Where to Go and What to Do

While your first adventure with baby outdoors might be as easy as a stroll around the block or a bike ride around the lake, getting out in warmer weather offers endless opportunities to expose baby to new sights, sounds, people, and adventures. Here are some activities to try that aren’t just entertaining but also are good for your little one’s social and intellectual development:

• Hike a nature trail
• Play with bubbles in a local park
• Listen to music at an outdoor venue
• Pick berries at a local farm
• Eat at an outdoor café
• Splash in a kiddie pool

There are so many wonderful things to do outside in the spring that give baby the chance to get a sense of the world and his or her surroundings.

Dressing Baby for the Outdoors this Spring

Spring temps vary from state to state, so a warm March day in Colorado is certainly different than a warm spring day in Florida! Because babies can’t cool themselves as well as adults, they’re more susceptible to overheating. It’s a good idea to dress baby in layers so you can remove some of the clothing as the temps get warmer. Also, bring along a hat to shield those tiny eyes and fuzzy head from the sun and a blanket to protect their arms and legs from getting sunburned.

What to Bring Along

Depending on where you go, and how long you’ll be out and about, bring extra diapers (and a bag to contain the dirty ones), wipes, and an extra bottle if bottle feeding. Skip the toys and let the outdoors be all the entertainment baby needs!

Also, you’ll want to decide how to transport baby on your outing. Will you be walking with a stroller? Wearing baby in a carrier or wrap? Carrying him or her in a car seat? Don’t forget to pack your apparatus!

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post When is Baby Ready for the Outdoors? appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

Same Room, Different Bed

While it’s tempting to let your precious newborn sleep next to you, experts say it’s not safe. Sharing an adult bed increases the risk of suffocation, strangulation, and sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS¹. However, having baby sleep in the same room as mom is recommended by health experts for the baby’s first six months to a year. This sleeping arrangement is beneficial in so many ways because it can:

• Help support breastfeeding.
• Help prevent SIDS.²
• Encourage emotional and social connection.

Crib or Bassinet Only

Your newborn should sleep in either a crib or a bassinet that meets the latest Consumer Product Safety Commission’s guidelines. While the Academy of Pediatrics doesn’t have a recommendation for which option is better, they do recommend a freestanding crib or bassinet as opposed to one that attaches to the parent’s bed.³

Bedtime Safety

Whether in a crib or bassinet, the sleeping surface should be firm and covered with a fitted sheet. The mattress should also fit tightly inside the crib with minimal space between the crib and the mattress. Additionally, avoid putting soft pillows and toys or loose blankets and sheets in the crib, as these can pose a risk for the baby’s safety.

Sleep Training

Now that you know where your little bundle of joy should sleep, training him or her to sleep is the next step – at about the age of four months. Sleep training teaches babies how to fall asleep on their own. It’s a natural process of getting them to understand how to put themselves to sleep by self-soothing, which is an important developmental skill. There are several different sleep training techniques to try, and not everyone works for every baby.

Read more about sleep training techniques to find out which suits your family best.

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post Sleeping Arrangements for Your New Baby appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

Benefits of Postpartum Exercise

Exercise does a body good when recovering after childbirth. It strengthens and tones abdominal muscles, boosts energy, can help prevent postpartum depression, relieves stress, supports better sleep habits, and helps you lose the extra weight gained during pregnancy. Of course, starting an exercise routine post-delivery depends on your individual circumstances. Your OB/GYN or healthcare professional can help determine when and what exercise routine is best for you.

Low Impact Exercises After Pregnancy

Once you get the green light from your doctor to start your postpartum fitness routine, here are some low-risk exercises to try:

Walking
Walking is one of the easiest ways to get back into a fitness routine after giving birth. You can start with a gentle stroll and work your way up to a brisk power walk. It’s also something you can do with baby.

Yoga
Postpartum yoga offers new moms many benefits, including increased calmness, decreased anxiety and depression, reduced moodiness, increased energy, and lower blood pressure. Yoga also can help strengthen the pelvic floor, hips, and over-stretched abdominal muscles.

Light weight training
It’s recommended to ease back into a weight training routine by starting over as a beginner with lower weights, sets, and reps and working your way up each week.

Increase Postpartum Nutrients with Prenatal Vitamins

As your body assimilates to postpartum, you may not have enough nutrients stored in your body for your recovery. Many important nutrients were transferred to your baby through the umbilical cord during pregnancy. If you breastfeed, your baby receives these nutrients through breast milk. To help provide your body and your baby with the nutrients needed to get you both through the postpartum hump, consider adding a prenatal vitamin such as Prenate^®.

