Clothing tip from Sophie:

As winter is coming and the weather is getting colder, you should adjust the clothing of your child accordingly. At this time of the year, the outdoor temperature might vary a lot from day to day, and even within the same day. So remember to check the current temperature before going outdoors.

As newborns do not have the opportunity to move in hers / his carrycot when strolling outdoors, please remember to take extra blanket with. Cover the baby carriage with a breathable fabric - it works well as a pram curtain. The right place to check out if she / he is okay and warm enough is the neck. Nose, hands and feet may feel a bit chill as the peripheral circulation is not fully functioning. If the neck is warm, baby usually is okay. Remember to change the diaper to dry one before heading out, as wet diaper might make the baby feel cold. Same with toddlers with diapers.

The best way to stay warm and comfortable is layer clothing. Select the kind of underwear that transport sweat and moisture away from the skin. For example silk and wool are materials which allow the moisture to disperse to outer layers.

The next layer should be loose and comfortable to allow air to circulate. The purpose of this layer is to provide insulation and continue the transportation of moisture from the inner layer. In a cold weather wool is a good choice for mid-layer material. If needed, you can apply multiple mid-layers to stay warm.

The outer layer protects the child from wind and moist. Breathable, waterproof materials allow your active toddler to play outdoors without the risk of wet and cold clothes. Choosing the right kind of shoes and gloves is also important. Keeping the little fingers and toes dry is the key and therefore the shoes and mittens should be waterproof as well. If needed, you can have an extra pair of woolen stockings and mittens underneath.

Protecting the head, ears and neck of your child from wind and cold is also important. Make sure you choose a headwear that does not irritate your baby´s skin.

With layer clothing, it is also easy to adjust the clothing when going to a grocery store etc. And you should always remember that every child has an individual thermoregulation system, which develops gradually. Therefore it is necessary to feel the child´s skin in the neck, and when kid grows also hands and toes and learn to choose the right kind of clothing to your child.

Be calm! Respect each as they are!

“Always be calm, as babies feel your stress. Never compare your children, they are unique and special.”

Aching tummy -tip

“I breastfeed my son (2 months), and was in the beginning a bit shaky about him getting grumpy after his meal. First I thought it was natural because the tiny tummy never got anything in his life - so it was all so new. But later on when it continued I started to check my own diet - if there was something to upset his stomach. After quitting coffee, onion and spicy food, he is doing much better. I don´t know if it was one of them or all, but I will get back to coffee after he is a bit older. I am anyway tired all the time I was able to help him feeling better when aching by taking him into my arms, and tby lifting to my shoulder so that his stomach was against my shoulder level. Kind of peaking over my shoulder. The pressure from the shoulder to tummy must have relived him, because he was fairly happy there. Almost same effect we got by baby laying on my knees. Just remember to support the neck.”

Quality time - At home

“We don´t have proper support ring to help us with our kids. So we are quite often tired with running the house with 3 children (2,4,5)  and a god. But we have promised to each other that we will try to do small things to make our everyday life a bit nicer. He still opens the doors for me. I still make him feel special by admiring how great husband I have when is helping me with tiny stuff - like giving a mini-foot massage after kids fall to sleep. Or is that tiny? I guess you could call that a life saver.”

Pre-Think

“After having the kids I have become more focused on doing as many things at the same time as possible. If I go to grocery store, I try to think a bit further and buy a bit in advance. Before kids we just bought what ever we felt like having today and day after. Now I reload toilet paper and milk, so that we don´t have to do everything million times at the same week. My motto: while I am here, why not to do this one too.”

Baby in bed -alert

“Our baby sleeps in our bed in the middle with me and my husband. And after reading stories about these cot deaths we feel horrible. What if I turn over her and don´t feel it. We have solved this issue by placing our pillows much lower than hers. So we sleep there almost our toes outside of the bed. But at least if one of us turns over, it´s only her blanket -we crawl on top of, and we feel tiny toes kicking our noses.”

Talk! Talk! Talk!

“My best advise to new parents - and well as to old couples - is to have courage to talk about all issues in the world together. If you are going to be a couple forever, you will eventually have to talk about everything. Why not to start right away. But be polite. It´s not about what to say, but how to say. If you are empathic, I am sure the other one will understand, too. And I have learned not to say “You always…”, I now say “I feel that…”. And it has turned out being great. He don´t feel anymore that I am judging him.”

Post-it in a bottle…

“I used to write post-it note messages to my husband when we were fairly new couple. I hide them in his wallet, between his books, in his shoes, in his jacket pocket. The message was usually simple: I love you, how could I live without you, Hi, hope you are doing great. And how much time do that take? No more than 30 seconds. I am not doing it anymore, but I promise to start again. Tomorrow!”