Sure, there are medications you can buy over the counter that may be able to help with your baby’s diaper rash, but you’re reluctant to use artificial chemicals on your baby’s skin.

The good news is that there are a number of natural treatments for baby’s diaper rash that you may be able to use to give him some relief and give you some peace of mind:

• Air out the diaper area. This is usually the first, and certainly one of the most natural treatments for baby’s diaper rash. Let your baby lie down on a towel or a blanket without a diaper. This will help the diaper area to dry out and to heal. Diaper rash is very often caused by excessive moisture on baby’s skin, and allowing your baby to dry out once or twice a day can certainly help to heal and even prevent diaper rash. You’ll also want to make sure that your baby’s elastic diapers don’t have bands around the legs that are too tight, as well. If you’re using cloth diapers, use natural laundry detergents and softeners that are sensitive to baby’s skin.
• Consider a change to baby’s diet. Sometimes, diaper rash can be caused or aggravated by specific foods. If your baby has frequent diaper rash, consider changing formula. If you’re breast feeding, you can watch your own diet and avoid the kinds of foods that people tend to be allergic to such as nuts and berries, as well as spicy foods.
• Consider an all-natural diaper cream. There are a number of all-natural diaper rash treatments on the market. Instead of chemicals like propylene-glycol, or sodium lauryl sulfate, these products are based on shea butter, avocado butter, aloe vera, or various herbs and natural oils.

If your baby’s diaper rash is severe or persistent, consider talking ot your pediatrician about possible treatment options, as well.

You need to start out by identifying what it is that may be causing the diaper rash if you’re going to treat it properly and reduce how often your baby has it.

There are several things that are likely to cause diaper rash, including:

• Excess moisture in your baby’s diaper area.
• Prolonged exposure of baby’s skin to feces or urine.
• Chafing of the diaper area due to poorly-fitting diapers.
• Allergic reactions to food.
• Irritation due to a specific chemical or a fabric.

Preventing diaper rash, in part, means identifying what may be causing it in the first place.

Here are some of the kinds of things that you can do to help prevent diaper rash:

• If you use diapers with elastic around the legs, make sure they’re not too tight. There should be enough room for air to circulate in that area.
• Change baby frequently so that her skin doesn’t suffer prolonged exposure to moisture or waste.
• With cloth diapers, test out different fabric softeners and laundry detergents, as one of them may be responsible for causing the diaper rash.
• If possible, let your baby go without a diaper for at least a little while each day. This helps to keep the area nice and dry.

There is even some evidence that tells us that breastfeeding your baby might actually be able to help keep him from having diaper rash. Breastfeeding is thought to change the levels of certain acids in your baby’s waste, as well as boost your baby’s reactions to infection and other irritations.

If your baby has severe diaper rash that’s causing her skin to become raw, or if her diaper rash is severe enough to make her inconsolable, you should talk with your health care provider about other ways to treat and avoid diaper rash.

Of course, we would never downplay the importance of providing your baby with the best nutrition. We would, however, point out that there are many benefits for both mom and baby which go beyond simple nutrition. Many of the most important benefits of breast feeding have nothing to do with the vitamins and nutrients provided in your milk. Consider the following:

• Nursing provides comfort for your baby. While breastfeeding certainly isn’t the only way to comfort a baby when she’s scared or stressed, it is one of the best. Studies have shown that breastfeeding can help reduce the mother’s stress as well.
• Bonding. Most breastfeeding mothers claim that breastfeeding gives them a special bond with their babies. While moms who don’t choose to or are unable to breastfeed can certainly bond with their babies, breastfeeding offers a closeness and bond that is unequalled.
• Oxytocin release. Oxytocin is a hormone released with skin to skin contact, such as breastfeeding. This hormone has been shown to promote confidence and trust and to reduce fear. The release of oxytocin has also been shown to have a positive impact on mothers’ moods.
• Social development. Though the reasons aren’t fully understood yet, studies have shown a correlation between breastfeeding and better social development during childhood (and even into adulthood).

There are many reasons to breastfeed your baby. While the health benefits alone are enough to make breastfeeding worthwhile, the intangible benefits are just as important.

There are many ways to bond with your baby. Breastfeeding is one of the most powerful. Your baby needs the nutrients in your breast milk. She also needs the affection, security and emotional bond which comes from breastfeeding. Babies can and will bond with you if you bottle feed them, but studies have consistently shown that breast is best for bonding just as it is for baby’s nutrition.

