Baby and Toddler Articles by iBlogitall

By Amanda Compton

Parents everywhere believe that they have the cutest baby in the world. I know I can probably speak for everyone when I say this. I, too, believe that I have the most adorable baby in the world.

Soon enough friends and family members are telling new proud parents that they should get their baby into modeling since they have the cutest baby in the world. This is when parents begin asking questions about baby modeling. The most common question is, How do I get my baby into modeling?

To answer most parents’ main question, I would begin by telling parents that their child needs to be noticed. Parents can submit their child’s photos to modeling agencies. Parents can also enter their child into online photo contests, online modeling contests, and traditional beauty pageants for more chances at being noticed by a potential company seeking a baby model.

Most online photo contests are free to enter and there are several baby photo contests online that you can submit your baby’s photo to. In addition to gaining valuable exposure and the potential for being noticed, your baby can also win money and prizes! Parents will also have tons of fun in the process. Three top online baby photo contests that I recommend are ContestForMoms.com Free Baby Photo Contest, BabyZone.com Baby Contest, and BabiesOnline.com Baby You Should Be in Pictures Beauty Contest.

Copyright 2005 –All Rights Reserved

About The Author: Amanda Compton is a work at home mom to 2 little boys. She owns and publishes a fun site for Babies and Moms, http://www.ContestForMoms.com featuring a free baby photo contest, mom forums, and lots of baby & mom information!

Feel free to re-print this article provided that all hyperlinks and author biography are kept as-is.

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by: Tina Barraclough

Colic is still a mystery to Doctors. They still do not know what cause colic in babies. They will tell you that
there is no known cure for colic. I have always heard of colic, and heard from mothers that have dealt with this problem. I have never had to deal with a colicky baby, until my fourth child Nicholas was born. Colic is hard not just for the mother, it is hard on the whole family.

There is no tried and true method to dealing with a baby who has colic. A crying baby is the hardest thing a parent has to deal with. The crying will stop eventually. There are some things that you can do to help with these crying spells your baby is going through. Here are some things you can try that I have found that works with my son Nicholas.

1) Try walking with your baby. This can be tiresome ,but it may be the only thing that works for your baby. Hold your baby with his/her tummy against your tummy. My son tends to have gas while he is screaming, and I have found that this helps with his gas, as well as his crying. Sometimes he even stops crying for a little while.

2) Push your baby in a stroller. Sometimes this helps with my son. Take a short walk and see if it helps your baby to stop crying. It may not work, but it’s worth a try anyway.

3) Rock your baby. I have a rocking chair my baby’s bedroom, and when I rock him he stops crying and most of the time falls asleep. I think it is the closeness he feels when I rock him.

4) Put your baby in his/her car seat and take a drive somewhere. I have done this many times. This option may not be an option if you do not have a car, or it could become a habit. Look at it this way; which would you rather do; hear a screaming baby, or drive for awhile?

5)I have not tried this and do not recommend this unless the baby is supervised by an adult. Many mothers I have talked to say this worked for them. Place your child in his/her car seat on top of the dishwasher or washing machine and turn it on for a cycle or two.

6) Try singing to your child, or turning a radio or a tv on to music. It may or may not stop your baby from crying, but it could calm him/her down a little bit. My son calms down when I put country music on.

7) Have your spouse take the baby for awhile. If you are the only person your baby will let hold him/her, try to away for a little while. Have a friend or relative help by watching your child for you.

Make sure you get some sleep whenever possible. I often have my sister come to my house and watch my kids while I take a nap. This way you won’t be so tired when dealing with a screaming baby all night. My husband also takes the baby when he does not have to go to work. It helps when you are not so tired.

Remember the crying will not last forever. Even if nothing works for you, there is an end insight . Before you know it all the crying that your baby has done will be replaced with smiling, gurgling, and he/she will be a happy baby. My son is now 3 months old and he is not crying as much as he did two weeks ago.

If you feel you could use some support in dealing with your colicky baby. here is an online support group for parents, family & friends of colicky babies.

COLICNET.COM

http://colicnet.com/

Tina Barraclough is a stay at home mom and owner of http://best-home-based-business-idea.com Visit her website for Business Opportunities, free e-books,Business Articles,etc.�

by: Jackie G. Maxwell

Once your baby is out of their crib and playpen, you’re going to need some way of ensuring their safety. That’s why learning how to choose a baby gate can be one of the most important things you’ll do while baby-proofing the house. The first place you’ll want to install a baby gate, is at the top, and bottom of any stairway the baby may have access to. Gates installed at the top of stairways should always be done with hardware mountings, and not expandable pressure bars. This is for those rare instances when the bar can be jiggled loose and give way, allowing the baby to fall down the stairs. The pressure gates can be used at the bottom of stairs, however.

Baby gates today, generally come as mesh panels, vertical rail/bars that are built to government specifications regarding the width between them, or expandable accordion style gates that also must meet stringent requirements as to measurements of the diamond shapes that open up when the gate is stretched to fit a doorway.

Whichever style you choose, it should have a flat top edge, to prevent injury when a child tries to climb over it and falls on the edge. If it is a pressure bar gate, it must be placed so that the bar is on the side away from the child, because they often try to use it as a foothold to climb over top. While a pressure bar exerts considerable force against the surfaces it is placed between, it is not a guarantee that precocious children can’t find a way to release the bar.

In the event that you have an extra-wide space that needs to be blocked off, many models of baby gates offer an extension kit. However, if you find that the surfaces against which you had planned to mount the gate are insecure, such as a drywall without studs, you may also need a gate mounting kit to get a snug, and sturdy fit. In the case of banisters, you can find mounting kits that don’t need to be screwed into the wood, which will avoid marring the surface.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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