Help Newborn! 10 Tips for Young Mothers and First Time Parents

Top Baby Tips for a Happy Newborn

Expecting a new baby is an exciting and daunting period at any time of life. Every first time parent and young mother wonders what giving birth is like, what it will be like to be looking after a baby 24 hours a day, whether they will be able to cope, dread the scary possibility of post natal depression and wonder whether they can be the kind of parent they want to be. Once your precious newborn has arrived you will probably begin wondering what to do now!

Newborn Help For Young Moms

First off, being a young mom can be truly wonderful so don't listen to all the negative stuff that's said about young mothers - you can be just as good a parent as an older Mom. I've worked with many young mothers who were absolutely committed to breast feeding, having as natural a birth as possible and accepting the responsibility that parenthood brings.

....And For First Time Parents

Whether you are considered young or not, every new parent wants to get it right and enjoy the first precious months with their newborn. I've written here for you, my top 10 tips for first time parents to enable that to happen. These are all things I wish I had known the first time around (and paid attention to!).

Get Some Sleep When Baby Sleeps or at least Rest!

Tip 1 - At least Rest When Your Newborn Sleeps

This is tip number one because it's the most important! Everyone will tell you to sleep when your newborn sleeps and it's good advice, but it's not always possible. At first you may be on a high from being a new mom and think you don't need to sleep or rest - but losing out on sleep over a long period of time will eventually catch up with you, and then it can be almost impossible to catch up on the sleep you need.
If you at least rest when your newborn baby sleeps you will have more energy for the coming months and you will definitely need it! Your baby will probably start teething by around 6 months and during those months you may be surviving on very little sleep. being rested will help you find it easier to cope with less sleep.
The process of labor and birth can also be very tiring. Sleeping and resting lots in the early days will help your body recover quickly and enable you to have all the energy you need to meet your baby's needs.

Newborn Tips for Lovely Moms

Tip 2 - Develop your Bond

Developing a strong bond with your baby is so important (for both moms and dads). The bond you develop as you get to know each other in the first few days, weeks and months will affect your child's psychological and emotional health throughout his life.
The three main ways of creating a strong bond are to have:
1. Plenty of Skin to Skin Contact
2. Lots of Eye Contact
3. Respond to Baby's Needs
When you first gave birth to your baby s/he would normally be put on your tummy so that you are skin to skin - this is because skin to skin contact is so vitally important.
In the morning or at bedtime, keep your top half naked and let your baby be naked (apart from a nappy if you choose) - and cuddle! Wrap a blanket around you both if it's chilly.
Another good time for skin to skin contact is bath time but getting into a bath with a newborn on your own is tricky! If you have a partner or relative around ask them to help. You get into the bath first and then ask your relative to pass you the baby. They will need to take baby from you before you get out as well. If your breast feeding you will generally have more skin to skin contact just through the act of feeding, so this is especially important for bottle feeding moms and babies.
Your baby will love looking into your eyes and getting to know you by doing this. Feeding time whether you're breast or bottle feeding, is a great time to share some quality eye contact and strengthen the bond between you.
Respond to your baby's needs and don't forget their emotional needs for comfort and closeness are as important as their physical needs. Your baby will not want to be away from you for long and that includes night times. It is exhausting having a baby wanting you all the time, but it really doesn't last forever. And if you can meet their emotional needs now you will have less problems later on.

Tip 3 - How to Soothe Your Baby

I wish someone had told me about this technique when I was walking up and down the living room for hours trying to soothe my baby by jiggling and rocking! (Don't get me wrong jiggling and rocking are great, but this seems to help babies settle a lot more quickly). The pat/shhh technique works brilliantly for soothing most newborn babies as it imitates the sounds they are used to hearing in the womb.
Hold your baby on your shoulder and pat rhythmically and firmly in the center of their back. While you're doing this put your mouth near his ear and whisper a long shhhh sound. Do this repeatedly in time with your patting. Remember not to blow right into his ear as you could damage it, just blow past his ear. You may feel a little silly doing this at first but it really works.
Young babies also like to be swaddled (wrapped up tightly). Think about buying a swaddling blanket or just use a sheet. There's more info on swaddling, including an easy to follow swaddling instruction video here.

