The idea of bathing a newborn may be daunting to new parents. For starters, don’t worry about giving your baby an official bath right away. Except for sponge baths, bathing shouldn’t start until the stump of your baby’s umbilical cord falls off (between one and three weeks post-delivery).
After that, you can give your baby a bath every day if you find it necessary, although two to three times a week is better because daily bathing can dry out a baby’s tender skin. In addition to the tub, you’ll need a soft towel (preferably hooded to cradle your baby’s head), a baby washcloth, and an unscented, hypoallergenic baby body wash that doubles as shampoo. (See more about giving baby a bath.)
There are a variety of baby bathtubs on the market. Keep in mind that just about any tub you buy will be awkward to use at first, mainly because bathing a wiggly baby—who may dislike temperature changes and being put in water—is awkward and daunting for even the most experienced parent. In other words, at first you’ll just want to get the job done—and fast.
Expect your baby to protest the first couple of times. After that, she will probably grow to enjoy bath time—and so will you. But remember, when your baby is in the bath, you should always have a hand on her. (See what not to buy: a baby bath seat.)
Someone is having pretty darn good week, and I think it is Erinn Hayes! The 32-year-old star of Worst Week gave birth to her second child on Wednesday!
Lilah Grace Hayes is the second daughter for Erinn and husband Jack, a construction super intendent.
Two-year-old Maggie has been preparing for her big sister part through role play. Erinn says, “She’s obsessed with dolls. She wants to wrap them up and put them to bed. They’re all called Barbara. She even calls the baby ‘Baby Barbara.’ ”
Erinn announced the pregnancy in January, and has yet to find out how much time she’ll have at home with newborn Lilah. If Worst Week isn’t picked up for another season she’ll have all the time she needs, but if it is renewed Erinn will at least have until August before returning to work.
How much time were you able to take off work after having a child: six weeks? a few months? or did you switch to staying at home full time?
Source: People.com, Photo: PR Photos
Expectant mom Kimora Lee Simmons held her baby shower on April 19 and invited OK! magazine to join in the festivities.
Kimora and her beau, actor Djimon Hounsou, are expecting their baby in June. The couple have not confirmed the sex of the baby but Kimora did hint “We’re leaning heavily toward the blue team!”
Among the 50 guests who attended were Stevie Wonder, her ex-husband Russell Simmons and their two daughters Ming Lee, 9, and Aoki Lee, 6.
The Life in the Fab Lane reality star revealed she’s been craving spicy food, adding “jalapeños in everything.”
Talking about her boyfriend Djimon Hounsou, she said “Djimon is a spiritual person, and it’s a big deal for him to have a baby. When he first saw the heartbeat at the ultrasound, he said he felt very humbled.”
Click here to see the OK! photos of the baby shower.
Via OK!
(Photo: PR Photos)
Lost star Matthew Fox says that while living in Hawaii has been “amazing,” he’ll be leaving the state behind after the show’s final season next year. But rather than head to Hollywood, the dad-of-two plans to settle down with his family in Oregon.
“I have a lot of family there now,” he tells Good Morning America. “My brothers have kids, and we’ve been talking for ten years about living closer to each other so that our kids can have good first cousin relationships.”
Matthew, who grew up on a ranch, says he and his wife Margherita want their kids Allison, 12, and Byron, 7, to have their extended family around, just like he did as a child.
All of you Lost fans: While Matthew wouldn’t give details, he did tease that the 2-hour season finale on May 13 will include a “huge cliffhanger” that is going to “blow people’s minds.” Can’t wait!
Good Morning America via Celebrity Baby Blog Photo: PR Photos
Expectant mom Heidi Klum put a sexy spin on maternity wear at last night’s LG “Rumorous Night” Launch Party in LA.
The mom-of-three (soon to be four!) played host at the event, and looked gorgeous in a black one-shouldered Thomas Wylde dress and towering Christian Louboutin heels.
She shared her maternity style secrets with People magazine, saying, “I love to be creative and find cute things in between. It’s about finding good shapes. Cool tops. Right now for example, I love the skinny pants and blousier tops, and then when I get bigger, I like to bring the form back to the body. Then I like to show it off.”
Heidi and her husband Seal are expecting their new baby in the fall!
How would you describe your maternity style? Do you “show it off” or keep it covered?
Via People Photo: PR Photos
Many cloth diapers come with laundry instructions, which you should follow carefully. If you don’t wash them correctly, they won’t get clean; urine crystals can form and bacteria can fester, which can contribute to diaper rash and odor. Here’s the basic drill.
Before first use, wash cloth diapers in hot water with a small amount of detergent to enhance their absorbency. If diapers are made from unbleached fabric, such as organic cotton, you may need to wash them two or three times, drying them in the dryer between washes to remove their natural oils and waxes. Check the label. Test your diaper’s absorbency by pouring a small amount of water into one. If the water beads at all, you should wash them again.
