Soap Causes Allergy in Newborn Infants

I Checked with a lot of Moms.

Johnsons and Johnsons baby soap causes allergies (Red rashes all over the body) in several babies.

Avoid soap for the first few days, people, the best baths are natural, finely ground almond paste in rose water or milk, some people recommend plain milk, you could try honey in water or with rose water... you get the idea.

As the child gets older, after a couple of weeks, you can start experimenting with mild, non perfumed or very mildly perfumed soaps. I used Dove for my babies later on and it worked fine. Mother care has some bath gels so even that is okay though a bit more expensive.

Avoid Sickness

Avoid sickness.
When visiting Friends and relatives, do not hesistate to call and ask if anyone has a cold, sore throat or fever before visiting.
You can then decide whether or not to take the baby there. The last thing you want to take home from someone else's home are their illnesses in your baby.
I personally give my baby a tiny dose of Vitamin C (Cecon Drops) and/ or homeopathic pills (Easident) that help boost immunity whenever I go out in the midst of a crowd where I cannot control to whom she will be exposed (eg. large family gatherings, weddings).

Bathing your baby

Our tradition decrees a set routine for a baby's bath: Massage, Bath and after bath care.

Massage
The main idea is to oil the baby's skin (moisturising) and stimulate it. You have to be careful not to harm the baby's tender body in the process.
It's a good idea to allow someone who is experienced at massaging babies to massage your baby for a few days. You can watch them and decide what elements of their method you would like to retain and discard.

Once you are comfortable with your own body's healing post delivery, you can take over the massage. This helps you to have a lot of skin contact with your baby and increases bonding.

Oil
Your pediatrician may suggest you do not use any oil on the baby's skin in the mean time. It's your call on whether you want to follow his/her advice.

I personally used Johnson's baby oil for the first few days. Then my baby developed a rash and I tried out olive oil, til oil and finally settled down at coconut oil. I generally added a couple of drops of Almond (badam) oil to the coconut oil and then applied it to the baby's skin and head.

It is kind to use lukewarm oil on the baby's skin, so it is best to heat the oil for a few seconds before use. Test the temperature of the oil on the back of your palm before you apply it to your baby's tender skin.

Soap Or...
Once the baby is massaged, he is ready for a bath.

Never use cold water on new born babies. They are used to the warmth of the womb and it is necessary to bathe them in warm water to make the bath as pleasant as possible for them. As always, test the temperature of the water on the back of your palm before you apply it to your baby's tender skin. The water shoul be warm but not hot. You should be able to pour an entire mug of it on the back of your palm without feeling in the least bit uncomfortable.

The hospital where you deliver will have it's own suggestion about what soap to use for your baby in the initial few days. It's a good idea to continue to use the same soap for the baby until a week after the umbilical cord has fallen off.

When you feel the umbilical cord area has completely dried and healed, you can start using other traditional bathing methods.

For the first 2 months, I used a mixture of Turmeric (Haldi) powder and Mung Dal (Green Gram) Flour mixed in milk cream instead of soap for my baby. From then on, I used a mixture of Turmeric (Haldi) powder, Chana Dal Flour (Besan), milk cream & rose water mixed to the consistency of thick cake batter.

Oil the baby as usual, then apply this paste evenly on the entire body and face and wash off with water. There is no need to use soap.

From the 8th month onwards, I started using almond (badam) and sandalwood (chandan) paste. After the massage, I apply this paste on the baby's skin and leave it on for a minute or two. Then I bathe the baby with the Chana dal, turmeric etc. mixture mentioned above.

Not using soap makes me feel that I am not subjecting my baby's skin to an onslaught of complex chemicals. Besides, Turmeric, Milk Cream, Rose water, Besan, all have properties that contribute to good complexions.

When the whole world is turning to Ayurveda and people are paying BIG money to get treated at spas, start early with your baby at home!!

All your suggestions are welcome. If you have any opinions, feedback, do post them here.

Travelling with Baby

In our culture, elders generally recommend that children be taken out of the house only after they are 45 days old. If you think about it, there may be some logical sense in it. Babies below 45 days old may not have the immunity it takes to face the great outdoors before that especially in a tropical country like India.

However, visits to the pediatrician may be necessary long before this.

The first few times I decided to take my baby out, I was at a complete loss of what and how much to take along. Here's a general list that might help you.

Babies less than three months old generally pass urine about every 25 minutes or so. Anticipate a wait of about two hours at the pediatrician and take along 4 nappies and 4 swaddling cloths.

Babies above three months old can wear nappy pads and then progress to diapers when they are about 6 months old. Just carry one spare underwear and one spare nappy pad / diaper then.

Babies older than 6 months would have started eating outside food. So if you plan to be out at a feed time, you will also have to carry some food for your baby.

Trips for a couple of hours:
Nappies & Swaddling Cloths / Underwear & Nappy Pads / Diapers
Baby Wipes
Baby's water
Baby's food
Bib
Baby's cap
Baby's socks / footwear
Insect repellent
Baby's toy/s

Trips for a couple of days:
Baby's clothes
Nappies / underwear & nappy pads / diapers
Swaddling cloths / Spread cloths
Baby's cap
Baby's socks / footwear
T-shirts, Shorts, Skirts, Frocks, Jump suits etc.
Full sleeved long legged nightwear
Baby's bibs.
Baby Wipes
Baby's water
Baby's food
Baby's bottles, bowls, dishes, spoons
Insect repellent
Babies daily medication, Crocin and other first aid recommended by your pediatrician
Baby's toy/s
Rubber / Plastic sheets and their covers
Kangaroo Bag / Baby basket
Lots of tissues

As ususal, I may have overlooked something and it would be great if you could add it and shre it!!

