Being a WAHM

**Update**

It's been a while since I was able to post anything on my blogs. I have been busy trying to get some new writing clients to be able to continue being a WAHM. I made the decision to not go back to the regular tedium of the 9-5 world when Aiden was born. I worked while all 3 of my other children were growing up and felt like I missed so much of their childhood.

When Aiden came along, I decided I would find a way to earn an income from home so I could be with him to nurture him and watch him grow. I was lucky enough to find a few decent content mills to earn a regular paycheck from.

My Squidoo lenses have started to earn some residual income from ad revenue and from a few Amazon sales. So I decided to devote more time to my lenses and try to increase my affiliate sales. I signed up with a few programs through Commission Junction for kids and babies.

One site I love is Corner Stork baby Gifts, it almost makes me wish Aiden was still a tiny baby....I am an affiliate of the site so I make a commision on purchases made through my blog, but I make it a policy not to promote any site I would not personally buy from. They have some great gifts for moms-to-be and for baby showers. You can check them out here...Shop Baby Gifts Under $25

Free Baby Sling Carrier

Are you looking for a baby sling at a great price? Seven Slings is offering a great gift for parents, a free baby sling carrier valued at $39. All you have to do is visit the website here and use the promo code"free" to get the price of the carrier reduced to"0". All you pay is shipping and handling! This is a great way to try out a sling for almost no investment.


Get a free Seven™ brand baby carrier (Reg. $39) when you use promo code “Free”! *While supplies last! SevenSlings.com

What You Should Know About Lactose Intolerance in Children

It is estimated that 60% of the population is lactose intolerant. What does this mean, you ask? Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products. It contributes to the carbohydrate requirements for a baby’s brain development. Oddly enough, many babies and older children are unable to digest the lactose resulting in gas, colic, bouts of diarrhea and occasional vomiting.

 It was once thought that children do not show signs of lactose intolerance until they are at least four years of age. New evidence shows that babies can have one or more forms of lactose intolerance beginning from birth. Common Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance: abdominal pain abdominal bloating gas diarrhea nausea The different forms of lactose intolerance include primary, secondary and congenital (from birth) and lactose overload. The latter deals with an excess of lactose in the system from consuming too much dairy. This type is temporary and will disappear on its own. 

 If you think your child may be lactose intolerant your doctor can perform some tests to determine his or her tolerance to dairy foods. Two tests that are used to diagnose this condition are the Hydrogen Breath Test and the Stool Acidity Test. 


Even breastfeeding babies can be intolerant to their mothers breast milk. In this case, feeding from one breast at a time is recommended to ensure that the infant receives more of the richer hind milk and less of the sugary foremilk which helps the infant’s digestive system. 

Sources: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/lactoseintolerance/#symptoms

Baby Care: Lactose Intolerance

Issues with milk: Lactose Intolerance in Children.

Now that Aiden turned a year old he is supposed to be able to drink regular milk but he is lactose intolerant. He has had this problem since he was born, even when he was breastfeeding. I have scoured the internet looking for information to explain the problems he has been having, and one day I happened to find the right page that explained it all. I forget that when searching for a diagnosis, the symptoms reported on internet sites are not all symptoms, just the most common ones.

My little guy had mustard-yellow, runny stool that escaped from every crease of his diaper. He would experience several "blowouts" per week and never had the typical light yellow seedy-looking diapers with hardly any smell to them. He ruined several outfits and a bouncer with this mustard-colored mess.

He would poop within 20 minutes of drinking any milk products including breastmilk. I read several articles that said it is unusual for breastfed babies to be lactose intolerant, but I want everyone to know that if you are experiencing the same issues I did, it is possible and very likely.

Another issue is a funny smell to his breath. He drools a lot now that he is teething, and I noticed his shirts and neck area had a funky smell from his saliva. I found an explanation to this one, lactose intolerance causing their breath to have a higher concentration of hydrogen. The funky smell is slightly chemical-smelling, not like bad food or typical rancid breath.

So now that he will not be drinking milk I have decided to keep him on toddler formula with a soy-base. I had planned to breastfeed him until he was 16 months to two years old based on the recommendation of the World Health Organization. It is my opinion that babies still need that nutrition for brain development past one year and milk does not contain enough nutrients to supply it. Many health professionals do not recommend soy milk for babies, so I will transition him to a soy-based toddler formula for 9-24 month olds and then to soy milk when he is 3 years old.

For those who suspect their babies may be lactose intolerant here is a list of not so common symptoms and a link to more information:

1. Poop that is light to pale colored. Green, yellow and brown are normal but tan, lemon yellow and white are not and indicate a problem with the digestive tract.

2. Pooping 20-30 minutes after consuming a milk product including breast milk. Sometimes it does not even take that long. Tiny babies do this and it is normal but once a baby is beyond 6 months old his bowel movements should be soft but formed, not liquid and runny.

3. Strange odor to their breath or saliva if teething. This is due to an excess of hydrogen in their breath from undigested lactose in their system.

