How to Hold a Baby to Quickly Make Him Stop Crying

This may be the saving grace all new parents are looking for.

An American paediatrician claims to have found a miracle way of holding an infant to make it stop crying.

Dr Robert C Hamilton, of Santa Monica, California, says his technique, dubbed 'The Hold,' works every time without fail.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3342362/Doctor-magic-touch-Paediatrician-reveals-secret-hold-baby-stop-crying-time.html#ixzz3tBi1JDbZ

Note from Lois: Be sure to watch this helpful demonstration. Basically you pick up the baby and fold his right arm over his chest; then do the same with his left arm.  While you hold his arms together over his chest with your one hand, hold his bottom with your other hand and gently bounce or wiggle his little bum. Bouncing him up and down gently also will soothe the baby.  It's almost miraculous!

Teething Tips for Babies and Toddlers

by Lois Breneman - Heart to Heart - August, 2014

You might want to print out this article and tape it to the inside of your kitchen cabinet! 

Grandmas, this is for you as well,  for times when you babysit or have your families visiting.

A screaming baby or toddler, because of teething discomfort, can set the entire family on edge, especially when you can't seem to find anything that eases the gum irritation for your precious little one.  Many times rocking, bouncing, walking the floor with him, or diverting his attention just doesn't cut it.  Night time teething is especially difficult when the parents often get robbed of their much-needed rest.  I saw a cute onsie in a store the other day that said, "Nobody gets to sleep until I say so!"  In that case, I'll try to help you fill your teething remedy arsenal with possible solutions.

Around three months of age a baby usually begins teething, and by the time he is three years old, twenty baby teeth will have broken through his gums.  Ouch!  Symptoms of teething are drooling, irritability, loss of appetite, having trouble sleeping, tender gums, and chewing on soft and firm objects.  For our babies, I thought the canine teeth were the most difficult.  Some babies and toddlers feel teething irritation more intensely, while others don't seem to be bothered much.

Diluting a drop or two of clove essential oil with olive oil or coconut oil, numbs the gums, and helps to remove severe discomfort of the gums for babies and children.  It works very well for adult tooth irritation as well.  Not all brands of essential oils are safe to use internally though.  I learned at a health food store that even the brands they carried which say 100% pure are not safe to be ingested.  One brand I know that is completely safe to be taken internally, however, is the one I use.

FDA regulations forbid Wellness Advocates or distributors of essential oil companies, as I am, to mention the brand name in their blogs or websites.  We also may not mention names of blends by our company!  What will the government demand next?  So if you want to know specifics, please e-mail me.

Years ago, before I got involved in essential oils, I used frozen fish sticks for my daughter's teething discomfort.  That worked great!  I was willing to put up with the fishy smell when the frozen fish actually calmed down my teething toddler.  It's interesting that she is the one who introduced me to this esssential oil company years later.

A little soft giraffe was the favorite teething toy for all three of our children - easy to grab onto, and the long neck and head were perfect for gnawing on.  Poor giraffe!  There are all kinds of teething toys available that can be kept in the freezer for numbing the irritated gums.

Rolled-up wet baby wash clothes, stored in a plastic bag in the freezer, come in handy and babies love chewing on these, even if they don't last long.

Fruit popsicles, either homemade or bought, help numb the gums. Blend strawberries and bananas for natural sweetness without adding sugar.  If you need to add sweetness to another blend of fruit, use pure stevia.

Lorna Wanner, a mother of five, in Virginia, gave this recommendation:  "I was told of a teething remedy that has proved very effective.  Instead of Oragel, rub a small amount of  liquid Benadryl on the baby's gums.  This worked like nothing else!  But what I didn't realize is that it worked for me as well when I had agony with a tooth myself later."

Many moms have found the "Mesh Feeder" to be a wonderful soothing remedy for teething ittitation.  Another Heart to Heart subscriber, Lauren Britton, a mother of four in Virginia, says, "A frozen banana in a mesh feeder continues to be THE best teething remedy...4 kids tested - 4 kids approved."