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post Jump-Start Your Fitness Routine with These Postpartum Exercises appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

Pacifier Sanitizer

Cleaning and sanitizing those all-important pacifiers has never been faster with the mini portable UV-C Sterilizer from Munchkin. It kills 99.99% of the most common household germs, including seasonal varieties, in just 59 seconds. This sterilizer is portable and compact, so you can easily stash it in your purse, diaper bag, or stroller.

Bluetooth Bottle Warmer

The Safe + Smart Baby Bottle Warmer from Baby Breeza is the only warmer with Bluetooth and two warming modes. It safely and evenly warms breastmilk and formula. The Steady Warm mode is for breastmilk to help preserve its nutrients. The Quick Warm mode is perfect for heating formula and baby food. And there’s a free app that lets you control the bottle warmer remotely with an alert when the bottle is ready.

Next-Generation Baby Monitors

Baby monitors have been a must-have gadget for years, but now they’re even smarter with basic to advanced features. Audio monitors let you listen in on baby from another room, while video monitors let you see how baby is doing, including at night. Baby movement monitors may give you even more peace of mind by tracking not only baby’s movement but also their sleeping habits, breathing, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and the temperature of the room.

Hatch Rest Sound Machine

Part sound machine, part night light, the Rest Sound Machine by Hatch helps you create the perfect sleep environment for your child to fall asleep and stay asleep. You can control sounds, lights, timers, and schedules right from your smartphone. It features 11 soothing sounds from crickets to rain to the ocean and three classic lullabies.

Pregnancy Tracking Apps

For moms-to-be, there are a ton of apps available to help you monitor the progress and development of your baby and your pregnancy. Some apps will track baby’s dimensions and anatomical developments, show 3D renderings of your growing little one, and even connect you with other expecting women.

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post Tech Gadgets You Can’t Live Without During & After Pregnancy appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

Nursery Planning

If you didn’t stock up on nursery and baby gear over the holidays, now is a good time to make your list. There are some essentials that should be on every mom’s list, including a crib or bassinet, comfortable bedding (color-coordinated to match the nursery, of course!), a rocking chair or glider, a changing table, and a baby monitor. Not only do you want to purchase the gear ahead of time, make sure to assemble and test everything before baby arrives.

Baby Proofing

Baby proofing will be a never-ending battle after you bring your bundle of joy home. But there are some simple things you can do to help baby proof as you prepare for baby’s arrival. When decorating the nursery, don’t hang mobiles or netting over the crib that baby can pull down. Also, avoid table lamps on nearby furniture that baby could tug on and over.

Baby Essential Supplies

There is so much to do to prepare for the arrival of a newborn that it may seem impossible to remember everything. Use this checklist for the first four weeks to make things easier.

Feeding

• Breast pump
• Bottles and nipples
• Burp cloths
• Bibs

Changing

• Diapers
• Diaper pail
• Wipes
• Diaper rash cream
• Portable changing pads

Clothing

• Swaddle blanket
• Sleepers
• Knit hat or caps
• Booties and mittens

Bath time

• Soap
• Shampoo
• Soft towels and washcloths
• Baby moisturizer

Grooming

• Bulb syringe
• Baby nail clippers
• Soft hairbrush
• Gentle clothes detergent
• First aid kit

Nutritional Reserves for Mom

Through both the birthing and nursing processes, your reserves of iron and other nutrients may become depleted, which can leave you feeling lethargic and foggy. It’s common for new moms not to prioritize their own health and diet after bringing baby home. One of the best ways to take care of yourself is to create a postpartum nutrition plan prior to your baby’s delivery. Take a few hours to figure out a two-week to three-week postpartum meal plan, including a list of what you’d like to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as snacks and beverages. Create the grocery list and recruit friends, family, or neighbors to help you prepare meals.

To help fill in nutritional gaps, consider taking a prenatal vitamin. And yes – prenatal vitamins can also be taken postpartum. Prenate^® Restore is an excellent option for replenishing your nutritional reserves after delivery and has the highest levels of DHA of any leading branded prescription prenatal.^1-13

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post Helpful Tips and Reminders for Baby’s Arrival appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

Benefits of Leafy Greens While Pregnant

A, B, C, E, and K. That’s the alphabet soup of vitamins found in leafy greens. Plus, you’ll find high levels of fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. From salad greens, mustard greens, kale, and spinach, to broccoli and bok choy, these leafy vegetables are packed with what expectant moms and their babies need. Dark greens also supply a significant amount of folate, a B vitamin that promotes heart health and helps protect against some kinds of birth defects.¹

Other benefits of eating vegetables during pregnancy include their role in supporting:

• Healthy weight gain for mom
• Just-right blood pressure
• Reduced risk of developing anemia
• Healthy birth weight for baby

Tasty Leafy Green Recipes

Most women should eat 2.5 cups to 3 cups of vegetables each day.² If you aren’t a fan of leafy green superfoods, how can you make sure you eat the recommended amounts? By making them delicious, of course! Here are some tasty recipe ideas to make sure you get more leafy greens in your diet.

