Choosing the Right Daycare

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Once you’ve made the decision to return to work after your baby has been born, it’s time to start searching for a daycare center. This can be an emotional time for you, and sometimes overwhelming especially if there are numerous daycare centers to choose from.
Here are a few tips you can use to help you choose a daycare provider that’s right for you and your child:
  • The first step is to get a list of daycare centers in your area. Check your local yellow pages, online, or get some recommendations from other parents.
  • Find out of there are any openings available for you to enroll your child.
  • Are there any age restrictions?
  • Write down the locations and hours of operation for each daycare center on your list.
  • What is the cost to enroll your child?
  • How many other children are currently attending and what are their ages?
  • Are healthy meals and snacks supplied by the daycare center?
Once you’ve narrowed your search down to a few daycare centers, it’s time to ask some important questions to ensure that you’re choosing the right daycare for your child. Here are some questions to keep in mind when visiting or speaking with each daycare center.
  • Is it clean and safe for your child?
  • What is the ratio of caregivers to children?
  • Are the children at the daycare actively engaged in activities and do they seem happy and well taken care of?
  • Are there plenty of educational toys and activities for the children?
  • Are the caregivers warm and friendly? How do they interact with the children?
  • Ask the daycare administrator for some background information on the staff, especially regarding licenses or degrees.
  • Ensure that the daycare staff have received the proper training and have good credentials and experience.
  • Are there safety exits in case of a fire or other emergency?
Once you’re satisfied that you have the answers to these questions, you should be able to determine which daycare center is the best choice for your child. The closest daycare may not always be the best, and the most inexpensive option may not always be the best either.
You’ll know what’s best for your child, and which daycare center will be the most suitable environment for him to be in while you’re working.

The Scoop on Giving your Baby Juice

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Many moms like to think that as soon as their baby turns 6 months of age, they should start giving them juice. This couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, juice is not necessary for an infant.

Here’s why:
Because of the sugars in juice, it can cause diarrhea.
Too much juice can cause a child to be overweight or obese.
Juice contains sugars and acids that can cause tooth decay.
Giving your baby too much juice can hinder growth and development, and can cause malnutrition and anemia due to lack of nutrients like proteins and complex carbohydrates.
If you are still breastfeeding, juice can cause your baby to nurse less.
If You Must Give Your Baby Juice…

Although juice contains Vitamin C and other nutrients, you don’t want to give them too much. It should never be considered a supplement. If you must give your baby juice, consider these guidelines. Choose juices that are 100% juice and not fruit medleys or cocktails. Check the nutritional labels to make sure.

Wait until your baby is at least 6 months old. But even then, babies at this age still do not require it.
Dilute juice by at least half and half with water. Most grocery stores have a baby aisle with juice specially diluted for babies. These juices also contain more Vitamin C than regular juices, but are also more expensive.
Never give your baby juice from a bottle. And never give them juice from a cup to suck on all day. This can cause tooth decay.

Don’t give your baby juice at bedtime.
Babies shouldn’t have more than 150ml (one half cup) of juice a day.
Instead of giving fruits in liquid form, try giving them real fruit!
If your baby is thirsty, give them water instead. If your baby doesn’t like water, try flavoring the water with a little bit of juice. If you start feeding your baby water from the beginning, they won’t naturally prefer juice instead of water.

The Thinkbaby Trainer Cup with Handles is one of the best sippy cups for picky babies who refuse to drink out of any other sippy cup.

Most importantly is that these sippy cups are BPA free!

Weaning Baby From the Bottle

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Here’s how I successfully and easily weaned my babies from the bottle. It was quick and painless! 

Weaning baby from the bottle can be difficult for both you and your child. By following these tips, the transition of weaning your baby from bottle to cup should be a lot easier on you both.

Why and when should you wean your baby off the bottle:

Your child should be sitting on their own, eating from a spoon and showing interest in solid food when they are ready to be weaned. Meals and snack times should be consistent to help your baby get into a feeding routine. The longer your baby is fed from a bottle, the more likely they are to develop tooth decay and improper dental development.

By not weaning your child, the solid foods they should be eating during the day are replaced with milk. While milk does provide some nourishment, it does not provide enough for a growing baby or toddler.



Parents are finding that the Thinkbaby 9oz Trainer Cup with Handles are the best sippy cups for picky babies who refuse to drink out of any other sippy cup. Most importantly is that these sippy cups are BPA free!

Things you should know before weaning your baby from a bottle:

When you decide to wean your baby, make sure there is nothing else going on at the time – like renovations, a new baby, moving, etc. This can cause distractions and make the weaning process longer and a lot more difficult. Never let your baby use the bottle as a toy or pacifier. If your child only associates the bottle with eating and not as a toy or form of comfort, they will be less concerned with the transition. This should be implemented from the first time they drink from a bottle.

When feeding from the bottle, always hold it yourself. I never let my daughter hold the bottle, and weaning was a snap. I learned this trick from my mother who did the same thing with myself and my brother. We were also weaned quickly and easily. You can read more about how I prepared my kids for the transition from bottle cup here.

Your baby may need some extra comfort and attention during this period, so be prepared to give them the extra attention they need to help them overcome the transition phase. You may want to introduce a blankie or stuffed animal for them to comfort themselves.

When you and your baby are ready to wean from a bottle to a cup:

Introduce a sippy cup at around 6 months of age. Your baby will probably use it as a toy for awhile which is fine. Every few days, re-introduce the cup and by 8 – 10 months, they should be able to drink out of it fairly well.

As soon as you start the weaning process, stay consistent. It is extremely important that you stick to your plan or the process will just continue to drag on. Once your child is familiar with a cup (around 8 – 10 months), use it for one feeding each day for a week. The next week, replace another bottle with a cup. Do this each week until your baby is completely weaned from the bottle. Remember to stay consistent.

Feeding your baby from a cup can take a lot longer than a bottle, so you must be very patient. As long as you keep cool and persevere, it will pay off in the end.

Things you shouldn’t do while weaning your baby off the bottle:

Never feed your baby juice from a bottle. Juice should also not be fed by cup while weaning, or your child will expect it instead of milk. Feeding them juice will only prolong the weaning process. Don’t switch back from cup to a bottle if you are getting frustrated. This will only confuse your baby and make the weaning process even longer.