In a recent Health Warning over Swaddling Babies, Professor Nicholas Clarke, a consultant orthopedic surgeon, states “swaddling is causing a rising number of cases of hip dysplasia.” The way in which many parents are taught to tightly wrap babies doesn’t allow them the same freedom and flexibility they have been accustomed to for the last nine months. Clarke doesn’t entirely disapprove of swaddling, but recommends that “babies are not rigidly wrapped but have enough room to bend their legs.” He adds “they don’t need to have their legs straightened as there is plenty of time to stretch before they start to walk.”

Reading this article reminded me of a new baby gear item I was introduced to a few months ago, the True Womb.  The True Womb mimics the womb by providing the comforts of being securely swaddled while allowing baby’s legs and arms the necessary freedom they have previously enjoyed.

The True Womb boasts its cutting-edge sleep system in which baby transitions from the womb to the sleeping swaddle to the arms-free swaddle. You can read about the benefits of TrueWomb used as a sleeping swaddle and arms-free swaddle below. Another advantage of the sleep system is the “ComfortWrap Belt.” The True Womb offers the only belt that is said to help baby “have longer periods of quality sleep with the added benefit of greatly reducing or eliminating colic.” Now, I’m sure for those that have powered through an experience with a colicky baby, a belt that is said to eliminate these symptoms may sound too good to be true, but as overly-exhausted parents, we will try anything, right?

I felt like I had it together when it came to preparing for outings with my oldest son. It admittedly took longer than it should have, but I was feeling pretty good about things until my youngest son arrived. I’m not the type that remembers to refill the diaper bag after each outing, so I decided to pack an emergency kit in the car that will serve as a backup for when I am not on my game. Here is what I came up with.  Believe it or not, but it all fits in this neat, clean container in the back of the car. What would you add to yours? Stephanie

Wetbag (for cloth diapers, wet clothes, etc.)

Paper towel roll filled with plastic bags to throw away disposable diapers, leftover snacks, used wipes…any and all trash associated with little ones.  Here is a great way to reuse those plastic produce and grocery bags in case you are one of us that has the reusable bags in your car and the best intentions, but doesn’t always remember to bring them into the store.

Two cloth diapers

Two disposable diapers

A change of clothes..for the whole family. The babies aren’t the only ones bound to end up with a little poop on them.

Wipes

Nursing cover

Manual breast pump- My husband thought this was a bit overboard, but the same day I finally finished loading the emergency kit into the car we had to use it. We headed out of town to meet friends for dinner and on the way we realized we had left the bottle we made for Wright in the refrigerator. We would not have been able to drop the boys off with our family if I had not packed the pump in order to leave him a bottle. It also comes in handy when you are out and about and find yourself needing to pump, but the baby is sleeping. Rather than waking him and having him nurse, I am able to pump a bit and let him continue his nap.

Disposable nursing pads

Burp cloth

Sippee cup

Bottle

Pacifier

Pacifier wipes

Antibacterial wipes

Antibiotic ointment

Hand sanitizer

Tide to go mini

Bandaids

Neosporin wound cleanser

Suncreen (remember to check the Enviromental Working Group for a safe, non-toxic product)

Thermometer

Teething tablets

If you haven’t already heard, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement advising parents to keep toddlers in rear-facing car seats at least until age 2, or until they exceed the height or weight limit for the car seat.  While this may seem like a change from their 1 year and 20 pound recommendation, it is actually just a clarification.  The AAP and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration remain committed to the recommendation that rear-facing is the safest way for a child to ride in the car and that every child should remain rear facing as long as their seat allows (www.nhtsa.gov). According to Safety Belt Safety USA, for children 1-2 years of age, facing the rear is fives times safer. Most child restraints will allow children to remain rear-facing until 35 pounds, but every parent should be sure to check the weight and height limits labeled on their individual seat.

According to Crashtest.com, frontal and frontal offset crashes combine for about 72% of severe crashes.  Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a child’s back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash (http://www.car-safety.org/rearface.html).  To get a great visual of what happens to your child in a crash, check out this video that details the impact of a collision on a rear-facing and forward-facing child in a frontal collision. You will notice the difference in the impact on the neck and back of the baby.

