Category: Baby

Are you interested in scheduling your baby’s first dental visit?

Scheduling a dentist appointment for your baby can seem daunting, but it’s necessary. Your child’s first dental visit will be important to their health because it will outline any problems if they might have.

When you schedule an appointment for your baby, you’ll need to know of several things to help prepare both you and your child. The dentist will be able to provide you with general advice, but there are a few things you can do to ensure the appointment goes smoothly.

Read on to learn more about everything you can do to prepare for the dental visit.

Prepare Your Baby

When preparing for your baby’s first dentist appointment, you’ll want to do several things to ensure that the process goes smoothly. Preparing your baby for the appointment is best done by scheduling an early appointment.

When the appointment is early, your baby will be wide awake and alert. This will prevent them from dozing off as they’re being examined. If your baby already has several teeth, be sure to clean them before going in.

Prepare the Dentist

When you visit an infant dentist, you’ll want to inform them of your baby’s health history. While your baby most likely hasn’t had many medical visits, any information will be helpful to the dentist.

If there’s a problem with your baby, knowing their medical history would help a dentist conclude what’s wrong. They’ll then be able to give you the appropriate advice.

What to Expect

Your child’s first dental visit will be longer than the future ones because your baby’s entire mouth will be looked at. The dentist will typically look at the jaw, gums, and any teeth to ensure that they’re growing properly.

X-rays aren’t common in a baby’s first dentist appointment because baby teeth regularly fall out. However, an x-ray might be done if your child has a facial deformity to see if there’s a problem with the bone structure.

Your Baby’s Dental Health

Pediatric dentistry is important for your baby’s health because it ensures that their teeth are properly developing. With improper hygiene, things like cavities and mouth diseases can arise.

Visiting a dentist for toddler dental health will put your child on the right path to having excellent dental hygiene. The dentist will recommend you several ways to brush your baby’s teeth, what kind of foods to avoid, and how to teach them to brush their teeth when they’re older.

Schedule Your Baby’s First Dental Visit Today

When do babies go to the dentist? It’s recommended that babies have their first dental visit the moment one of their teeth appear. If your baby already has a tooth, you need to take them to a dentist soon to make sure that they’re healthy.

After scheduling the appointment, start preparing your baby by cleaning whatever teeth they have. You’ll also want to gather any documents relating to their health history. 

Browse our blog if you’d like to read a variety of health articles that will help you and your baby.

Babywearing offers many benefits, including a calmer baby and increased bonding with you. It keeps your hands free so you can get more done while keeping your little one close.

Choosing between all of the baby wraps, slings, and carriers can feel overwhelming. They’re a big investment, and it’s difficult to know what to look for if you’ve never purchased one before.

Picking a baby carrier is a matter of personal preference, but there are certain things to consider. Keep these things in mind when choosing a carrier for your infant.

Basics of Baby Wraps and Slings

Baby wraps are large pieces of fabric that you wrap around your body. You can tie them in different ways depending on the style. They hold your baby close and often work well for different sizes of people.

A ring sling, such as a Rebozo, is a different type of wrap with two rings along the fabric that rest on your shoulder. The fabric piece goes through the rings to hold it at the correct size. Ring slings are often easier to wear and adjust since you don’t have to tie anything. 

Structured baby carriers have soft fabric components, but they feature straps, padding, and a seat area for the baby. They typically have shoulder straps and a waistband for support and can hold older and larger babies well.

Comfort for Mom and Baby

The type of carrier that’s most comfortable often comes down to personal preference. Structured carriers distribute your little one’s weight across both shoulders and provide support at the waist. Wraps offer versatile tying methods and are easy to adjust to get a perfect fit. 

Young babies often like the coziness of wraps and ring slings. They can snuggle in and rest close to your body. Some babies may prefer the higher seat with a little more mobility from structured wraps.

Test out different types of carriers with your baby to see what you both prefer. Check with local babywearing groups to see if they have meetings where you can try different types of carriers before you buy one. Another option is testing out carriers your friends own. 

Ease of Use

Baby wraps can take some time to learn how to tie. Ring slings offer an easy option that’s similar to a wrap without needing to master the tying methods.

Structured wraps often have clips that are easy to close, but it may be more difficult to adjust the length of the straps. Wraps and slings are easy to adjust by simply tying them at the appropriate length. That makes them easier to share with your spouse without have to adjust the straps every time you swap babywearing duties.

Cleaning and Care

Research the care and cleaning of baby carrier options. Your little one may spit up or have a diaper blowout while in the wrap. Babies can also get sweaty, especially being so close to your body.

A machine-washable carrier lets you wash away those messes easily. Check the tag to look for special care instructions that might make the cleaning process more difficult.

Carrier Style

Your baby’s comfort and safety is the most important aspect, but baby carriers can also double as a fun accessory. Look for slings and carriers in fun patterns to match your personality.

Bright colors also add a fun touch to your look. Or opt for a neutral-colored wrap that goes well with all of your outfits.

