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You may find your poor little peanut “spiting up” milk. The infant may be suffering from acid reflux- Gastroesophageal Reflux or GER. Acid reflux is the back flow of stomach contents into the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach. GER is a normal process which occurs particularly after meals. It can happen in any age. The GER is mostly observed in babies between 1 to 4 months of age and it generally disappears by 6 to 12 months.

Infants regurgitate after they are fed. The main reason behind this regurgitation is incomplete development of the valve present at the base of the esophagus connecting the stomach. Babies suffering from GER may not “spit up”. This is called as silent reflux. The babies having silent reflux generally swallow back the refluxate. Silent reflux is difficult to diagnose. (continue reading…)

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If you are a parent you will see many diapers. In fact, some estimates say you will change approximately 8,000 before your child is potty trained. So many diapering choices for parents are often daunting.  Do you go with the heavily advertised popular disposable brands that show the gorgeous babies modeling them in the commercials? Or do you go with the lesser organic brands that you know little about but which aren’t so heavily advertised, cloth diapers or even the new compostable or flushable ones? Or try Elimination Communication, going with countries like Asia, and Africa and listen to clues from your infant right from the beginning to use a lot less diapers?

Here are a few diaper choices to help you make the best choice for your family’s health and budget.

Conventional Diapers

The best known conventional diapers are the few that pop into your mind when you think of diapers. They are heavily advertised and full of chemicals (pesticides, chlorine, dyes, and other harsh ingredients). They can be expensive (but you always receive coupons for them in the mail so if you catch a sale and have a coupon you could be in for a deal). But is it? Then there are the diapers you see on the shelf that are a little less expensive and not well known, yet still full of chemicals. The ones you never get coupons for but are cheaper anyway. They’re the diapers we choose on a tight week. (continue reading…)

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Two common skin problems in infants and young children are diaper rash and Eczema. Diaper Rash can be miserable for you and your child. It has many causes and is common in infants and often looks red and bumpy. It is best to begin using an earth friendly diaper cream when you first notice any redness or bumps.

According to the cosmeticsdatabase.com, which is part of the Environmental Working Group, the following ingredients should be avoided when purchasing diaper creams: BHA, fragrance, boric acid, and sodium borate. In Raising Baby Green, Dr. Alan Greene, MD, suggests also avoiding parabans. The Cosmetics Database is a searchable data base that lists the safest products to use in many different categories, including diaper rash creams. You can print their guide or read the list of the safest products online. (continue reading…)

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Parents and caregivers help children with hearing challenges achieve full emotional and cognitive abilities and social interaction despite hearing loss. They basically need to help such children master other senses to reach all developmental stages.

A newborn baby who is hearing deficit uses sight and touch, unlike babies who use sounds. As a parent or caregiver, make more use of soothing touch, head nods and rhythm to convey the warmth and regulations normally conveyed when speaking. You can experiment with smell along with touch and sight for helping him learn to coordinate motor and sensory input. (continue reading…)

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When interacting with children born with profound vision problems including blindness, the aim should be to help the children master their ability to comprehend experiences fully, even those experiences that would ordinarily be taken in through sight, as well as mastering each stage of emotional development.

If you move to the left and right of the baby while talking to her in warm and inviting tones, although you know that baby cannot see, she follows and localizes the source of the sound and may move her head in that direction. In this way the baby is constructing a “visual map,” trying to sense where things are in the space around her. (continue reading…)

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I have a two-year-old little sister, and I try to buy thoughtful, educational, safe gifts for her. Imagine my disappointment when my parents returned one of my sister’s gifts to me because it contained toxic levels of mercury!

Last Christmas, I gave my sister some books that I fondly remember from my childhood. As an afterthought, I picked up a package of Bath Letters & Numbers to go along with the books. Manufactured by The Little Tikes Company, the foam letters and numbers seemed like a fun, educational gift that would go well with the book collection. I had no idea that these toys contained high levels of mercury, which is toxic to the nervous system and has been linked to kidney damage. (continue reading…)

As any eco-conscious Green Diva Mom, I try to limit the use of our 46-inch LCD flat screen during the day, partly to save energy, but also to salvage my 21-month-old son’s burgeoning brain cells. One cartoon, however, I can’t refuse him is the long-running “Blue’s Clues” on Nick Jr. – especially when “Boos Coos,” I think, were his favorite first words. I honestly have no quips about the show’s educational premise for each 20-minute animated, human hosted episode.

And when I squinted into one early morning episode called “What Does Blue Want to Make out of Recycled Things?” I, too, became its biggest fan. Human host Steve and his faithful pooch, Blue, start out by going through the trash that can be recycled into the metal, paper and plastic recycle bins. The clues they find throughout the show are connected to what Blue wants to recycle into something to play with (a cardboard paper towel tube, empty tissue box and rubber bands turn into a makeshift guitar). Brilliant! Although my son and I have always done this on some level, “Blue’s Clues” revived my creative thinking into these sustainable toy ideas with “trash” around the house: (continue reading…)