Teething. It's one of those words you hear before having kids and don't pay much attention to. But when babies start teething -- hooo boy, it's impossible not to pay attention to.
Some little ones breeze through teething with nary a whimper in sight, but others are constantly uncomfortable and practically impossible to soothe. It's heartbreaking, it's frustrating, and it can actually be kind of confusing (is it an ear ache or teething?). Here's everything you need to know about teething from first signs to when to start brushing.
If you have a teething baby on your hands, you have our sympathy. It's a real emotional roller coaster until that new tooth emerges. At first, you may be relieved that your baby isn't possessed by an evil demon, but your relief quickly dissipates when you're up all night listening to baby rage as a result of those sore gums.
The following are the stages parents (oh, and baby) go through waiting for those precious pearly whites to break on through.
1. Everything goes in the mouth.
[code]
[/code]
It's cute at first. Look how baby will chomp on anything!
7. You're about to give up and move back in with your parents.
[code]
[/code]
You honesty don't know how you'll make it through one more day ...
8. The moment finally arrives.
Just when you think maybe you weren't cut out for parenthood after all, that beautiful tooth emerges! The demon that possessed your sweet baby is gone.
How obsessed are you with that name?! It's so cute, you want to brand everything of Baby's with it! From full names to monograms, these personalized baby items make perfect gifts for the babies in your life ... especially yours.
Click through our slideshow to see our roundup of super cute and fun ways to personalize your baby's clothes, toys, and dishes -- whether with her entire name, or his initials.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Amid all the tragedies happening around the world, we are finally happy to see a positive story get some attention. When exhausted Arkansas mom Dallas French was having a rough day, her Olive Garden waiter stepped up to the plate and gave her baby a bottle so that Mom could catch her breath and eat her dinner. Her Facebook post about how her waiter's love and understanding came at just the right time has gone viral, getting this good deed the attention it deserves.
As this mom explains, she'd just come from the hospital after having tests run on her precious little one. While she doesn't allude to her daughter's condition, as any parent knows, any time you take an infant for testing, it's stressful. Heck, sometimes just taking them for a regular checkup can be harrowing.
Fortunately, this lady hit the jackpot when she was seated in this caring waiter's section. Look at this photo -- this guy's a pro!
To this waiter, this gesture may have seemed like a small thing, but to this mom, it was huge, as her words of gratitude reflect:
He fed her I ate my salad and bread sticks and that milk on the floor got cleaned up after we left because he just understood! He didn't even know what we had went through that day and showed us love an understanding- not irritated that I had made a mess an my baby was screaming... Gosh I wish I woulda got his name because he deserves the recognition!!
Let this good news serve as a reminder that helping a harried mom can mean far more than we'll ever know. The next time you see a mom pushing a double stroller and trying to get into a store, hold the door for her. Pick up and hand her the favorite stuffed toy or shoe her tot just dropped while she was grocery shopping or wrangling another child. If you don't, she may just spend the rest of the day looking for it. (Been there!) Or, if those are too much for you, just refrain from giving her side-eye if her fussy toddler is seated beside you.
Going out of your way, like this waiter did, can make all the difference in someone else's day. We're grateful to him for this reminder.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. When both of my children were born, I was totally committed to trying to breastfeed for at least a year. And both times, I developed great nursing relationships with my babies and was a pumping champion ... until I went back to work.
There was something about making the transition from maternity leave to work, and trying to pump in my office (complete with non-locking door!), that turned me from a productive pumper to a breastfeeding quitter.
I wish I'd been able to make a better go of breastfeeding and working. That seems to be a common anthem among moms, so I was curious to hear from women who were able to make it happen.
From tips to make pumping less of a pain to advice on keeping up milk supply, these totally doable ideas can help any working mom who wants to keep the breast milk flowing.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.As every mother of a toddler knows, it's nearly impossible to get little ones to sit still, even for a meal -- and that goes for breastfeeding, too! In fact, it's so common for tots to fidget like circus performers while feeding that the behavior has spawned a (completely hilarious) hashtag, #gymnurstics -- and the corresponding photos are so funny, it hurts (kind of like when a baby is trying to do a headstand and nurse from you at the same time).
