Mom Central Baby

How to travel with a baby

During the summer and the holidays, many families travel to visit relatives or explore new places. Traveling doesn't have to stop when you have a baby. It can be challenging, but with the following tips, traveling with your baby can be an enjoyable experience.

Stick to routines

Often times, babies will get very fussy when in new places. Why does this happen? Babies are accustomed to routines in their lives, which give them comfort. Sleeping in the same place, at the same times, with the same conditions around them are all part of baby's routines. What happens to baby when you're in a new home and the noise level is high or there is constant chaos surrounding your little one? Your baby will react and probably become quite fussy.

Sticking to routines can bring comfort to your baby and help him feel safe.  When traveling try to keep feeding and bedtimes at the same time. Also, try to replicate the environment with which your baby is accustomed. This will help keep your baby happy when traveling.

Avoid ear pain on planes

Many families who travel do so by plane. For babies, just like adults, after take-off or prior to departure, the cabin pressure changes and we can feel the difference in our ears, sometimes resulting in pain. Prior to takeoff, hold your baby and nurse her or give her a bottle. The sucking and swallowing motions will help avoid this painful departure or arrival. It will also help your baby to feel safe and relaxed, resulting in a more enjoyable trip.

Pull over to feed your baby

I've traveled to many places with babies in the car and nothing is more stressful than having your baby cry and not be able to console him from the driver's seat. If your baby won't stop crying, pull the car over. Get out of the car and let your baby see your face, with happy smiles and sounds accompanying it.

Sometimes this alone does the trick. Other times, you may want to sing to your baby or even take him out of his car seat to nurse him or give him a bottle. Do not continue to drive if your baby is crying and you are feeling stressed out and overwhelmed. You want everyone to arrive safe and sound to your final destination. If you are a passenger, consider traveling with a breast pump, so that you can pump and then feed baby while still on the road.

Bring extra clothing

I cannot tell you how many times I've traveled with a baby and  while in the car seat, he fills a diaper up, sometimes even oozing out into the car seat or he spits up a huge amount of breast milk or formula onto his outfit. Always have extra clothing and a burp cloth on hand. It's not a matter of “if” it will happen, it's “when” it will happen.

Enjoy your travels

Be sure to take pictures, stop and take a break, and enjoy your new family and new adventures!  Traveling can be stressful if you aren't prepared.  Follow these tips and experience a more enjoyable trip!

Shannon Steen-Larsen is the author of The Mommy-Files, a blog where she talks about motherhood, recipes and cooking, travel, product reviews, and giveaways. Shannon is a busy mommy of three boys living in California and experiencing the many joys and challenges of motherhood.

How to feel pretty and pregnant

Pregnancy is a very exciting time in a woman's life. From the moment you saw a positive result on the home pregnancy test to the time you feel the baby move inside of you, pregnancy includes a full spectrum of emotions. The initial feelings are generally those of excitement and nervousness. As you read books, take classes, and listen to advice from others, you become more comfortable with the idea of pregnancy. However, nobody tells you that as you get bigger, you feel big and unattractive. Here are some fun ways you can feel pretty and pregnant.

Buy new maternity clothes

I remember being so excited to wear maternity clothes. I could feel myself getting bigger and outgrowing my every day clothes, which was a hard thing to deal with at first. It was great to have maternity clothes that were cute and comfortable. Perhaps you may want to buy a dress for a special occasion or capris for an upcoming trip or even a new pair of jeans to wear around the house or out with friends. New clothes are always fun to wear and you often find yourself prettier and feeling good about yourself.

Get a haircut

I almost always feel so much prettier when I get a haircut. When you are pregnant, you may be feeling exhausted, big, and unattractive overall. When you get a haircut, you change your appearance somewhat and feel different...even pretty. Whether you want to cut it short or just give it a trim, a haircut is both relaxing and fun and will leave you feeling pretty and pregnant.

Get a manicure and pedicure

Manicures and pedicures are the ultimate way to be pampered when your pregnant. Grab a girlfriend and head out to get your hands and feet pampered. You'll walk out feeling like a million bucks with your beautiful pregnant figure and gorgeous hands and feet. 

