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Ergo Carrier Accessories

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Ergo carrier stands out among all baby slings.

It is being one of the best carriers and is a favorite among parents.  Not only does its unique design make it more comfortable for the person who is wearing the baby, but it also more comfortable for the baby.  In addition, Ergo offers several accessories to make your carrier more useful.

Infant Insert

The infant insert is a special pad that is used in the Ergo carrier for babies age newborn to approximately 4 months old.  The insert can easily be folded and readjusted to make sure it is the right place for your baby.  This allows baby’s legs to stay together and leans their head to one side, keeping their bottom in the middle of the carrier.  It is found that this is the best position for the first months after the baby is born.  This position also supports easy breastfeeding.

Waist Extension

The waist belt on the Ergo carrier helps distribute the weight of the baby more evenly and makes it more comfortable to wear the carrier.  The belt is 43″ on the regular Ergo and 48″ on the Sport Ergo, but for people who need something bigger, you can purchase a waist extension.  They are 8″ long and extend the belt to 51″ on the regular Ergo and 56″ on the Sport Ergo.  Only one waist extension should be used at a time.

Front Pouch

When wearing your carrier on the back, front or hip, this pouch attaches to the waist belt with Velcro.  This allows you to store your personal items and easily carry them while also wearing your baby.  It also comes with a shoulder strap so that it can be used even when not using your Ergo carrier.

Back Pack

This accessory snaps onto the straps of the Ergo carrier and can be used for baby items or other personal items you may need.  It is a great choice for hiking trips and can easily carry diapers, drinks, snacks and a change of clothes.  This eliminates the need to juggle any extra bag while wearing your baby.

Changing Pad

Another accessory that easily attaches to the straps of the Ergo carrier, this changing pad makes it easy to change diapers while out and about.  It has two liners that are washable, a place to put dirty items and extra pockets for storage.  It also can be used separately from your carrier.

Teething/Sucking Pads

These little pads attach to the Ergo carrier to give baby something to suck on, especially when teething.  This keeps baby from sucking on the shoulder straps.

Weather Cover

This weather cover comes in two pieces that snap together (or can be worn separately) to keep baby warm and dry no matter how cold or wet it is outside.  The outside is water resistant and the inside is lined with fleece.

The Ergo carrier is already a favorite among parents because of how comfortable it is to wear.  The great line of accessories makes the Ergo carrier even more convenient and makes going out with baby even simpler.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy Review

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Would-be mothers looking for precise, accurate information from a reputable source will appreciate this mammoth pregnancy guide from the celebrated Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy.  More than just a  Month to Month Pregnancy Guide. The volume actually provides much more information than most parents will need: week by week accounts of the baby’s development, entries on how pregnancy can be affected by dozens of previous health conditions (such as HIV and diabetes), self-care tips for side effects like nausea and back pain, sidebars that explain the difference between identical and fraternal twins, etc.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy PregnancyBut the book contains at least one feature that most pregnant women will find indispensable: charts that indicate how to handle “troublesome signs and symptoms” during each three week period. For example, if a woman has slight spotting during the first four weeks of pregnancy, the chart tells her to notify a doctor during her next hospital visit. But if she has any bleeding at all during weeks 29 to 32, the chart indicates that she should tell her doctor immediately. Another stellar feature is the book’s even-handed series of “decision guides,” which help parents make those hard (and even guilt-inducing) choices about breastfeeding, circumcision and whether or not to go back to work. Some parents may find the book’s cool, no-nonsense tone intimidating, or even scary, but when deciding what to do about mid-term cramps or pain, most readers will find great reassurance this volume’s carefully vetted facts.

I was quite please to have this Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy book around in the house. Click here for more details of this book.

Testimonial By J. Radley

“Back when babies were just daydreams, I received “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” (3rd ed.) from a pregnant friend who had an extra copy. Not knowing any better, I was quite pleased. Once I became pregnant and actually needed a guide, however, that changed. I found the book to be poorly organized, overly conversational and condescending in tone (especially given my plans to be a stay-at-home mom), and generally useless for anything other than instilling fear and paranoia. Most exasperating, though, was the “organization.” Symptoms that can arise during varying parts of pregnancy are scattered haphazardly amongst the monthly chapters. This means that the book must be read cover to cover and all material retained in memory if hunting through the index and flipping back and forth between sections doesn’t sound appealing.

Enter the “Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy.