Spinach-Orzo Salad with Chickpeas combines lots of textures and flavors and hot and cold temperatures to help you forget that you’re eating spinach!

A Kale and Quinoa Salad is a satisfying meal or a perfect side dish packed with vitamins from the kale and healthy-but-hearty protein from the quinoa.

If salads aren’t your thing, try a nice cup of Swiss Chard Bean Soup packed full of leafy greens and Great Northern beans for fiber.

Love smoothies? They’re a great way to disguise vegetables! This Ginger Kale Smoothie recipe is the perfect breakfast for on-the-go (or a daytime pick-me-up). It is a healthy blend of fresh torn kale, spices, and juices.

Looking for something a little heartier for dinner? Try this Weeknight Ravioli Lasagna loaded with fresh spinach and part-skim mozzarella.

When You Can’t Always Eat Right

There is no substitute for eating healthy during pregnancy to get the extra vitamins and minerals that your body – and your baby – need. But life happens, and you can’t always make the best food choices. That’s where prenatal vitamins can help fill in the gaps.

Prenatal vitamins are readily available over the counter or by prescription, but they are not all created equal. Talk with your doctor about your body’s specific needs to make sure you maintain the right amount of nutrients in your diet to support a healthy pregnancy. You can also take this interactive quiz to help you find your perfect Prenate Vitamin!

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post How to Incorporate Leafy Greens into a Pregnancy Diet appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

Myth 1: Pregnant women need to eat twice as much.

Reality: Generally, moms-to-be only need 200 calories a day more than what’s required for a traditional healthy diet. The actual extra number of calories you need will depend on your normal weight and height, and activity level. The additional calories needed can easily be added with a healthy snack or two.

Myth 2: Pregnant women shouldn’t drink coffee.

Reality: You can drink coffee, but like everything else, while you’re pregnant, moderation is the key. Studies have proven that consuming more than two cups a day when pregnant could increase your chance of miscarriage.¹

Myth 3: Pregnant women can have a glass of wine.

Reality: Consuming alcohol at any time during pregnancy isn’t safe. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drinking alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy can cause a baby to have abnormal facial features.²

Myth 4: Cocoa butter prevents stretch marks.

Reality: There is no product – cocoa butter or otherwise – that can prevent stretch marks.

Stretch marks can be caused by both genetics and weight gain during pregnancy and may fade over time. It’s not recommended to spend money on products that promise to get rid of stretch marks.

Myth 5: Sex during pregnancy hurts the baby.

Reality: Sex does not have any effect on your growing baby. That little bundle of joy is protected by the tough muscles of the uterus and amniotic fluid. And the mucous plug blocks the opening of the cervix, protecting baby from any germs.³

Myth 6: How you carry your baby reveals the baby’s gender.

Reality: It’s a nice idea, but there is no proof that the shape of your belly can predict your baby’s gender. Whether you are carrying your baby low or high, it has no scientific bearing on gender.

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post The Biggest Pregnancy Myths: Debunked appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

What is Sleep Training

Simply put, sleep training is teaching babies how to fall asleep on their own. It’s a natural process of getting babies to understand that they can put themselves to sleep. If babies need intervention to fall back asleep each time they cry, it’s a frustrating cycle for them – and new parents. Learning how to self-soothe is an important developmental skill for babies.

The Right Time to Train

So when is the right time to sleep train a baby? Experts recommend you begin sleep training when your baby is at least four months old. This is the typical age when babies begin a regular pattern of staying awake during the day and sleeping during the night. Talk with your pediatrician to discuss when your baby might be ready to sleep train.

Techniques

There is no one sleep training technique that works for every baby. Many parents combine methods. It comes down to finding the approach that your baby responds to the best. Here are some common sleep training techniques.¹

Cry it Out (CIO)

One of the most well-known techniques, CIO, is the process of putting your baby to bed while they are tired but still awake. They may cry while learning the process, but it’s OK to allow them to cry in their crib. Some parents find this process frustrating and decide to combine it with the bedtime fading method, which we’ll discuss below.

Ferber Method

Otherwise known as Check and Console, this method includes checking on your baby at timed intervals. When your baby is tired but still awake, put them in the crib and come back in three minutes, then five, then 10, and so on. The goal is to increase the length of the intervals each night. It’s OK to softly speak to your baby when you come in the room each time, but don’t pick your baby up.

Pick Up Put Down

It’s hard not to want to pick up your little bundle of joy when they’re fussy, so this method allows you to do that, but just briefly. After putting your baby in the crib, you can pick them up briefly to comfort them, then put them back down as soon as they are settled. Some parents find success by combining this with the Ferber Method.