Choose Your Baby Carrier

Baby wraps offer a hands-free way to carry your baby and help you bond. Comparing the styles and features lets you pick a carrier that you and your baby love. Check out more Family Life articles for more parenting tips.

Your family’s growing, and you couldn’t be happier. But having a child is a huge financial commitment, just as it is an emotional one. Knowing how to prepare for a baby financially before you enter parenthood is key to enjoying your new blessing without so much stressing.

Research shows that the average family in the United States will spend about $12,000 on baby-related expenses during their infant’s first year.

Translation: As much as we love babies, they certainly aren’t cheap. We’ve compiled a guide on how to prepare for a baby financially and manage your new family budget.

Let’s get started!

How to Prepare for a Baby Financially: Understand Health Insurance

One of the most important moves you can make to prepare financially for baby is to ensure that you have a good grasp of your medical insurance coverage and anticipate your costs accordingly.

After all, giving birth to a child is costly even if you’ve got insurance.

The earlier you forecast your anticipated costs, the more prepared you’ll be for the medical bills that will ensue.

Also, start looking ahead of time for a pediatrician who is within your medical insurance network. Your new baby will need to see this doctor within the first week after he or she is born.

And don’t just trust the clinic to tell you that it is within your network. Call the insurance company yourself to double-check. You don’t want to get hit with unexpected charges for going outside of your network.

Budget, Baby!

Surrogate mothers enjoy the benefit of being paid to get pregnant for other couples. For instance, they can earn $43,000 or more — easily an annually salary — based on their individual circumstances.

But if you’re having a baby for yourself, you may experience the opposite effect: You may lose your yearly salary if you decide to stay home.

This is why it’s so critical that you create a post-baby budget before the baby comes. This will give you an idea of how his or her arrival will impact your finances.

If you decide to stay home, can your household truly absorb the loss of your income? If not, would a day care service in your area be affordable, or could a relative watch your bundle of joy at no cost?

Figure out these answers right away by doing the math. Then, act like these charges are in effect today so you’ll have an easier transition to life with a baby tomorrow.

Save

You may have spent the past few years trying to pay off debt. That’s great, but with baby on the way now, it’s time to step on the brakes.

In other words, stay on top of your minimum debt payments, but quit putting extra money toward your debt. Instead, put it in your savings account for emergencies that might crop up during your pregnancy or after the baby is born.

Then, once you’ve confirmed that both mom and baby are healthy, you can keep moving forward with your debt-payoff plan.

How I Can Help

I offer a wide range of tips and advice about how you can save money. Why pay more when you don’t have to?

Contact me to learn more about how I can help you to enjoy a fuller bank account and thus a fuller life long term.

As a parent, you want what is best for your children. You want them to grow up and become better than you. To live a life that is good, healthy and happy.

This journey starts from infancy. By making the right choice when it comes to your baby’s toys and accessories you can help shape their future.

Yet, that can often be easier said than done. The market is flooded with toys, and prices that seem to grow every week. How do you know if you are making the right choice? How can you be sure you are not buying a toy that will stunt or not enable your baby’s development.

Well, keep reading, because in the coming paragraphs we are going to look at the best smart baby toys. We want to help you give your baby a brighter tomorrow, today.

1. Building Blocks are a Great Gift Idea

When it comes finding a great gift that will make your baby smarter, building blocks are a great choice.

Not only are they widely available, but they are a highly versatile toy that can be suitable for multiple age ranges. This is great for encouraging interplay between your children.

On top of that, their abundance makes them a great gift if you are living on a budget.

2. An Abacus Is One of the Best Smart Toys for Babies

Another classic baby toy that you can invest in is an abacus. Teach your children how to count and solve basic maths sums from an early age with this timeless teaching toy.

Buying wooden toys, or juguetes de madera is perfect because their hardwearing nature is ideal for intensive use. If there is one thing a smarter baby toy needs to be, it is durable.

3. Shape Sorting Toys Are a Smart Choice

Another wonderful toy option for promoting and nurturing a smarter baby are shape sorting toys.

There are hundreds upon hundreds of options for you to choose from, and while the basis of each is the same, the variation will keep your child engaged while developing an unshakable intelligence. Repetition is a fundamental part of learning in small children, and so by offering multiple shape sorting toys, you are stimulating development.

4. A Toy Kitchen or Grocery Store

When thinking about how to make your baby smart, there is a logic behind looking at toys that develop their IQ alone, but social skills and interaction is a crucial element behind intelligence.

Toys like a play kitchen or grocery store will stimulate both emotional and intellectual intelligence, as well or increasing your child’s skills at social interaction.

5. Crayons Stimulate Creativity and Coordination

A box of crayons is a wonderful gift for any child. Allowing them the emotional freedom to explore their own creativity from a young age is beneficial for their development.

Crayons allow your child to develop their coordination skills, as well as craft the ability to accurately express through a meidum other than speech. If you want to make your baby smarter, then nurturing their artistic side is a great way to go.