Click through our slideshow to see moms comically struggling through feeding sessions with tiny toes stuck in their noses and chubby legs slung over their shoulders. We promise it'll make you feel better about your own mini gymnast's wild ways!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Giving birth is an awe-inspiring, amazing miracle. But to undertake nine months of pregnancy and deliver a child in order make other people into parents is truly a labor of love and a gift. Photographer Genevieve Georget of Fifteen: Fifty-One shot gorgeous images that tell a much larger story in these surrogate birth photos.
Hilde and Christian traveled from Norway to Canada to be with her surrogate, Amy, as she gave birth. Looking at these shows you the immense love among all who are present as they await this precious arrival.
Whether you feed your baby with a bottle all of the time or some of the time (and whether you're filling those bottles with breast milk, formula, or a combination of both), chances are you could use a few tips and tricks to make the whole feeding process a little easier -- and a lot more efficient!
That's why we've put together a list of mom-tested bottle-feeding hacks guaranteed to save you time and effort, from advice on formula prep to cleaning shortcuts (and a couple of cool gadgets, too). Happy feeding!
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.If you're breastfeeding, whether it's the first time or the fifth, it never hurts to have some tips and tricks up your sleeve -- or in your nursing bra, as the case may be. Wouldn't it be great to gather all that priceless info in one place? We've rounded up some of our most-pinned breastfeeding features of all time.
Even if you think you're a pro, you never know when you could benefit from learning something new. Or, pass these on to a mom who is nursing for the first time.
Taking a sick child to the hospital is stressful enough without any additional issues arising. For one mom, an already-frightening situation was made that much more traumatic when, she says, hospital staff took her infant away while she slept and gave her to another patient. Lory Beth Snyder of Arkansas recounted the terrifying ordeal on Facebook, describing how nurses and a woman she'd never met before told her to "get some rest" after she found them laughing and playing with her infant daughter, Lorelai, without her knowledge or consent. Mind-boggling, right?
We could see if the nurses were comforting the baby in the room where this mom slept, but to physically remove her and bring her to another patient to "play" with is just unthinkable. We can only imagine the sheer terror Snyder must have experienced when she awoke to find her baby missing.
No one should ever be put through such a terrifying ordeal. Any parent would be scarred for a long time after this incident -- not to mention extremely mistrustful of many in the health-care community. Snyder expresses the shock and disbelief any mom would feel in the same situation, writing:
While I honestly don't know if Ms Harris intentions were intend noble, since she claims to of just been trying to care for Lorelai. I don't know what she herself was ill with, something that could make my daughter sick. I don't know anything! I don't know what her actual intent with my child was. What she did with her. Or even how long she actually had her.
It's absolutely galling that the nurses reportedly acted as if they'd done nothing wrong. Even if they had the best intentions of letting this mom get a little shut-eye, anyone with an ounce of common sense would recognize how horrifying it would be to wake up to find your baby missing.
Equally upsetting is that police also didn't seem to be able to do anything as, in the eyes of the law, no crime had been committed. Snyder explains:
Jonesboro PD stated that no crime was committed because Harris didn't 'intend' to rape or molest my child.
Apparently anyone can take any child any where, and its not kidnapping as long as you don't intend to harm the child. So says the law according to the Jonesboro PD.
The good news is that Lorelai is fine (she was suffering from a milk allergy). But, still, our hearts go out to this mom who never should've been treated this way. She'll probably be attempting to sleep with one eye open for a very long time.
We hope this staff recognizes the undo stress they put this woman through. Even if their intentions were only the best, that's never an excuse to take or even touch someone else's child without that parent's permission.
Breastfeeding, like many aspects of parenting, is great and rewarding and perfectly natural -- but, also like many aspects of parenting, it's hard and frustrating and sometimes awkward. That's why breastfeeding humor is solid gold for an exhausted mom's sanity: Better to laugh than cry! And best of all to tweet about it, because that means other exhausted moms the world over get to be in on the joke.
Click through our slideshow of hilarious breastfeeding-related tweets if you're feeling the need for some extremely relatable funny business. (If you can read these while you're actually nursing, all the better!)
