Essentials Series: BABY HEALTH

So todays post is all about Baby Health Essentials. Any veteran parent will tell you this might be arguably the most important category when buying for the first time. When your infant or toddler is unwell there are a few things you should have on hand and I’ve listed those here.

Let’s get started:

1. Nasal Aspirator: You don’t realize how much you take little things for granted until you have kids. When you have a runny or stuffy nose, as an adult, you can just blow your nose. But as an infant or toddler you don’t know how to do this yet. And let me tell you from experience, when you have a 6 month old that is having trouble breathing because their nose is stuffed up you will do just about anything to relieve them of the discomfort. That’s why this nasal aspirator is a definite must have. This one in particular I found was easy to use, small enough to throw in the diaper bag, not overly expensive, came with additional filters and didn’t require batteries. It uses your own suction power (like sucking on a straw) to operate so you can use light or increased pressure depending on what your child will tolerate. Some people find this concept very odd because you have to put your lips on a hose and literally “suck” the mucus out of your infants nose. I know what you’re thinking– DISGUSTING! But rest assured, this aspirator comes with filters that prevent anything from passing through the collection chamber. Once you’re all done it is easy to take apart and rinse clean.

** Side note: You also have the option of using saline drops or spray in addition to the nasal aspirator to clear the nasal passages. I will link those here & here.

2. Probiotic Drops: Both my girls were introduced to solids around 5-6 months. Just like most people, introducing a new food to your body could give you an adverse reaction or take time for your body to adjust and metabolize properly. This sometimes results in side effects like nausea, constipation, tummy aches etc so this little bottle was a great addition to our routine as a preventative measure. Our girls took the bottle at bedtime with pumped breast milk so we would add a few drops of the probiotic to that. If you are breastfeeding/nursing only then this can also be added to their food or water. Our little one is 18 months now and we still use it when she isn’t doing #2 regularly and it starts working quite quickly.

3. Orthodontic Soother: This is coming from the pediatric dental hygienist in me but if you plan to give your child a soother try to encourage the orthodontic one. Reason being the orthodontic soothers have a wider nipple therefore overtime as your baby grows it doesn’t narrow the upper arch as much as a regular soother will. There are many on the market that state they are “orthodontic” but in my opinion the best I’ve seen are this brand (here, here, here and here) as they are shaped properly and have multiple age groups listed on the soother (0-6 mos, 6-18 mos & 18-36 mos) so make sure to choose accordingly. Soothers/pacifiers are not “one size fits all” so be sure to pick the right size by age to make sure the soother grows with your baby and there growing palate.

4. Hair Brush & Comb: Both our girls were born with a head full of hair so a comb was a must. But what they also got was different degrees of cradle cap. Cradle cap is what looks like flaky dry skin on the scalp and it is very common in newborns and infants under 3 months. It is thought to be caused by an over production of oil and can range from very mild, small patches on the scalp, to quite severe where it covers the entire scalp and is quite a thick layer essentially like a “cap” hence the name of the condition. My oldest had a fairly mild case where as my younger one had a more severe case. So I’m glad I was prepared with both a comb and brush for their hair. For my oldest, after a lot of online research, I used a few drops of olive oil on the mild patches and gently used the infant comb to comb out the dry skin. But for our little one, since the cap was so severe, we ended up using a prescribed scalp oil in order to help clear up the cradle cap. While in the process of using the oil I used the soft bristle brush to comb her hair and not irritate her sensitive scalp. Good idea to have both handy in your nursery.

5. Nail Clippers: This is one of those items that is necessary but doesn’t have to break the bank. The nail clippers I’ve linked here are the exact ones I have at home and have had them for over 4 years, are in perfect condition and cost only $4! There are a few battery operated ones on the market but again I like to get items that don’t require batteries if possible. These clippers and the comb & hair brush also come in a grooming set that I will link here and here but I just found I didn’t end up using all the items in the set so if I did it over again I’d just get the few things that I did use.

6. Thermometer: I went through a few different thermometers before settling on this one. I have a few nurses in my family with my sister in law being one of them and she swears by this thermometer. She told me this is also the thermometer they use and recommend at the hospital and I can see why. It is the least invasive and still gets you the information you need. Some of the other types of thermometers either don’t give an accurate reading or are in an area where it is impossible to get a quick reading on an infant or toddler ie under the tongue, under the armpit, rectal– yikes! This one can either read temperature by being placed directly on the forehead between the eyes or even on a sleeping infant or toddler simply by hovering over the centre of the forehead. This one is definitely a bit of an investment but well worth it. We love it and use it for the whole family!

And that’s it! I’ve linked everything for your convenience on TheAgencyBlog Amazon shop. I’ll place the direct link here:

https://www.amazon.ca/shop/theagencyblog

Questions and/or comments are welcomed. Please feel free to put them in the comments section below.

I’ll be continuing this series with another addition next week so keep checking in!