Should My Baby Use A Baby Walker?

The answer could be a yes or a no. Yes, If You Can ...

1. Keep an eye on your baby movements.
Some parents feel save when their babies are put in a baby walker. This is very untrue. My son who barely ever used his baby walker found "creative" ways to hurt himself. Tipping over, bump his head on a table side, pull a tablecloth where there are dishes on top, etc.

2. Get rid any dangerous objects, keep them far from your baby's reach.
Like mentioned in #1 above babies can be very crea

3. Make sure you're not using it upstairs
If you take you're eyes of your baby for a while you'll be surprise how far he could go.

4. Make him practice walking without the walker
Luckily my son didn't enjoy his baby walker much and since I'm a work-at-home dad I had plenty of times to take him practice his walking ability. If your baby enjoy being in a baby walker please don't forget to let him spend some time without it.

The answer is a NO if you think of baby walker somekind of a baby sitter replacement. If all you want is to keep your baby busy and safe while you're doing some chores use a baby bouncer instead.

Baby Sleeping FAQ

* Does taking a nap (2-3 hours) make my baby sleep less during the night?
No. When babies/toddlers take a nap during the day they will sleep better at night. Experts say that and my personal experiences definitely confirm that. If my son doesn't get his nap he becomes cranky at night and wake more often than usual.

* Will my baby sleep better if I play music while he sleeps?
Yes, but not for all babies. Some babies can sleep well when their parents play music but others just hate it. Just try it playing music for a while and if see if your baby like it. If by any chance your baby hate it you could try other things to make him sleep better at night like a gentle massage before he sleep. Tried that on my son since he just hates any kind of noise when he sleeps so my wife and i tried massaging his feet, back and hands before he went to bed.

* Is using a pillow recommended?
No it is not. Try asking doctors and they will say you should not use any pillow. Pillow makes baby hard to breath because their neck are bent and when your baby roll over and sleep on his belly he can suffocate himself.

* How long should baby sleep?
Different experts have different say about this. You can find two different versions below but one sure thing is your baby will sleep 15-16 hours during his early days and about 13 hours on his first birthday.

Age	Total Sleep Hours
0-3 months	15-16
4-6 months	14-15
7-12 months	13-14

2nd version

Age	Total Sleep Hours
1-2 months	15-16
3-4 months	15
6 months	13-14

* Why won't my baby take a nap?
If your baby already have enough sleep during the night the he won't enjoy taking much sleep during the day. As long as he have enough sleep in a day (like the two tables shown above) then it's okay. You shouldn't worry too much.

* Is it okay for a baby to sleep on his side?
Yes, sleeping on his back and side is okay. The thing you need to worry about if he like sleeping on his belly since there's a rick of suffocation.

* How can I do baby sleep training?
Start by creating a routine when it is time for the baby to sleep at night. For instance a warm bath followed by a short massage, dimming the ligths, read bedtime stories or lullaby. Try not to give the baby too much sleep during day. Taking a nap is still important but you shouldn't let the baby sleep throughout the day.

Choosing A Good Baby Bouncer/Rocker

Baby bouncers and rockers are great helpers when you need to get busy for awhile but still what the keep your baby/toddler entertained. Do you know what are the features of a good baby bouncer? Here they are :

* Not too big and not too small
Your child need to fit just right in the bouncer so he can feel comfortable in it and can sleep well.

* Bright colors
Well, experts already shows how important colors are to stimulate babies so this is a no brainer.

* Lights & musics
Babies and toddlers love entertainments especially musics and a bouncer that plays good musics will keep your baby/toddler entertained long enough for your to do the laundry, have lunch, take a shower or other errands you need to do.

* Not too loud
My son has a toy guitar which plays old McDonald tune and it is very loud. I can't understand why toy manufacturers don't employ any volume control in children toys. I had to replace one of it's batteries with a used one to turn down the volume.

* Extra toys
Most bouncer come with hanging toys so when you're baby is having fun listening to the music he could swing and play with the toys too. Double entertainment!

* Vibrations
When possible buy a bouncer/rocker with vibration feature. Moderate vibration relaxes your baby and put him to sleep easily so after he's tired playing with hanging toys just turn on the vibration so your baby can have a rest.

* Easy to set-up
Since bouncers sometimes come un-assembled you will need to put them together first before your baby can use it. But if all you need to doo is fasten some screws then it's great.