Month 6 with the baby

Here we are - or we were, as the event as such took place a couple of days ago - in the 6th month going 7th of the baby life. For us, as parents, it was not easy and sometimes I had to went to sleep around 21.00 for getting enough energy for the next day. Which is a very unusual time to sleep for me, usually not in bed before 00.00. But the most important for the baby is to have healthy parents to take care of him so I adjusted even my white nights to cope with the new challenges. For the baby, things are getting much and much better and the changes as as fast that we better take notes and pictures of every moment. The good part is that I am with him all the time and I can be near him every time.

The biggest achievement of the month were the two cute teeth that appeared out of nowhere. Of course, there were some hard days of deep and hard to explain crying. But, as he cannot speak and explain what is the cause of his pain, all I can do in such moments is to take him in my arms and hug him tight. In most cases it works out.

We continued the therapy for improving his mobility and with one session the week for around 30 minutes for 3 months we advanced that much that right now he can easily move in the car seat and keep his neck straight. He can also move back and forth, and keep staying stable for a couple of good minutes.

On the ocassion of his 6th month anniversary we switched from the vintage crib to a huge bed where he can move back and forth, from the back to the belly and back once again. Stay tunned for some tips about how to choose a bed for your kid soon!

We also finished another important stage in our baby life, with the last batch of vaccination until the first anniversary. Soon I will explain why I am such a big supporter of vaccinations!

The food diversification continued and we tested more bottle foods, including some (kosher) meat. I am trying to expose him to as many tastes and flavours as possible and he seems to like almost everything - except some chicken with spinach that he was not too excited about. The food tasting is in process  and we promise even more diversification- we have to try some rice and some fish too. He takes kilos and moves well so no worries from this point of view.  

He got some extra centimeters too so most of his wardrobe is in process of changing. 

Changes is the word of the day ad we are so looking forward for more to come. And more cute small white teeth too.  

From HiPP, for Daniel

When I was about the leave the hospital and searching for a reliable baby milk solution, the hospital recommended me to use the Hipp. One week after baby D. was born, I started to feed him with the ready made formula and he tolerated it very well. Later on, our children doctor recommended to use it too and one of my doctor friends, a long-time resident in the German speaking realm, also mentioned it. We started to faithfully use it and nothing changed the first good impression (except that very often we cannot find it in the Rossmann or DM stores, as we were explained that there is a high demand of the product from China).

When you grew up in a different land, with different children products, it is not easy to get to know the customs in terms of children nutrition. I knew about Milupa and Humana, so Hipp sounded a bit new for me, also in terms of brand reliability. But it seems it was only my fault for not knowing more about it. In fact, the first Hipp products were produced in 1899, and the company bearing this name was created in 1932, being since then a family business located in Pfarffenhofen, in the South of Germany, close to Munich. Since 1956, it is pioneering the ecological agriculture, offering a variety of milk powder products - based on various nutrition requirements, such as additional to breasfeeding, for allergies and different eating sensibilities, as well as bottle products to be introduced in the children food after the 4th month of life. The products are used on many markets outside Germany, such as Benelux, Bulgaria, Scandinavian countries, France, China or Vietnam.

Shortly after the baby was born, I decided to send a coupon to the company requesting some more details. After more than 2 months when almost forgot about, my bf called me that baby D. has a special package from Hipp. When I saw the personalized box and a sticker with his name, I understood the reasons for the delayed answer. Everyone was busy to deliver something really special. 

The box included a pacifier - we are already using it and he got used with, a milk bottle, similar with other 2+ bottles we are using, and a small package of wet napkins for ultra sensitive skin which we took with us on the road and very satisfied with the results. Another plus of Hipp is the quality customer service with whom I got already in touch several times, much better compared to many other companies in Germany. Their website is also well designed and informative.

As we are growing up now and the food needs are changing, we are looking forward to new and much diversified food experiences. 