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Teething is no picnic for babies or their poor parents. The endless crying, the drooling like a litter of Saint Bernards, the sleepless nights -- they all add up to an unpleasant period most of us would like to forget. But, if you're in it, you know there's no ignoring it. Some fellow parents took to Twitter to share their pain and elicit a few laughs and a little sympathy from other moms and dads who are stuck in the same boat.
Think of these Tweets as the ultimate misery-loves-company fest. Have a laugh while remembering that this stage will pass -- eventually.
She has a point, right? Just the term "nursing bra" is kind of synonymous with frumpy, lackluster, style-less, uni-boob sort of garments no fashion-forward mom relishes wearing.
Never one to sacrifice her own personal style, Holliday, who welcomed son Bowie Juniper in June, created her own stunning work-around with a purple Torrid push-up bra. Pretty and perfect, right?
Seriously, just because you've got a baby attached to you, that doesn't mean you have to be trapped in a flesh-toned, shapeless bra, right?
After Cosmopolitan commended the model's empowering breastfeeding photo, Tess took to Facebook to reveal that she may just create her own line. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all! Dozens of comments poured in urging the mom of two to pursue the idea.
Holliday, who also has a 10-year-old son, Rylee, probably was hoping that styles would have changed over the past decade, but, sadly, that wasn't the case. So she had to take matters into her own hands.
Let's hope the hot mama follows through and releases a collection of cute and fashionable nursing bras, and, heck, maybe even maternity wear, for plus-size moms. Wouldn't it be fun to think that baby Bowie inspired a second career for his mom?
I’ve been that person. That person who gets visibly upset when she spots a baby in the airport terminal waiting area. Please don’t let that baby be on my flight, I’ve thought. I’ve even turned around in my seat to give the evil eye to the parents who clearly aren’t trying hard enough to keep their child from whining, kicking the seat, or crying incessantly. Well, now the tables have turned, and as they say, payback’s a bitch.
I’m a new mom to a baby girl and an anxious flyer, and at 7 months old, my little Isabella Skye was about to fly the friendly skies for the very first time from New York to Florida to visit family and friends. Oh, joy. Would I have to prepare for a barrage of nasty glares and huffy sighs from judgy people, ahem, like me? Not if I could help it!
For this upcoming flight, I was determined to have things totally under control. My mom, my fiancé, and I would arrive early to the airport, boarding passes saved in our phones, and breeze through security with plenty of time before early boarding -- one nice perk to traveling with an infant.
Then I could make sure Isabella had a full tummy and dry diaper, so she could nap peacefully on the plane. My diaper bag would be conveniently stowed under my seat, filled with toys to distract her, a blanket to protect her against an over-air-conditioned cabin, a full bottle of formula, and a pacifier to ease any ear-pressure discomfort. I have this, I told myself.
Then that day came. Since it’s only a half-hour drive to LaGuardia from my Brooklyn apartment, and we’d be traveling on a supposedly non-peak day, I figured leaving three hours prior to departure would be fine. Not so much.
The Uber driver took way longer than the estimated seven minutes. Then we hit a crazy amount of traffic. All of our nerves were on edge the entire, painfully slow ride to the airport. Okay, so we should have left earlier. Then a long security line. On a Thursday morning?!
There, we were stopped by a TSA agent who said my mom’s carry-on was too large to take on the plane. We had to check the bag (pay the annoying $25 fee) and then go through security all over again.
My first time at an airport with a baby meant I didn’t realize we’d have to unpack everything from the stroller and then take it apart from the car seat. Ugh, I didn’t account for that in my mental time line.
At that point, we were scrambling to get through security and make our way to the gate. Forget early boarding. Our new mission was just to get on the plane before it took off!
All the while, Isabella was a trooper -- perfectly content and oblivious to everyone stressing out around her. Thanks to almost nothing going as planned, we were among the last to board. And when we finally made it to our seats, we were so relieved we high-fived one another.
Not even a minute later, I got a whiff of a dirty diaper. And panic struck as I shouted, “Where’s the diaper bag?” We’d left it behind ... somewhere.
So our choice was either to stay on the plane without the bag (there was no time to go back) or deplane, try to find it, and see if we could get on the next flight.
