-What is baby doing to you (breastfeeding)?

A-Baby is drinking mommy’s milk. After mommy has a baby, her breasts become natural baby bottles. Baby is drinking special milk to get big and strong.

Periods, Aunt Flow and Menstruation

Whether a child is as young as 9-years old when she begins menstruating, or has a friend who does, this time can be as confusing as frightening for a child who is completely unaware of this process. In my case, it only took a sloppy stranger to leave the evidence behind in a public bathroom for my daughter to find, prompting this highly important talk.

Q-What is that stick that you’re holding (tampon)? What happened to that person in the bathroom? Is she hurt? What happened?

A-You know how a chicken lays an egg and a chick comes out? Well, moms have an egg too, but it stays on the inside. Remember how I explained to you how a baby is made when daddy gives mommy a special seed? And that the body has it’s own special way of healing and cleaning itself? Well, just like the egg of a chicken, not every egg has a chick inside. Some are empty. Every 30 days or so, a female’s body checks to see if her egg has that special seed. If it does, a baby starts to grow. If it doesn’t, the body cleans itself and prepares for a new one; and that’s what it looks like for a few days. It’s red and it doesn’t hurt. It’s just the body’s way of cleaning. During that time, we use a cotton pad (towel, sanitary napkin) or tampon (cotton stick) to keep ourselves clean.

The Big Talk: How Babies are Really Made

Television, magazines, social media, and even pop music are constantly promoting images and singing about “sex” and “sexy.” While children are young and naive, they repeat song lyrics and watch completely unaware. Yet there comes a time when curiosity and reasoning kick in, prompting many questions on this topic. Be prepared however YOU choose to enlighten your children.

Q-What’s the difference between sexy and sex? I hear those words a lot.

A-One is an adjective and the other a verb (ha!).

Q-What is sex? Tell me how babies are really made? How does dad give mom the seed?

A-Ok, so you know how I told you that every part of your body serves a special purpose? Like your eyelashes are there to keep dust out of your eyes. Nose hair keeps dirt and dust out of your nose. Breasts become baby bottles for babies. A belly button is how mommy gives baby nutrition through the umbilical cord. Well, if everything serves a special purpose, have you ever wondered why females and males have different private parts? Why do females have a vagina that go in and males have a penis that sticks out?

Well, women and men were made to fit like a puzzle. When a woman and a man decide to have a baby, they give each other a special cuddle, and the seed that holds all of the information about our family moves from the man to the woman. The seed then finds it’s way to mommy’s egg that holds all of her information. When both are combined, a baby that is the combination of both people starts to form.

So there you have it. I got through all of the most cringe-worthy conversations, seamlessly and painlessly, if you don’t count my original nervous cackling for a good 30 seconds before collecting myself again and answering that last question. Over time, you may need to fill in any gaps or add technical terms, but this is a preliminary example of how I managed to work through each of these important topics.

This may not be the way you choose to tell your children, and that’s wonderfully ok. But please make sure you do. No matter if you have a girl or boy, please do your best to keep the non-judgmental communication lines free and open with your children.

Let them feel comfortable in asking you everything from social situations, personal developments, curse words, drugs, sex, and anything else that life throws their way.

The best preparation is awareness and knowledge.

Find your own way and have a plan. Good luck!

With Love,

Ruthi

Ruthi Davis is a the Founder of Ruth Davis Consulting LLC with over two decades of success in advertising/marketing, media/publicity, business development, client relations, and organizational optimization for a variety of clients. Ruthi is a proud mom and influencer in the parenting and family market as founder of the Superfly Supermom brand.

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The Day I Became a Mom

By Sue Barr

Photo: Sue Barr

Once upon a time there was a woman who had an awesome life. She traveled the world and worked with fashion designers, dated male models and partied with rock stars but her heart was empty. She tried to fill the emptiness with lovers and designer clothes and exotic vacations but nothing worked.

