Baby asking for feed every hour

@amotherfarfromhome Follow for more tips like this one! #newmommas #momstrugglesbelike #tipsformom #mommingit #sahmom #parentcoach #mommingallday #newbornbabytips ♬ Sunroof – Nicky Youre & dazy

As long as the incline is not too steep that baby will tend to slide down it, then this will help position baby on his back with a better chance of getting to sleep comfortably.

We also have used towels or blankets under the mattress to achieve the same effect.

Baby Sleep Cards & Checklists

These lovely cards and checklists will help you create and keep healthy wind down and sleep routines for your little ones.

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Burp, Burp, Burp If Baby Has Reflux

I don’t know about you, but burping ain’t as easy as you think it will be. It doesn’t always result in a burp.

When I was in the throes of hyper-lactation I always made sure to burp for as long as it reasonably took until I felt sure baby wouldn’t have gas.

I knew if I’d missed one because at the 45 minute mark baby would wake up from a nap crying in pain. I’d often go to the crib and lift the baby and – as I did so – the baby would burp. 

If baby goes to sleep and wakes after 45 minutes crying, there are usually two culprits.

1. Baby has trouble transitioning through sleep cycles from passive to active (or vice versa) sleep. If baby has reflux it could be that while trying to transition they felt pain, gas or otherwise, and woke up.
2. Baby has gas and wakes up crying. This type of cry is usually more one of pain or distress than the cry from #1 and you’ll know this was the case if you pick baby up and he or she burps quickly.

How to avoid this? More frequent burping throughout the feeding then really working to burp baby well before putting them down to rest.

Hold Baby Upright Before Naps

Another thing you can do is after feeding, burping, changing diapers, and before you put baby down to rest…. hold baby upright.

This may be upright on your chest, in an infant seat, on your lap or however else, but the key is to have the baby upright so that the discomfort from reflux type symptoms are minimized. According to Healthline…

“A horizontal position makes it easier for the stomach contents to reflux into the esophagus. The undeveloped digestive system is the reason why all babies are prone to experience acid reflux symptoms. “

The longer you keep baby in the horizontal position the better to minimize reflux discomfort for your little one.

Read: How to Stop Contact Naps (Peacefully)- and What to Do Instead

Ultimately, reflux is something that passes in most babies (though not all) around the time they begin sitting up for this very reason, so if you can hold baby upright pre-feeding then it will make a big difference.

Get Medicine If Necessary

Of course, if your baby is exhibiting signs of reflux I hope you’ve already taken them to the doctor and then followed the recommendations you were given.

We are in an unprecedented time where the pendulum swung from enthusiasm for all medicines last century (vaccines! pills!) to a near current disdain for medicine.

Obviously we don’t want to over-medicate our kids when it isn’t necessary, but don’t be afraid to try what’s on the market if it’ll bring relief to your little one.

Comfort Baby And Know It Will Pass

Sleep Training Checklist

Ready for everyone to start sleeping better? Use this checklist to help you get there.

By 1 year of age, most babies will grow out of reflux.

This is because up to this point the baby’s esophagus is not fully formed. At around one year of age the esophageal sphincter muscle is more fully developed and will stop allowing the stomach contents back up into the esophagus.

While some continue to have reflux or GERD symptoms into toddlerhood, most do not.

Sleep Little Lamb

Create sustainable sleep habits for your little lamb so the whole family can sleep peacefully without the stress, drama, and tears.

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It means the following…

• Comfort a baby who is in pain. Even if you are creating sleep props you’ll have to break later, a baby who is in pain isn’t going to sleep without some help anyway.
• Try and avoid overtiredness. It’s a myth that wearing baby out will make him sleep better. It’ll do the opposite.
• Set the stage for sleep. Use positive sleep associations, baby bedtime routines, and wind down routines to help baby get into the mood to sleep. Most will. Not all the time, but much of the time.
• Follow all The Things. Do all that the experts say to do to help relieve baby’s pain, including the gripe water and medication and watching your own diet for foods that contribute to reflux. Then… if baby won’t sleep… comfort baby.

As someone wise and a bit funny once said…

“This too shall pass… it may pass like a kidney stone, but it’ll pass. ”

::

What to do if a child asks for a dog?