Some women experience problems breastfeeding, but most of these problems can be overcome. There is a wealth of information available on all common breastfeeding difficulties. Breastfeeding advocacy groups such as La Leche League provide counseling services and general breastfeeding help. If you experience trouble breastfeeding, ask your health care provider or a breastfeeding support group for help.

Medical studies have shown that there are two acids in your breast milk, called DHA and ARA, which have a direct impact on your baby’s cognitive development. The lactose in your breast milk is also known to help with your baby’s brain development. Together, these substances also affect:

• Motor responses
• Eyesight
• Central nervous system development
• Development of nerve cells

Well Researched

Studies have shown that breastfeeding is linked to higher IQ scores in children at seven to eight years of age. The results were even more pronounced for children who were born prematurely. One study showed that full term babies who had been breastfed for at least eight months had average IQ scores 6.2 points higher than babies who were not breastfed. Premature babies who had been breastfed for eight months or more averaged 8.3 points higher than babies who were formula fed.

Many studies have been conducted on the relationship between breastfeeding and brain development. The numbers differ slightly from one study to the next, but they all agree on one thing: breastfeeding your baby is optimal for her cognitive growth and brain development.

This doesn’t mean that your baby will automatically graduate Magna Cum Laude if you breastfeed her. There are many other factors which go into your baby’s intellectual development, not the least of which is your involvement in her education as she grows up. Breastfeeding does mean, however, that you are giving your developing baby the right nutrients her body and brain need to properly develop to her full potential.

Staying the Course

Many women become frustrated when trying to breastfeed. It can be hard not to give up. If you consider the many benefits of breastfeeding your baby, not the least of which is the improved brain development, it makes it easier to stay the course. Support groups like La Leche League also offer help to mothers who want to breastfeed their babies. If nothing else, when you feel yourself getting discouraged, remember that those few extra points just might add up to an extra point or two on her SATs eighteen years from now.

There is a preponderance of evidence that breastfeeding is healthier for mom and baby alike. Organizations from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) have conducted study after study and released dozens of statements outlining the health benefits of breastfeeding.

Obviously, if you can breastfeeding your baby, you should. There are, however, a few situations in which breastfeeding is not appropriate. Your doctor or health care professional may recommend that you not breastfeed in the following situations:

• Serious illness. Some types of illness can be transmitted to your baby through your breast milk. Other illnesses can cause your milk to lack the nutrition it would normally carry. In even more cases, the medications you may need to treat your illness can be harmful to your baby if you are breastfeeding. Most illness will not prohibit you from breastfeeding and your doctor will inform you if you have a medical condition which precludes breastfeeding.
• Infections. Some types of infections, such as HIV or tuberculosis, can make it dangerous to breastfeed your baby. Note:Other infections, like Hepatitis C, will not generally prevent you from breastfeeding.
• Alcohol or drugs. Most doctors recommend foregoing alcohol and drugs while you are breastfeeding. Some doctors allow for small servings of alcoholic beverages if they are timed far enough away from feedings. If you drink alcohol or use any drugs and aren’t able to give them up while you are breastfeeding, consult your doctor regarding whether you should continue to breastfeed.
• Breast surgery. If you’ve had breast augmentation or breast reduction surgery, you may not be able to breastfeed due to a reduction in your ability to produce breast milk. Check with your doctor. Even if you don’t produce enough milk to provide for all of your baby’s sustenance, you may be able to augment breastfeeding with formula.
• Depression. If you suffer from severe or postpartum depression, your doctor may advise you to forego breastfeeding because of possible side effects from medication prescribed.

If you are unable to breastfeed-for any reason-but want to give your baby the health benefits of breast milk, you may still have options. Many communities operate breast milk banks. Mothers who produce enough breast milk pump their milk, donating to the milk bank for the babies of mothers who can’t breastfeed.

If you are unable to breastfeed and a community milk bank is not a possibility, you should never feel badly about bottle feeding your baby. Breast milk is healthiest, but baby formula also has the basic nutrients babies need to grow and thrive.

A newborn child crying. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Colic can be a frustrating situation, and parents of colicky babies often worry about what exactly is going on. Colic is defined as a baby that cries over three hours straight at least three days in a week for at least a period of three weeks.

Colic doesn’t cause any long-term difficulties for your baby, but it can be a hard thing to deal with for the both of you.