Put on a smile

Do you ever notice how much better you feel when you smile? Not only do you feel better, but smiling makes you look prettier to yourself and to everyone around you. Plus, smiles are contagious!

If you are the husband or partner

If you really want your wife/partner to feel pretty, compliment her and tell her how beautiful she looks and how much you love her for having your child. Compliments definitely make a pregnant woman feel pretty!

Remember, most pregnant women at one point or another feel unattractive and it's completely normal. Just remember that pregnancy is a blessing and you are more beautiful than you know!

Shannon Steen-Larsen is the author of The Mommy-Files, a blog where she talks about motherhood, recipes and cooking, travel, product reviews, and giveaways. Shannon is a busy mommy of three boys living in California and experiencing the many joys and challenges of motherhood.

How to encourage children to eat healthy foods

I have three boys and am amazed by how quickly they are growing. As they grow, I want them to get all the nutrients their little bodies need. It can become challenging when they go through the “picky eating” stages, especially with foods that are healthy. So, how do you encourage young children to eat healthy foods?

Offer healthy snacks

When your child gets hungry, he will look to you for food. It is much easier to encourage your child to eat healthy foods if you have them readily available. Offer fresh fruits and vegetables in the place of fruit snacks or Wheat Thins in the place of potato chips. Be sure to pack healthy snacks in your diaper bag or purse to prevent emergency stops at fast food restaurants.

Limit sweets to dessert time

What child wouldn't want dessert before dinner?  Offering dessert as a treat after dinner can often encourage your child to eat the healthy foods before her. It will serve as a reward for finishing her meal. 

Don't think that desserts always have to consist of cookies, cake, and ice cream either. Dessert can also include fruit salad, JELL-O, or other healthy (and sweet) foods.

Try to limit sweets and dessert type items to after dinner or special occasions. For my boys, they have to eat their dinner, which is usually a small portion, and consists of a meat, vegetable, and starch. If they don't eat their food, they don't get dessert...period. I also limit treats like cakes and pies to special occasions such as birthday parties, anniversaries, and holidays.

Enjoy healthy foods yourself

Your children watch every move you make, so be careful what you say about different healthy foods.  For instance, I don't like cooked carrots. Even though I personally don't like them, I don't ever say bad things about them or tell my kids that I don't like them. I encourage them to eat them and even eat a few of them myself, while telling them how yummy they are and good they are for their growing bodies. 

Make eating healthy foods fun

My boys like to dip healthy foods like vegetable or slices of meat in ketchup or ranch dressing. Also, you can dress celery up with peanut butter and raisins and make “ants on a log.”  You can even invite your kids to help prepare the meal, which always makes it more fun for them!

Shannon Steen-Larsen is the author of The Mommy-Files, a blog where she talks about motherhood, recipes and cooking, travel, product reviews, and giveaways. Shannon is a busy mommy of three boys living in California and experiencing the many joys and challenges of motherhood.

Last minute Father's Day gift ideas and children's activities

Father's Day is here, the one day a year when we celebrate the fathers in our lives! With little ones, you may be trying to think of a way to help your kids show their dad how much they love and care about him. Here are some fun, last minute ways in which you can help your kids celebrate Father's Day!

Make a scrapbook

Set aside some pictures that your child can look through for his Father's Day scrapbook. You can use a photo album or staple construction paper together to form a scrapbook. Pull out the glue sticks, glitter, scissors, and crayons and get to work. Let your child cut out fun shapes to put on the pages. You may consider adding fun stickers based on the hobbies in her father's (or grandfather's) life - whether it be golfing, fishing, sports, hunting, you name it!  Provide washable crayons and markers to your child to write messages or draw pictures in the scrapbook. A child's drawings and messages will mean the world to her dad!  Wrap it up in a box with wrapping paper or place in a masculine colored gift bag with matching tissue paper.