It was only a two-hour flight, but I couldn’t leave without that bag. Aside from the obvious essentials, it contained Isabella’s favorite elephant blanket and clothes that had sentimental value because they’d been gifts. I couldn’t risk it being lost for good.
So off the plane we went. Luckily my fiancé recovered the bag at security, and it was a relief.
After initially being told the next flight to Tampa was full (cue subsequent panic attack), we were able to fly out within a couple of hours. During the wait, we had a decent meal of omelets and breakfast potatoes at an airport restaurant, and Isabella even took her morning nap in her stroller.
Turns out, Isabella wasn’t the cranky kid I feared she’d be on the flight. We were even seated next to an older lady who was thrilled to be sitting next to a baby. Who knew? The only time Isabella got agitated was during our descent, but drinking from the bottle of formula I’d packed helped her ears pop.
Next time I’ll be prepared -- but I don't mean prepared with baby gear and toys. I'll be prepared to go with the flow. Even though my daughter was awesome on her first flight, her third or fourth one might be a doozy, no matter what I've packed in her bag. And I’ll just have to do my best to keep her calm and stay calm myself, despite any eye-rolling from other passengers.
I also vow to no longer give other parents traveling with small children such a hard time. Good parenting doesn’t mean you have total control over a situation. What matters is doing what you can when unexpected things inevitably happen -- and displaying grace under pressure.
Valerie Berrios is a Brooklyn-based first-time mom to a baby girl. She's never been one to squeal with joy at the sight of little ones, but after giving birth, she realized she was more maternal than she thought. When she's not chasing after her increasingly mobile child, you'll find her writing and editing, squeezing in Pilates, checking out foodie and cultural events in NYC, and rooting for the NY Rangers.
Losing a child is something no parent should ever have to live through. While the couple knew mid-pregnancy Lily wouldn't survive due to a terminal illness, the decision was made to see the pregnancy to fruition. Though it was believed their baby wouldn't live through the delivery, she survived for 34 glorious minutes, allowing her parents time to hold and love her.
Also, deeply saddened by the loss was big brother Cooper, a kindergartner, who wasn't told the baby wouldn't be coming home with the family until after she was born. The brave boy told his teacher the following day that his new sister was "in heaven."
While any birth is an awe-inspiring event, knowing and seeing the devastating loss this family survived makes these images that much sweeter.
Altogether, I've spent roughly a year of my life being the food supply for a small hungry person. Over the course of those months, I learned that when a baby is ready to eat, he or she really doesn't care where you are or whether or not it is convenient for you.
I learned this valuable lesson in a variety of places: while shopping for groceries, while swimming at the public pool, during a bubble bath, and even while trying in vain to get my nails done for the first time in months.
Turns out it is really hard to nurse a baby AND keep your manicure from smudging.
But a baby needs to eat and so I know I'm not alone in having whipped out a breast in some places I would never have imagined in my pre-kid days!
Read on for the crazy and true stories of the weirdest places we've ever breastfed. (#9? OMG)
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.It seems sometimes a mama just can't win. While watching her infant nephew, who refused to take a bottle, this mom breastfed the baby and then used her sister's pumped milk to feed her own little one. Though this sounds like a win-win for the babies and the moms, it's raising some eyebrows among followers of the Facebook page where the mom shared it.
The photo, shared on Breastfeeding Mama Talk, has garnered a variety of opinions. While many people applaud what this mom did for her sister's hungry baby, not all followers of the page are as positive.
One commenter wrote: "I wouldn't mind using another woman's breastmilk if it were bagged if I couldn't produce any, I just couldn't be comfortable with letting my child actually latch to another woman."
Some moms view breastfeeding as an extremely personal time that builds a lasting bond between mother and child. Others view it as a means to an end. In other words, keep that baby fed and happy -- no matter what it takes.
Still, the concept of wet nurses -- women who were employed to feed another woman's baby -- dates back centuries, so it certainly shouldn't shock anyone in the 21st century.
As another commenter pointed out: "... wet nurses saved lives for hundreds of years. Before formula was invented if a woman had no milk or couldn't breastfeed then a wet nurse or donated milk where [sic] the options."
