As new moms, we carefully sift through the mountains of books and countless pages on the Web, hoping to find answers to our latest parenting dilemmas. One resource that I think you’ll find both bookmarked and in print on the nightstand of most moms is What To Expect.

Author Heidi Murkoff and team of online experts have every topic covered, so you can imagine my excitement when I was approached to share my real life mom experience with the readers of What To Expect!

I hope you’ll take a second to read my thoughts on being a mom of two small children. If you have experience on the topic, I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments on my post and further this great community of moms online!

If you are new to my blog, start here. Then take a second to read some of my thoughts on parenting, see my favorite party, and get some baby sewing inspiration.

I hope you’ll click around both sites and enjoy!

Photo Courtesy of Holly Lauer Photography

Today I am pleased to share a guest post with a few quick reminders about Newborn Health.  There are so many great resources out there to help care for our precious babies, and Alex reminds us of some key topics to consider.

What to consider for your newborn’s health

When parents bring home their newborn for the first time, they are likely to have a rush of mixed emotions: happiness, stress, fear, excitement and dread may all come to mind.  In fact, the first few weeks at home with a new baby are some of the most hectic a parent will ever know.  Over time, parents will get the hang of it, but may have some general questions about their baby’s health.

Before baby comes home

Expectant families have much to consider before the baby even comes home, including issues such as finding a stem cell bank.  While umbilical cord blood donation is still not widely discussed, it is something all parents should consider.  Cord blood is rich in stem cells that have been proven to be effective in the treatment of a number of diseases and the list is growing all the time.  Parents may elect to bank their baby’s cord blood for their own personal use in the future, should the need arise or to donate it so that someone in need may benefit.

Cord blood collection is painless, non-invasive, and can end up saving a life.  At no time is any blood taken from the baby – only the umbilical cord after the baby has been delivered.  Neither mother nor baby will even be aware of the collection, which happens moments after birth.

General health considerations that may surprise new parents

New parents are often very nervous simply because they don’t know what to expect when they bring the baby home.  Newborns seem small and fragile, but they are actually much more resilient than many people think.  Babies grow quickly and learning how to bathe, burp, diaper, feed, and travel with them can be a real challenge.

One of the most surprising elements of a newborn’s health is that they are actually quite funny looking – but there is little cause for alarm.  Babies have just spent nine months in the womb, so they may have a covering of fine hair called lanugo, a puffy face, and swollen-shut eyes.  After a few days or weeks, they grow into the beautiful bouncing baby most people imagine.

Other than the way their baby looks, many parents are concerned about the soft spot and the umbilical cord.  While special care must be taken with each of these areas, newborns aren’t as fragile as they seem.  It is a good idea to give the baby a sponge bath just until the umbilical cord falls off, but after that, an infant tub is just fine.  Just remember to keep the cord as dry as possible – it will fall off faster that way.  The soft spot is also cause for concern, but parents shouldn’t worry too much.  It’s all right to touch the baby’s soft spot gently!

Vaccinations newborns typically need

Vaccinations can be scary for babies and parents alike, but they are a necessary evil to protect the child from life-threatening diseases.  While immunization shots will hurt and result in a cranky newborn, they are crucial for health.  Most doctors recommend a regular immunization schedule that includes shots for hepatitis B (HepB), rotavirus (RV), diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and acellular pertussis (DTaP), haemphilus influenza (Hib), pneumococcal conjugate (PCV13), polio (IPV), measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR).  Other vaccinations that parents may elect might include varicella (chickenpox), hepatitis A, meningitis, and the flu shot.  These shots all vary as to when the baby should get them, though most begin after 24 weeks and up to two years of age.

Alexandar Maxwell who is currently studying newborn health and anything baby related after becoming an auntie for the first time!

This is a sponsored post.

I’m continuing to welcome guest bloggers to Addington Mom today as I spend my time caring for our new family of four.  As I mention all of the time, there are so many wonderful places to visit in the blogging world, and it has been exciting to plan these posts and share different perspectives here.  Today’s guest is Amanda from The Pelsers – A Shelter for the Heart.

I asked Amanda to share her expertise on sharing the Bible with your children.  Although I haven’t done any faith based topics on Addington Mom, I felt that this might be interesting to other parents that are answering the endless precious questions that come from your child.  Our son is starting to make connections between what he learns at church and our lives at home, and so I wanted to know how to be more deliberate about teaching him about the Bible.  I hope you’ll enjoy this post, and maybe share your favorite resources in the comments section.

How to Get Started Teaching the Bible to Your Kids

God calls you as a parent to lead your kids to Him. You are their guide on this path.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deuteronomy 6:5-8

Being responsible for your kids’ spiritual development can be in a word – overwhelming. If you didn’t grow up in the church, you might might think that being responsible for the discipleship of your kids is impossible. Even if you did grow up in the church, you might not feel adequate for the job.

Let me reassure you that God did not give you an impossible task. You are the perfect person for this job because you know your kids better than anyone else. You know their strengths and their weaknesses. You how they learn and how to reach them.

So, how do you get started teaching the Bible to your kids?

Keep it simple. Just start by reading to your kids. Depending on the age(s) of your kid(s), you might want to start with a story Bible instead of the full Biblical text. This is especially helpful for little ones. If you need some help, try these tips for choosing a children’s Bible.

When you’re ready for more, here are three more resources you might find helpful:

My boys enjoy listening to an audio Bible. They like to go to sleep listening to the Bible on an iPod in their room at night and at nap time. The Word of God is soothing to them and they’ve grown to love the stories. Now my older son even asks for certain stories, books, or chapters and follows along in his Bible. You can find audio Bibles for various versions of the Bible. We have this ESV version read by Max McLean. There are plenty of options out there, including dramatized options.

Another favorite resource of ours is the What’s in the Bible? DVD series. This DVD series has been put together by the creator of the Veggie Tales series. It’s meant to give a book by book, section by section, overview of the whole Bible. Various stories and theological concepts are introduced and made understandable for kids. As a parents, you’ll laugh and learn along with your kids.

Want to dig in a little further but keep it simple? Try Grapevine Studies. These are easy to use Bible studies that incorporate drawing stick figures and timelines to help your kids understand and retain facts from various stories in the Bible. You can choose from various characters or books or an overview of either testament.

Ready to get started? Jump in! Want more help? Take a look at my weekly Kids in the Word series for more resources and ideas for teaching the Bible to your kids.

Bio:

Amanda Pelser is a church communications director turned work-at-home(schooling)-mom. She spends her days running after and teaching her two young boys while running her virtual assistant and WordPress business. She opens her home as an encouraging and inspiring shelter for your heart through stories of faith, motherhood, and homeschooling at ThePelsers.com. Amanda has also shared her story and tips for dealing with depression in her ebook, Finding Joy in Depression.

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