How to Deal With Crying Babies

In the first few months of her life, my baby cried a lot. I received a lot of advice from helpful friends and family on how to deal with my crying baby. I tried out most of it at different points in time. I am listing here what worked for me.
You may have to try a couple of remedies at a time before you arrive at a solution that works at that particular time. Don't be afraid to try things out. Always remember your instincts are your best guides.

Check Nappy
One of the most common reasons for babies feeling uncomfortable is a soiled nappy. Check and change the nappy if necessary. While checking, see if there is any redness, soreness, or blisters in the baby's nappy area. These can appear very fast, so you can check every time. If there is a rash, any soothing, mild, moisturizer will help for the moment. Then consult your pediatrician.

Check if hungry
In the initial months, babies are normally willing to drink milk and quieten down quite readily unless something is very wrong or they are very full. Just try breastfeeding the child and it may solve the problem!

Check if sleepy
Use your usual sleep inducing methods - rocking, feeding, shushing, darkening the room etc. If your child is very tired and sleepy, they may cry and be very irritable.

Check if too hot or too cold
Touch your baby's feet, hands and tummy. If they are cold, your baby is feeling cold and needs to be warmed up. Hug and cuddle the baby a little and put on warmer clothes.
It could also be that your child is feeling too hot. Check for any sweating or simply try colling the baby. Take off a couple of layers of clothing. Switch on the fan / Air conditioner.
Ideal baby temperatures are between 24 and 26 degrees Centigrade.

Put in cradle and rock
Sometimes, just putting your baby in a cradle and rocking her will calm her down. She may even drift off to sleep!

Rock in arms
Carry your crying baby in your arms and gently rock him. It might help if you make wooshing / humming sounds / say om. Babies are sensitive to moods. If you are tense or high strung, you will find your baby is also irritable and will not sleep easily. Make sure you take a couple of deep breaths, calm yourself and make soothing sounds to the baby. Shushing and wooshing sounds resemble the sounds the baby would have heard while in the womb and are therefore comforting. Humming sounds and Om create reverberations which also help to calm the baby. Holding the baby close to your heart so he can hear your rhythmic heartbeat is reassuring to them.

Check for insects on clothes
Sometimes, insects may get into your babies clothes without your realizing it. Remove your babies clothes and check in the various folds of skin to see if an insect is troubling your baby. Ants like to hide in babies hair so make sure you check your babies head as well. Make sure your baby doesn't smell of milk cream or any other food to prevent insect bites.

Try all colic remedies
Try all the colic remedies I have posted earlier.

Remember, your instinct is your best guide. You may have to run through a lot of these methods before you arrive at a solution that calms your baby down at that particular time. The same remedy may not work every time.
Be calm and feel free to experiment within reasonable limits. If you come up with a new method, do post it here so we all share it!!

My baby girl was born on 29th November 2005. She weighed 2.9 Kgs, was 19 inches long and had a mop of curly hair.
I delivered her through an emergency c-section because of a face presentation.
This blog is an attempt to share what I learn through my experiences with other mothers who may feel as much at sea as I feel!!

How I dealt with Colic

My baby was Colicky!!
She would cry for apparently no reason and for quite a while at a time.

The Doctor prescribed some colic medicines, but they had a limited effect. Nevertheless, I kept giving them to her as prescribed.

We did try (and seemed to benefit from) some home remedies.
1. Take a pinch of asafoetida powder (Hing) in a teaspoon. Add a couple of drops of lukewarm / room temperature water and create a paste. Apply this on the baby's abdomen around the belly button without touching the stub of the umbilical cord or allowing any of the paste to get into the baby's belly button.

2. Take a Paan leaf (betel leaf) and apply a layer of castor oil on it. Heat the leaf by holding above an open flame. Test the temperature of the leaf on the back of your palm and if okay, apply the leaf on the baby's abdomen with the castor oil side touching the baby's skin. You can repeat this process with the same leaf every 3-4 minutes till the leaf changes colour.

3. There's a herb called Vesambu in tamil, Bach in Hindi, Vaj in Marathi and Acorus in English. It looks like a thick twig. Hold this above an open flame till it gets blackened. wait for it to cool. Rub your finger on the blackened part so some of it comes onto your finger. Put this on the baby's tongue.

4. Take a fist full of Ajwain/Omum/Ova seeds. Wrap them in a cloth and heat them in the microwave oven till they are warm. Alternatively, heat them on a hot pan and then put them in a cloth. Foment the babies tummy and chest with this. You could also gring them to a paste with water and then heat the paste and use it for fomentation. Always remember to test the temperature on the back of your palm before you apply it to the baby's skin!

All this was tried until we felt any one of them was working and then we just stuck to that one remedy for that time.

Hope this brings releif to some of you! Your suggestions and experiences are welcome.

Do babies cry a lot in first few days?

Bundle of Joy is the word !
also..
babies cry a lot in first few days.
more so at night.

any idea why?

jayant hudar
www.jayanthudar.com