How Disney Is Baby Friendly

by Gregg Hall

Disneyland is a place for everyone, and at Disneyland, they have thought of everything - including the babies. The Disneyland Baby Center is located on Main Street, behind the Plaza Inn. This is not a babysitting service. Instead, it is a place where you can attend to your babies needs.

There are several characters present in this area, and their purpose there is not only to amuse your baby, but also to help you attend to your baby's needs. This area has rockers, where you can rock and breast feed your baby. No men are allowed in this room, but they are allowed in other rooms within the Baby Center. You can warm a bottle or a jar of food, and clean bottles as necessary. Baby changing tables are available, and the entire center is very clean and comfortable. There are even smaller toilets for children who are being potty trained.

You can also purchase emergency baby supplies at the Baby Center. Diapers cost about a dollar each, and several different types of formula and baby food are kept in supply, although the selections are limited. This is Disneyland's way of making sure that the needs of every guest - no matter how small they may be - are attended to.

As a parent, you already know that you don't want to have to carry your child around in your arms all day. You couldn't possibly make it through the day! You also can't expect your child to walk all day long. The obvious choice is to have a way to transport your child - without wearing you or the child completely out.

Strollers are not only welcome at Disneyland, they are highly recommended. In fact, Disneyland rents strollers for a reasonable fee. Strollers can be rented for less than $10 for the day, and you can get a huge discount on a second stroller if it is needed. The strollers are clean and well-maintained, but they do all look alike. Tie something on the stroller, such as a brightly colored ribbon, to help identify it from all of the other strollers in the park.

Never leave your child unattended in the stroller, and never leave any material items of any value in the stroller either. Even if you bring your own stroller, you should have some easy way to identify it - there will be other strollers that look just like it at Disneyland.

Massage For Infants And Children

by Kevin Pederson

Massage benefits individuals of all age groups and different conditions. Touch is as important to any infants and kids like eating and sleeping. Massaging involves loving, gentle stroking or kneading by a parent or caregiver on various parts of a child's body like the face, head, arms, shoulders, neck, hands, back, legs and feet.

Use of oils on the body of your precious little ones to soothe, relax and heal affirms a strong, close bond conveying a comforting sense of trust and security.

Early infant massage enhances the development of the nervous system and stimulates all other systems of the body. It improves circulation, respiration, aids digestion and eases elimination of wastes from the body. It also makes your little one less prone to gas and colic ailments. Massage of baby in its growing years prepares the body for sitting, standing and walking.

Massage is a wonderful stress buster for children who are prone to all kind of stress. Like a child starting a school in a new area, health, fights amongst parents, exams or peer pressure, etc produce emotional, physical and mental stress. Massage reduces stress hormones and heals the body.

Each child responds differently to massage. Some may squirm, cry, or some might just appear more relaxed and calm and also fall asleep.

There is no fixed time to massage your baby. Find a time suitable for you and your baby. Some enjoy in the morning after their feed, some in the afternoon before or after their naps. Massage before bedtime can put a cranky baby to sleep peacefully. Follow the massage with a warm bath.

While giving a massage, sit straight either on the floor or on the bed or stand before the table. The room is warm enough as your little one can shiver when undressed. The place where you massage you baby should be quiet and away from distractions of all kinds.

Lay your child on soft surface like thick set of towels so it may not hurt it self when it wriggles or squirms. Keep aside towel, pair of wash cloths, clean diaper and baby clothes for use after the massage.

Oils are good for lubrication, helping your hand glide smoothly over your baby's soft and rather delicate skin. Small babies have a habit of putting their hand or fingers in their mouth all the time, so it's ideal to use oil that is of good quality. Use cold pressed (oils extracted by means of pressure) or unscented oils. Alternatively you can use baby oils produced by many companies which specialize in baby products. Grape seed oil has nice texture, apricot and almond oils are smooth, light and easily absorbable into the body. To massage your babies, use coconut oil in summers and mustard oil in winter.

Baby Care Tips

by Tania Jain

The mother of a baby is the most busy person on earth, when she is not very gathered about her daily routine vis-à-vis the baby.

Breast feeding

Everyday she has to bother about the baby's feeding, sleeping, clothing, changing and bathing. It is the best to feed your own milk to the child. Please do not forget to give her the first milk of yours because that would contain colostrums, which is vital for the immune system of the child. Mother's milk will always create the body resistance and the child will be a healthy one in future.

When you are breast feeding your child, the food that causes problems in your body may be communicated to the baby as well. Foods that cause gas or cold should be avoided or the baby will have uncomfortable state or congestion.

Bottle feeding

If you are bottle-feeding your baby for some reasons, then make sure that the bottles are well sterilized and clean. Scrub them with washing liquids. Boil them for 25 minutes to kill unwanted organism that may have developed in it due to the fermenting milk. Steam sterilizer and cold sterilizer methods are also there, about which one has to consult with an expert and should see to it that those are readily available in the market.

Baby sleeping

The materials needed to put the baby to sleep are a good, firm mattress, sheets and blankets. Keep one feet distance from the nostril range of the baby if you are lying along with your baby on the same bed. There should not be unnecessary clothing or clothes around the baby's body and bed which may cause temperature rise and heating. The baby is not going to talk about it, and you should be sensitive enough to remove the body coverings as much as possible. There should be a mosquito net, or at least a netted covering around the baby to keep away the flies and the mosquitoes.

Clothing

Summer clothes should be light cotton ones. When the baby is taken out, make sure that his head does not get the direct sun. In winter, there may be sweaters, trousers and other woolens.

Changing

The baby's diapers should be regularly changed. The intervals should be fixed according to the baby's routine of potting and wetting. Despite the routine, the baby may need changing because of untimely nature calls at times. It is the baby's right to feel dry at every moment. See to it that the bed is not wetted and the smelly clothes and bed sheets are removed.

Bathing

The baby needs a mouth washing with cotton. A bath tub large enough to hold it and is easy to wash should be made available. The baby should enjoy the water which can be assessed if leg splashing which is very distinct. The baby should be rubbed with baby oil and baby cream. The nail clippers should be used at bath time. After bath, the baby should be thoroughly dried and should be applied with a baby powder.

Immunisation

The baby should be immunized against Small Pox & Measles with BCG within 3 months of its age. The first DPT (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Psertussis, Polio, HIB, Meningitis C) is due within the first 2 months followed by the 2nd and the 3rd one at one month intervals. The MMR vaccination against Measles, Mumps and Rubella should be done within 1 years of age. The boosters should be taken after the baby is 4 years old.

Training and Education

Though regular training and teaching should not be started before the age of three years, the child's habits and sense of discipline is cultivated through the discipline the mother maintains. When the mother is calm against odds like the baby fever, or baby dysentery while making sure of the treatments, the child gets the idea to be calm against disastrous times.

The most important babycare tip

The parents should find enough time to spend with the baby.