4. Frequent diaper rash with red, irritated skin. This is due to high acid levels in the stool not due to insufficient diaper changes. Often after applying diaper rash cream it is gone by the next change. Also an indication of a digestive disorder.

If your baby has any of these symptoms or ones similar to these it is very likely he or she is lactose intolerant.

Here is a link to the page where you can get more information on lactose intolerance and lactose overload. Both are very good informational articles.

My Baby Turns 1 Year Old

My little boy is a year old now. Hard to believe the time goes by so fast. He is eating table food now and drinking regular milk, I wanted to continue breastfeeding but my milk started to dry up around the 10th month so we switched to formula for the last two months. He was taking 6 ounce bottles of breastmilk every 3 hours and my production went way down. But he is a happy, healthy little boy who is crawling and walks in his walker. I kinda miss the days when he was tiny....

Babies have to grow up so here we are now onto the adventures of a one-year old.

Creative Meals with Leftovers

Is there a good way to make meals with leftovers? Most moms enjoy cooking for the family but the drawback to that is ending up with a bunch of leftovers that nobody eats. In many households the food sits in the refrigerator and gets thrown out at the next weekly cleaning. We throw away tons of food every year because it is not eaten and spoils. How can we avoid this happening? The answer is to make creative meals from leftovers so the food does not sit around. Most families I know cannot afford to throw away food when budgets are tight and food costs are rising. This is a great way to save money by using up what you already have.

Creative Meals with Leftovers

Easy Method for Removing Diaper Stains from Baby's Clothing

Babies poop a lot and that is one thing that does not change as they get older. The difference is that they tend to poop more. I have had to throw out stained baby clothes in the past due to occurrences of diaper blowout. What makes it so hard to get out is the fact that it seems like it sets in immediately and leaves a tell-tale orange-yellow stain on whatever it gets on.

As a newborn, my son always had leaky-diaper-syndrome because he was breastfed for nearly nine months and baby poop differs in consistency from formula-fed babies. Aidan’s poop was always runny and an orangey-yellow color( similar to mustard in color and texture). I found out that this is normal in breastfed babies so I had to figure out a way to cope with it.

I hate throwing anything away if I can use it a few more times. Baby clothing tends to get stained from leaky diapers due to bouts of diarrhea or diaper malfunction. The problem is when fecal matter gets on baby's clothing it tends to stain very quickly. Usually diapers that are soaked and treated properly will come clean but many times it is just not possible to get the diaper or item of clothing rinsed immediately. I found a very simple solution for getting my baby's clothing clean after these diaper blowouts using ingredients found in my kitchen.

My salvation came totally by accident when I decided to try a different cleaning method. I remembered that certain types of stains such as blood and milk stains are protein-based and require soaking in cold water and can be removed with meat tenderizer or hydrogen peroxide. Meat tenderizer is basically a salt mixture so I wondered if salt would remove diaper stains. I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised to find that it did. I have used this technique many times over and will say that stains are removed much better if the items are washed in the washing machine after treating with the salt and dishwasher detergent. Hand washing just doesn’t do as good a job at washing out all the remaining stain. Here is the technique I use to keep Aidan’s clothes in good condition:

Secret tip #1
Feces, egg, blood and milk are all protein-based stains. One of the best stain removers for these types of stains is regular kitchen salt. The treatment is very similar to the method for removing blood stains.
Treatment method:
Remove any solids from diaper or clothing; soak the item in cold water for 10 to 15 minutes and drain. Lay the garment flat and sprinkle a generous portion of salt directly on the stain. The salt should completely cover the stain. Sprinkle a little water over the salt just to dampen it. Let this sit undisturbed for 20 minutes. Add a few drops of liquid detergent to the salt and scrub the stain until its gone then launder as usual. There should be no trace of a stain when removed from the washing machine.

• · Important note:
• If any stain remains repeat the steps above again. It is very important that you do not put the stained item in the dryer as the heat will permanently set the stain. Treat with the steps above as many times as needed to remove the stain. If you cannot wash the item right away you can rinse it, cover with salt and roll up or hang up to dry and use the stain treatment later. The stain can be removed later as long as it has not gone through the dryer.

Removing stains from bouncy seats and jumpers

I nicknamed my son "sir Poops-a-lot" because that is what he does. I have to wash his bouncer and jumper at least 2 times per week because he overflows his diaper. The legs ride up when he's jumping around and pushes it out of the diaper. To remove stains from these items disassemble or remove the cover if cloth or plastic, rinse in cold water and use the salt treatment for fabrics and a light coating of Palmolive "Eco" Gel Dishwashing Detergent for plastics. The jumper seat is plastic with fabric around the legs so the salt does not stick very well. The dishwasher soap works well for this and is eco-friendly. Wash the item first with a little liquid soap and rinse well. Pour a small amount of the gel detergent on the stain and lightly spread it over the spot and let sit for 60 seconds. Rinse hands immediately because this does contain a small amount of bleach. Scrub any spot and rinse well. Dry as usual.