Here are some of the most commonly-asked questions about colic:

How long does colic last?

Colic is a temporary condition. It tends to be greatest at around the age of six weeks. It tends to show great improvement when your baby is between three and four months old. By the time your baby hits five months of age, colic will usually pass.

Why does my baby have colic?

That’s actually a very good question. Researchers know that about 1 in 5 babies will be colicky. It’s as common for firstborns as it is for those born later. There doesn’t seem to be any difference between boys and girls or breastfed and formula fed babies. There are plenty of possible causes out there. Gastrointestinal causes seem possible, as a newborn is still undergoing development of the digestive tract.

Does my baby need to see the doctor?

If your baby is crying frequently enough to be considered colic, you should definitely talk to your doctor. Your doctor can rule out other possible causes, such as a urinary tract infection or an intestinal infection. If your baby is feverish, experiencing vomiting or has blood in the stool, you should see the doctor immediately. These symptoms aren’t caused by colic.

Can the wrong food cause colic?

For breastfed babies, sometimes the mother’s diet can impact a baby’s gastrointestinal system, and cause colic. Stay away from spicy foods, and foods that your baby might be allergic to. The same is true with formula-fed babies; you might talk to your doctor about switching to a formula without lactose, just in case.

One of the more common difficulties mothers who want to breastfeed face is flat or inverted nipples. Flat or inverted nipples are caused by variations in the size and shape of your nipples which make them harder for your baby to grasp while attempting to breastfeed. While most nipples protrude when stimulated, making them easy for babies to suckle flat nipples don’t respond to stimulation and inverted nipples may actually pull back when stimulated.

In most cases, expectant mothers can tell if they have flat or inverted nipples before giving birth. If you’re not sure, you can test your nipples by giving yourself a simple pinch test. Simply pinch the areola gently between your thumb and forefinger. If the nipple protrudes, you are fine. If it doesn’t, you likely have flat or inverted nipples.

Whether the problem is discovered before the baby is born or after, there are several things you can do to address flat or inverted nipples to that you can breastfeed your baby. These include:

• Breast shells. Breast shells are shaped like plastic cups and are worn inside your bra. They work by applying pressure to the areola, which generally causes the nipples to protrude. They are particularly effective if used during the third trimester of pregnancy, but are also beneficial when used after the baby is born.
• Hoffman technique. Two to five times per day, place the thumbs of both of your hands at the base of your nipples, then gently pull them apart until the nipple protrudes. You can do this while pregnant and after the baby is born.
• Oral or manual stimulation. Your partner may be able to help with flat or protruding nipples by orally or manually stimulating your nipples. Most women find their partners are very willing to help prepare their nipples for nursing the baby.
• Breast pump. After your baby is born, you can draw out your nipples with a breast pump immediately before feeding your baby. Additionally, you can pump breast milk to help supplement your breastfeeding if your baby isn’t able to get all the milk she needs directly from the breast.

If you are having trouble nursing because of flat or inverted nipples despite having tried these suggestions, don’t give up. Speak with a lactation consultant. Most women can overcome flat or inverted nipples and breastfeed their babies. In most cases, flat or inverted nipples are less of a problem as the baby grows and is able to exert more pressure while breastfeeding.

breastfeeding (Photo credit: sdminor81)

By now, practically everyone knows that breastfeeding is best for babies. What fewer women realize is that breastfeeding actually has lots of health benefits for moms, too. Some of the benefits are immediate, while other benefits can last into old age.

Here are some of the health benefits realized by mothers who breastfeed their babies:

• Reduced uterine bleeding. Breastfeeding releases hormones which help reduce your uterus to its pre-pregnancy size. This in turn helps stop uterine bleeding.
• Emotional bonding. Mothers who breastfeed often claim to have a closer emotional bond with their babies because of breastfeeding.
• Lower risk of breast cancer. Studies have shown that women who have breastfed at least one baby have significantly lower chances of developing breast cancer.
• Lower risk of uterine and ovarian cancer. Breastfeeding has also been linked to lower chances of developing ovarian and uterine cancer.
• Lower risk of osteoporosis. Most of us aren’t thinking about osteoporosis in our childbearing years, but maybe we should be. Studies consistently show lower rates of this debilitating condition among women who breastfed their children.
• Provides natural birth control. While breastfeeding doesn’t guarantee that you won’t get pregnant, it does help with natural child spacing by delaying ovulation.
• Weight loss. Believe it or not, breastfeeding eats up Calories. Lots of them. Your body burns up 20 Calories for every ounce of breast milk produced. Multiply that times 20-30 ounces per day for the average baby, and it adds up fewer hours on the treadmill.
• Reduces depression and anxiety. Studies have shown that women who breastfeed are less likely to have severe postpartum depression and anxiety.
• Easy on the pocketbook. Bottles and formula are expensive. Very expensive. Your body produces all the nutrients your baby needs, and it does so without adding one thin dime to your grocery bill. Maybe all that extra money in the pocketbook has something to do with the lower instances of anxiety.