That woman was me. I was in my early 30’s and it was the naughty 90’s. I was a fashion stylist. Styling big brand advertising, rock stars and fashion publications. No matter how successful I was my heart was empty. I was so blessed that my career took me to so many wonderful places and introduced me to all types of amazing people but I seemed to always be searching for that something or someone to fill my aching heart. I even changed careers to become a photographer thinking that being the creator would help the loneliness I felt within.

On location in the burbs of Miami, I met the most adorable 2-year-old and his mom. She shared her tale of becoming a single mother by choice. I knew right away that everything I was blessed with, needed to be shared with my own child.

This revelation was just the beginning of a long and painful journey. I signed up at a sperm bank and chose my child’s father from a stack of dossiers. I chose donor #6930, Ivy Leagued Russian scholar who I nicknamed Ivan. For over a year I monitored my cycle and did artificial insemination twice a month. After a year of failure and my biological clock passionately ticking away, I invested in a round of artificial insemination. That didn’t work and I was referred to a fertility specialist. It seemed like the ache in my heart was growing and could never be filled. It took months before I had my appointment with the specialist who told me my clock had stopped ticking. His solution was I should buy donor eggs.

I had an epiphany that pregnancy was not the only way to fulfill my desire to become a mother. I embraced the idea of adoption. I left his office with a bit of hope filling the emptiness in my heart. It had taken almost a decade since I had decided to become a mother and I was 43 years old but so much had changed in me and in society around me. Single motherhood for celebrities and everyday women was all the rage. 

As the holidays were approaching again, that emptiness started creeping into my heart again, another mother with the most adorable daughter shared her journey. She handed me a business card printed with the name of an adoption lawyer and an 800 phone number. I made immediate contact. In a split second I decided the only thing that was important was I wanted a newborn with 10 fingers and toes. I didn’t care about race or sex or anything else.

My heart was filled with joy. I wrote a heartfelt dossier of pictures and words of why I wanted to be a mom addressed to an unknown woman somewhere in the country who would read it and chose me to her baby’s mommy. Somehow this all seemed manageable and easier than anything else I had tried but to guard myself from another devastating blow of defeat I gave myself a deadline. This would happen within the year or I would move on. My heart just could not fill up again and empty out without becoming permanently broken.

Unfortunately there was even more heartache to come. My family was not supportive. Three birth mothers chose me and backed out at the last minute. The agony of loss was more excruciating but I was still filled with hope.

I photographed families as I ached for my own. On one very cold gray, December day a few weeks before my birthday deadline the phone rang and on the other end was literally an angel. A young woman who had a baby in her tummy but no room in her heart for the little soul would be arriving within weeks. It seemed that she thought I would an awesome mommy to the baby in her tummy. One heart would be healed and the other would be filled with smiles and roller coasters and blue ices and the mummy rides at St Leos fair. A win, win situation.

I filled my home with all that would make my baby giggle and grow in this wonderful world. Friends and clients brought cribs and bottles and bibs, high chairs and playpens, swings and stuffed animals, blankets and lovey’s and so many things that my home was filled just like my heart. My birthday passed again and the holidays were looming.  The angel lady with the baby in her tummy stopped calling. I just couldn’t believe another birth mom had changed her mind. I heart was literally hemorrhaging hope. 

The sun was rising on Christmas morning and the phone rang at 6:45 a.m. It was the angel lady wishing me the Merriest Christmas. Well she didn’t actually wish me a Merry Christmas , she told me she was on the way to the hospital and I should come as soon as I could to meet my baby.

I arrived in the hospital—10 states away, when the sun was gently setting behind the mountains, walked down the longest corridor. Every step was filled with future boo-boos and band-aids and kisses and pool splashes and homework and Saturday morning cartoons and pajama days and movie nights. As I walked down that hall I knew I was walking into the beginning of my happy story.

Our life as a family started. It was filled with good things and hard things and funny things and even some sad things but mostly so much more then I could have ever dreamt of. Two moms—a birth mom and an adoptive mom—together healed each other’s hearts and a tiny little soul has grown to become a shining star. 

 

 

This post originally appeared on medium and tumblr.

