Need help paying for baby milk formula?

I've been breastfeeding for 6 months now and do not have financial issues relating to the care of my child. However my neighbor recently stopped breastfeeding and realized that baby formula can be very expensive. Even with coupons powdered baby milk often costs $15 a can. Since she buys baby food and baby juice, the cost of feeding her child is skyrocketing. Her plight made me think about how many other women must be in her shoes. For those of you who may be struggling, a program named Women, Infants, and Children or WIC can be a life saver. Although my neighbor doesn't qualify for the benefit, I know many people who do. Not only do they receive formula, but they get gallons of milk, juice, cereal, peanut butter and other nutritious foods at no cost to them. I encourage every struggling mother to visit their local WIC office or the website to find out if you may qualify for the service.

Baby Monitors

My neighbor and I purchased very similar video baby monitors and discovered a very scary situation. She asked me the color my baby's crib sheets. After telling her she informed me that she could see my baby's crib. So last night I switched channels on my video monitor. To my surprise there was her baby boy looking snug as bug in his crib. The first thought that came to my mind was "What if a child molester can see our kids?" Yes I may be overreacting, but if we can see our babies and we are 2 homes apart, my fear is that someone else can see the babies. What do you think?

Teething

Patty has been on the teething pony for a while now and she has her moments where she cannot tolerate the pain. During those intolerable moments, I give her some baby Tylenol. At other times when her gums just seem itchy, I let her nibble on a cooled teething ring or a terry cloth. This stage is not as bad as my sister told me it would be (not yet) but every child is different I suppose. She definitely seems like a happy child and that is all that I can hope for :-)

Teething Baby

As of Wednesday May 7, 2008, 4 month old Patty is a teether. ARGH!!! I thought my poor baby was going to chew her fingers down to a stub. She has not sucked a pacifier since birth but on Wednesday I felt she might take it to soothe her itchy gums. Sure enough she sucked on it for about 5 minutes (the longest ever). Later I rubbed her gums with some Orajel and she was able to relax and take a nap. Something new every day... :-)

Help your baby sleep through the night

My neighbor was dying to know how I got my little girl to sleep through the night, so I gave her some simple tips. Within a week her little boy was sleeping through the night as well. Of course all of this can change at a moment's notice, but for now things are working out great. Below are a few tips for getting your little one to sleep as well.

In the evening I give Patti a bath, change her diaper, then feed her 4 ounces of breast milk with either cereal or baby food. I burp her, sing a lullaby, place her on her stomach and tell her good night. It takes her about 10 minutes to fall asleep on her own. At 11 PM I change her diaper, feed her a bottle of breast milk with cereal, and place her on her stomach. She sleeps until 6 AM. Of course she is going to move around and grunt during the night but she doesn't wake up. That's it. It's not a complicated process and I get a good night's rest. However, before placing your baby on his/her stomach you may want to consult your child's pediatrician. I felt comfortable because my daughter can roll from her back to stomach and turn her head from side to side. Until things change I will continue to follow our routine because it has been a life saver for me. As I tell every mom I talk to, "Do what works for you and your child!"