Taking baby on an outing

There are a number of things to remember when you take your baby out, even if it is a simple trip to the store. First, there's the bottle (if you formula feed), the diapers, the change of clothes, and the carseat. You might consider an extra shirt for yourself just in case your baby decides to use you as a human burpcloth.

Next, you have to pack your patience. Whatever it is you plan to do, give yourself double the time it usually takes you. Even little 8 pound bundles of joy can be overwhelming to take out into the world if you feel rushed.

Babies don't always adhere to your schedule and it will be easier on you if you only plan one or two stops on your outing. Of course you'd love to run around all afternoon, frantically getting errands done, but after that fourth or fifth trip out of the car your baby will probably rebel against you.

If it is time for your baby to nap, at least find a quiet place where they can rest or go for a drive. Having your baby in the middle of the grocery store during nap time will ensure that you buy nothing on your list and frantically throw items into your cart while trying to get the baby to stop crying.

Having a new baby is hard work and if you are taking your baby out, know that you will need extra time and patience for the outing to work out for both of you.

A Drooling Baby is a Messy Baby

Just when you thought your baby couldn't get any messier, they start to drool. I don't mean a little bit of drool, I mean a soak your shirt type of drool that leaves you soaked and needing to go change before going to work.

If your baby has reached around 3 months old and has started to drool like a faucet, rest assured that this is normal and will end eventually. Excessive drooling is a sign that the teething process is starting.

It's simple really. Your baby is drooling and is much more difficult to console. They may be cranky, whiny and "just not themselves". Try feeling in their mouth for potential teeth, especially in the lower front of the mouth where the first teeth tend to erupt from the gums.

If you rub your baby's gums lightly, they may feel some relief. Teething rings and cool rags work in a pinch to give your baby something to chew on to relieve sore gums. If your baby continues to screech and cry, it's time to call the Pediatrician for further advice. Some may tell you to try some tylenol for the pain while others may suggest other solutions.

If your baby is excessively drooling, consider this another milestone in their developmental stages and remember to keep a burp rag close by at all times.

When a baby has a cold

The first time your baby has a cold can be unnerving. Listening to your child's small cough during the night and watching snot run down their face can make any parent feel helpless.

What can you do to alleviate cold symptoms in your baby?

Well, first off, you can't give your baby any decongestants or cough medicine. Tylenol can be used, but you should ask your pediatrician first about the proper dosage. Unfortunately, babies are just too small for most medications.

Congestion can be helped naturally by either raising your baby's head as they sleep, or by running a hot shower with the bathroom door closed and letting your baby inhale the steam. A warm bath might help as well. You might find that your baby spends the night in your arms as you sleep in a chair sitting up and if this works, why not?

As a parent, you want to fix things. If your baby has a cold, make sure that they are getting hydrated and are not spitting up too much formula. "Baby" your baby even more than usual. Use tylenol, but only as directed by your pediatrician. Check for a fever if you think your baby might have one and call your doctor if their temperature is elevated.

Yo Mama

How to get your baby to sleep through the night

If I had the answer to this question: How do you get your baby to sleep through the night? I'd be a much happier person right now. I love being a parent, but the four am feedings can go. I'm asking all of you parents out there:

HOW DID YOU GET YOUR BABY TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT?

I was told by a great aunt to flip her over three times and face her to the moon as she sleeps. Nope, didn't work, but I tried it. What can I say? I'm desperate.

I was told to give her rice cereal (at the age of 1 month) because it will "fill her belly". THIS is not a good idea because babies can't digest rice cereal until they are at least five months old. I skipped this one.

I've been told to get the baby out in the sunshine and keep her busy during the day. I do. I could detonate a bomb under my baby during the middle of the day and if she is sleeping, she won't stir.

It's amazing how loud we can be during the day and the baby continues to sleep right through it all. I would be concerned that there was something wrong with the baby's hearing except for at night, if you click a light switch, she is up. She amazingly hears every tiny noise in the middle of the night and anything can wake her up.

Go figure. I have a night owl on my hands and I'd rather sleep at night than feed a baby 3 or 4 times. Call me crazy. Am I thrilled that I have a new baby? Of course, but I wouldn't mind a few hours of sleep in a row.

Little People Big World

Instead of picking on the Gosselin family drama going on in the news, I decided that today I'd discuss the Roloff family from TLC's show Little People Big World. I like this show as well because I find it intriguing how two little people are able to raise healthy, moderately productive children, three of which are average height.

I am not saying that little people are less capable of parenting or that there is some innate flaw in their abilities, but what is interesting is the level of respect both Amy and Matt Roloff are able to command of their children despite being much smaller in stature and less physically capable by the time their children were teens.

The Roloff family has taken their differences and created a show that teaches us all that it take time, persistance and hard work to raise children in the world today. Neither parent wants out of the relationship, out of the family, or out of the spotlight but instead the Roloffs are able to show us a piece of their lives without showing us too much dirt or drama as with the Gosselins.

Amy and Matt Roloff are two very different people from each other. They have different ways they parent, they have different working styles on how they like to get things accomplished, but what they have in common are morals and values that they want to teach their children.

I think we can learn from the Roloff family that you can take your uniqueness and make it work for you. That when you make the best of a situation, sometimes everything just works out. If nothing else, wear red and you will feel better. Just ask Matt.