For dirty diapers, knock solids into the toilet (or if you use a flushable liner, toss it with solids into the toilet) and store used diapers in a dry or wet pail. Wet pails can help eliminate diaper stains because dirty diapers soak until you wash them. But the elastic on diapers that have it, such as fitted, pocket, and all-in-ones, will wear out faster when used with a wet pail. Dry pails are the most popular choice among parents. Lining the pail with a washable bag makes collecting diapers for the laundry room easier.
Wash cloth diapers every two days so your diaper pail doesn’t get too stinky. On laundry day, unfold cloth diapers before washing. Diaper covers don’t need to be washed every time; you can wait until they’re wet, soiled, or smelly. Run a cold-water rinse or a short-cycle rinse with no detergent in your washing machine; it helps reduce the chances that stains will set. Then, using your washer’s hottest water at the highest water level, wash diapers (and covers) with no more than one half of the laundry detergent recommended on the package. Using too much detergent can leave an irritating residue that can affect a diaper’s absorbency and smell.
If you have a front-loading washing machine, set your water levels to the highest settings, and use one-fourth of the amount of laundry detergent recommended on the package. If your detergent is formulated for High Efficiency washers— you’ll see “HE” on the package or the instructions label will explain—you can use the lower amount recommended on the detergent package. Seemingly clean diapers can smell right after your baby wets them if you don’t wash with enough hot water, which is a common problem with high-efficiency front-loading washing machines. “If you can’t adjust the water level on your machine manually, you may have to trick your machine into adding more water by tossing in a wet towel,” Bummis co-owner Thomas says. Minimal amounts of hot water won’t rinse diapers well enough to eliminate urine.
After the wash cycle, diapers should be rinsed well, in cold water. Don’t use straight liquid fabric softener or dryer sheets. Your baby may have an allergic reaction to the fragrance. Fabric softener will leave a buildup on diapers, which blocks a diaper’s absorbency.
Residential Listings: There are currently 1534 active listings (up from 1525 2 months ago) and another 414 listings that are pending escrow (over 100 more than 2 months ago!). So far this year there have been 505 sold listings in the MLS database and in April so far there have been 120 sold listings recorded.
Historical Data for Closed (Sold) MLS Listings in Shasta County:
Overall statistic for the year 2007: there were 2,140 listings that sold (closed escrow) and were recorded in the MLS database.
Overall statistic for the year 2008: there were 1,942 listings that sold (closed escrow) and were recorded in the MLS database.
Visit http://www.sellingredding.com/idx.htm to search the entire Shasta MLS Database
Contact Clint and Mindy Cronic at Real Estate Professionals, GMAC today at 530.227.0345 for more information on how our aggressive marketing strategy can SELL your home or visit our website, www.sellingredding.com to search the entire MLS database for your next new home!
If you are buying a home we’d love to help you find the home of your dreams. Whether you are buying in 2 days or 2 years we can help you from relocation information, school data or neighborhood demographics to loan prequalification, previewing homes or sending virtual tours!
Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber had a scare yesterday as their oldest son Alexander (who goes by “Sasha”) had to spend the night in the hospital due to respiratory problems.
Liev was in LA for the premiere of his new film X-Men Origins: Wolverine but ended up missing the event as he rushed home to New York to be with his family.
Thankfully little Sasha, 21 months, is now back home and doing well. A rep for the couple issued the following statement:
“Sasha got home today and is feeling much better after being hospitalized on Tuesday night with respiratory problems.”
Naomi and Liev are also parents to 4-month-old Samuel Kai.
A child in the hospital must be among every parent’s worst fears – we’re so glad to hear Sasha is feeling better!
Have you had to deal with any hospital stays with your kids?
Via Celebrity Baby Blog Photo: PR Photos
Jon and Kate of Jon & Kate Plus 8 fame are now the subject of tabloid news. The couple are on the cover of US Weekly with the words “Caught With Another Woman” splashed across the photo.
It was recently that Jon Gosselin was photographed leaving a club at 2 a.m. with a mysterious woman. According to the magazine, he arrived at a club near his $1.3 million home around 11 p.m. and left three hours later with a woman. He was also spotted not wearing his wedding band.
He was overheard yelling, “Hey, babe! Babe! Give me my jacket!” before paparazzi started snapping away. The two then sped off in his car. So where was Kate? She was in Washington promoting a book.
In an interview with Extra Jon said that he “showed poor judgement” and added, “Like most people, I have male and female friends, and I’m not going to end my friendships just because I’m on TV. However, being out with them late at night showed poor judgment on my part.
“What makes me sick is that my careless behavior has put my family in this uncomfortable position,” he continues. “My family is the most important thing in my life and it kills me that these allegations have hurt them.”
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Via US
The TV show Extra has reported that Sean Penn and wife Robin have split again. It is Penn who has filed for legal separation for a second time, less than years after he filed for divorce in 2007.
The couple got back together and called off their divorce proceedings last April as an attempt to save their marriage and unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out.
They have two children together, Dylan, 16, and Jack, 18. It’s expected that since they sought joint custody last time, they will do the same again.
It’s a shame because in the past year, they seemed really happy to be back together. In this photo, Sean and Robin celebrate his victory at the Oscars.
Via Extra
