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January 14, 2008 14:02 - Sharing a Hotel Room with Baby
A visitor to our 'Traveling With Baby' pages wrote to us this weekend to see if we could help with her dilemma.
She told us...
"...My husband and I are traveling to Cyprus next month and will be staying in a hotel with our 6 month old daughter.
She will be sharing our room and we are wondering how to get her to sleep when we are in the room. We're thinking we're going to have to go to sleep at the same time as she does! Do you have any tips?"
We've been in that situation many times - yes, it can be a bit of a worry, wondering what on earth you're going to do in the evenings that won't disturb your baby!
Here are a few ideas that we have found useful...
Try to screen the crib from the rest of the room. If your little one can see you, it is likely to be difficult to get her to settle down. We've actually made quite elaborate 'screens' using sheets draped from whatever we could find in the room - but just positioning the crib in an area away from where you'll be sitting may help.
Think about investing in a travel crib - they are often smaller (and safer) than cribs supplied by hotels, meaning it's easier to position them in 'out of the way' places! If your room has a large, well ventilated closet, you might even consider using that (left open, of course).
Keep lights as low as possible.
Bring a portable DVD player - or even a laptop - with you on your trip. That way, you and your partner will be able to quietly watch movies in bed, without disturbing your baby by using the TV.
Try to get a room with a balcony for that precious extra space , or - if you can afford it - book a suite instead of a regular room.
A real life-saver for us was using a white noise machine (the
SleepMate® is a good example) - or you could use a box fan if one is available. Keeping a constant 'noise' in the background helps drown out other sounds and can be very useful - we've often used a box fan at home for the same purpose.
If you have any good tips to make sharing a hotel room with your baby a little easier, then please let us know via our contact form - or leave your comments below.
For more information for trouble-free trips with tots, visit our Traveling with Baby section.
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January 15, 2008 09:16 - What Should You Do If Your Baby Is Choking?
We all know that it's important to keep a close eye on our babies during meals and to avoid foods that present a choking hazard.
But would you know how to react if the worst happened - and your baby actually started choking?
It's a scary thought, but being prepared and knowing exactly what - and what not - to do is critical and could make all the difference if you found yourself dealing with this situation.
The British Red Cross has a useful first aid for babies page which gives information about dealing with choking and infant resuscitation.
It's also a good idea to take a first aid course - it is much easier to learn and remember the skills you need by actively participating in a "hands on" class.
If you are in the UK, visit the British Red Cross First Aid Training page, which lists the courses available and the contact information for your local branch.
In the US, CPR first aid courses are offered by your local chapter of the American Red Cross - visit the Red Cross Finder to locate the website for your nearest office, then click on the CPR training link.
In Australia, visit the Australian Red Cross First Aid Courses page for details of the training available, plus links to departments in each state and territory.
You may also be interested in First Aid For Babies And Children Fast, an excellent book published in association with the Red Cross, which gives advice about dealing with all sorts of minor injuries and medical emergencies.
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January 16, 2008 13:26 - Recall of Toy Wrestler Figures (US)
OK, so you're not likely to have bought any of these for your baby - but if you have older children, you may have these toys at home.
Toy Wrestler Figures, sold for around $1 at Dollar and discount stores throughout last year, have been found to contain high levels of lead.
The toys, pictured below, have a UPC number of 604111230003, which you can find printed on the packaging. The wrestlers were sold in packs of four and are about 5 3/4in high.
Please take these items away from your children if you have them and return them to the store you bought them from for a refund. If you have any questions, please call A.A. of America toll-free at (888) 822-8697 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Alternatively, you can email them at recalls@aatoys.com or visit their website.
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January 16, 2008 13:37 - Recall of Inflatable Rings (Australia)
Inflatable Rings, sold at the King Kong Sales Store, Innaloo (WA) in October 2007 are being recalled because they do not meet the safety standards set for flotation toys.