Meagan DeLong, mother of four, also in Virginia, says, "I have used the Baltic Amber teething necklaces with my last two babies and I do think they are helpful, although it is hard to judge perfectly since teething discomfort comes and goes. They are just for wearing, not chewing, and the *succinic acid, a naturally occurring component in amber, is absorbed through the skin.  Some moms are afraid to let their babies wear them at night and just use them during the day and that would be the safest, but most moms I know let their babies wear them all the time and I have as well.  The sizing is very important.  You just have to make sure it is not long enough for the baby to notice to be able to grab or chew.  The stones are usually double knotted in between each one so if the necklace breaks, none of the stones fall off. 

Meagan adds, "I also use Hylands homeopathic teething tablets and if the discomfort is really bad and I know which tooth it is, I will rub Herbs for Kids Gummomile oil on it, as a natural alternative to Oragel.  My favorite teething toy is Zoli Gummy Sticks and I have also used a cold apple, frozen blueberries, and frozen banana in a mesh feeder as well.

Note:

* Baltic Amber teething necklaces are sold by Bouncy Baby Boutique.

They report that it is the succinic acid, a naturally occurring component in amber, that makes it so effective. Succinic acid is a natural teething discomfort reliever, anti-inflammatory, and a central nervous system calmer. It is so effective on babies and small children because it simultaneously eases their pain while also having a strong soothing effect on their nervous system, all with zero side effects!
 
(New FDA regulations do not allow me to mention the brand of essential oils I use or tell more specifically how they help so many "irritations" or "discomforts" in life, since I am a Health Advocate, meaning I get their great discount.  If you would like to know more about the therapeutic grade of essential oils I use and trust, please e-mail me and ask.)

Pam's Story

Author unknown ~ Thanks to Linda Klein in California and Annamarie Kresge in Virginia for sending this!

In a recent email, I read about a woman named Pam, who knows the pain of considering abortion. More than 24 years ago, she and her husband Bob were serving as missionaries to the Philippines and praying for a fifth child. Pam contracted amoebic dysentery, an infection of the intestine caused by a parasite found in  contaminated food or drink. She went into a coma and was treated with strong antibiotics before they discovered she was pregnant.

Doctors urged her to abort the baby for her own safety and told her that the medicines had caused irreversible damage to her baby. She refused the abortion and cited her Christian faith as the reason for her hope that her son would be born without the devastating disabilities physicians predicted. Pam said the doctors didn't think of it as a life, they thought of it as a mass of fetal tissue.

While pregnant, Pam nearly lost their baby four times but refused to consider abortion. She recalled making a pledge to God with her husband: If you will give us a son, we’ll name him Timothy and we’ll make him a preacher.

Pam ultimately spent the last two months of her pregnancy in bed and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby boy August 14, 1987. Pam’s youngest son is indeed a preacher. He preaches in prisons, makes hospital visits, and serves with his father’s ministry in the Philippines. He also plays football. Pam’s son is Tim Tebow.

The University of Florida’s star quarterback became the first sophomore in history to win college football’s highest award, the Heisman Trophy. His current role as quarterback of the Denver Broncos has provided an incredible platform for Christian witness. As a result, he is being called The Mile-High Messiah.

Tim’s notoriety and the family’s inspiring story have given Pam numerous opportunities to speak on behalf of women’s centers across the country. Pam Tebow believes that every little baby you save matters. I pray her tribe will increase!

A Letter Home from Scout Camp / How to Survive Baby Boot Camp

Author unknown ~ As heard on Insight for Living ~ read by Chuck Swindoll ~ Hilarious!