Pro or against pacifiers? A couple of reasons

Shortly after we were back from hospital, a big question preoccupied us: with or without pacifier - or inspirelly called peace makers? We read a couple of articles before, and listened to various opinions, but we also feel that a pacifier will just help the baby - but also us - to sleep. There was also the option of just having a baby that rejects it but it was not mean to be so we were back to step one.

Carefully, we set up a list of pros and cons, but as in the case of many other things in life, moderation is key. We accepted it as a temporary solution for maximum 2 years and things look more bearable.

As for the reasons, here is my pro and cons list for now:

PROs

- It has a soothing effect that calms both the parents and the baby

- It offers a temporary distraction to the kid, especially when at doctor, during flights and during a visit

- Reduces the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) - more about that in a next post

- Compared to the finger sucking, it is disposable, being up to the parents when to stop it

- Make the kid more secure and helps to control feelings

- Avoid the risk of overfeeding

CONs

- It may interfere with breastfeeding and can decrease the appetite for mother's milk

- If intensively used after 12 months it can lead to a certain delay of speech

- Increases the risk of middle ear infection (otitis media) as it may increase the pressure in the middle ear

- If used after 3 years old it creates dental problems

- For sensitive children, it can cause latex allergy or oral ulcers. It may also be associated with exhaustion. 

- It may create dependency and if not used it it the cause of various sleep troubles

And now, a couple of advices:

- Try to use the BPA-free type

- Do not use a cord, because it presents life risks

- Do not share it with other children

- Clean it properly

- If the kid doesn't want it, do not give it to him. Especially avoid to feed it into his mouth.

- The square orthodontic shaped pacified will most likely avoid too many dental problems. 

- The best time to introduce it to the toddler is between 2 weeks and 4 months, when there is the peak for extra sucking. After 10 months most probably the kid will use it discontinously.

- Before one year, try to plan getting ride of it, little by little. 

How BPA free should you be?

Very often on many bottles and other plastic products for baby, the 'Free BPA' mention is included. Curious to learn more about baby life I tried to figure out what are the main issues with that and this is what I discovered:

- BPA stands for Bisphenol A, an industrial chemical substance used since the 1960s to produce various plastics and resins. Is is a colorless solid soluble in organic solvents but poorly soluble in waters.

- It is used for the production of various consumer goods, containers that store foods and beverages, baby formula cans and sippy cups, bottle tops, food cans, but also dental sealants, contact lenses and CDs. Also some shields of pacifiers can have this ingredients, but not the nipple. 

- Plastics marked with recycle codes 3 or 7 may be made with BPA.

- According to medical studies, once the BPA seep into food or beverages through heating, it may lead to negative effects on the brain and behavior of children - ADHD -, prostate gland of fetuses, infants and children. However, there are not definitive studies and not direct evidence that BPA may create such problems. 

- At low exposure, most experts say that studies shows that the material is acceptably safe.

- The National Institute of Environmental Health Science advices against microwaving polycarbonate plastics and putting them in the dishwasher. Plastic can break dow and it allows BPA to leach into foods.

- In order to avoid BPA-related risks it is recommended to use as alternatives products made of glass, porcelain or stainless. Also, do not use those with BPA for hot foods and liquids. It is better to throw up any plastic products - like bottles or sippy cups - that are chopped or cracked. Besides the BPA risks, such problematic products can also harbor germs.

- Many companies started to produce alternatives to the BPA in canned foods. 

- BPA-free does not mean that the products are free from other harmful chemical ingredients that are included in the category of hormone disruptors (substance that interfere with the normal functioning of the hormone or endocrine system, by duplicating, blocking or exaggerating hormonal responses. In most cases, the effects of these substances was not studied yet.

After going through all the materials regarding BPA, my conclusion is that I will try if possible to use BPA-free bottles and where the mention about this substance does not exist, to be careful with the overused products. Knowledge is power but exaggeration never helps.