Babies Get Cranky When Over Stimulated

Tip 4 - Watch Out for Over Stimulation

One of the things that is often over looked in the early days is that babies can get over stimulated very quickly. Of course playtime is an essential part of parenting and it's good to have a few cool baby toys to entertain with but be aware not to over do it in the first few months.
If your baby does get over stimulated you may find it hard to settle him down and for him to sleep when he needs to. This then results in your baby getting over tired. When your baby gets over tired he will cry, scream and get very stressed out and so will you!
Very young babies can really only stay awake happily for around 30 minutes. If he has become over tired and over stimulated go and sit somewhere quiet and dark with him and use the pat/shhhh technique explained above to quiet him down and soothe his nerves.

Tip 5 - Plan, plan plan!

Planning for meal times, bath time, trips out and bedtime make life a lot simpler, especially when you're tired. it's as simple as just making sure you have everything ready before you start your task. For instance, before you bath your baby make sure you have everything you will need afterwards, ready beforehand, such as a clean towel, clean clothes, diaper and bottom cream.
When you're taking baby out (even if it's only for a little while!) you will need to take most or all of these things: spare clothes, nappies, wipes, nappy sacks, bottom cream, a spare top for you, breast pads, bottles if you are bottle feeding, an extra blanket.

Let Dad Help with Sleep Times

Tip 6 - Help Your Newborn Learn That Night time is for Sleep

Teaching your baby that night time is for sleeping is a good lesson for her to learn straight away. You'll do this by creating a bedtime routine which could consist of bath, PJ's, feed and quiet cuddle. Rather than come back into the noisy living room, it's a good idea to take your baby to the bedroom for his bedtime feed. Have the lights low and don't have your TV on. If you need to do something read a book or magazine instead. Keep outside noise and stimulation as minimal as possible. You might want to use a blackout blind or heavy curtains so that the room is dark in the summer months.
When your newborn wakes in the night, again, keep it quiet and dark. Talk in whispers if you need to speak - after a little while your baby will learn that this is quiet time, not play time, and it will help him learn that night time is sleep time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Remember that newborn babies usually need to feed frequently which can be as often as every 1-2 hours. They also often have digestive troubles such as wind and colic. This can make night times difficult for Moms and Dads, but don't get into thinking that your baby should not be feeding at night - they will need to! The important thing to remember however often your baby wakes in the night, is to keep it quiet and relaxed as explained above.

Tip 7 - Look After Yourself

Look after yourself and make sure you still have fun! It's hard to find time for yourself with a new baby to look after but do try to set aside half an hour to do something you enjoy every day. Remember to treat yourself to new things, as well as look after yourself emotionally - if you're having a bad day talk to someone and have a cry if you need to. If you've not been able to get back into your old clothes buy yourself something new. Look after yourself physically - get as much sleep as you can (ask for help if you need it!), get out for a quick swim or run and eat a heathy diet.
If you neglect your needs you could start to resent your baby.

Tip 8 - Socialize

At first a lot of new moms don't want to go out much because they are happy at home with their babies and there are lots of visitors coming to see you and your baby. Unfortunately, the visitors will slowly drop off and you might find yourself isolated and bored. Make an effort to socialize with friends, other new moms and family either by going out or inviting people to visit you at home. Isolation can bring on feelings of depression and this will not help you or your baby.

Tip 9 - Learn About Your Babies Needs

Below you'll find a link to a highly recommended parenting book I would give to any new mother no matter what age. It contains loads of information on your babies physical, psychological and emotional needs at every stage of their development. Gaining knowledge about what your baby needs will really help you be the kind of parent you want to be.

Tip 10 - Buy Second Hand

Most young mothers are on low incomes and learning how to manage your money is one the skills you will master over time. One way to radically reduce your costs is to buy second hand equipment, clothes and toys where ever possible. Some items your baby will only need for a short while (such as a pram) so unless you are loaded there is no point in spending hundreds of dollars on them.

I hope you've found these 10 tips for first time parents help you and your newborn! Newborns can be a bit of a mystery until we get into our stride and get to know the new little person in our lives - but a little bit of knowledge about their needs can go a long way to make your time together as stress free and as enjoyable as possible

Easy Cookies and Cream Cake Recipe

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake

Old Fashioned Cookies and Cream Cake

Source: VirginiaLynne, CC-BY via HubPages

Easy Cookies and Cream Birthday Cake

My daughter Steffi wanted Cookie and Cream for her birthday cake, but I needed to make it fast. So I used my favorite rich white birthday cake mix recipe and added in some Oreos. What a delicious and creamy cake! So easy and yet everyone thought it must take a lot of time.
I was worried it would stick to the pan but it came out like a breeze. We split the layer, put ice cream in the middle and then frosted with a rich butter-cream and crushed Oreos on top. With baking and cooling time the whole cake was done in under an hour. So easy and good!
You can make this as an ice cream cake, or a regular layer cake. I include the recipe and instructions for both.

