Cool Baby Tips!

Jewelry You'll Want Your Baby to Teethe On.

In one year, Stacy Rosenthal gave birth to a baby boy and to "Momma’s Jewels," a finalist in the Moms-for-profit.com Big Break Contest. Momma's jewels are stunning sterling silver necklaces (prices range from $149 to $249 for 1 to 3-ring necklaces) for moms, but with teething babies in mind. Sterling silver is not only safer than toxic plastics, but inherently cool to the touch & naturally soothing to baby’s gums while they’re teething. Each teething ring doubles as a rattle, which entertains babies in line at the grocery store or while you chat with a friend, and since they are worn by mom baby can't drop them.

Feel guilty about spending that much on a teething object eventhough it doubles as jewelry? Consider it a Push Present to yourself and future generations. The sterling silver necklaces/teethers make great heirlooms for your kids' kids.

For a list of retailers near you or to purchase online, check out www.Mommasjewels.com

aka "Nose Debris"

Okay, they're boogers, I said it! A dozen Cool Baby Test parents and pediatricians have raved about this tip to prevent colds, boogers, and congestion in babies: simply buy an inexpensive bottle of all natural saline spray (a good trustworthy brand is Ocean Nasal Spray, approx. $3) at your local pharmacy and gently drop one or two drops into baby's nostrils. Loosens dried "nose debris" so that you can use an aspirator to suck out said debris and also helps balance ph levels so that bacteria is less likely to grow. Also soothes sore or dry nasal membranes for babies and adults.

Engorged Breasts?

Take a few layers of leaves from a head of organic green cabbage, warm leaves up in a microwave, then cup them over engorged or sore breasts. You will feel silly, but I swear this remedy does a better job of soothing pain and relieving swelling than anything recommended by my pediatrician. Must be something in the cabbage that makes it better than hot pads. --Tiffany Fedor, Woodland Hills, California

Don't Sip Tea. Soak in it.

Mom have an allergic skin rash from the effects of an epidural or does baby have heat rash or a persistent diaper rash? Try this method taught to me by my Chinese mother: Add black tea bags (at least five to baby's bath) to a warm bath and soak. This used to be the only relief I got as a kid from itchy chicken pox and my pesky summer heat rashes. Now it works great when baby or I have an inflammed or itchy skin irritation of any kind. If you rather go western than eastern with your natural rash remedies you can try Aveeno's colloidal oatmeal in your bath, available at your local drug store.

Old Word Teether

We were skeptical at first when Susan, awesome herbal consultant at Ron Teeguarden's Dragon Herbs, gave our 14 month old an odd-looking dried Chinese plant root to teethe on, but baby loved it and it turned out to be a perfectly satisfying and safe chew for her. In fact, it worked way better than the fancy teething rings we've collected over the last few months. Ask your herbalist for similar products.

More Diaper Rash Drama

Okay, if for some strange reason our Cool Baby Tips diaper rash remedies don't do the trick, then maybe you should visit the webfarm's diaper email project, which is basically a list of home remedies for diaper rash from people all over. Just click on this url: www.otan.us/webfarm/emailproject/diaper.htm

To Teethe or Not to Teethe?

Steep a cup of organic chamomile tea for twenty minutes then freeze the liquid in baby's bottle (place bottle upside down with lid on). When baby is teething, let her suck on the frozen nipple. The cold will numb her gums, chamomile will soothe and decrease inflammation and ease any upset stomach caused by acidic saliva that comes with teething.

Eat Right 4 Your Baby's Blood Type?

If your pediatrician and the gazillion popular parenting books you've read have not helped with baby's colic, recurrent rashes, colds or infections, try reading Eat Right For Your Blood Type & Eat Right For Your Baby (note: the second book makes more sense if you read the intriguing science behind it which is in the first book). Many cool baby families have discovered relief for baby's ailments by merely applying the author's blood type guidelines to what baby is eating or what nursing mom is eating. If nothing else, these books contain some of the best healthy and wheat-free recipes around. You can find both used or new at Amazon.com

Sitz those Stitches.

Are you experiencing pain, discomfort or itching from your episiotomy stitches? For me, the stuff the hospital sent me home with offered no relief. After trying a million (okay, more like a dozen) remedies, what worked best was a combination of using a sitz bath to soak, soothe and keep stitches clean, then applying vaseline to area once it was dry to protect it from gathering bacteria or rubbing against clothing. Worked for two friends, too. Availabe at medical supply stores, pharmacies or online at Target.com.

Teething Tip

We were skeptical at first, but quickly convinced of its merit when we tried Hyland's Homeopathic Teething Tablets to take the edge off our baby's teething irritability. Hyland's uses natural substances to relieve the restlessness and irritability that accompanies teething in babies in order to help them sleep. Thank, goodness. Available at most pharmacies.