New Parenting ABC's

In my crazy thirst for knowledge, I signed us up for a 2 week course titled New Parenting ABC's at the Palo Alto PAMF. Due to schedule restraints and our pending trip to Italy, we had to take this class on the early side. A plus for Anastasio though, is that we don't have anymore prenatal classes until June...

The First night of this class consisted of covering yet more books for me to read, yay, child proofing (they say you need to start now!), and baby care basics.

We went over Bathing procedures: I didn't know you aren't suppose to use any soap/lotion/products on the baby for the 1st whole month! Also, a good tip was to lower our water heater temperature to 120 degrees Ferinheight so as to avoid accidental water burns. And that babies only 'bathe' 1-2 times a week for the first couple of months.

Safety Basics: wash all baby stuff and mom & dad's clothing in clear & free of dies laundry detergent before contact. You never think that not only is the baby going to have contact with it's own clothes and blankets, but also with the parents clothes when they're being held. Another big shocker was no sun screen for the first 6 months. All poisons (even if in a child proof cabinet) need to still be stored up high cuz babies can figure out how to get through child proofing! Also, so called Child Proof Caps can also be opened by babies/toddlers. Interesting since you'd think child proofing meant a child couldn't get into this stuff!

The Toilet Paper Rule: anything that can fit through a toilet paper roll can choke a baby, very, very good guide to know!

Diapering: Now I know I'm gonna receive one of these, but Baby Powder is actually really toxic for babies! Especially when the powder fluffs up and the baby breathes it in. Wow, we use to use sooooo much baby powder when I was a kid...also, along with the no products on the baby for the 1st month means no wipes and no diaper rash products. Gotta air dry the little bugger:-) Good news though is that vaseline is actually a plus and you can put it on the baby with new diaper changes to help remove tough stickies on the next one! I hope I remember that!

Ana got to change his first ever diaper! I wish I took a pic of that cuz he did an awesome job and even remembered to make room for the belly button. He's so cute:-)

Burping Basics: Ana had fun demonstrating how not to burp the baby...

Clothing: Babies should wear hats for at least the 1st month. This makes since cuz they were in such a warm setting for 9 months, then they pop out into a shocker of a climate. Better keep that baby nice and toasty! Also, Baby Gowns, which I never thought of, are a huge plus for easy/nighttime baby changing and shirts that button on the side are easy for on/off, I'll have to look into those.

Swaddling: We got to swaddle our baby dolls. Now I've done this countless number of times so I let Ana have a go at it. He had a bit more trouble with this than the diapering, so I'm gonna buy some of the pre-fold velcro swaddle blankets for him:-) I did get a pic though and he did a great job...

Ana's first Swaddle attempt:

I'm looking forward to next weeks class. We're gonna cover Baby Equipment and Tummy time. I'll let you know how that goes.