This mom/aunt explained how it came about: "In some weird chain of events today I ended up breast feeding my sisters [sic] son while she was away, because he would not take the bottle his momma pumped him," she writes. "In return because my son won't latch and is strictly fed bottles I pump, my sister was able to feed my son her perfectly good pumped milk. Which made for two very happy and content babies."
Sweet, right? Both babies enjoyed the benefit of being fed by women who love them.
Plenty of women wrote in in support of this mom, with most agreeing that getting that baby fed was the most important thing of all. For anyone who has cared for an infant who will only take the breast, being unable to comfort them when they're hungry and their mama hasn't returned is excruciating for all in the room.
Another person commented, "It's a very intimate, special thing for us, and I would be sad to have her have that bond with someone else. But if it was an emergency and she was hungry and I couldn't be there, I would be eternally grateful to someone who nurse her in my place."
While it might not be ideal, do you really want your baby to starve just because you're stuck in traffic or delayed for another reason?
This mom is keeping the bigger picture in mind. Another commenter wrote: "The best baby is a fed baby. No matter who feeds it. Breast feeding isn't about being personal or special. It is about feeding a hungry child. Breast, bottle, feeding tube, it shouldn't matter as long as a baby eats."
It's great that in this case, both sisters were happy with the outcome -- as were their satisfied infants.
Almost exactly two years ago, my friend Hava dropped her baby boy Joey off at daycare, and the unthinkable happened. Sadly, since then, Hava has become an expert of sorts about SIDS and daycare safety. Her life will never be the same -- but she's sharing her story, and her advice, in the hopes it will save another mom from suffering the same heartbreak.
Save
Save
Save
The day started like any other for Hava and Avi Freidenreich: Avi went off to work and Hava dropped their children off at daycare at the Above and Beyond Daycare Center in Highland Park, New Jersey. Her oldest daughter had been there since infancy, and their son Joey, only 9 weeks old, had just started a few days prior.
As do many moms who are leaving their babies in those first weeks, Hava felt nervous. She drove around the block to watch the children playing outside to calm her nerves before heading off to work as a high school biology teacher. Hava wasn’t thrilled to be leaving her baby at just two months old, but she’d decided that it would have been highly disruptive for her students to start off the school year with a substitute, and thus returned to work earlier than she might have otherwise preferred.
A few hours into the school day, Hava looked up and saw her mother-in-law standing in her classroom doorway. In that moment, her life changed forever. Hava's mother-in-law said that Joey had been rushed to the hospital with breathing difficulties. On the way to the hospital, Hava called Avi to let him know what was happening. She prayed that it was a minor incident -- but when walked in to the hostpital and a police officer greeted her, she says she knew.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Baby Joey, 2 months old
The weeks following their baby’s death were a blur for Hava and Avi. "Joey had been a horrible sleeper, up every hour all night long for days on end, but that sleep deprivation was nothing in comparison to how we felt after he died," Hava told me. "During the day we were surrounded by family and friends. Avi and I would cry until we collapsed of exhaustion, sleep for a couple hours only to wake up, realize what happened and repeat the cycle."
Joey’s death was initially reported as a tragic sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) case. But in the weeks and months following their loss, the Freidenreiches learned the disturbing circumstances of their son’s death at a licensed and well-respected daycare center. According to news reports, the daycare workers admitted to putting baby Joey face down in his crib while swaddled. He was left alone for two hours -- even though Hava says he had never napped that long before.
These circumstances were recorded on video, but it's not clear from video evidence or the testimony of the daycare worker in charge of the infant if Joey was even placed with his head turned to the side. It is due to these contributing factors that the medical examiner ultimately declined to classify the death as a SIDS case.
Not long after Joey's death, the Freidenreiches became pregnant again, and Hava gave birth to a healthy baby boy last October.
"We have been blessed with another son, but he is his own unique person -- not a replacement for his brother," Hava told me. "He's brought so much joy into our lives, but his older brother is still missing."
Understandably, she decided to take off the entire school year in order to be with her new baby at home. Recently, though, Hava and Avi have been looking into daycare options for their new son, and they've also had friends ask for advice on choosing a safe daycare provider for their own children. Hava -- and all of her friends and family -- now understand this decision can mean the difference between life and death.
"We will continue to wonder about the boy Joey would have grown into if he had been properly cared for at his daycare," Hava says.
