Baby Dummy

The majority of babies (around 70%) are quite happy with breasfeeding and cuddling and will never need a dummy or pacifier.

That being said all babies are different. If your baby is teething, unsettled or is even fussy, she might need a baby dummy/pacifier to settle her, to get her to sleep or to even stop her crying. The scare for most parents is, however, that somehow by using a baby dummy/pacifier their baby may lose it's ability to breasfeed - scary thought for most parents, and this is usually defined as "nipple confusion".

Most baby experts and pediatritions admit that your baby uses quite a differnt action in sucking on a dummy/pacifier as your baby does in breastfeeding. The general consensus is that this sucking action may confuse some babies and may not with others - every baby is different.

If you would like to learm more abour the baby dummy or pacifier and how it can affect your baby, also on the amazing and innovative Happy Baby Steam and Go Baby Dummy/Pacifier see our article on our website here.

Baby Milestones - Tummy Time

Parents often say that their young, newborn, baby's do not enjoy tummy time, well, they are right. However, you can get them used to tummy time to the point that may start to even enjoy it.

You should try start tummy time as soon as you can, if you do not start tummy time early you can prevent your baby's neck muscles from growing to be strong enough to hold their head stable when upright - your baby's head grows very quickly in these early months.

If you would like to learn about some very interesting tips on how to get your baby tuned for tummy time see our article on tummy time on our website here.

How Much Formula Milk Does My Baby Need

There is much debate among mainly parents about how much formula milk you should give your baby - given that every baby is different. There is, however, some simples rules you can follow to make sure your baby gets roughly the correct amount of baby milk formula, according to its weight and age.

In an article on our website we discuss this issue in detail and give you some great tips on how much formula you should give your baby. Below is just a snippet.

Baby Bottle Feeding Basics

Its estimated that for every 500g of your baby's weight you should feed her 70g of baby milk formula over a 24 hour period. That is, if your baby is 4.kgs in weight you should feed her 700ml of formula milk in a 24 hour period.

If you would like to learn more about this please visit our website on this link.

Avent Magic Cup Review

General:

Avent Magic Cup is a new baby feeding product, by Avent, that is is BPA Free. The new Avent Magic Cup comes with or without handles depending on your child's dexterity levels and also comes in a 200ml or 260ml sizes.

This is a great new innovation by Avent, although there is nothing new in the technology they have uses - at least they are non-toxic and have some really great colours.

A really cool feature of Avent Magic Cup's the hard and soft straw that comes standard on the bottles, depending on the size you get. The 200ml gets a hard soft straw (for easy transition from baby bottle teat to straw) and the 260ml sippy cup gets a hard straw.

See all Avent BPA free range.

Pros:

• BPA free
• Great choice of colours
• 6mth+ and 12mths+ sizes
• Use of easy sip and non-spill technology
• Come with a lid
• Suitable for teething babies

Cons:

• Still not mass produced
• Hard to find
• Still taking a backseat to Avent polycarbonate range, which is a problem
  

Harvard BPA Study

A recent study of 77 Harvard student volunteers found that they had a 70% rise in the levels of bisphenol A (BPA) after drinking beverages, mainly cold, that had a plastic lining in then that contains polycarbonate - the same material used to make baby bottles. Read blog article of BPA on soft drinks.

The fascinating Harvard study said that BPA linings in most beverage containers, canned foods, baby formula were randomly purchased from supermarkets around the U.S. Seeing most of the goods that were tested are aimed at babies they could be receiving quite significant doses of BPA, which is a huge cause for concern.

Making Up A Bottle Feed

Just prior to making up your baby's bottle you should wash your hands, clean the bench tops you are going to use to prepare, and all utensils need to be sterilised - including teats, baby bottle & any lids you may need.

To start with, it is really important to follow the exact measurements the baby formula manufacturer suggest, not following this could make your baby very sick.

If you would like a more complete and detailed description of "Making Up A Bottle Fee" click here.

Thinkbaby Baby Products Back Soon

Those of you who have been waiting patiently for Thinkbaby baby products to come back into stock, the good news is that this week they should arrive.

The reason for the huge delay with Thinkbaby's arrival was the lone supplier in Oceania was based in New Zealand and that, due to the price of the U.S dollar, they could no longer supply them - the hunt was then on by us for a new supplier.

At BPA Free Baby Bottles Online, we were very disappointed at this so we decided to approach a Gold Coast (Auastralia) supplier of health products to see if they were interested in importing them into Australia. Thankfully, after much coaxing, they decided they would due to the huge demand for Thinkbaby in Australia. The rest is history.

Watch this space and thank you all for your patience.

Baby Height and Weight Growth

If your baby is healthy it will gain weight and your baby will get taller - this is why in the first few months of her birth you doctor is constantly doing these things. If your baby is of below average height and weight it can sometimes mean that your baby is not feeding well, or that she may be sick. If your baby is malnourished in these early months this may have consequences for later in life.

To read more about this article click here.

Chicago Takes First Steps To Banning BPA

In the U.S, the city of Chicago's Council, yesterday, took major steps forward to banning bisphenol A (BPA) from baby bottles - by voting in favour of the ban. BPA a chemical that has been linked to developmental problems in children abd it is used to make polycarbonate baby bottles.

Chicago, therefore, becomes the first city in America to ban baby bottles containing BPA. This means that "no empty beverage or food containers with BPA meant for kids under age 3 can be sold in Chicago's stores."

This is really great news, let's hope the push continues.

Interested in learning more about BPA and safe baby bottles? See here article on Safe Baby Bottles.

Baby Height Calculator

When my wife was pregnant with our baby girl much of our baby conversation centered around how tall she would be, what her eye colour would be, what personality traits she would take from both of us, what colour skin she would have and so on.

Given that I am 6ft4" (197cm) she was bound to be tall, even with a wife at 5ft7"(172cm). So the jury is still out on that one but the very early signs (she was 2 today) is that she will be tall - she currently the height of an average 3 year old baby.

Wanting to find out more, during the early pregnancy days, we came across a height calculator which is perhaps more gimmick than truth, at least I thought. After entering my parents height the baby height calculator got my height to within an inch which is pretty impressive. The baby height calculator also got my sisters height to within one inch. So, after entering mine and my wife's height into the baby height calculator it gives her a height of 5ft9" - perfect!

Test out your baby's height here.

See our article on Baby and Height Growth.

Baby Bottle Weaning

Once you get to this point, the good news is that your baby has close to weaned itself from it's baby bottles already. The most difficult thing, however, is that the comfort baby bottles she has during a regular day - that is the baby bottles she gets to sleep with.

As parents, give her comfort, this will, in turn, give her confidence. Also, give her some love before and after she sleep.

To read more about this article click here.

Burping Your Baby Tips

Why Burping Is Good To Do
Your baby will take in air as they drink from their baby bottle or from the breast, this food tends to build up in their stomach. The action of doing a burp releases the bubble of air stuck in their little stomachs.

When Should I Burp My Baby?
You should stop to burp your baby while she is having a break, or between breasts. If your baby is drinking from baby bottles it's best to burp your baby after every 30mls (1oz) or so. If your baby is more inclined to take big gulps, you could try burping slightly more often.

How Do I Burp My Baby?
You should either hold your baby up to you shoulder, or sit her on your lap, or lie her across your lap lying face down - these positions ensure the best possible angle for the air to be released. A gentle patting motion to the back should be ample pressure to help bring up the air for your baby to burp.

Hot Tip For Sleep After A Good Burp (especially in Winter)
Swaddle your baby in a towel that has just spent a couple of minutes in the dryer, then put her to bed - it works every time.

For more information on bottle feeding click here.