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake

Source: VirginiaLynne, CC-BY via HubPages

Cookies and Cream Cake

Prep time: 10 min

Cook time: 25 min

Ready in: 35 min

Yields: serves 12 people

Easy Company Cake

Cookies and Cream Cake close up

Source: VirginiaLynne, CC-BY via HubPages

Cookies and Cream Cake Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix, any brand
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 package Oreos, 10 for batter and rest to decorate
• 1/2 container (1/4 gallon) Cookies and Cream Ice Cream, (optional for ice cream cake)

Buttercream Frosting Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine (softened)
2 TB milk or cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups powdered sugar

Ice Cream Cake Tips

1. You can bake your cake in advance and freeze the layers. This makes a very moist cake every time.
2. The cake will shrink a bit when it is frozen, so you may need to use a slightly smaller pan for the ice cream layer.
3. Assemble the cake, frost it and stick it back in the freezer unwrapped until the icing is frozen. Then you can wrap well with clear wrap and aluminum foil and the cake will last up to a month or longer. This is a great way to get one part of the party done ahead of time!
4. Save a step by using Cool Whip or canned frosting.

How to Make Cookies and Cream Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray two 8 inch pans with Cooking Spray, or put oil on bottom of pans.
2. Put cake mix, eggs, milk and softened butter or margainie in a bowl. Mix with mixer on low until blended. Mix on High for 3 minutes. Put 10-12 Oreo cookies in a Zip-Lok bag and crush them using a rolling pin. Pout cookie crumbs into cake batter and fold in lightly until blended.
3. Divide cake mix between the two pans equally and smooth out the tops. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until top springs up when lightly touched. Cool cakes for about 15-20 minutes.
4. While cakes are baking, make the optional ice cream layer by taking a pan the same size and shape as the cake layers. Place clear plastic wrap on the bottom of the pan and press into all corners. Take spoonfuls of ice cream and press them into the pan using the back of the spoon (or your hands--cover them with gloves or a plastic bag). Press the ice cream in firmly until it is up to the top of the pan. Put another clear wrap on top and freeze until ready to put cake together.
5. Make buttercream frosting by measuring the powdered sugar in a bowl and adding the butter and cream. Mix until blended. Add more cream if the mixture is too dry. Mix thoroughly for 1-2 minutes. Add Karo syrup and mix 1 more minute until light and fluffy.
6. Assemble Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake: Note: You can make a small cake by just using one layer of the cake split in two (as I do in the cake in the photos) or a Larger cake by using both full layers. 1. Put one layer bottom side down on plate (or bottom side of half layer). 2. Take out the ice cream layer, unwrap and put on top. 3. Put top layer of cake on the ice cream layer, rounded side up.
7. Frosting Cake: Working quickly, put frosting on the sides of the cake moving from the bottom up. Use plenty of frosting to cover the ice cream. Frost the top last. Add some crushed Oreos in the middle to decorate, or use Oreos around the sides and sticking out of the top.

More Cookies and Cream Cake Variations

My cake recipe really does taste like Cookies and Cream Ice Cream. We loved having the cake made as an ice cream cake, but it would be great frosted as a two layer cake with ice cream on the side. Here are some variations:

• Use a chocolate cake mix.
• Try using mint Oreos (decorate with Junior Mints or Andes Mints)
• Use peanut butter Oreos and Peanut butter frosting (1/2 cup peanut butter and 1/2 cup margarine in frosting).
• Use chocolate chip cookies instead of Oreos. You can decorate with chocolate chips all over the cake.

Chocolate Oreo Cake

 

Who Invented Cookies and Cream?

Apparently, there are a lot of people who thought about combining cookies with ice cream in the late 1970s. Several ice cream makers vie to claim the idea, including our family's favorite ice cream, Blue Bell trade marked the name "Cookies and Cream" in 1978, and first produced the flavor in 1980. What no one disputes is that Cookies and Cream quickly became a best seller and ranked among the top five flavors by the early 1980s.

