Wyatt S Doolittle asked:


Having a baby is always something to look forward to. It is especially exciting for first-time parents, however, it is understandable that first-time moms have a few hundred questions they need answered when it comes to taking care of their children. When he cries uncontrollably in the middle of the night and refuses milk or any other pacifier, would you know what’s wrong with him?

Fortunately, there are baby experts who can help every parent get through their anxiety of whether or not they are raising their baby well. When in doubt, consult your pediatrician, turn to friends, your own mother, and baby books to help you understand your baby. Bear in mind that the helpful advices you get are just suggestions, instinctively as a parent, you will know whether to follow some of the advice you’ve been receiving or not.

1. When your baby cries don’t think twice about going to him and either getting him or caressing him. If he is hungry, he will welcome your milk or his bottle. If he isn’t, try burping him maybe he feels irritated because of a full stomach or he has gas. You can also try laying him on his stomach and slowly rub his back; this will soothe him and put him to sleep.

2. Read to your child before bedtime from newborn up. With a newborn, you might find yourself reading to a sleeping baby since they sleep most of the time, however reading to him even when he is already sleeping will remind him later on about the soothing effect of your voice. He will learn to associate reading before bedtime with sleeping.

3. Start him on a schedule as early and as much as possible. Getting him used to a routine will help him recognize the daily activities the two of you will be doing from feeding to play time to nap time. Let his body clock tell him what it’s time for so you won’t have a hard time with bathing, feeding and such once he reaches his terrible two’s age.

4. Make a variation of his food. Feeding him the same pureed vegetable or fruit over and over will likely result in him eating very little if at all. You can check the internet for baby recipes if you’re stumped on what else to feed him. You can try pureeing a cooked meat dish like casserole or stewed beef.

5. Never leave your baby in the playpen or crib unattended. You might think that a crib or playpen is heaven sent because you can leave your baby for awhile to give you a little free time to finish your other chores but, crib accidents are one of the topmost reasons for babies getting hurt.

He can get tangled up in the playpen’s material or his head could get stuck in the crib. Put him within plain sight of you or put him in his stroller where you can take him with you wherever part of the house you’re at.

Helen Burroughs asked:


Also known as a co-sleeper, the bedside crib attaches to the side of an adult bed. Resembling a standard crib with one of the side rails removed, the open side is placed next to the adult bed, with the bedside mattress and adult bed mattress at the same level.

It allows your baby to remain close to you at night without actually being in your bed. You can easily reach your baby during the night for breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, comforting and bonding, without disturbing the warmth and security of your baby’s bed.

Convenience for Mom

1. No ice-cold feet on cold winter nights! There’s nothing worse than padding down the hall to replace baby’s pacifier (which takes about five seconds) then lying awake for the next 30 minutes waiting for your feet to warm up!

2. You can breastfeed or bottle-feed during the night without getting up – bliss! (In order to bottle feed without getting up you will need an electric bottle warmer.)

3. If your baby is restless, you can simply reach over and comfort him, or replace his pacifier. Research shows that babies who are responded to quickly, and whose needs are met timeously, are more secure and are likely to cry less often.

4. You and Dad will enjoy more rest because you can reach baby from bed, and Dad will be happier, because he won’t be living with a hopelessly sleep-deprived wife!

5. Recuperation after childbirth is quicker and easier if you can attend to your baby without getting up. This is particularly important after a Caesarean section birth.

6. Some of these cribs come with rolling casters and being relatively small, allow you to move your sleeping baby to a convenient place for you to watch him or her.

Bouncy Baby Bonuses

7. Baby gets the benefit of nighttime closeness with Mom. This provides your baby with the security he or she needs during the early months of emotional development.

8. Babies of working moms can catch up on mom’s touch during the night, thereby maintaining a strong emotional bond.

Health Highlights

9. Research has shown that co-sleeping (with baby in a crib beside the bed) is associated with SIDS prevention. Note that this does not apply to babies sleeping in the parents’ bed, which has been associated with an increased SIDS risk.

10. There is no risk of a parent rolling onto the baby during sleep. A common fear among parents who sleep with baby in their bed.

11. Organic baby crib mattresses and bedding are available in the bedside size. These are highly recommended, as synthetic mattresses have been associated with an increased SIDS risk.

Practical Pluses

12. The bassinet feature can double up as a changing table. This has the benefit of saving you money, as well as, allowing you to stay in bed while you change baby.

13. The bedside crib doubles as a portable crib, saving you more money. (And dad’s really starting to like this idea!)

14. The bedside crib converts to a play yard when your baby outgrows the bassinet feature, dare I say it, saving you even more money! (And dad’s sold!)

15. Co-sleepers are available in a range of styles and colors to fit with your bedroom decor.

The only downside is that this is a temporary crib. The Arms Reach Co-sleeper, the most popular brand of co-sleeper has a weight limit of 30lbs. The play yard, however, can be used until 50lbs. When your baby reaches 30lbs in weight, he or she will have to be moved to a permanent crib, probably in the baby nursery.

Nevertheless, if co-sleeping appeals to you, a bedside crib is well worth the money. No one can put a price on the special bond you will form with your baby during those first few months of life, and if a bedside crib enables you to bond at night too, even better!