The gel detergent method can be used on diapers and white or light colored clothing as an alternate. Since it does contain bleach do not leave it on for more than a few minutes and rinse out.

These are two of the best tips for stain removal that I have discovered in my 20 years of parenting experience. I raised 3 grown children and currently have a nine-month-old at home.

Technorati Tags: diaper stains,diapering,baby clothes

Comparison of Luvs and Parents Choice Diapers

Comparison of Luvs and Parents Choice Diapers

When shopping for diapers for your baby you should buy the product that performs the best for the least amount of money. Parents' Choice Diapers and Luvs are two brands of diapers parents choose most often, but which one out-performs the other?
Every parent wants to do the very best they can for their children. We skimp on other items so we can spend a few dollars more for the "best" diapers, formula, toys and etc. When it comes to a baby's skin, drier is better. The main thing a diaper should do is absorb the urine so it does not irritate the baby's bottom. So the question is, is it better to buy the more expensive diapers when the generic ones do the same job? Well, the answer is that it depends on the diaper. Some store brands are just as good as the name brands.
Which Brand to Use?
So here is where the comparison begins. I bought both the Parents Choice Diapers and the Luvs because I needed 2 boxes and there was only one box of the Parents Choice brand. My little one just turned nine months old and graduated to size 4 diapers so I had to make a trip to the local Wal-Mart to restock my diaper supply. In the past I tried out every brand of diapers when my other children were younger and found that many of the generic brands worked very well.
Cost
Parents' Choice Diapers were $13.97 for a box of 82 diapers size 4 at Wal-Mart and Luvs were on sale for $16.99 for a box of comparable size. I purchased one of each but for some reason I opened the Parents Choice Diapers first. I have used these diapers since my son was born so I know they work well. They do not leak and he has never had a diaper rash from them.
Features
The Luvs brand diaper is made a little larger than the Parents Choice brand. They fit with a little more room around my baby's legs and tummy. Both diapers have the elastic waistband and leg bands and tabs on the side for fastening the diaper closed. I had no trouble with the tabs on either diaper.
I typically change my baby every two hours or so when he is awake but I noticed that he went through the Luvs diapers a lot faster because he needed more frequent changes than usual. A box of Parent's Choice Diapers usually last us for two weeks because he is eating solids now and taking fewer bottles but the Luvs were gone in a week.
Does Luvs Stop Leaks?
When the last of the store brand diapers were gone I started using the Luvs but was very disappointed that they did not live up to their reputation. When wet they feel very mushy and leak fluid when picking the baby up or laying him down to change him.
A lot of people would disagree with me and say that Luvs is the better diaper and doesn't leak for them but you must remember that every product does not perform the same for every person. What works well for one may not work well for another and the Luvs just didn't work for me. 

Technorati Tags: parent's choice,diapers,review,Luvs

The Leaky Baby Diaper Dilema

Don't you hate running out of diapers, and especially at night. You get sucked into buying the cheapest brand because you don't have the time to shop around. I recently bought some diapers because they were on sale really cheap. I had used this brand when my baby was first born so I didn't think anything about it. I found out later why the baby diapers were so cheap, they were being discontinued. I did what everybody does, I went online and looked for reviews of the product and found out that there were a lot of complaints on them. My little boy wets a lot now that he is older, plus this week he went through the entire box of those cheap diapers because he had a bout with diarrheah. I love spending my morning cleaning poop out of his bouncer because his diaper tapes came open.  I usually go to Amazon or WalMart and look for products with 4 to 5 stars and a large percentage of positive reviews. Being desparate facilitates mistakes. Word of warning, before buying a new brand of diapers look for reviews on the product before buying them.

How to Latch-on and Other Helpful Tips

I had problems breastfeeding Aiden when he was first born, he wouldn't open his mouth wide enough so we hardly ever got a good latch. I worked with nursing consultants in the hospital to get him started but it was frustrating for all 3 of us. I have three other children, all whom I tried breast feeding with, but was unable to continue past the few months due to sore nipples and lack of a good milk supply. I knew I wasn't doing something right because everyone kept telling me that if I was doing it right, it wouldn't hurt. I was determined to figure it out and breastfeed this child for as long as possible.

Two things that helped me was discovering the proper latch-on technique and learning how to express breastmilk with a pump and by hand. Once I had mastered these things I had no further problems nursing my little boy. I was able to continue breastfeeding for 10 months and after that I continued to pump up to 40 ounces of breast milk a day that went into bottles for him along with his solid foods.

I have included these videos to help other moms who may be struggling like I was in the beginning. Hope you will find some useful information here that will help you. I encourage all of you to not give up, once you get this down, it makes all the difference in the world. You can have a good milk supply, breastfeed your child without pain, and continue breastfeeding for as long as you and your child want. The World Health Organization has changed their recommendation now to 2 years instead of 12 months because babies continue to receive benefits from their mother's milk after the first year.

How to Latch-On

How to Use a Breast Pump

How to Express Breast Milk by Hand