I am a single mom by choice to a wonderfully typical teenager. We are a diverse family living the new middle class normal in the subburbs of NYC.I am an award winning storyteller specializing in lifest‌yle photography and do corporate, personal and retail commissions.

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Funniest Parenting Tweets of the Week: Dec. 14, 2018

by Karly Wood

Photo by Ryan McGuire via Gratisography; composite by Karly Wood for Red Tricycle

What’s better than funny parenting tweets? Hilarious holiday parenting tweets! Parents everywhere are getting ready for the big day and whether they’re bribing their kids to stay in line or just bemoaning the days leading up to Christmas, they are downright funny.

 

1. Totally winning it.

2. Oh totes.

3. Well played smoke alarm, well played.

4. Livin’ the dream.

5. Never. The answer is never.

6. They sound just alike, really.

7. Who needs The Club when you have kids?

8. Yes PLEASE!

9. Sweet dreams are made of these.

https://twitter.com/thecheekymommy/status/1073030425843503104

10. Out of the mouths of babes…

––Karly Wood

 

RELATED STORIES

Funniest Parenting Tweets of the Week: December 7, 2018

Funniest Parenting Tweets of the Week: November 30, 2018

Funniest Parenting Tweets of the Week: November 23, 2018

 

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Hey Warrior Tips to Helping Your Anxious Child

By Melissa Benaroya, LICSW

I have received numerous emails and messages over the years from parents concerned about their child’s anxious behavior. This is a tough topic, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to interview Karen Young from Hey Sigmund last month about it. Many of you missed the live interview, so I wanted to recap some of the highlights for you.

Just in case you don’t know Karen let me do a quick intro.  Karen Young is not only a psychologist and the founder of the very popular Hey Sigmund blog, but also the author of the Hey Warrior book.  She had originally written this book for her daughter who was changing schools and getting headaches, tummy aches and not sleeping.  At first, she thought her daughter was going through a typical adjustment.  She then realized that her daughter was struggling with anxiety and helped her to identify and describe her feelings, understand that it was actually good and taught her ways to manage her anxiety.  

Here are a few of the highlights from the interview I did with Karen that you can use to work with your child if you notice any anxious behavior:

You can help your child identify and describe their anxiety.  For example, you can compare it to the feeling you get when you miss a stair or start falling. Children’s response to anxiety can look different and include: anger, trouble sleeping, avoidance, fidgety behavior, lack of focus, bad decisions, tummy aches, and tantrums. You can explain to your child that their anxiety is a good thing and that there is nothing wrong with them.  It is there to protect them and provide a warning when something dangerous is happening.   Let your child know that anxiety can happen to anyone! Anxiety happens because the amygdala in your brain (in the book Karen names her daughter’s amygdala “The Warrior”) thinks there might be a danger.  It cannot always tell if there is a real danger or not, but it still responds the same way which leads to the anxiety response (feeling lightheaded, breathing heavy and heart starts racing). Kids can better deal with their anxiety once they understand what is going on. They can then become the boss of their brain and feel empowered. Three strategies to help kids manage their anxiety: Acknowledge and validate-  Let your child know that you understand and validate how they are feeling.  If you tell them that they are fine and that nothing is wrong it could actually increase their anxiety. (Instead, you can say things like: “I understand that you’re worried about this.” or  “I feel this way too.” or “I know you’re going to be ok. Breathing exercises- Ideally practice breathing exercises ahead of time, that way in the moment they know exactly what to do without you having to tell them what to do.  If you are with your child, use the breathing practice with them and focus on keeping your own body calm.  ( Examples: blowing out birthday candles or hot cocoa- breathe in 3 seconds and hold 1 and then out for 3 seconds) Encourage your child to act brave – Let them know that even if they are feeling scared they can act brave. You can say things like, “You can do it” without over re-assuring them.  Repeating “You’re going to be fine” will probably have the opposite effect because they may feel dismissed.  You can always help them problem solve in these moments by steering them towards their own answers to questions like, “ What do you think can make you feel better?” or “What have you done before when you started feeling worried?”​ Here is a download with a compilation of these tips so you can print, reference and share.