Dear Mom and Dad,

        Our Scout Master told us to write home to our parents in case you saw the flood on television and are worried.  We are okay.  Only one of our tents and two sleeping bags got washed away.  Luckily none of us got drowned, because we were all up in the mountains looking for Chad when it happened.  Oh, yes!  Please call Chad's mom and tell her that he's okay.  He can't write because of the cast.  I got to ride in one of the Search and Rescue jeeps.  It was neat!  We never would have found him in the dark if it hadn't been for the lightening.  Our Scout Master, Walt, got really mad at Chad for going on a hike alone without telling anyone.  Chad said he did tell him, but it was probably during the fire, so he probably didn't hear him.   Did you know that if you put gas on a fire the gas can will blow up?  The wet wood did not burn, but one of the tents did.  David is going to look weird until his hair grows back!
        Now we'll all be home on Saturday, if Scout Master Walt, gets the car fixed.  It wasn't his fault about the wreck.  The brakes worked okay when we left.  Scout Master Walt said that with a car that old, you have to expect something to break down.  That's probably why he can't get any insurance.  We think it's a neat car!  He doesn't care if we get it dirty and sometimes when it's hot, he lets us ride on the fenders.  We just take turns.  But it gets pretty hot with ten people in a car!  He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the Highway Patrolman stopped and talked to us.  Scout Master Walt is a neat guy!  In fact, he's teaching Terry how to drive on the mountain roads where there isn't any traffic.  Did you know that you don't need guardrails on roads that don't have much traffic?  All we ever see up there are logging trucks.
        This morning all the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out in the lake.  Scout Master Walt wouldn't let me, cause I can't swim, and Chad was afraid he'd sink because of that big cast, so he let us take the canoe across the lake together.  It was so great!  You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood.  Scout Master Walt isn't crabby like some scout masters.  He didn't even get mad about our losing the life jackets.  He has to spend a lot of time working on the old car, so we're trying not to cause him any trouble. 
        Guess what?  We have all passed the test for our First Aid merit badges.  When Dave dove into the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.  Wade and I threw up, but Scout Master Walt said it was probably food poisoning from the leftovers from the old chicken.  He said they used to get sick that way from the food they ate in prison.   I'm glad he got out, because he became our scout master!  He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing time.  I have to go now.  We're going to town to mail letters and buy bullets.  Don't worry about anything!  We're all fine!
Love, Cole   

Note from Lois: Regardless of this wild and hilarious letter written home about camp, there are many wonderful camps that treat your children and grandchildren as the treasures that they are, as well as teach biblical principles!  I hope you look up one!


HOW TO SURVIVE BABY BOOT CAMP
When you bring your baby home from the hospital, the rigors of basic training begin.

Read this article by Rebecca Ingram Powell: http://www.family.org/parenting/A000000457.cfm
She is a wife, mother of three, and the author of Baby Boot Camp: Basic Training for the First Six Weeks of Motherhood.  You can visit her website at http://www.rebeccapowell.com

Practical Tips to Fight Stress

compiled by Lois Breneman - 2006

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Cloth Baby Carrier - The latest research says that parents should not let babies cry a lot.  Pick them up and cuddle them!  Through the years this advice has bounced back and forth, but consoling a crying baby is what I had always thought was best.  In fact, I used to rock my babies to sleep for naptimes and bedtimes as long as they would allow it.  When my babies were fussy, and I needed to do things around the house, I used a soft cloth baby carrier (no metal bars) to give security to my little ones and get housework done at the same time.  It was a lifesaver while trying to get dinner ready, often an hour when babies get fussy.  I've even heard that hour referred to as "arsenic hour," because of moms wanting to pull out their hair in all the frustration.  A baby carrier will help alleviate the stress.  The baby carrier I used was designed to carry a baby either in the front or the back.  It was also great for shopping, hiking or walking around the neighborhood, while at the same time giving the baby close contact with mother or daddy.  There are many brands of baby carriers available these days - a lot more than when my children were babies!  Do a search to find a good one or check out yard sales or consignment shops such as Once Upon A Child for a used baby carrier.  I saved ours for the grandchildren!