” Hallelujah! Not wanting to suffer through another mediocre guide to pregnancy, I looked through every book I could get my hands on, and this was the only one that satisfied my criteria. It is written by trustworthy professionals in clear yet -professional- language, it provides information on “pregnancy, childbirth and your newborn” in chronological order, and best of all, it contains separate sections entitled, appropriately, “decision guides for pregnancy, childbirth and parenthood,” “pregnancy reference guide,” and “complications of pregnancy and childbirth,” each with a table of contents at the beginning of the section. Instead of having to take a wild guess at which chapter (or, more likely, chapters) cramping might have landed in in “What to Expect” or searching the entire index, I could find it, along with all the other things I might be wondering about, in the reference guide. Blessed simplicity!”

Other related books


What to Expect When You're Expecting: 4th Edition
What to Expect When You’re Expecting: 4th Edition
The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From America's Baby Experts
The Pregnancy Book: Month-by-Month, Everything You Need to Know From
America’s Baby Experts

Advice On Attachment Parenting

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If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what to do when you feel frustrated, angry or stressed out in your role as a parent, then you’re not alone. As much as parenting can be a joy, it can also be a real chore. Let me introduce Attachment Parenting. Attachment parenting is a style of caring for your infant that brings out the best in the baby and the best in the parents.

Many new parents have a sense of guilt whenever they start to feel negative emotions around their child. However, the idealized image of the ‘perfect parent’ is simply that: an impossible stereotype no human can live up to.

It should go without saying that you should consult a doctor and/or counselor if you think you are having more serious issues that could cause you to act out harmfully against yourself or your child. Physical and emotional abuse are never o.k.

So, if you find yourself worrying whether it is normal to feel frustrated, the answer is “yes!”  If you find yourself loving, but not always liking your child, rest assured that is normal, too. Losing your temper or your patience does not mean you are bad parent or a bad person. It simply means you’ve been pushed too hard for too long without a break.

This is especially true if there are problems in your life with finances, health, relationships and so on. Getting these other problems resolved will go a long way to reducing your stress levels.

Beyond that, you must learn to schedule time for yourself. If you have a partner, ask him or her to watch the children while you go visit friends. Likewise, call on trusted friends and or relatives. See if you can arrange regularly scheduled times when you’ll get a break while someone else provides child care.

If you simply can’t get away, try to create a fun distraction that can include your child. Go for a walk or go swimming or go for ice cream. Fresh air, exercise or a little self-indulgence can help you relax and re-energize.

So What Is Attachment Parenting?

Attachment parenting is a parenting style, or philosophy, based on what is known in the field of developmental psychology as “attachment theory”.  Attachment theory describes three potential types of emotional bond between parent and child: secure, ambivalent and avoidant.

Attachment parenting, then, is about working towards creating a secure emotional bond between parent and child by practicing certain parenting techniques believed to lead to this sense of security.

The eight principles of attachment parenting, as laid out by Dr. William Sears, are as follows:
1.    Preparation for pregnancy, birth and parenting.
2.    Feed with love and respect.
3.    Respond with sensitivity.
4.    Use nurturing touch.
5.    Engage in nighttime parenting.
6.    Provide consistent, loving care.
7.    Practice positive discipline.
8.    Strive for balance in personal and family life.

Behind these principles is the notion that one can never give their child too much attention. Parents should be generous in providing loving touch and words of support. Corporal punishment is to be avoided, and verbal discipline should be rendered in a firm but loving tone.

So What Is Attachment Parenting?

Attachment parenting is a parenting style, or philosophy, based on what is known in the field of developmental psychology as “attachment theory”.  Attachment theory describes three potential types of emotional bond between parent and child: secure, ambivalent and avoidant.

Attachment parenting, then, is about working towards creating a secure emotional bond between parent and child by practicing certain parenting techniques believed to lead to this sense of security.

The eight principles of attachment parenting, as laid out by Dr. William Sears, are as follows:
1.    Preparation for pregnancy, birth and parenting.
2.    Feed with love and respect.
3.    Respond with sensitivity.
4.    Use nurturing touch.
5.    Engage in nighttime parenting.
6.    Provide consistent, loving care.
7.    Practice positive discipline.
8.    Strive for balance in personal and family life.

Behind these principles is the notion that one can never give their child too much attention. Parents should be generous in providing loving touch and words of support. Corporal punishment is to be avoided, and verbal discipline should be rendered in a firm but loving tone.

Critics of attachment parenting claim that this level of ‘coddling’ is not necessary and the approach may backfire if the parent crosses the line from ‘sensitive’ to ‘overly permissive’.

Children do need you to be an “authoritative” figure in their lives. Note the emphasis on the word ‘authoritative’, not ‘authoritarian’. Good parenting is a balancing act. We must constantly walk a line of being neither too harsh nor too easy on our children. This means making rules and boundaries that are both clear and fair.

The basic principles of attachment parenting do provide a good guidepost to the kind of relationship to strive towards with your child. Patience, consistency and loving support are all components of good parenting skills!