Contents

one Pet is not a toy 2 Test period 3 Stop signs for living with a dog four Preparing for the arrival of a dog in the house

6 minutes

estimated reading time

We discuss with a zoopsychologist how to understand that a child is ready for a dog. Bonus at the end of the article!

The child wants a dog and asks for it for his birthday, New Year and on a normal day too - a familiar situation? But a dog is a living being and will be part of the family for years to come. So the first step is to consider the changes that a dog will bring to your life and make sure that the young nature lover is ready to take on some of the responsibility for a four-legged friend. And also - to find out if the matter is really in the desire to get a dog, and not in the lack of communication and the desire to receive more attention.

Pet is not a toy

Veterinarians, volunteers, cynologists are constantly reminding why it is impossible to give dogs as gifts. A living creature evokes positive emotions, which often fade as puppies enter their wild adolescence. Many stray dogs are pets whose irresponsible owners are tired of them and do not consider it necessary to take care of their future fate. In the best case, such dogs are waiting for a shelter and new owners, who will have to work with the emotional trauma of a pet that has survived the betrayal of loved ones for at least a year.

A dog is a living being, it should not be started on a wave of emotions, succumbing to persuasion or expecting to surprise.

When a child asks for a dog, try to turn the conversation into responsibility for the pet. Ask questions:

• Who will walk the dog?

• When we go on vacation, who will look after the pet?

• Who will bathe the dog, comb its hair?

• Are you ready every day for an hour to walk and an hour to play with the dog?

If the child has not seriously thought about what duties the presence of a four-legged friend in the house promises, these questions should already puzzle him and cool his ardor somewhat.

Usually children ask for a puppy, not realizing that the puppy will become a full-fledged member of the family and will live in it for many years. Large dogs live on average 8 years, miniature - about 15. The child needs to be explained that the pet will not always be a puppy, that he will grow up and he will need care at all stages of life.

If a child asks for a pet, remember that the lion's share of responsibility for a four-legged friend will fall on you. It is impossible to strictly demand from a boy or girl seven or eight years of full-fledged pet care.

In the desire to get a dog, the motive is important. Find out why the child asks for a pet and why a dog in particular. It would be very helpful to discuss the issue with a child psychologist. It may turn out that the dog has nothing to do with it. It's just that the child lacks the attention of parents or he fails to make friends among his peers. Against the backdrop of these difficulties, for a boy or girl, the idea of ​​​​having a puppy seems like a saving straw. In this case, timely clarification of the essence of the problem will save both you and the potential pet time and nerves. After all, it may turn out that communication with a dog is not the kind of support and communication that a child lacks.

Test period

To understand how interested the child is in the pet, you can arrange a test period for him. For example, ask him to take care of a toy dog ​​for two weeks: get up for a walk, feed at the same time, groom, read literature or watch videos on proper education, study the vaccination schedule. Children from 10 years old can already cope with such responsibility. But if the child is younger, you can give him simpler instructions: for example, treat the dog with a treat.

Stop lights for living with a dog

When a child asks for a dog, he does not always understand that communication with her is associated with some unpleasant physiological moments. For the first few months, the puppy goes to the toilet wherever he wants, and accustoming to diapers and walks can take up to six months. On the street, dogs are interested in garbage, the waste products of other dogs and other things that are not at all appetizing. A dog can wallow in the mud, swim in a puddle. And in rainy weather, the dog can smell unpleasant. The dog owner will have to deal with these features on a daily basis. If they strain the child or you already now, this is an occasion to discuss everything carefully again.

To prepare for the extravagant behavior of dogs is possible only through personal communication with them. Visit a pet shelter, go to an exhibition, walk your friends dog. Visit the walking area, a traditional meeting place for dog breeders. Visit relatives who have dogs. Ask experienced dog owners about their regular pet care responsibilities. Sometimes at this stage, children realize that their idealized dreams of living with a dog are very far from reality. If the child directly declares that he does not intend to clean up after the pet, this should be a stop signal in the matter of the appearance of a puppy in the house.