The recent misunderstanding in recommended car seat use is just one more thing that can confuse otherwise well-meaning parents.  In a study observing the misuse of 3,442 child restraint systems in six states, approximately 73% of seats showed at least one critical misuse.  And with motor vehicle crashes being the leading cause of death in children 3-14 in the USA, it is vital for all parents to have their car seat checked by a certified child passenger safety technician to ensure correct use (www.safekids.org).  There are many things about installing a car seat that are not intuitive.  A certified technician will be able to show you how to correctly install your car seat in your vehicle every time, and use that car seat properly.  They can also ensure your child is in the best seat for their size.

At Redbud Baby Planners, we realize that while most parents place priority on their child’s safety, it may be difficult to set an appointment with an agency to check your car seat when one or both parents are working or just too busy during business hours.  To ensure every child in Oklahoma City is as safe as possible, Redbud Baby Planners is now offering private car seat installation instruction.  We will meet you at a time and place that is most convenient for you, whether that be during the day, after work or on the weekend, and ensure you are able to properly install your particular seat in all of your vehicles every time.  Don’t let your schedule be a deterrent to getting your car seat checked.  Make sure your child is as safe as possible today.

I (Stephanie) recently stopped in at Pickles and Ice Cream to do some shopping (and to sit and nurse my youngest somewhere aside from the front seat of my car). As I was looking around, the NoseFrida Snotsucker caught my eye. The image you see on the front of the box depicts a mother sucking snot from her rosy-cheeked baby who is calmly looking up at her. It definitely doesn’t capture the scene in our house when Brent and I are trying to use the aspirator on one of the boys. The idea of sucking snot out of anyone’s nose with my mouth seems pretty gross, but as a mom of two boys, what isn’t?

I was strangely eager for my 5-month-old to have a runny nose so I could try it out, but several days passed without a drop. It seems like their noses run non-stop, but as soon as you are hoping to see some snot…nothing! Finally at 5 a.m. on Sunday morning, Wright woke up with a snotty nose, unable to nurse. I was so excited to try out The Snotsucker that I woke up my husband so that he too, could see it in action. I’m sure you can imagine his enthusiasm.

It took just a few seconds to piece the aspirator together using the parts you see here. There is a blue tube with a small filter to block any snot from entering the attached clear tubing. There is also a small mouthpiece attached to the clear tubing that is used to suck the snot out. Here comes the fun part. Brent held Wright’s head still while I placed the blue tube up against his nostrils and sucked. We were both shocked at how much snot came out so quickly. I will avoid being overly descriptive here, so you are going to have to trust me…It worked great! Wright barely had a chance to start flailing about before I was finished with both nostrils.

What I like most about the Snotsucker is that the width of the tube that you place up to the baby’s nose prevents it from being inserted too far. I have had trouble in the past using other aspirators because when I place the skinny rubber end of them in my babies’ nostrils, they immediately start throwing their head around and I am afraid I am hurting them. The NoseFrida also works much more quickly than other aspirators I have used, making it a much less stressful event. I also like that you can see the snot through the tube, which as gross as it may seem, you can actually see your efforts paying off.

To clean the NoseFrida Snotsucker, you simply disconnect the blue tube, toss the filter and wash with soap and water. The directions state to clean the thin tubing with a few drops of alcohol and shake dry. I followed the directions strictly and I found that the second time I used it, I could taste the rubbing alcohol. I would recommend following the alcohol with water and then shaking the tubing dry. All in all this is much easier than my previous process of filling the aspirator with hot water followed by vinegar in hopes of cleaning it, but not ever really knowing what was left behind. I would also recommend purchasing the replacement filters because it only comes with a few, and it is easy to go through them quickly.

A week and a half has passed since we first used the NoseFrida Snotsucker and I have used it at least twice daily since. I really cannot imagine managing the runny nose from this season’s allergies without it. It comes highly recommended from this mommy!