Bathing and Cleanliness During Infancy and Childhood

During infancy
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Cleanliness is essential to the infant’s health. The principal points to which especial attention must be paid by the parent for this purpose are the following:

At first the infant should be washed daily with warm water; and a bath every night, for the purpose of thoroughly cleaning the body, is highly necessary. To bathe a delicate infant of a few days or even weeks old in cold water with a view “to harden” the constitution (as it is called), is the most effectual way to undermine its health and entail future disease. By degrees, however, the water with which it is sponged in the morning should be made tepid, the evening bath being continued warm enough to be grateful to the feelings.

A few months having passed by, the temperature of the water may be gradually lowered until cold is employed, with which it may be either sponged or even plunged into it, every morning during summer. If plunged into cold water, however, it must be kept in but a minute; for at this period, especially, the impression of cold continued for any considerable time depresses the vital energies, and prevents that healthy glow on the surface which usually follows the momentary and brief action of cold, and upon which its usefulness depends. With some children, indeed, there is such extreme delicacy and deficient reaction as to render the cold bath hazardous; no warm glow over the surface takes place when its use inevitably does harm: its effects, therefore, must be carefully watched.

The surface of the skin should always be carefully and thoroughly rubbed dry with flannel, indeed, more than dry, for the skin should be warmed and stimulated by the assiduous gentle friction made use of. For this process of washing and drying must not be done languidly, but briskly and expeditiously; and will then be found to be one of the most effectual means of strengthening the infant. It is especially necessary carefully to dry the arm-pits, groins, and nates; and if the child is very fat, it will be well to dust over these parts with hair-powder or starch: this prevents excoriations and sores, which are frequently very troublesome. Soap is only required to those parts of the body which are exposed to the reception of dirt.

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Expect Only The Best From Your Child

Expect the best from your child. If you expect the best behavior and performance you’re your child, it’s often what you will get. Children pick up on our beliefs about them, form a self-concept that matches that belief, and perform accordingly. If we expect them to be lazy, they’ll be lazy, which will confirm our expectations for them, and the cycle toward failure is started.

If, on the other hand, we expect our kids to be successful, productive, creative, and responsible and honestly believe it to be true, then our children can’t help but rise to the occasion and confirm our best opinions of them with their positive actions. So expect nothing but the best from your children and watch them fulfill your expectations.

Praise your child often when they perform a good deed or accomplish a new task. Set simple, clear and consistent rules so your child knows exactly what is expected and the consequences of misbehaving or breaking the rules. Maintain a consistent daily routine for your child as much as possible, and make sure your child gets lots of physical activity and time to play and socialize with their friends. Encourage your child to learn how to make appropriate choices, and encourage your child to do things for themselves. Allow your child to talk about strong feelings, which will help them work through their anger and frustration[...]

Source: Expect Only The Best From Your Child

Help for Curing Stretch Marks

Stretch marks basically occur when the skin loses its elasticity and resilience due to over stretching. There are various reasons why your skin could undergo overstretching at various stages in life. The most important amongst them include excessive weight gain or loss and pregnancy.

As the repeated research studies have shown, stretch marks can never be fully cured once they have occurred. The cracks that have occurred in the elastic fibers below the skin can never be repaired. Hence the main aim of treatment of stretch marks is to lighten the stretch marks. There are various specialized creams which you can apply before as well as after your delivery for this purpose.

Another important step to be taken is to follow preventive care in pregnancy and at the time you are gaining or losing excess weight. There are special pre-bath creams and stretch mark creams that can be used for this.

Of course, prevention is better than cure! You can prevent stretch marks using the therapeutic-grade essential oil blend “Gentle Baby”. Rub this oil daily mornings and evenings on your belly to prevent stretch marks. You can dilute the essential oil with V-6 Massage Oil.

If stretch marks area already visible, use the oil blend to soften and smooth your skin. Over time, “Gentle Baby” will take care of your stretch marks completely.

Brought to you by aroma-essence.com, Nature’s Most Trusted Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Store!

Soure: Help for Curing Stretch Marks

The Effective Nursery Setup

by Maria Schasteen

The most important part of any baby nursery is the crib. You want to make it safe and cozy. No matter what type of crib you get, make sure it conforms to all safety guidelines and standards. Make sure the crib mattress fits snugly against the rails, so the baby can’t get wedged between them. You also want to be sure the crib sheet fits snug and tight, nothing loose or bunched up.

Until the baby is at least a year old, you don’t want to use sheets or blankets. A comforter or quilt should be for decoration only in that first year. Make sure the baby’s sleepwear is clean and soft and appropriate for her age and for the weather. You don’t want them too warm or too light, as babies can’t regulate their own body temperatures at first. check the room temperature of your baby nursery regularly.

The only crib accessory that you want inside the crib when the baby’s sleeping is perhaps a small, foam wedge that you can use to keep the baby from rolling on her stomach. Sleeping on her back or on her side is the position many experts recommend at first.

The sheets should always be fresh and clean; use unscented detergent in case your baby is sensitive to fragrances. Better yet, wash your baby sheets with Thieves Household Cleaner. Your sheets will be thoroughly cleansed of bacteria, and since no chemicals are used in the soap, there won’t be reactions to harsh chemicals or unnatural fragrances. More over, your sheets will smell naturally good and baby will appreciate the scent of nature in her baby nursery.

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Exercise During Pregnancy

For some women the thought of exercise during pregnancy is as appealing as a root canal without novacane.  In their minds they have a nine month pass to keeping up with their gym routine.   The first three months they are battling morning sickness and exhaustion.  The next three months they are beginning to show.  The last three months are so uncomfortable that walking ten feet to the bathroom is pure torture, so there is no way they will be able to walk on a treadmill for ten minutes.

On the other side of the coin, there are some women who do not let something as little as creating a life stand in their way of exercise.  These are the women we might see actually teaching a class at the gym, or speed walking throughout our neighborhood with their protruding bellies.

Most of us however fall somewhere in the middle and that is just how their doctors like it.  Exercise comes highly recommended when pregnant.  Not only does it help control weight gain, but some women swear it helps with delivery also.  There are some things to keep in mind in order to protect yourself and your growing little one.

For starters you need to keep an eye on your heart rate as you are working out.  Letting your heart rate rise to high could be dangerous to your little one especially in your first trimester.  You want to maintain a steady heart rate and should do the talk test throughout your workout to make sure you are at a safe level.  The talk test is when you talk during your workout.  If you are having a hard time talking and wind up huffy and puffing more than getting out actual words, then you are working too hard and need to take it down.  Most doctors recommend that you work at a pace where talking is challenging but still doable.

Source:  Exercise During Pregnancy