Expert Tips for Parents
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Expert Tips for Parents
November 07, 2023
How to change a nappy, how to pick a baby up, how to put a baby down - these are things you probably do on autopilot, especially if you’re used to being around babies. But our midwife and babywearing expert Katrin Ritter recommends conscious and mindful movements done in the same way you move your own body. This means that rather than baby being moved by you, you become one and support them in carrying out the most natural movement.
This both strengthens your relationship and promotes the development of your newborn's movement. Your child communicates with you through movement and touch. This is how kinesthetics, the science of movement sensation, sees it. From the very beginning, a baby has a great need for closeness and physical contact. It likes to be touched and it develops its abilities by moving together with you. You are an important interaction partner for your child.
Baby Gear
Babywearing
Expert Tips for Parents
November 03, 2023
Winter is coming and even if winter brings more rain than snow these days, we still have our share of chilly weather! With that comes the question of what to dress baby in during the winter months. After all, young babies cannot regulate their own body temperature, they can cool down or overheat quickly. In short: our baby is dependent on our help. So how do we do it right? A baby snowsuit is super cute but is it always the best choice? Or is there a better way to keep baby warm but not too warm? Today, let's take a look at different everyday situations and explain how to dress baby for them.
Dressing baby for winter: what baby winter clothes do I need and when?
First of all, the magic word for preparing your baby winter clothes is: LAYERS! This is the only way to be prepared for every situation. Both indoors and outdoors.
Sleep
Expert Tips for Parents
October 31, 2023
Why does my baby keep waking up every hour or two? How much sleep does a baby need? When does baby sleep finally start to get better? And of course, when do babies sleep through the night? As a midwife, our expert Katrin Ritter receives a lot of questions about sleeping. Read on below for her answers to your most asked baby sleep questions.
Why is baby sleep so important?
Sleep is a very individual matter and only works with relaxation. As your baby has a lot of developmental work to do in the first year of life and is growing rapidly, baby sleep naturally changes too. In the first months, your baby first must adapt to the world outside and learn what gravity, eating, digesting, sleeping and being awake mean. At some point babies/children learn that waking up at night is quite natural and that you can just go back to sleep. However,
Baby Gear
Expert Tips for Parents
October 30, 2023
Baby checklist: What do you need for a baby?
Are you pregnant or expecting your first baby and wondering “what do you need for a baby”? Some people will tell you a baby doesn't need much, while others recommend the most amazing high-tech solutions for everything from monitoring baby’s sleep to keeping them entertained – it can be confusing and overwhelming. That's why our midwife and babywearing consultant Katrin Ritter has created a practical baby checklist for you. You can download it, print it out (or edit it on your phone/tablet etc.) and tick off the most important must-have baby items.
Our practical baby checklist - all the must-have baby items at a glance:
Sleep
Expert Tips for Parents
October 15, 2023
“Hooray, the baby is here” that's what you think as parents. “Help, where am I?” thinks your baby. Imagine this: within a few hours, they are catapulted out of their dark, cosy, warm home into a completely new environment. Big and bright and cold. So what is swaddling for newborns? Is swaddling a baby safe? How can it help your new baby adjust to the world?
In the fourth trimester - i.e. the first three months of life - the baby must get used to life outside of their parent’s tummy. And that includes coming to terms with the extra space. Wow - suddenly they’re no longer bumping into a soft wall here and there but can stretch out to their full length. This can be unsettling for some babies - which they might express loudly. That is why swaddling can be helpful as a calming aid after birth until around the 8th - 10th week. When swaddling, your baby is wrapped in a cloth or a special swaddle bag like a little spring roll,
Sleep
Expert Tips for Parents
October 10, 2023
Too warm, too cold - with baby it's an eternal worry that their bedroom temperature and clothing isn’t right. Newborn babies can’t regulate their own temperature at first but during the day baby wearing can help regulate your little one’s body temperature. How? When you as parents sweat, you are the natural air conditioner for your child! Parents can cool and warm their babies through their skin – depending on whether they are too cold or too hot. But at night this isn’t possible so when you put your baby to bed, it is important to find the right room temperature and choose the most appropriate clothing to support the most beneficial sleeping conditions for your little one. A baby winter sleeping bag helps you to achieve this.
How to choose the right TOG sleeping bag:
Health & Wellness
Postpartum
Expert Tips for Parents
September 25, 2023
If you’ve just had a baby and are feeling sad, anxious or upset despite the happy occasion don’t worry. The first days and weeks after the birth can be a rollercoaster of emotions.
Many women may feel a bit down, tearful, or anxious in the first week. This is often called the "baby blues" and is so common that it's considered normal. The "baby blues" do not last for more than 2 weeks after giving birth. If your symptoms last longer or start later, you could have postnatal depression.
Our midwife Katrin Ritter tells you how you can tell the difference between baby blues and postpartum depression (PPD) and what you can do.
What are the baby blues?
Not just an old wives’ tale, the baby blues are real, affecting
Baby Gear
Bouncer
Expert Tips for Parents
September 20, 2023
How can you use a bouncer to promote your baby’s development?
Put your baby safely and securely in their bouncer, hop into the shower, done! This is one of the most common functions of this everyday baby essential item. Especially in the beginning, when your baby is small and prefers to be snuggled and close to parents and loved ones.
Did you know that you can use your Ergobaby 3-in-1 Evolve Bouncer to play with your baby and encourage their development? We have some cool ideas for you on how this essential item can help you support your child.
Suggestions for play and movement.
When your baby is born, they can only see 20-25 centimetres from
Breastfeeding & Nutrition
Expert Tips for Parents
September 13, 2023
If you’ve just started out breast/chest feeding, you might be seeking guidance on how to gauge your baby's milk intake, understand the causes of low milk production, and learn effective methods to increase milk supply. This is a common concern for breast/chest feeding mums. After all, your breasts/chest don’t have a full/empty gauge, so how do you know how much is coming out?
Luckily, there’s usually no need to worry about this: Breast/chest fed babies usually take as much milk as they need at each feed, and under normal conditions your breasts/chest will automatically produce less or more breast milk in response to that demand.
So how can you tell if that’s happening? If you’re ever in doubt, your postpartum midwife or a lactation consultant (IBCLC) can give you specific help you on your breast/chest feeding journey.
Health & Wellness
Fitness
Expert Tips for Parents
September 05, 2023
You don’t need to avoid exercise for nine months, unless you have specific medical advice telling you not to do any exercise during pregnancy or to adjust certain movements.
If you exercised before you became pregnant, you can continue to exercise now. The aim should be to keep your current level of fitness rather than trying to reach peak fitness. If you were not regularly active before pregnancy, start off gently and avoid any exercises where you cannot talk without getting out of breath.
Exercise during pregnancy offers many physical and emotional benefits. Physical activity may also help manage some symptoms of pregnancy and make you feel better, knowing you’re doing something good for yourself and your baby.
Exercise during and after pregnancy: We answer the ten most asked