An important factor is the discipline and independence of a child dreaming of a dog. If the lessons are done without reminders, the child helps around the house, goes to bed on time, keeps his things in order, then why not let him take on some of the responsibilities of caring for the pet? However, if the youngest member of the family is constantly naughty, shirks from any assignments, does not show zeal in learning, then such a person will most likely treat the dog irresponsibly.

Discuss with the whole family the child's desire to have a dog. This is a serious decision that will affect the lifestyle of all households. Everyone must agree on this issue. If there are constant quarrels in the family, the appearance of a pet can aggravate the situation. First you need to understand the relationship with loved ones.

Preparing for the appearance of a dog in the house

If you have already decided to get a dog, then before choosing a puppy, first visit an allergist - the whole family. Make sure no family members are allergic to pets. Everything is fine? Then we move on to the next point.

Before you bring a dog into the house, read with your children a few guides on pet care, read what breeds are called nannies and why, chat with breeders. Be sure to discuss and remember a few basic rules for keeping a dog:

• The dog needs a psychologically and physically comfortable space to live. In other words, an apartment filled with inviolable antiques will not work either. A playful puppy will certainly drop something or taste it. Everything fragile, sharp, dangerous, valuable, heavy should be removed away from the pet
• Plan expenses for: food for the puppy, trips to the veterinarian, dog handler or behavioral correction specialist, as well as toys, treats, beds, bowls and other necessary things. Agree with the household how you will help the pet adapt to the new place. Even a new cozy home and loving owners in the early days will be stressful for a four-legged friend. The pet needs time to adapt to new conditions. The first time with a puppy all the time someone should be at home. It will be possible to leave him alone at first only for five to ten minutes.

Think about where you will walk the puppy. A 15-minute walk into the asphalt jungle is only suitable as a fallback option in case of lack of time. The dog needs a spacious square or park for walking.

• Research dog nutrition information, consult a veterinary nutritionist, and select the right high quality dog ​​food. For the first 10 days in the house, feed your pet in the same way as the breeders or volunteers at the shelter fed him before. All dietary changes should be made gradually.
• Consider who will train the puppy. You can try to cope with this task on your own, or you can use the help of specialists. The puppy will have to be taught literally everything: respond to a nickname, sleep on a couch, walk nearby on a leash, not bark in the house ...

When a child asks for a dog, you need to be especially careful when choosing a breed. It is better to give preference to medium-sized dogs. It is difficult for a child to keep a large dog on a leash during a walk, and miniature dogs are very fragile, a child can inadvertently injure a baby during games and it is hard to experience what happened. By temperament, it is desirable to choose a calm dog.

• Try to immediately distribute the responsibilities for caring for a pet among relatives. All family members should be able to handle the dog, so that in the event of someone's absence, going to the veterinarian, walking, feeding does not turn into an unsolvable task.

We have already said a lot about the reasons that may be a reason not to get a pet. However, if the decision to get a dog is made responsibly by the whole family, you can be congratulated. Dogs have a great influence on children: they teach responsibility, help to find new friends, strengthen self-confidence. With the advent of a dog in the house, the guys spend less time on gadgets, move more, walk and play with a four-legged friend. Besides, a dog is really a blessing. Who among us in childhood did not dream of such a friend?

If all the pros and cons are weighed and there is still a dog in the family, it will be useful and interesting for you at the webinar "Children and dogs in the family: how to live in harmony and safety." The speakers will be family psychologist Ekaterina Sivanova, zoopsychologist Alla Ukhanova and a responsible mother who is thinking: to get a pet for children or not? To delve into the topic as much as possible and get answers to your questions, register using the link

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Kitten asks for food all the time: reasons and what to do?

Situations when a kitten asks for food all the time are very common. Usually, babies have a good appetite, which often scares the owners. In some situations, you should not worry, in others, increased appetite is a reason to examine the animal. Let's figure out when to be alert and when to relax.

READER'S QUESTION

I have a 4 month old kitten, thin, underweight, but all the time yelling that he wants to eat. That is, we can say that my kitten constantly wants to eat. Eats everything in the bowl clean. While they prepare food for him, he yells in a voice that is not his own. Takes food from an adult cat. If we go to the kitchen during the day, he runs after us and asks. I give him 10% of the body weight prescribed for kittens, much more already? Is there something wrong with him? Is it possible to increase the portion? Is it normal for a kitten to pounce on food like crazy?