MELISSA BENAROYA  

If you have an anxious child, what are some of the things you are doing now to help him/her or what would you be willing to try?  Please share and feel free to check out Karen’s book Hey Warrior.  You will be glad you did, and so will your child!

Melissa Benaroya, LICSW
Tinybeans Voices Contributor

Melissa Benaroya, LICSW, is a Seattle-based parent coach, speaker, and author. She created the Childproof Parenting online course and is the co-founder of Mommy Matters and GROW Parenting. Melissa provides parents with the tools and support needed to raise healthy, happy, responsible and respectful children and find more joy in parenting. 

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13 Signs You’re on Your Second Baby

by Christal Y.

Your first baby is a unique, special creature. He was showered with attention. His life is documented in great detail. He only consumed organic, homemade foods. And then your second comes along and you get a little more realistic in your parenting goals. Here are a few signs you’ve loosened up a little for Baby #2.

Photo: Jim Champion via Flickr

1. With your first baby, you would NEVER disrupt their nap time for an outing. And if you were out, you would rush home to settle them into their darkened room while they drifted off to whale sounds from the white noise machine. Now you’ve got school pickup and soccer practice to go to, so baby learns to sleep whenever, wherever!

photo: Joe Green via flickr

2. During your first pregnancy, you read every single article and blog post you could about the size of your baby, your symptoms, what to expect and what was happening inside your tummy at that stage. This time around, you pop your prenatal vitamins and just let your body keep doing its thing.

Photo: Mark Doliner via Flickr

3. You swear by hand-me-downs. Why buy new footed PJs when you have bins full in your basement from your first little?

Photo: Tia Henriksen via Flickr

4. Baby #1 watched no more than a half hour of educational TV a day, and not until after his third birthday. Baby #2 has his own streaming videos account, and he is six months old.

Photo: Family O’Abe via Flickr

5. Your first had 247 photo albums dedicated to her. Baby #2’s life is documented on your phone during feedings.

Photo: andrechinn via Flickr

6. When your first born dropped their soother, you boiled it or washed it thoroughly in hot water before returning it to them. When your second drops a soother or a toy you give it a quick wipe on your pants and think to yourself, “He’ll have a strong immune system!”


Photo: Kona Gallagher via Flickr

7. You catch Baby #2 licking the TV and instead of thinking, “Oh, no!” you think “No way! My toddler turned on the Bachelor?” By now, you’ve seen your first kid lick much, much worse.

Photo: Caroline Tran via Flickr

8. “Sleep when the baby sleeps” seems like some sort of sick joke.

Photo: Bjorn Giesenbauer via Flickr

9. You rocked your first to sleep every night — and sometimes fell asleep right there with him. For the second it’s bing-bam-boom … to the crib he goes!

photo: Tabitha Blue via flickr

10. Baby #2’s jumper/activity center is affectionately known as the ‘Circle of Neglect’ around your house. And you feel very little guilt about it.

Photo: Moke076 via Flickr

11. Your partner, parents, in-laws and other family members never missed a single sonogram appointment the first time around. Now you fly solo! (And you use it as an excuse for some extra alone time.)

Photo: Anothony J via Flickr

12. When somebody asks if they can hold the baby, instead of being skeptical, you say “YES!” as if you have just won the lottery.

Photo: Donnie Ray Jones via Flickr

13. You had no idea how you could possibly ever love another baby as much as your first. And then you met your second and your breath was taken away. You realize love has no limits and you couldn’t be happier.

What do YOU think are the signs that you’re on your second baby? Let us know in the Comments!

–Heather Dixon

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Where Babies Come From, According to Kids

by Shahrzad Warkentin

At one point or another, every parent must face the dreaded question: where do babies come from? For some lucky parents, avoiding the question is a little easier because their kids are already baby experts. Check out these hilarious quotes from real moms whose kids dropped some knowledge bombs on where babies come from.

Alternative choices.
“My 6 year old was fascinated to learn all about how babies grow. She took a very scientific view of the process, asking questions and seeking clarification. No emotions would interfere with her quest for knowledge. Until she discovered how the babies come out. Her response to that realization? ‘I think I’ll adopt.’”
—Jessica H.