John and Kate Plus Eight Premier Season 5

I watched the season premier of John and Kate plus eight. I'll admit, I'm intrigued by their apparent falling apart when the Gosselins seemed like such a perfect family before.

Is this a parenting blog? Yes. Should it focus on the Gosselins? Probably not, and it won't forever, but really, isn't the show about parenting, family life and at this point, what NOT to do?

John Gosselin was a mess during the season 5 premier. He didn't help out for the five year olds birthday party, sat there like a bit of a lump and said to one of the little kids, "you miss daddy, right?" According to Kate Gosselin, he "needed the weekend off" and wasn't there to help get everything ready for the party.

Kate Gosselin is angry and it is still my opinion that she has a right to be. They have eight children and having eight children is hard work. John Gosselin doesn't seem to understand that he chose this life and now that it is too hard, breaking under the pressure isn't going to help anyone.

Is Kate Gosselin tough? Yes. Would I have married Kate Gosselin? No. But John Gosselin did marry Kate and he no longer wants a reality tv show, eight children and all the fame. He didn't get to go out in his twenties and wants to "live". He's not a child. John Gosselin is acting like a severely depressed, irresponsible father who just wants out. Maybe the Gosselin family will be better off without him.

I still hope that the Gosselins figure out how to reconcile their relationship, for the sake of both of them and their children. They worked so hard to get to where they are today and while Kate Gosselin is ready to dig in and work for what is theirs, John Gosselin is ready to throw it all away. No wonder Kate Gosselin is frustrated, who wouldn't be?

Stuck on Gosselins

I'm not sure why, but I am still intrigued by the Gosselin family and their brood of eight children. I watched John and Kate Plus 8 pretty regularly, or at least used the DVR to record it. I thought that the Gosselin family might be too good to be true and now unfortunately they are proving this theory right.

Being in the spotlight can't be easy. Being in the spotlight with eight children in the house seems almost impossible. The Gosselins have done the show for several seasons now and it is clear they are starting to crack under all the pressure.

The media has shown John Gosselin making the statement, "it's like being in prison", but for now, they haven't made it clear exactly what he was referring to. The end of the last season of John and Kate Plus 8 made drama out of nothing as through the last episode they kept showing John Gosselin vacillating and then at the end it was just, "I don't know if I want to do the show anymore."

I'm wondering if this entire thing is just another drama enducing ploy by the Gosselins and the network to boost ratings. It's a bit coincidental that the Gosselin family dirt is being dragged out several weeks before the new season opener.

We'll see. I don't know how a family such as the Gosselin's could work out a divorce, or if they truly even want to. Maybe the Gosselin family can work out staying together, with eight kids to keep in mind it will be complex regardless what they choose.

For their sake, I hope both John and Kate Gosselin stop going to the media to air their dirty laundry (think Kate Gosselin's interview with People Magazine) and consider a marriage counselor instead. Do they really want their children to see their struggles all over the news?

John and Kate Plus 8, heading for disaster

Last week I unwittingly wrote a post about John and Kate Gosselin and how I supported them despite the media frenzy surrounding John Gosselin's supposed infidelities. I was naive enough to believe that John Gosselin was innocent, that the media was just trying to rip the family apart.

Then, I open up People Magazine today. Yes, they publish paparrazi pictures and are not the beacon of truth, I understand that, but People Magazine interviewed Kate Gosselin where she opened up about what is really going on in the Gosselin family.

What is clear is that Kate Gosselin is hurt and angry. Kate Gosselin reported that her husband John Gosselin is just not happy. She stated that she has encouraged him to find happiness with his work, with volunteering, going back to college if he chooses, and she stated that he hasn't done anything to make himself happier.

Kate Gosselin further explained that John hates public speaking, doesn't like to write, and he doesn't want to do the show anymore. Kate believes that John will not be happy no matter what and so since the show supports her eight children and secures their future, she thinks the show should go on.

Kate clarified that while she has been away on speaking engagements, John has had parties at their 24 acre property and has made poor decisions. John defends himself by stating that he hasn't been unfaithful, but he was not able to "go out" in his twenties and now wants to live a little.

Kate Gosselin might be a very difficult woman to deal with, she might yip at John as if he is one of the kids, but he certainly is acting like one right now. Kate has made it clear that she will do this with or without John and right now they are not just on different pages, or in different books, but in different libraries.

We'll see how this ends up. Not too many people really care about the Gosselins and whether they break up or not. Many families break apart from the stress of one or two kids, never mind 8 kids within a few years of marriage.

If we really look at the Gosselins, they started a reality television show showcasing their eight children when they were in their mid-twenties. How many mid-twenties people do you know who are ready for such pressure?

Falling Asleep Anywhere while burping

Some babies, no matter what you do to try and burp them, will fall asleep in any position. Here we have a seven week old baby who is refusing to burp and keeps falling asleep in the hands of her grandmother.

If you don't get a baby to burp, often they will spit up within a half an hour, waking themselves up anyway. Babies have some trouble burping on their own and you should try to burp the baby for about 10 minutes until you give up.

This baby falls asleep during most of her afternoon feedings, but is almost easy to burp in the middle of the night when she likes to be awake. Many babies are more alert in the night hours because they are not yet used to sleeping hard at night and being more awake during the day.