Hava told me, "It’s crazy that so many people start work the same time that their babies are most vulnerable."
Of course, going back to work is a reality for millions of families -- and there are plenty of safe and loving options out there, when it comes to childcare. So, what can other parents learn from Freidenreiches when choosing a daycare for our own children?
Don't assume anything:
In every pregnancy magazine and book, Hava recalled reading about SIDS, but never thought it could happen to her family. Joey was delivered on time via a natural delivery, exclusively breastfed, and lived in a non-smoking home. He had none of the known risk-factors for SIDS, except one major one: he was place on his back to sleep at home, but in daycare, he was placed on his stomach.
Even if parents do everything right at home, as Hava did, they can be even more at risk if their caregivers do not. According to First Candle, a non-profit dedicated to SIDS awareness, babies who usually sleep on their back are at a significantly increased risk of SIDS when placed to sleep on their stomach by a well intentioned but ill-informed relative or caregiver.
So, when parents come to her asking for advice, Hava’s biggest piece is this: Don't assume daycare workers, even those in licensed centers, know about safe sleep recommendations.
"The people watching your kids … may not be as well-informed about SIDS risks as parents," Have told me. “Joey's daycare worker insists she had no idea this could happen … There were three other people in the room and nobody noticed."
Visit during nap-time:
The circumstances regarding Joey's death were not an isolated incident -- the daycare center had a pattern of unsafe behavior, according to the prosecutor who investigated the case and who watched video footage of the infant room. He saw a worker placing a blanket over a baby’s head during naptime to block out light, and other instances of babies being places on their stomachs.
Hava told me, "Joey was just the unlucky one."
Talking to childcare workers about what you expect when they are caring for your child is important. But Hava also recommends visiting during nap time. Become familiar with your state’s regulations and ascertain if other regulations are being followed by. If the daycare center is asking for loose blankets or lets babies sleep in swings -- despite state regulations banning them -- she cautions they might be careless about other safety regulations when parents aren't looking.
Look for cameras:
Hava also suggests only using a center which has cameras, ideally ones that parents can check in on throughout the day. It's human nature that employees behave more carefully when they think they may be being watched, she points out.
Even if your babies have been in daycare before, a few simple conversations and careful observations about the layout of a daycare and the behavior of its employees are easy and valuable steps to ensure the safety of all babies in the program.
There's nothing that can take away the heartache that Hava, Avi, their daughter, and their extended families experienced that fall day. While they may have had another baby boy join their family the year following Joey’s death, any parent knows that there is no replacing a child, nor is it possible to undo the unfathomable pain of his senseless loss. Hava generously shared with me Joey's story with the hope that no other family will experience the same heartache her family did.
Bethany Mandel is a freelance writer and stay-at-home mother in New Jersey. She writes on politics, culture, and Jewish issues from a politically conservative perspective -- and all opinions here are her own. You can follow her on Twitter @bethanyshondark.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.After I had my daughter, my husband and I knew our family of four was complete. As she got older, we gave away her crib and tiny clothes, which was sometimes bittersweet. What wasn't bittersweet was the blessed day when I gave away my breast pump. Adios, pumpy!
Don't get me wrong, being able to pump was a great way to be able to make sure my girl got breast milk when I was back at work. But as any pumping mom will tell you, pumping can be time-consuming and tiresome and ... OH SO awkward.
I thought I was pretty committed pumper because I lugged that pump to work for months. And then I discovered that I have not one but TWO friends who've pumped in portable toilets at outdoor festivals. That is some varsity level commitment to the pumping experience.
Because I am always nosy, I put out the call to my local mothers' group to see who else had pumped crazy places, and boy did they deliver. Read on for some stories that definitely prove a mother will do almost anything for her baby!
Television shows and movies often have characters who are pretty darn well-to-do. If you're hoping your baby will grow up to be fabulously wealthy, you're going to want to give him or her a name worthy of that coveted strata. We've rounded up 15 millionaires' names from popular programs and films to serve as a little inspiration.
While these characters might have had other not-so-lovely qualities, such as greed or arrogance, when it came to money, they were rolling in it.
Check out our list of baby names inspired by fictional millionaires and bank on your little one being a big success.