They come in a 5 pack.
“My son asked if we could get him a baby girl. I asked him where he thought we could pick up a baby and he said Costco!”
—Katie S.

Don’t be silly, that’s not what vaginas are for!
“My son asked if all babies got “cut out” of mommies tummies. I explained that no, some women have c-sections and some babies come out another way. He asked how. I told him they come out through the mommy’s vagina….there was a long pause and then he burst out into hysterical laughter, ‘mommy that’s ridiculous!’”
—Justine F.

The student becomes the teacher.
“When my oldest was 6, I was pregnant and so we told him, in a kid version, how babies were made and all about pregnancy. We used the correct terms. Well, at school one day a little girl said something about how babies grew in the tummy. My son corrected her and the class ended up having a lesson/discussion about pregnancy.”
—Heather W.

Give it a few years.
“My husband is a doctor so with all the anatomy books laying about they know EXACTLY where babies come from. Finally told my 9 yr old how babies are made and his response was “that is gross”.
—Nicole T.

What’s for lunch?
“When I was pregnant, my daughter wondered how a baby got into my belly so she asked me if I ate the baby.”
—Diane W.

Just google it.
“My daughter knows exactly where babies come from. She googled it on her brain pop jr. app. Although, she is still quite confused how ‘the sperm cell just JUMPED from Daddy to Mommy’s uh-ter-us (uterus) and noooobody saw it….’ (we tell her it was a very small cell and probably happened at night when it was dark).”
—Alison D.

K-I-S-S-I-N——Baby!
“My 6 year old thought you get married, kiss and then have a baby. We went to a friend’s wedding and awhile after she asked if they had a baby, I told her no and she said ‘but I saw them kiss!!!’”
—Sandra B.

Knock, knock. Who’s there? A baby!
“My older child knew babies were carried in a special place inside of a mommy, but hadn’t asked how they came out yet. One day, he asked me if he could look at my belly button. It was an odd request, but sure. It’s a belly button. He looked, thanked me, and made a kinda perplexed noise as he turned to walk off. Then I hear him mutter as he walked off, ‘…but there’s no door!’ It took me a second, then it hit me. He somehow had worked out in his head, without asking how babies came out, that women had a door in their bellies.”
—Jayme H.

Have your kids had the baby talk with you yet? Tell us what you learned in the comments.

 

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10 Questions My Kid Has Asked Me That I Was Totally Unprepared to Answer

by Leah R. Singer

We’ve all heard the expression that kids say the darnedest things. Well they ask some pretty crazy questions too. Here are ten questions my daughter has asked me at one time or another that I was not quite prepared to answer.

1. What’s an abortion? (Thank you, NPR)

2. What if we had no heads? (I don’t know, but sometimes I feel like I’m missing my brain.)

3. Why can’t I see God from the airplane? (I’ve got nothing.)

4. Why didn’t Santa Claus come to our house last year? Is it because we’re Jewish? (Oh look, a shiny object!)

5. What’s inside that box labeled Romeo (the deceased family dog) in the keepsake cabinet? (His spirit?)

6. Why won’t Siri answer my question? (Don’t get me started on Siri!)

7. How did the baby get inside that lady’s tummy (shouted from inside a crowded pizza restaurant)? (Have some dessert!)

8. Why can’t I pee standing up like boys? (I don’t know, but some boys shouldn’t be standing up either.)

9. Why is poop brown? (Google it!)

10. Why can’t I hang out with grandma by myself? (Because she has … “issues”)

What questions have your kids asked that you weren’t prepared to answer? What should we add to this list?

— Leah R. Singer

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No, My Baby Does Not Have Colic.

By Kali Newby

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There goes the doctors favorite word to throw around while diagnosing babies, colic. Being a mother of two, I can definitely rule out different cries, I mean come on I’m an expert now basically. NOT.

I have two precious boys, and I became a mother at nineteen years young. Kaiden made me a mother, he’s now three years old and has taught me a lot about my life and about how to be a mother. When Kaiden was a baby, he was diagnosed with acid reflux. Nothing serious to the doctors since he was gaining weight. 

