The decision to bottle- or breast-feed your infant is a very personal one. If you are unsure which way to go, you will want to discuss it with your partner, your doctor or midwife, and ask the advice of other mothers, but ultimately, you need to make the choice that works with your body, your lifestyle and your concerns for the well-being of your baby. There are pros and cons to using baby formula rather than breast milk that you should Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to feeding your newborn, you will be faced early on with an important decision for whether or not you will breastfeed. Today, many new parents are exploring the benefits that a breastfeeding relationship can provide for both the newborn and their parents. Additionally, with the increased use of breast pumps, many new moms can continue to work or feed their baby using more than one method. If you are considering the idea of breastfeeding your newborn, then here is a comprehensive list of pros and Read the rest of this entry »

Hawaii’s a great place to raise children but it’s hard to know what’s okay to feed them. We eat a lot of different foods here than on the mainland so figuring out when to start baby on what is tough. We’ve got a guide for you so set that homesecuritysystem.com alarm and get out to your local farmer’s market: babies love these foods!
Mangoes: Nothing’s better than a pureed mango to a baby so sweet and flavorful! The good news is that they’re readily available and you can get organic ones all across this great state.
King’s Hawaiian: Hawaiian bread is special – it’s made with Poi – and that’s a great way to get some extra fiber into your baby’s diet. It’s purple, too, so that’s a great way to get them to eat it from the get go!
Coconut Milk: Babies love milk and though coconut milk isn’t as high fat as some of its counterparts it’s a great way to get some extra fruit into your baby’s meals. Try it with their dry cereal or just spoon to them like regular baby foodl

While co sleeping has been a common practice in most non-Western cultures, it is only recently becoming accepted in Western society.
The reason for this change stems from the fact that parents are becoming more aware of the truths and fallacies regarding co-sleeping.
Parents are told that there is a possibility their baby will die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) if he/she is sleeping with them. The truth is, there are fewer cases of SIDS in countries, like Japan, where co-sleeping is a common practice. Read the rest of this entry »

The first few days with a newborn are exciting, but so tiring! Newborn babies tend to sleep most of the time during their first few days, but in spurts of one to three hours. They wake up to be fed and have a diaper change, but not much more. It is really important to follow the age old advice to sleep when your baby sleeps! The up and down schedule will wear you out. Some newborns like to be swaddled tightly in a blanket. This recreates the feeling of being in the womb. Sometimes Read the rest of this entry »

After the joy of having a new baby, postpartum depression can set in about 10 of mothers and new parents may not be quite aware of the symptoms or causes.

Some new mothers will begin to experience the feeling of sadness or exhaustion that can extend longer than the normal baby blues. This is a real and true type of depression that is brought on by childbirth and is called postpartum depression.

New parents may recognize this as it sets in about 2 ” 3 weeks after childbirth. The feelings a new mom may experience are feelings of sadness, despair, discouragement, Read the rest of this entry »

If you are a parent in Hawaii and want to meet and mingle with other Hawaiian parents all you have to do is go to places that parents go with their children. Going to places like parks, baby aerobics, community get together, and child friendly restaurants are great places to meet other parents. A local parenting class is also a good location to meet other parents and to share some parenting tips. Parents always like to have other Read the rest of this entry »