Cook up breakfast

Who doesn't love a homemade breakfast?  Father's Day is the perfect opportunity for your child to come up with a breakfast for their dad or granddad. Depending on their age and skill level, they can make pancakes, eggs, or French toast. For younger children, it may be easier to have them prepare a special bowl of cereal and some toast and jam. Have your child invite their daddy to breakfast at the dining room table or help him take breakfast to dad in bed.

Make a Father's Day dinner

What is his favorite meal?  Invite your child to go grocery shopping for the ingredients for his special dinner. When you prepare the meal, invite your child to help. It's fun for kids to help out in the kitchen and it will be even more special if dad knows that his little guy helped prepare it for him!  Always supervise around fire, hot, or sharp objects. You can celebrate the Father's Day Dinner with dad alone or invite family and other dads over for the special occasion.

Bake a Father's Day Cake

My family loves cake, so we have a tendency to make cakes around special occasions like Father's Day.  You can have your child help break eggs, add water, or mix the cake batter. Depending on the child's age and skill level, you may want to pour the batter into the cake pans yourself. You can invite your child to help frost the cake or decorate it with sprinkles when it's cooled off. Present the cake to dad after dinner and enjoy!

Shannon Steen-Larsen is the author of The Mommy-Files, a blog where she talks about motherhood, recipes and cooking, travel, product reviews, and giveaways. Shannon is a busy mommy of tjree boys living in California and experiencing the many joys and challenges of motherhood.

How to prepare for a new baby

I remember being pregnant with my first child. I was excited and anxious at the same time. I had never gone through childbirth before. I could barely keep my plants alive, yet alone another human being. I truly believe that you could take every class there is and read every book out there and still find things you weren't prepared for when your little one comes along.

It is normal to experience a fear of the unknown, but that fear helps us to prepare the best we can for that new baby to enter our family. So, how does one prepare for a new baby?

Set routine prenatal appointments

The most important thing you can do for your baby is to have regular prenatal checkups. Prenatal checkups can help to ensure that your pregnancy is going as well as it can be and that you are healthy and your baby is developing normally.

Take birthing classes and study some prenatal books

The birthing experience can be very scary if you have no idea what to expect from it. Birthing classes often not only teach about the birthing experience, but also touch on how to care for the baby and how to breastfeed. These classes also help teach your partner or coach how to help you through the birthing process and keep you as comfortable as possible. For books, I really loved the book, My Pregnancy: Week by Week. It talks about the development of your baby, including how big he or she is and what new developments have taken place over the past week.

Develop a birth plan

Some women have the goal of going through childbirth without pain medication.  Others may decide they want pain medication to be an option. I knew that I had (and still have) a low tolerance for pain, so I had the goal of enduring contractions for as long as I could handle them and then use pain medication if I wanted it. I wasn't too far in the labor process when I decided that I wanted to enjoy the childbirth process with little pain and opted for the epidural. It was a wonderful experience and one I repeated two more times.

Pack your hospital bag

Have the bag in a place you have easy access to. Items I included in my hospital bag were sweats, a sweatshirt, jammies, fresh clothes, nursing bra, nursing pads, chocolate, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and makeup. Also include an outfit for the baby and any additional items you want to have for your stay in the hospital to make it as homey as possible.

Purchase items for the baby

For all three of my boys, I opted to find out the sex of the baby as soon as possible. This made planning so much easier. I know what colors and patterns I wanted my little boys to wear, as well as the color themes on car seats, cribs, and other baby-related items. You should also stock up on diapers and wipes if possible. I typically started with two big packages of newborn sized diapers and then purchased more of the size 1 and size 2 diapers.

Don't forget your camera

Although you may not be “in the mood” to take pictures, you'll want pictures of the day your family changed forever. Your little one will appreciate those pictures some day in his or her future as well.

Take a deep breath and be the best parent you can be. You can do it!

Shannon is a stay-at-home mom of three boys - ages 6, 4, and almost 3. She loves to write on her blog, The Mommy-Files, where she posts about motherhood, family fun activities and cooking, conducts product reviews, and hosts giveaways.