My wonderfully talented little brother has made himself a new website to promote his artwork, Inspired Designs Unlimited. I am so very proud of him and of his work. Check out his murals; his beautiful black and white portrait of my sister, Theresa, and me; his pictures of Bella as a baby.
Oh I feel for you. Time to stock up on Desitin.
For keepin’ it in, remember BRAT: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast
As far as getting stopped up, that has been and continues to be Cecilia’s problem. We require her to drink Apple/Prune (available by Gerber in those little 4 oz. bottles in the baby aisle) juice every morning but I think Apple juice, Pear Juice or Prune Juice would work as well. If she still hasn’t gone by lunch, she gets another “dose” during lunch. In fact we refer to it as her “medicine” and give Felicity that as the reason she cannot have any.
Hope you have three happy tushies soon!
Oh yeah. We’ve almost gone through a 1 pound tub of Desitin in a couple of weeks.
The trick is keeping Phia to a BRAT sort of diet while giving Bella a more varied diet with lots of fruit. (Juice is good for the short term but I am also trying to work on her developing good dietary habits of eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, trying to find long-term solutions.) This was so much easier when we had these problems when Sophie was a baby. Now she’s much more interested in a variety of foods and hates, hates, hates bland. And she is mobile and can grab and is vocal and can ask.
For Sophie, does seasoning help? Like maybe add a little cinnamon to applesauce or garlic butter on the toast?
I admit I don’t want Cecilia on the juice in the long run, but this is in addition to apples, grapes, watermelon and cantaloupe already in her diet. I keep hoping she will just get enough used to using the potty that eventually we won’t need the juice.
Is there a vegetable that could be “jazzed up” as a “treat” for Sophia that might make her happy when Bella gets fruit?
Balmex for diaper rash. There was nothing better I tried OTC.
For a time there, I used to make my own baby wipes, too. I’d either re-use a pop-up wipe container (if it was wide enough) or I used a tupperware-type bowl with a snug lid. You can mix about a cup or so of water (more or less to your taste) swished with some johnson’s baby soap (again, more or less to your taste).
I’d used a serrated knife to cut a roll of paper towels in half, place the roll cut-side down in the tupperware bowl. Snap on the lid, shake it up a little, then turn it upside down so that the soapy water soaked the paper towels all the way through. About an hour later, wipes.
I just found them to be easier on the boys’ bottoms because I could control what went in there—you could add a little baby oil or something if you wanted to, as well. I also found it to be a bit more economical, which was a bonus. In fact, I knew moms who continued to do the home made wipes long after their kids were out of diapers, just to keep in the car for quick wash ups after trips in the sand box or whatever.
Good luck! But seriously, when my boys were small, their diaper rashes would laugh at the Desitin. Nothing worked like the Balmex. I should have bought stock…
What diaper cream/wipes combo will work best to limit rash and heal that poor chafed bum?
I will pass on what worked for me after much trial and effort.
1. It was almost impossible to clean Em�s bum because she was so sore. I tried zinc cream but because it is so thick it was difficult to apply it to the raw areas although I think it would have possibly worked. I think that the Desitin you know of would be better than zinc cream.
2. Gential Violet � this purple ink- like fluid worked in that it kept the area dry but it got everywhere: I had GV all over my hands, Em�s clothes, the wall (seriously) and it would only come off with scrubbing.
3. One day I was having a look in the baby section of a shop and I saw some raggy looking bits of cloth which, it was claimed, would draw the urine through and away from the skin Well it worked in a very short space of time. Of course it was difficult removing the faeces from the cloth but it was worth it. My kids wore cloth nappies and woollen pilchers (as opposed to plastic pants) The woollen pilchers didn�t do a marvellous job of retaining urine but I didn�t like the fact that plastic doesn�t breathe. If you go to a site which sells incontinence products you may be able to buy a cream which forms a barrier between the urine and the skin. I don�t know if it can be used while the skin is broken but you could ask at the site.
Re child 3 being constipated. It is possible to buy here in Australia a gentle laxative for children which is composed of fruit. It is called Nutralax and is readily available from a pharmacy (drug store). I am sure that there will be something like it in the USA.
I went to Google to look up Nutralax and came across this site for a nappy which claims to deal with �poo explosions� . You might like to check it out. Once again, this is sure to be available in the USA. http://www.babyloveclub.com.au/
Flax seed mixed with a little applesauce works wonders as a lubricant for painful hard stools. This was suggested for my husband when he was on heavy pain meds. I don’t know if this would help your little one and you would naturally need to check with your doctor. Hope this is useful for you.
This too shall pass. (Pun intended.)
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.
Okay, here’s my advice to take or leave:
1. Calmoseptine for diaper rash. Our GP recommended it years back with Madeleine and we keep a tube on hand. It’s not Rx anymore, but you have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. We’ve found it at Meijer; you may have to phone around.
2. I second the BRAT diet for those with loose stools. Cinnamon on the toast or apple sauce? Some kind of curry with the rice?
3. I’ve never used Pull-ups during the day. When they were ready, I switched to cloth training pants during the day so they’d feel the wetness/other. Given the treatment they (the training pants) go through, I didn’t have worries about getting them second hand though I did hot water and bleach them before using.
Just clarify, because clearly I was more clever than clear.
I’m all about the BRAT diet. What I need advice on is how to get two children to be on two radically different diets when each wants to eat what her sister is eating and denial ends in raging screaming tantrums and when Bella gives Sophie bites of her food while I’m not looking. I don’t have time or energy to deal with refereeing food fights while the boy wants to nurse non-stop. In short, Bella needs to have fruit stuffed in her face or she gets screamingly constipated and Sophie needs to avoid fruit or she gets screamingly diaper rashy. The one girls has to be practically tied down to get her to eat fruit. The other girl has to be tied down to keep her from finding it and stuffing it into her mouth. Other than chaining them down and letting them scream, I am at a loss as to how to manage their diets.
Bella wears underwear except for naps and bedtime. The pullups are just to catch the accidents because she can’t yet stay dry while sleeping. The problem is when she doesn’t go to sleep at naptime and plays instead and yet still eliminates in the pullup because she can’t be bothered to get up and go to the bathroom.
Do Bella’s naps last as long as Sophia’s? If not, could she have time to eat fruit when Sophia is asleep?
If not, is there an opportunity when Dom or your sister is home where someone could stay with Bella in one room or inside while someone else stays with Sophia in another room or outside? I admit eating it right before bed isn’t ideal but it might work.
Sorry I don’t have any more ideas at the moment. If any hit me I’ll post them.