Of course, all this says nothing of the well-known benefits to babies. The more we study breastfeeding, the more benefits we find, both for mothers and for their babies. When you consider all of the benefits, it makes breastfeeding the easy choice when it’s possible.

In today’s world, it’s becoming easier to make the choice to breastfeed. As society becomes more educated about the benefits of breastfeeding, new mothers are finding that most employers and businesses are willing to accommodate their needs as breastfeeding moms.

Swaddling is a practice that’s as old as civilization. For thousands upon thousands of years, parents have wrapped their little ones tight to help keep them warm, keep them from harm, and keep them happy. Swaddling benefits your baby in a number of ways, including:

• Swaddling helps with baby sleep. There are a number of studies, including a rather convincing study done at Washington University, that shows how infants will actually sleep better when they are swaddled. They tend to wake up fewer times during the night, and they get up to twice as much time in REM sleep – that sleep that helps with brain development.
• Swaddling helps reduce SIDS. Swaddling baby allows you to place her on her back when she sleeps. Back sleeping has convincingly been shown to reduce the incidence of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). In particular, back sleeping babies who are swaddled have a much lower incidence of SIDS.
• Swaddling helps to soothe baby. A snug baby is a calm baby. That tight, close feeling reminds them of the tight space they grew in while in the womb. A swaddled baby is much better able to self-soothe.
• Swaddling helps keep baby warm. Infants have a hard time regulating their own body temperatures. Swaddling keeps them warm consistently.
• Swaddling may help with breastfeeding. A swaddled baby can be much easier to breastfeed. Simply tuck his hands into your baby’s swaddle to keep him from interfering with his latching on.

But, when exactly is it time to stop swaddling? For the most part, babies will be ready to be weaned from swaddling within the first six months or so. Other babies might need 8-10 months of swaddling. The key thing is to keep your baby unswaddled when she’s not asleep, so as to allow her the kind of range of motion and muscle-strengthening activity that she so desperately needs.

When it comes time for your baby to be weaned from the swaddle, you can start with a single arm. If he’s still fussy and he’s moving his arm all around, he’s probably not quite ready to be done with swaddling.

Probiotics are the “good” bacteria that play an important role in the human digestive system. Research shows that probiotics can provide a number of different benefits to your baby, both while she is still an infant as well as later on down the road.

Here are some areas in which probiotics may be able to help your baby:

• Digestive concerns. There are certain probiotics, such as L. reuteri, that can help your baby with digestion. These are the type of bacteria that are naturally found in your digestive system. They aid in the absorbing of minerals as well as other nutrients. They also aid digestion. These kinds of probiotics can help your baby by balancing out his digestive system. He will process food in a more efficient manner. In some cases, probiotics can even be used to help control diarrhea, especially when that diarrhea is due to an antibiotic medication.
• Keeping out harmful substances. Probiotics create a barrier for your baby’s digestive system. They help to block a number of different outside substances, including bad bacteria as well as allergens. This, then, allows the probiotics to aid your child with food allergies. Some studies show that probiotics may even be able to help delay or even prevent your baby from developing food allergy-related eczema.
• Helping with Colic. In a number of different studies, babies who had colic were provided with drops of Lactobacillus reuteri. Those babies were two times as likely to stop crying when compared with the control group of babies who were given simethicone (a common anti-gas medication given to babies). This may be due to the fact that, apart from simply helping with gas, probiotics actually aid your baby’s digestive system in multiple ways.
• Other health benefits. Research into probiotics is ongoing. There is some speculation that they may be able to help prevent or at least delay the onset of asthma. The more researchers look into probiotics, the more health benefits they are discovering.

Probiotics are a safe, natural way to help easy your baby, improve her health, and protect her digestive system.