The products involved havbe a batch number of BN/60439.
If you purchased one of these rings, please stop using it immediately and return it to the store you bought it from for a full refund.
The Homemade Baby Food Recipes Collection contains 50 favourite recipes from our blog, brought together in a convenient e-book that you can download and print.
The recipes are listed according to the suggested age of introduction and a handy index allows you to quickly locate the one you want!
And that's not all - with each purchase of the Homemade Baby Food Recipes Collection you'll receive another e-book ABSOLUTELY FREE, packed with ideas for entertaining children of all ages!
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January 18, 2008 13:38 - Recall of Play Stoves By Kmart and Sears (US)
'My First Kenmore' Play Stoves are being recalled by Kmart and Sears because the metal bracket that connects the door to the stove can cause the whole thing to tip over when the door is opened. This obviously presents a hazard to young children.
The stove, pictured below, was sold for around $100 from September 2007 through November 2007. The product is made of wood, painted pink and has 6 knobs and a timer.
If you have one of these toys, you should take off and dispose of the bracket connecting the door to the stove, then request updated instructions - but please note that some products already have updated assembly instructions and no replacement instructions are needed. The best option is to visit the Sears website or the Kmart website - or to
contact Sears/Kmart at (800) 659-7026 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Saturday.
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January 19, 2008 09:01 - Help - My Baby Prefers Store Bought Baby Food!
Yesterday, we received a message from Sandra, in Canada.
She asked us...
"I've started to make my own baby food but my daughter gags and cries! She liked my apple sauce but that is it! She is seven months old and loves all commercial brand veggies. How can I switch her to homemade?"
Here's our reply - I hope you find this useful if you find yourself in the same situation!
I am so pleased that you have started to make your own baby food - and sorry to hear that your little one isn't yet appreciating your efforts!
I'm assuming from your message that, so far, she has been eating jars of pureed, single ingredient veggies. These have a VERY smooth texture, so I think the first step would be to ensure that you are achieving the same texture at home. Of course, once she is accepting the home-cooked version of the vegetable, then you can try mashing it instead of pureeing it.
The issue may not be with texture, of course, and may simply be down to taste. Like all commercially prepared foods, jarred pureed veggies taste different to those you've prepared yourself.
My advice would be to take one of your baby's favourite jarred purees (carrots, for example). Prepare your own batch of pureed carrots, then stir just a teaspoon of your homemade puree into the jarred variety and serve it to your daughter. The next day, mix in 2 teaspoons of the homemade puree. Continue to do this, adding a little extra homemade puree each day, to give your little girl the time to slowly become accustomed to the new flavour.
Within a week or two, she should be happily accepting the homemade puree by itself - and you can put the jarred puree behind you for good!
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January 19, 2008 09:01 - A Baby Food Forum - What Do YOU Think?
This weekend, we're asking YOU for your opinions on some exciting new plans we have for our site!
In order to allow you to easily share questions, ideas - and even recipes - with other parents around the world, we have been considering establishing a forum!
Using a forum can be VERY useful... and it can be great fun, too! By using a forum on our website, you'll be communicating with other members going through the same ups and downs of introducing solids as you!
Before we go ahead, we'd love to hear your thoughts! It's your feedback that helps us develop our site to be as useful as possible for all our visitors.
So please tell us - would you find a forum a useful addition to our website? Would you enjoy chatting with other parents about feeding your baby... or even have somewhere to let off a little steam?
You'll notice from the voting form that we would be seeking volunteers to act as moderators on our forum. As a moderator, you would make sure that no one is posting anything unsuitable - we would like our forum to be a friendly place! A moderator also assists other members by directing them to useful resources, helping them with any technical problems, etc.
Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds and we'll go through all the details with you!
Moderating a forum can be REALLY rewarding - particularly when you've helped someone with a problem - and it's LOTS of fun!
If you would like to volunteer to be a moderator, please complete your e mail address on the voting form.
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