Parenting Tips for New Parents

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As a first-time parent, you probably have a lot of questions. How should you treat your newborn? What are the proper steps to take in feeding your baby and putting him to bed? First, remember that there are developmental milestones to take into consideration at each stage of your child’s life. The following parenting tips are intended for new mothers and fathers who have a baby 2 weeks of age or less.

Parenting Tips for New Parents

BEHAVIOR AND DEVELOPMENT

Your infant’s development depends heavily on interaction with you. You should spend as much time as you can holding, cuddling and talk to your baby. This facilitates bonding, learning and general neural development. Touch is very important. To save your own sanity, you should also nurture baby during the times when he or she is not hungry or sleepy or fussy. Make sure, too, to take some time for yourself. Schedule in naps for yourself during baby’s nap time if you can, and call upon trusted friends or family members to help baby sit so you that you can have ‘adult time’ at least once a week.

Some of the behavioral milestones to look for in infants at this age are:
1.    The first smile
2.    Beginning to recognize family voices.
3.    Begins to make small vocalizations
4.    Will briefly lift head when lying on stomach.

FEEDING

Babies at this age need only breast milk or iron-fortified formula. Always check with your physician before making any changes to your baby’s diet. Your infant’s eating habits will vary from day to day, but you should call your family doctor if your baby is losing weight or not eating at all. Feeding time should be a time of bonding for the whole family. This is where some of the closest bonding time occurs. Give your baby plenty of affection and touching during feeding time.

SLEEP

Babies should be put to sleep on their backs. Your baby will tend to sleep through the day, but it is normal for a baby to awake in the late afternoon and have a ‘fussy’ spell. This is another good time to nurture and soothe your baby. However, prepare yourself, too, for the possibility that your baby may be inconsolable. Sometimes the excess stimulus of the day simply needs to be ‘cried out’. Overall, it is best to hold and rock your baby until he is drowsy, then put him in his crib. Avoid rocking your baby to sleep, as this will train him not to go to sleep on his own.

These parenting tips are not difficult to remember. Try to view each parenting tips again and again and apply them as it will help you. If you continue to experience problems, discuss your concerns with others parents.

Having Good Parenting Skills To Teach Your Child

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When it comes to good parenting skills in any of these areas, the first thing you have to remember is that your children are individuals, just as you are. Some children are very resilient and quick to learn, while others may be stubborn or extremely sensitive.

First-time parenthood can be scary. Every new parent, especially new mothers, wonder whether they are doing the best job possible at raising their child – and no wonder!  In between feeding, bathing, playing and doctor’s visits, you must also teach your child about the world around him.

First Step in Learning Good Parenting Skills

You must provide discipline along with plenty of love and support. There are many questions faced by parents every day. How can I build my child’s sense of self-esteem and self-sufficiency?  How do I ‘punish’ my child for bad behavior without causing real harm?

Therefore, the first step in learning good parenting skills is to learn what’s going to work for your child.  It is easy, for example, to adopt a rule about spanking. Most child-rearing advice today advises against any kind of corporal punishment.  So, what do you do instead? Likewise, what do you do when your child suffers from low self-esteem, and it seems that your efforts at praise are falling on deaf ears?

What’s best way to raise a child?

The steps you’ll take to be a good parent in any of these situations needs to be based on an overall plan or philosophy in regards to the best way to raise your child. Good parenting skills aren’t just lists of “do’s and don’ts”. Your skill at handling any situation will come from your self-confidence in your role as loving protector.
In other words, good parenting is really about patience and consistency (in your words and actions). One of the healthiest approaches you can take with your child is to teach him the laws of cause and effect.

If you believe in teaching your child about cause and effect, and the consequences of his or her actions, there will be no question about how best to provide discipline or positive feedback. Let’s look at an example. Imagine for a moment that your child is in an aggressive phase, and often hits or bites his playmates. If you believe in teaching cause and effect in a healthy way, then you do not hit or bite your child as punishment. Instead, you would take him aside and explain to him that his friend Is not going to want to play with him any more if that behavior continues. If he repeats the behavior, you would end the play session early as punishment, to show him that he won’t be allowed to play at all so long as he behaves aggressively.

Remain Consistent in Discipline

In order to remain consistent, you would also apply this technique to positive situations. For instance, when your child does something nice for someone else, you would then praise him and point out the cause and effect between the desired behavior and the positive outcome.

It’s never too early to start applying good parenting skills. Toddlers are at a prime age to being learning about cause and effect, but babies begin to notice relationships between actions and outcomes as early as four to six months. Be gentle, patient and consistent in your approach, and remember to tailor these lessons to your child’s unique personality.