ANSWER

If we are talking about a growing organism, which is a kitten, then it is quite difficult to determine whether he really consumes too much food, because. There are no clear rules for feeding. Therefore, it is not customary to restrict kittens in food up to six months (within the set of allowed products, of course). Moreover, if the kitten suffers from a lack of body weight, he needs more. But still, make sure that the cat does not overeat at one time, because. this can quickly plant the pancreas, stretch the stomach and teach to eat in huge portions. In such a situation, it is better to give food in moderate portions, but not 2, but 4-5 times a day.

A kitten that constantly overeats may have a bloated belly. This condition is not only ugly, but sometimes dangerous. Firstly, the stomach prevents movement, as a result of which the animal will be lethargic and inactive, it will sleep too much. Secondly, stagnation of feces can occur, constipation begins, and even intestinal obstruction occurs. Therefore, it is so important not to buy into the animal's requests for another piece of food, but to strictly control portions and not give too much at a time.

However, a big question arises if the kitten has an increased appetite, he is fed a lot, but still there is a lack of body weight. If your kitten eats and does not get better, if you see obvious thinness (ribs and spine stick out, sunken sides), if along with constant hunger, the character or appearance deteriorates (for example, dull coat, bloated belly), then the condition may be pathological character. The most common reasons are.

Helminths

The first moment that you should pay attention to is worms. How long ago did the kitten get preventive deworming? Often, kittens have a large appetite due to worming. Then the stomach swells, although not necessarily. If a kitten constantly asks for food, the first thing to suspect is worms.

Conscientious breeders perform deworming before giving away a kitten. However, they often feel sorry for the baby and therefore give half the dose, as a result of which the helminths first subside, and then raise their heads just about the moment when the animal moves to a new home.

If parasites are the cause of increased appetite, then after prophylactic deworming, the appetite should normalize by itself within a few days.

Join Telegram "Murkotiki"! Get the right advice to keep your pet healthy and happy!

Psychological factor

Sometimes an increased appetite is dictated by the fact that there were many kittens in the cattery or shelter where you took the kitten from, which competed with each other. Then, for several months after the move, the baby will feel an increased appetite for psychological reasons. Such a state should go away on its own if the cat does not feel significant restrictions on food and understands that no one is going to starve him.

Also among the psychological factors that contribute to an increase in appetite is stress: moving, the arrival of a new family member, the departure or death of a family member, even a change in the situation in the house - everything can be the reason.

Medications

Some medications, such as hormones and anticonvulsants, have an increased appetite as a side effect.

Diet questions

Another common reason that a kitten is always hungry lies in the wrong diet. For example, if you feed an animal with boiled meat, it does not receive important trace elements. Remember: with a natural diet, meat should be frozen in the freezer for at least 3 days, and then thawed to room temperature and served raw.

In the case of ready-made food, it may happen that the food is simply not suitable for the kitten. If this is an economy-class food from a supermarket, then there are practically no useful trace elements in it, and therefore the animal remains hungry. You can’t treat kittens with economy food: you need to transfer either to expensive food or to natural food.

But it happens that even expensive food is poorly digested as a result of the individual characteristics of the organism, and then the result is the same - a lack of important elements. In this situation, you need to change the food.

Also, keep in mind that kittens eat natural food (and this is mostly raw meat) much better than dry food, which very quickly slips through the gastrointestinal tract, leaving it empty, as a result of which very soon you want to eat again. That is why drying for most cat lovers is always available. But cats eat meat for a long time, because. much harder to digest. Basically, 2 meals of meat per day is enough to satisfy the animal.

Absorption problems

If the kitten eats a lot and does not gain weight at all, it must be shown to the veterinarian, as there may be problems with the absorption of nutrients (this may again be due to worms, or maybe due to internal pathologies, which is worse). That is, useful substances come with food in the right amount, but the body does not accept them for some reason (the reasons can be a variety of pathologies of internal organs - diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism, Cushing's disease, oncology, and other diseases).

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