The Chair Method

When your baby is tired, put them in the crib, then sit next to them in a chair. When they fall asleep, quietly leave the room. If they cry, go back, and sit next to them. The point is to move the chair further away from the crib each night until the chair is no longer in the nursery.

Bedtime Fading

Maybe you want to put your baby down at 7 p.m., but they cry for 30 minutes in the crib before falling asleep. It’s a good bet that 7:30 p.m. is probably more in sync with their natural circadian rhythm. With the bedtime fading technique, you start baby’s bedtime at the natural time they are sleepy, and then gradually move bedtime up in 15-minute increments until you’ve transitioned to the desired bedtime.

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post Sleep Training Your Baby appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

Go with New

It’s tempting to purchase a previously enjoyed crib with a lower price tag, but it’s not always the safest choice. Cribs manufactured after June 2011 adhere to the current safety standards. Also, without careful research, you may not know if a crib has been recalled.¹

Bars and Corners

Antique baby cribs make for beautiful nursery aesthetics, but their bars are typically spaced wider than the current 2 3/8-inch safety standard, making it easier for baby to get caught between them. And some have more ornate corners and edges, which means baby’s clothing can get caught. Basic is best when it comes to crib bars.

Height

Raised crib sides should be at least 26 inches above the mattress support when it is in its lowest position. As your baby grows taller, you can lower the mattress. You also want the height to be high enough that you can easily get baby in and out.

Installation

Before making your crib purchase, look at the installation instructions to see if it’s something you can handle. And always use the manual during installation. An unstable, improperly installed crib isn’t safe for baby. If you have leftover pieces after you’ve put it together, start over!

Convertible cribs

Convertible cribs are popular because they convert into toddler beds as your child grows. They can be expensive, so make sure you like the product enough to want to keep it around for years to come.

Mattresses

Who doesn’t love a soft, plush mattress? Not babies! Soft mattresses can be a suffocation hazard for babies. Choose a firm mattress that doesn’t sag under your baby’s weight. And make sure it fits sung with no space between the crib and mattress.

Bumpers

While bumper pads are often a staple in infant bedding packages, they pose a risk of suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment. Once considered a line of defense against bumps and drafts, there is no evidence they prevent injuries.² Do not use them.

Bedding

It’s fun to shop for adorable bedding, but make sure that all fabrics are flame retardant, including mattress covers, sheets, and dust ruffles or bed skirts.

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post Tips for Buying a Crib appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.

How a Mammogram Works

A mammogram is a low-dose X-ray picture of the breast. They can show abnormal areas in the breast. Although mammograms do not prove that an abnormal area is cancer, doctors can use the images to decide whether or not more testing is needed.

Because the X-rays don’t go through tissue easily, a technician will place your breast between two plates that compress or flatten it to spread the breast tissue apart for a better picture.

Why 40 is the Magic Number for Mammograms?

There are several reasons, but most significantly, annual mammography starting at age 40 results in the greatest mortality reduction, the most lives saved, and the most years of life gained, according to the American College of Radiology and the Society of Breast Imaging.²

Here are some other reasons:

• Breast cancer incidence increases substantially around age 40.
• One in six breast cancers occurs in women aged 40 to 49.
• 40% of all the years of life saved by mammography are among women in their 40s.

Benefits of an Annual Mammography at 40

Can save your life. As we’ve already learned, the earlier breast cancer is detected, the less risk a person has of dying from the disease. There is a misconception that you don’t need to get routine mammograms if you don’t have anyone in your family who has had breast cancer. The fact is, 75% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer do not have a family history of the disease.³ But if you have a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer, it’s recommended that you start having annual mammograms beginning around age 30.⁴

Can save your breasts. When breast cancer is caught early with mammography, localized cancers can be removed, which means many more women being treated for breast cancer are able to keep their breasts.

Takes little time. Mammograms are typically a 20-minute procedure, and discomfort is minimal for most women. You can do it on your lunch hour!

Choose your type. Not all breasts are created equal, and there are different types of mammogram technology, including traditional, digital, and 3D mammograms, to get the best quality image for each woman’s situation. For instance, some women have dense breasts that are better suited to a digital or 3D mammogram, which allow doctors to enlarge image areas to look at specific places more closely.

As powerful as mammograms are, they can still miss tissues that aren’t visible. Be sure to perform breast self-exams at least once a month to familiarize yourself with how your breasts normally look and feel.

Prenate^® Vitamin Family
This post is brought to you by the Prenate^® Vitamin Family, a line of prescription prenatal supplements designed to enhance preconception, prenatal, and postpartum nutrition in women. Talk with your doctor about how taking a daily prescription prenatal or postnatal vitamin could help support a healthy pregnancy and postpartum wellness.

The post The Importance of Mammograms appeared first on Prenate Vitamin Family.