Born Free Baby!!!

It is often thought that it is good for a baby to spend time in a playpen, jumper or walker for stimulation. Although these devices can be quite helpful for very short time spans they can actually hinder a baby from learning how to move and explore the new world around them. When babies are given the opportunity to be on his belly on the floor, they will move and love every minute of it. All too often a baby is placed in a high chair, backpack carrier, playpen, car seat, or stationary walker, but a baby should be free to move on their bellies as much as possible, and confined, bundled up, or restricted as little as possible. This type of free movement stimulation promotes a sense of security, confidence and curiosity all while strengthening important neck and upper body muscles. 

Fun Facts Friday

After nine months of nurturing your little treasure, the day has come when you will welcome your baby into the world. You've pictured that perfect little person for SO long and when you meet them face to face... hmmm, your baby's head looks a little strange, even cone-shaped at first. This oddity is because baby most likely spent hours wedged in the birth canal. Perfect in design, a baby's skull has openings that allow it to change and alter its shape. This flexibility protects against skull fractures and possible brain injury during a natural vaginal delivery. 

Along with their "funny" shaped head a baby can also have nostrils that appear a bit squashed if they slid out on their nose during delivery. A baby's eyes can appear swollen because fluids can sometimes accumulate under the skin. Rest assured however that your baby is a work of art in progress and a little patience will soon reveal the angelic beauty you always imagined.

Fun Facts Friday

THAT'S ONE TIGHT GRIP YOU'VE GOT THERE!!! 

The grasp reflex is one of many reflexes a baby is born with. Lay your finger on the palm of a baby's hand, and they will usually clamp  their tiny, butt mighty fingers around it. In fact, a newborn's grip is so strong that they can briefly support their own weight. 

A recent study has showed that when they hold on to their mothers, an infants' heartbeats slow, this suggests that babies receive a calming sense of security from contact with Mom.

As babies grow, they replace the involuntary grasping reflex with a keen interest in trying to control their movements, attempting to master such fascinating activities as spoon holding and sippy-cup-against-the-high-chair whacking. At this point, they move on to dropping, throwing, and letting go of everything in sight. Except, that is, when a coveted toy might be taken away, in which case they rediscover their iron grip. Whoever said taking candy from a baby is easy has obviously never tried.

Fun Facts Friday

Lets get to the "ROOT" of the matter! 

Lots of hair at birth doesn't necessarily mean lots of hair for life and just as a baby born bald can grow a thick full head of hair and keep it into their old age. By the sixth month of pregnancy a baby's hair follicles and the glands in the follicles are fully formed. The follicle glands begin to secrete an oily substance which will help keep the child hair and skin soft. There are about 100,000 hair follicles on the human scalp. Some babies are completely bald even when they hit their first birthdays while others have long thick hair. This is probably because some babies have hair that grows much more slowly than others. It is thought that hormones and heredity influence these hair growth patterns.

INTERESTING TID-BIT:
Although it has not been definitively proven scientists think that the shape of the hair follicle determines if a baby's hair will be straight or curly. Studies have shown people with round follicle have straight hair while those with oval or crescent shaped follicles grow curly or frizzy hair. 

Fun Facts Friday

Baby's feet are subjected to enormous stress, this stress not typically experienced by the average adult foot. In fact, the stress on a baby's foot can be 3 times the stress experienced by adult feet. Mini-Mocs shoes are designed to allow your baby's feet to move and flex freely, giving them the full range of motion  feet need to develop in a strong and healthy way. As the owner & maker of Mini-Mocs I pride myself on providing parents and their children with handmade products they can depend

on for quality & fine craftsmanship. 

Friday Fun Facts

As hard as this may be to believe babies can't cry. They can scream and holler for what they want or need, but newborns technically can't cry. Tears don't actually begin to flow until babies are about three weeks old. In some cases, it isn’t unusual for babies not to shed their first tears until four or five months. 

Friday Fun Facts

BABY QUIZ - FACT OR FICTION? 

WEEK #9

Babies Cannot Talk. 
FALSE:  Babies actually try to communicate almost all the time. It isn't easy because they can't make the same sounds that we adults understand as words. Because of this we often assume the sounds they're making are meaningless. On the contrary the sounds your baby is making are not just cooing & wooing, it IS language, all sounds are language.  Babies do not waste their breath saying nothing, remember just because you don't understand their language doesn't mean they don't clear understand it.  It is very important to listen & respond to your baby's effort to communicate. It is vital for the baby to know that their caregivers acknowledges they are in fact talking.

Friday Fun Facts

BABY QUIZ - FACT OR FICTION? 

WEEK #7

Is it good to talk "baby talk" to your baby? 

JURY'S STILL OUT ON THIS ONE...  

After doing research on the topics I post in my "Friday Fun Facts" blog feature I can usually come to a conclusion that I agree with and feel confident about supporting, but this subject has me seeing and agreeing with aspects of both sides...what are your thoughts?

PRO: "Motherese" is a brand of chatting better known as "baby talk" and can be important to development. Together, the wide smiles, high pitch, exaggerated expressions and repetition succeed in drawing and holding a baby’s attention. This encourages babies to become an active part of two-way interaction, motherese seems to be an important tool in building and deepening the emotional bond between adults and babies, and serves as baby’s first introduction to language and communication skills. 


CON: A recent study suggests that speaking to your baby or young child using "motherese" instead of more complex sentences may set a poor example and could possibly hinder their communication skills. The same research shows that by using more complex sentences some babies will learn the right terms and forms of language early on and develop a higher ability for language comprehension as they grow. 

Fun Facts Friday

BABY QUIZ - FACT OR FICTION? 

WEEK #6

It is good for baby to spend time in a playpen, jumper or walker for stimulation.

FALSE: Although these devices can be quite helpful for very short time spans they can actually hinder a baby from learning how to move and explore the new world around them. When babies are given the opportunity to be on his belly on the floor, they will move and love every minute of it. All too often a baby is placed in a high chair, backpack carrier, playpen, car seat, or stationary walker, but a baby should be free to move on their bellies as much as possible, and confined, bundled up, or restricted as little as possible. This type of free movement stimulation promotes a sense of security, confidence and curiosity all while stengthening important neck and upper body muscles. 

Fun Facts Friday

12 Things You May Not Know About Babies
WEEK #1


My baby's head looks strange - After nine months of nurturing your little treasure, the day has come when you will welcome your baby into the world. You've pictured that perfect little person for SO long and when you meet them face to face... hmmm, your baby's head looks a little strange, even cone-shaped at first. This oddity is because baby most likely spent hours wedged in the birth canal. Perfect in design, a baby's skull has openings that allow it to change and alter its shape. This flexibility protects against skull fractures and possible brain injury during a natural vaginal delivery. 

Along with their "funny" shaped head a baby can also have nostrils that appear a bit squashed if they slid out on their nose during delivery. A baby's eyes can appear swollen because fluids can sometimes accumulate under the skin. Rest assured however that your baby is a work of art in progress and a little patience will soon reveal the angelic beauty you always imagined.