BUT, what about the pain my baby was going through? Sure, he’s gaining weight fine, I had no idea how when it seriously  looked like he was throwing up ounces at a time. Luckily, after changing formula six times, yes six times, and finding the right medication he grew out of his acid reflux at four months old.

Fast forward two years, and we are ready to have another baby. After trying and trying, we stopped trying and trusted God’s timing. Next thing you know, those two lines popped up on my pregnancy test. 39 weeks later I was induced to give birth to our second precious baby boy Kylan. All of the sudden, things took a turn for the worst.

As I was getting discharged the pediatric hospitalist came in and proceeded to tell me that I was being discharged, but Kylan was not. I was in shock. “Why, is he okay, he had been fine the first two nights at the hospital!” Kylan ended up having blood in his stool, and the doctors had no answers as to why. Finally after a numerous amount of doctor visits and formula changes, my sweet baby ended up having MSPI (Milk Soy Protein Intolerance).

That’s not all though. Kylan was screaming, throwing up, arching his back, and covering himself and me in vomit after every single bottle. My baby was in PAIN.

I made the first available appointment for that very next day. Here we go again… “Your baby is gaining weight just fine. He has colic, and it will pass eventually.” We left, tears streaming down my face, I knew my baby was in pain and he did not have colic. After more doctor visits, they finally put Kylan on acid reflux medication- Zantac, an H2 blocker that your baby grows up a tolerance towards.

So here we go, more pain. Sleepless nights, and a screaming baby that only wants to be held and cuddled. Medication was changed again to a PPI (Proton Pumps Inhibitors). With babies though, they need their PPI more than once a day and until they are on the right dosage, they will continue to be in pain and go through the dreaded a”acid battle.” 

Yes, the acid battle is real, and it’s total HELL. You don’t know what to do anymore, you feel useless, hopeless, and worst of all like you’re failing your baby as their mother. A mother who is supposed to protect them, and do their best to keep them out of harms way. I felt like I was going crazy. Until one day I found a support group on Facebook for infants with acid reflux, and other mothers going through the same exact things I was going through with Kylan. Dr. Jeffrey Phillips who was an administrator on the Facebook group had invented TCM (Tummy Care Max) which makes PPIS immediate release instead of having to wait 45 minutes after giving the baby their medicine to give your baby a bottle.

I also discovered Marci Kids Dosing, which goes by the age and weight of your baby to determine how many milligrams to give your baby and also how many times per day. This truly was a life saver. I researched and researched some more before taking the leap and getting Tummy Care Max, and the amazing thing is that it’s safe for MSPI babies like my sweet Kylan as well!

After starting new medication, and giving Kylan the right dosage backed by science, he became a totally different baby. Kylan smiles, laughs, holds his head up, and rolled over from front to back for the first time! My message to all moms and all parents out there is to follow your parenting instincts. Don’t ever feel crazy for thinking something is wrong with your baby when you have that gut wrenching feeling that something isn’t right. Colic is diagnosed daily by pediatricians when later on the true problem is acid reflux, and when not treated your baby can be in severe pain. Don’t ever settle with answers you don’t be feel comfortable with.

Fight for your babies. WE ARE THEIR VOICE. WE ARE THEIR NUMBER ONE FANS. WE ARE THEIR PARENTS AND THEY ARE OUR GIFTS FROM GOD. 

So they deserve to be well taken care of and not in pain. So sweet mama or daddy reading this, I hope you stand up and fight for your precious babies. I fought so extremely hard, and I wanted to give up at times, but guess what!?

 I WON, ME AND KYLAN DEFEATED THIS ACID BATTLE. Much love to all the parents going through health conditions with their precious babies, and even though I don’t know you, I’m praying for you. God Bless. 

I'm a stay at home mom to two beautiful boys. I enjoy the simple things in life, like taking a relaxing shower without my kids throwing my clothes in the toilet. I enjoy helping other moms with obstacles they're facing that I have already overcome.

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