Buying Smart Baby Toys is Investing in Your Child’s Future

Any toy you buy your child should be well considered. Their development is so rapid at such a young age, making the right choice is imperative. It is also almost too easy at times, meaning you may find it hard to decide which smart baby toys would serve you best.

The trick is to trust your gut. You know your child; their likes and interests. Nurture them and provide them with a loving home to develop themselves and any choice you make will be the right one.

Check out some of our other posts for more advice on children and raising a family.

New parents spend a whole lot of money on diapers. Did you know those first weeks you may find yourself changing your little one 10 times a day? If you do the math, 240-320 diapers a month are on your shopping list.

Multiply this out by the number of months your child will spend in diapers (hint: 2.5 to 3 years) and you can see that it’s quite a large amount.

That you spend. 

On waste.

We can help you save money and find cheap diapers. The average baby uses nearly 4,000 diapers before potty training.  Let us share our hints to help you save.

What’s in That Diaper?

We know what your baby will put in that diaper, but do you know what’s there already? All disposable diapers have virtually the same construction. Generic or brand-name, all disposable diapers have the same premise.

Starting next to your baby’s skin, you have a top sheet. Often it is a one-way permeable membrane made to wick moisture away from the skin. After that comes the absorbent core. The core is usually made up of a wood pulp fluff and some sort of absorbent polymer.

The fluff is meant to spead moisture around so the absorbent polymer can soak it up. Finally, the diaper has a waterproof outer cover. This cover is made out of a petroleum-based or plant-based plastic material.

Money-Saving Tip #1 Avoid Disposables

Cloth diapers, even part-time, can save tons of money. Although there is an upfront cost, using a cloth diaper and laundering it at home works out to pennies per use. Also, no icky chemicals or iffy plastics next to your baby’s skin.

Least expensive are the old fashioned rectangular cloth, pins and waterproof pants. But if the idea makes you cringe, there are cute all in one diapers with buttons, snaps or velcro fasteners.

You can save even more by purchasing used diapers and covers from other parents. Use word of mouth, yard sales, and eBay to find bargains. Cotton diapers get more absorbent with use, so a hot, sanitizing wash and extra rinse make even used cloth diapers good to go. 

Don’t Be a Brand Snob

The major disposable diaper manufacturers want you to believe there is a huge difference between brands, store-brands and even styles of diapers. Given the basic construction of all diapers, you probably won’t find a huge difference between cheap diapers and brand names other than price. 

That said, you may want to experiment to find what works for you. Babies with narrow backs may find one brand better than another. A brand that works for your baby’s chubby legs might not be the right fit for a lighter limbed child.

The only exception we make is for parents choosing organic and eco-friendly diapers. In that case, brands and construction matter. 

Break Out the Spreadsheet to Find Cheap Diapers

Sales, coupons, buying in bulk and online programs can save you money! Unfortunately, you can’t tell if you are actually saving money without doing some calculations to get the cost per diaper. Sometimes it isn’t easy, with different diaper counts per package and coupon plus store discount policies.

Diapers go on sale very frequently. How do you know what is the real price? If you aren’t one for frequent coupon cutting and cost comparisons, sign up for an online buying program. Be aware that sometimes buying two small packages is less expensive than one large purchase.

Amazon’s family discount will keep you in diapers automatically for months at a time. Also, they calculate the cost per diaper for you. If you are more of a Costco, Walmart or Walgreens shopper, bulk diaper buys are frequent on their websites and there are often coupon combos to lower the price further.

Bulk Up!

Other than the very smallest sizes, don’t be afraid to stock up when you find a bargain. By bargain, we mean diapers for less than $0.20 each. Remember, you will use nearly 4000 diapers before you are done.

Combining coupons, discounts and bulk buys, it is possible to purchase diapers for HALF the regular price of premium brand name, full-price diapers. You can get as low as $0.17 per diaper, but that isn’t always feasible. Try out a small number of diapers before committing to a bulk buy.

Two to four months worth of diapers can take up a large space. Be sure to factor in storage space when buying your bargains. Most people recommend no more than two weeks worth of Size 1, a month of Size 2 and then three months or more of Sizes 3 and 4.

Larger Diaper Sizes Mean Fewer Per Package

When you purchase larger size diapers, the package size stays the same. This means that your product will include fewer diapers and each one costs a little more. Remember that the weights for each size diaper are suggestions. 

Your baby might fit into a smaller size for some time. This gives you time to find some comfortable bargains. Only move up when your baby is no longer comfortable in their size. This will maximize your baby’s time at the lowest cost per unit diaper.

If you find yourself with unopened packages of diapers, many stores will take them back for exchange. Check with your retailer. Opened packages can be traded for other things need. You can also give them to charity.

Save 40% or More

Remember to use these tips to find cheap diapers for your thrifty baby. With some careful comparisons, you can easily diaper your child for 40% less than retail. With online purchases, you can avoid impulse buys and save even more money.

Want some helpful tips to wring out even more spare change? Keep reading our blog to save money on pets, education, funerals and more. This Momma has you covered!