How to Give your Baby Medicine

Tue, 10 Apr 2007 10:55:04 GMT

Giving your baby medicine doesn't have to be an uphill battle. If you're dealing with your first baby and feel uncomfortable forcing medicine or battling with your little one, try to keep in mind that your baby needs that medicine whether they know it or not.

For infants and most toddler medicine, the pharmacists will usually give their medicine in liquid form or to be given by suppository. If they don't include a syringe you should ask for one (obviously the kind without the needle-they'll know what you mean).

At home, prepare the syringe with the appropriate amount of medicine. For infants, try to give them their medication after a feeding so that they've had a chance to be accustomed to swallowing recently.

Cradle your child's head in the crook of your elbow, reaching around and pinching their cheeks together to form a fish face. With your other hand, place the syringe behind the tongue, being careful to squeeze out only 1/3 to a half of the medicine at a time. After inserting a bit of the liquid, be sure to keep the fish face and give her a chance to swallow. The fish face will help keep her from frowning out the medicine. If she gurgles on the medicine, don't panic, she'll swallow before she chokes.

If your baby is struggling, give her a break before finishing the syringe. Once she's taken all the medication, be sure to giver her verbal praise, and perhaps a little juice or water to wash down any residue.

For children with suppositories: I would recommend doing this before a feeding since your little one will be laying on their tummy, squirming and fussing (now would be a bad time to have to clean spit up). If your child is small enough and you're strong enough to hold them steady, this may be done while they lay on their back.

After removing the diaper and spreading the little bum, apply a small amount of vaseline to the rectum. With clean hands and a small amount of vaseline on your finger as well, gently insert suppository completely, continuing to apply pressure to the rectum area in case your child tries to push it out.

Be prepared, such stimulus can often cause a bowel movement and you may have to reapply.

Be sure to wipe clean any excess, as well as sanitize hands after.

Try to plan giving the suppository before the feeding so that after you've administered the medicine, you can let your child soothe herself with her next meal. Don't panic if while she's eating she "gets rid" of the suppository. As long as it's not exactly as it was when it went in-assuming you held it in for a moment-she should have absorbed all she needs. The mysterious "they" take that sort of thing into account.

Babies and baby gates

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 19:57:38 GMT

The everyday hassles of raising children can be taxing on even a team of "experts," but you don't get a team, do you? You have yourself, and if you're lucky, a family and a partner. You can read every book there is on what you should expect when expecting or how to raise the new little bundle in your life. I can all but garauntee that things will not go as smoothly as the books may lead you to imagine. Being a new mother of six month old twins, there have been things that no amount of reading can prepare you for. Feedings on the hour every two hours-round the clock, projectile vomit, explosive diahrea, and; the cursed six o'clock witching hour which for some reason causes every living being under the age of five years to cry uncontrollably for no apparent reason. Of course, these things fade as your child grows and as you become more aware of what each cry actually signals. The first true smile, the tiny squeeky giggles, the first time a stranger holds them and they look to you for reassurance; all things that confirm you are a mother and you never knew you could love so completely, these are the times you remember.

And then, one day they begin to roll-fast, and crawl-quickly, and you wonder exactly how you're to keep them in their designated blanket area and still clean dishes or fold laundry. This is where we were several weeks ago before we found our baby enclosure. And I must say, it has been wonderful. The usual "it's too quiet" instinct seems to have subsided since we purchased our gate. I know that when they're in it, they are unable to reach anything haphazardly laying on the ground (the dust bunnies my daughter has a knack for collecting between her fingers). I personally recommend purchasing the puzzle foam alphabet as a foundation to put your baby enclosure around. Spit up is made easier to clean with the foam, and there is nothing for them to pinch or pull out of the carpet, as well as no carpet burn. A safe way to keep your eye on them and know exactly where they are and what they're doing. We went with the honeycomb enclosure versus the bar enclosure so that I was reassured they couldn't reach their arms out and grab anything or pull anything down.

So there it is, my tid bit gate promo. Seriously though, it's nice to have but I would say a must for moms of multiples.

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How to Give your Baby Medicine

Babies and baby gates