Oreo Ice Cream Cake

 

 

The 3D Printing Revolution In Business

3D printing can be a real asset to your business. These are tools that can help your marketing and developing processes. Yes, highly customizable nature of 3D printed objects is a modernizing way for the businesses to interact with the clients.
                                                      Image Credit: en.Wikipedia.org
Generally we make things in a subtractive way. We used to take a big block of something and reduce it further to get new things. But 3D printing works in a different way, it’s like additive. But don’t shake your head NO not just yet; this is a process that may look very complex, but at its core it’s really very simple and useful to use.

What Is 3D Printing?

Basically 3D printing is a process where you take a diagram of an object and then push it to a robot device that actually makes the object in layers. In simple words, it builds the object by adding successive layers. Thermoplastics, alloys, paper photopolymer are some of the materials which can be used in 3D printing.

How 3D printing works?

After laying out an idea with CAD or animation software, it is possible to get virtual blueprint of the required object. Then the cross-sections will be made to guide the printer to build layers. Once completed design is sent to the printer, specific material should be chosen to spray/squeeze onto a platform. With the help of bio plastic filament, the material gets heated up and deposited on the build plate through a hole. Same process will be repeated to construct the top layers to produce the finished product.

How can 3D Printing help a business?

Actually there are more than a few ways a 3D printer can help a business of any size.
For instance if you manufacture products, a 3D printer can offer a wonderful way of making dummy prototypes. This allows you to fabricate a small batch of items without having to do a full production run. The end result is a design that looks like the finished product you want.

Does This Really Work When Prototyping?

You might be surprised to learn that 3D printing prototyping has been used to create guns, artificial limbs and even automotive parts (Ford’s new Hybrid transmission).

Turning an idea into a real product is a process that used to take months, if not years, and now with tools like the 3D printer it can be done in a matter of weeks.

For Marketing

Besides helping you create items or prototypes, 3D printing can also help market your business. “What’s that?” you wonder. Sure 3D marketing processes can also help push your marketing efforts over that hump and make you stand out from the crowd.

Actually 3D for marketing isn’t anything new. We see 3D images, logos and more online and packaging marketers have cornered the market for a number of years, but there hasn’t ever really been an affordable way of using 3D technology until the 3D printer came along.
Think of it like this. Could you use an unlimited supply of low-cost promotional items? Could these help market your business more effectively? Coffee mugs, stress balls, combs, coolie cups, pens and other promotional items are great, but sometimes it can be hard to come by these items, especially when you need to order large quantities. 3D printing allows you to print short runs of promotional items, even create niche promotional items for an event, organization or audience.

Special Packaging

O.K. so you don’t need special promotional items and you don’t design your own products, so what would you need 3D printing solutions for? Well, obviously your business sells something, and in the case of a product, you’ll need to package it in something. That’s where 3D printing can help. It can help you craft highly targeted niche packaging options for short run projects. This can appeal to a specific type of customer, resulting in added sales.

Customize Anything

In the current consumer world, it’s customization that the buyer wants. Consumers want to know that their items are unique, distinct and personal. By using a 3D printer you can create these items. You can create the finalized item or the basic prototype.

Replicas

3D printing also works well in reproducing items. For instance, Scott Summit has found a market for making 3D printed acoustic guitars. But not only can he make a 3D replica of a musical instrument, he can also make replicas of the favoured guitars of favourite musicians or idols.

Customized Tools

Wish you had a special accessory, tool or implement? You can make it yourself through 3D printing methods. For instance, you can create a hand-made camera lens using a 3D print design and an acrylic lens. 3D printing allows you to adapt, create and make small parts that offer more functionality to existing tools or devices.

Keepsakes

The keepsake industry is huge. People buy, frame and make mementos and memory keepsakes from just about any item and 3D design and production can add a new dimension to this business. Turn a child’s drawing into a sculpture. Add a three dimensional piece to a story your child has written. Create a 3D replica of a favoured toy or item. This can be a wonderful added service or product.

Final Words

3D printing projects are only restricted by your mind’s own creativity. There are thousands of things you can do to expand your current business using this process. You can add special accents to the new 3D wearable tech art; use the pieces as a reminder of your products; create new marketable products and much more. The capability of 3D printing is truly astounding and it makes the creation of any product a reality in a fraction of the time it normally takes. To understand more about 3D printing projects contact Print-Print.co.uk