Monthly Archives: September 2014

For Crying Out Loud…!

Blog Post Crying Out Loud

Crying. Screaming. Tears. Red-faced. Sweaty. It can drive a newor even an experienced parent crazy,  left feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, confused, and fed up.

We have been really lucky – Jia really was never much of a crier. The only time we really experienced much crying with her was in the early days when she was trying to teach us what she needed – to be fed. After that, around 3 months old (like the photo above), she only cried when she was in an unfamiliar place and someone else wanted to try holding her, or if we were in the car. Yep, the “drive the baby around the block to stop their crying” didn’t work for us at all. She’d be a happy smiley baby and the second you got in the car, you better hope you didn’t hit the red light on your 1/2 mile drive to Target.

Anyway, we attribute our happy hardly-crying baby to white noise and swaddling, which we started literally from the day she was born. Jia was swaddled basically the whole time we were in the hospital and when she cried, Jeff immediately placed her on her side and shushed then jiggled her and she became serene. Immediately. I wanted to share with you what tips for white noise and swaddling we swear by. Continue reading “For Crying Out Loud…!” »

A Parent’s Guide to Respiratory Virus EV-D68

EV-D68

Lately, there has been a lot of media coverage about a respiratory virus outbreak that has now spread to 22 states: EV-D68. On Twitter, I’ve been seeing a lot of extreme comments to CNN Breaking News‘ post about the virus, such as “the world is coming to an end,” “zombie apocalypse,” and a lot of unnecessary blaming of President Obama. Despite stirring up a lot of panic, according to the CDC the respiratory virus is actually “not commonly severe.” 

As a parent and nurse, I figured I should post an entry about the virus, how it affects your family, and what you can expect if you find that your child(ren) come down with symptoms that may alert you to this infection. So here’s the scoop:

What is EV-D68?

EV-D68 is a non-polio enterovirus, which is a very common class of virus that causes dozens of other illnesses, which generally are not severe. D68 is a virus that mostly affects infants, children, and teens, due to a more vulnerable immune system.  It usually manifests as a mild infection, like the common cold. However, the more severe cases of EV-D68 infections are in infants, children, teens, and immune compromised people who have a history of asthma or wheezing. Continue reading “A Parent’s Guide to Respiratory Virus EV-D68” »

Infant CPR & Choking

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I figured after a few weeks of fun posts like diaper bags and baby goodies, I would publish one on a more serious note.

Recently, one of my friends from nursing school posted on Facebook about how she just performed the Heimlich maneuver on her choking toddler, who accidentally swallowed a screw. Now, Heather is a really attentive and caring mom (who is also an ICU nurse) so I figured well if this can happen to her, it can happen to anyone!

I myself am not sure I would be able to witness my baby choking or cardiac arrest without completely losing it, so I figured I would brush up on my infant CPR and guidelines in response to choking and share them on Little Sproutings. After all, my Basic Life Support (BLS) certification online training has expired, so I need to review it for work anyway. Plus, if anything, readers can familiarize themselves with an overview so they can try on their own if they are ever put in this scary position, instead of freak out and call 911, resulting in delayed treatment. 

So here goes… (the below information is what I have learned from onlineAHA.org through my own BLS certification) Continue reading “Infant CPR & Choking” »

Product Spotlight: Baby Bjorn Babysitter Bouncer

 When someone asks “What’s the one thing you couldn’t live without?” For us, this is it. 

babybjorn

For my first Product Review, I decided to start with my favorite baby product that we own. The Baby Bjorn Babysitter Bouncer was given to us as a hand-me-down from my good friends Samantha and Miles. Jia wasn’t born at the time we were given the bouncer, so we hadn’t realized what a blessing this chair would be for us. After Jia was a few weeks old, we quickly realized Jia was refluxing. Sam swore by the bouncer for her then-colicky baby Nikolai. We needed to keep Jia sitting upright immediately after feedings, starting with 30 minutes and this bouncer has been the ultimate lifesaver! We’ve since decreased her upright time to 15 minutes, just watching how well she has tolerated less time over the months but we still use this bouncer every day. After a full 7 ounce bottle from dad, we stick her in the bouncer while we eat breakfast in the kitchen. We bring it on road trips, we bring it to our family’s house, basically if we are going anywhere for a near-extended period of time, the Baby Bjorn Babysitter comes with us!

Aside from helping provide an upright position without scrunching a full stomach after feedings, the bouncer is great to easily pop baby into so your hands are free to do things around the house. I love being able to pop Jia into the bouncer to clean out the dishwasher, prepare meals, feed the dogs, or fold laundry. The toy bar is also really beneficial. We attach toy rings to the bar so that she can have her other favorite toys nearby while she’s in the bouncer. It is such a vital piece of baby equipment, which is why a picture of it is my main photo for my “Useful Links” menu item above. It’s my most useful item!

Enjoy my first product review! I hope it is helpful!

There are a couple extra features that this bouncer has that I have not addressed, so for additional features please visit their website at www.babybjorn.com/baby-bouncers.

 

 

A Sprout By Any Other Name…

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Recently, as our little family has been out in public, I’ve received many compliments and questions from moms about my iPhone case. It’s covered from edge to edge with Jia pictures from her first month and I love it!

Personalization is so fun and makes a gift or trinket special. Before I had Jia, I liked things that were monogramed, though I never had anything of my own personalized except my push present purse that Jeff bought for me. But, after Jia’s arrival, I have a better appreciation for personalized keepsakes. So many of my friends’ babies were born with such neat names, they may need a little personalization, too! (this is for you, Kannon, Madison, Kipton, Gage, Colbie, Tiana, Hayden, Lorelei, Liam, Liana, Lena, Kadence, Caden, and so many more cuties!)

We put a lot of thought into naming Jia, and with so many adorable pictures we’ve taken of her, we are so happy to have things with her name (and face) on them.

Here are a few personalized items that Jia has, that I adore:  Continue reading “A Sprout By Any Other Name…” »