How To Swaddle A Baby

If you're anything like my wife and I, one of the things you will battle to do (especially if you are new to parenthood!) is "swaddle" your newborn.  Swaddling can be very helpful in trying to get your newborn to sleep, as it makes them feel like they are cuddled up in the womb, warm and secure.  I found that swaddling Joel was very helpful in the first month or so, but after a month we've found that he doesn't need it as much.  In doing some research, the following two videos were the most helpful...






We also found the "Miracle Blanket" to be the best help of all!  It is a blanket especially designed to swaddle your baby, and makes swaddling a cinch!  If you can get your hands on one of those, then do it!  You won't be disappointed!

You can check out their website here:  http://www.miracleblanket.com/ 

Baby Sticking Tongue Out

So Joel is now 8 weeks old today, and he is as cute as ever!  For the last 2 and a bit weeks (or so) he has been sticking his tongue out pretty regularly, and pulling some funny faces.  My wife Corinne has been rather worried, like he might be retarded or something.  I also was a bit concerned, and so Googled the "problem".  The answer?

Well, it would seem the consensus is that it is pretty normal.  It is a very, very commonly asked question on the internet, and the habit seems to start to emerge from as early as 2 - 3 weeks and can continue through to 10 months.  All the babies listed and described all grow up to be very normal little toddlers from what the various testimonies describe.

Joel continues to do everything normally, eating, smiling, lifting head etc.  So, after the research, we are satisfied that this is a normal habit.

If your baby is doing it constantly but not hitting the regular milestones like smiling from 6 - 7 weeks or lifting his head up (at least attempting to) then it might be best just to go and check out a Peri-Natal Clinic or Pediatrician.

How To Get A Newborn to Sleep

The first two weeks of your baby's life are the most stressful for you as a parent.  Joel is our firstborn (we plan on at least one more) and the first two weeks have been an absolute blur.

One of the main reasons of this stress is his sleeping pattern.  A newborn baby has absolutely no clue of day and night, and doesn't go to sleep when you want them to.  Unfortunately, it seems very normal that babies will battle to go to sleep at some point, especially in their first two weeks as they get used to adjusting to the regular human cycle of night and day.

If you, like us, find yourself Googling "how to make your new newborn fall asleep" at 3am because your brand new bundle of joy just won't fall asleep, here's what we found to work...

• Lay your baby down in a stroller, preferably on their tummy, making sure the stroller is flat like a bed.
• Rock the stroller back and forth.
• Play some soft music, in our case as Christians, some soft worship music worked well.
• Play "White noise".  In the first few weeks we found this to work.  It somehow soothes the baby and makes them feel at peace.
• The sound of rushing water or the effect of a heartbeat is also soothing to a baby.

This what we tried and seemed to work with some effect in the first two to three weeks.  In the fourth week Joel started to find his rhythm of night and day and found survivable pattern.