(BPT) - Whether it's your first child or you've been around the baby block a few times before, having an infant in your life is an unforgettable experience. While there are countless joys you'll cherish forever, there are also a few challenges you'll likely face along the way.

Savvy parents are always looking for tricks to save time and money while becoming better caregivers. These six simple hacks will make you feel like a superstar parent while giving your little one the best:

1) Fast and tidy diaper changes

Wiggling legs can make fast messes, especially when it comes time to change the diaper. To make diaper changing quick and easy, try placing a clean diaper on the changing table before laying your baby down on the table. Remove the diaper tabs, clean your baby up, pull away the dirty diaper and instantly you have a clean diaper ready to go. You'll save time and consolidate messes in the process.

2) Clean stroller travel

Saving your back and making travel smooth and easy, a stroller can take you and your baby anywhere from the park to the mall and beyond. However, with those adventures comes all the nasty dirt, grime or worse that gets on the wheels. Before putting your stroller in your car for transport, place shower caps on the wheels. Your car will stay nice and clean no matter how messy those stroller wheels are.

3) Save money on essentials

Babies need many things and the costs add up fast. Shopping sales and using coupons is a good start, but you can save even more money without sacrificing quality by looking for store brand items like diapers, wipes and infant formula. Store brand infant formula is the ultimate parenting hack, offering the same complete nutrition as the big-name brands but saving families up to $900 a year, based on prices from an October 2019 retail price survey of assorted stores.*

*Retail prices from October 2019 retail price survey of assorted stores. Actual prices and savings may vary.

4) Streamline bath time

A warm baby is a happy baby, and what parent doesn't want to see their little one cozy and cooing? While you're bathing baby, have someone place a towel in the dryer for five minutes. Remember to never leave your child alone in the bathtub, so you'll need a partner or older sibling to do this. Once the dryer is done, have them bring you the towel so you can wrap baby in warmth right out of the water. You'll never see tears from a post-bath chill again.

5) No more noisy toys

Kids are noisy. Kids' toys that make noise can add to the commotion. Those loud bells and songs can test even the most patient parent. When children are done using noisy toys, cover the toy’s speaker with tape to avoid any excess noise. This also works if a toy is particularly loud and could use a bit of muffling, even on the low setting. A small piece of tape lessens the noise so baby can still enjoy without Mom and Dad getting a headache.

6) Stay informed

Knowing what's best for baby is a combination of using your instincts and staying informed. Having quick resources for getting useful information about important topics like health, nutrition and savings can give your parenting game an edge. For even more tips on all things feeding baby, check out the latest MommyMD Guide to Feeding Your Baby Right and visit storebrandformula.com as a resource to help make the wild ride of parenting a little bit easier.

Pushing for a Strong Start for Babies

(Family Features) More than 10,000 babies are born each day in the United States. Where they are born and where they live during the first years of their lives can make a difference in their chances for strong starts.

Science shows that human brains grow faster between the ages of 0-3 than at any later point in people’s lives, forming more than one million neural connections every second. Nurturing relationships, early learning experiences and good health and nutrition influence all areas of a child’s development, setting a strong foundation for the rest of his or her life.

According to the “State of Babies Yearbook: 2019,” published by Zero To Three, an early childhood development nonprofit organization, babies in many states face persistent hardships that undermine their ability to grow and thrive, such as staggering child care costs and lack of comprehensive paid family and medical leave.

“Families are struggling every day, in every state, and we are urging our leaders to act,” said Myra Jones-Taylor, chief policy officer of Zero To Three. “Most of our investments in early childhood start too late, at age 4 or older. By that time, some of the most important years of brain development have passed. Today’s babies become tomorrow’s workers, parents and leaders. Now is the time for policymakers on both sides of the aisle to make every baby a priority through policies built on the science of brain development and budgets that put babies and families first.”

To help ensure a brighter future for all babies, the organization is working with Congress through events like “Strolling Thunder” to help drive support for policies and programs that prioritize the needs of babies, toddlers and their families. Its policy agenda includes establishing a comprehensive national paid leave program that provides adequate time off to care for newborns or newly adopted children, and allows families to take leave if their child or another family member is experiencing a serious illness; expanding access to quality, affordable child care by increasing investments in the child care system while also working toward a comprehensive, long-term solution for working families; and increasing investments in programs that support babies’ healthy development, such as Early Head Start, and infant and early childhood mental health.

“As a director of an early childhood education program, I can speak firsthand to the struggle associated with providing high-quality care and education programs for young children while balancing that against what parents can reasonably afford to pay for child care,” said Jessica Carter, a “Strolling Thunder” parent from North Carolina. “As a mother of two, I can also speak firsthand to the fact that if I did not receive discounted tuition at my center, I would not be able to afford child care costs and would be forced to stay at home with my children. As a result, our family would not have affordable access to health care. Further, our children would not benefit from the social and educational benefits they receive in a group care setting.”

In order to help make babies a national priority, consider letting your policymakers know you care about the policies and programs babies need for strong starts to their lives, and join the team that’s fighting for their futures at thinkbabies.org/strollingthunder.

5 Ways to Raise a Confident, Adventurous Child

(Family Features) From taking steps toward the stairs to learning that bubbles don't taste good, exploration is a part of development for babies and young children. While it's an exciting time, it also can be coupled with anxiety and hesitation as parents find themselves saying "no" or jumping in when baby discovers a new space.

An Open for Adventure survey from Babyganics found a majority of parents (69 percent) believe a child can learn to be more confident if he or she is allowed to explore freely as a baby. However, letting go doesn't always come naturally for parents.
Clinical health psychologist Dr. Bobbi Wegner encourages parents to be explorer parents, which focuses on raising resilient, confident and adventurous humans through challenge and discovery. She offers these tips for parents:

Aid in discovery. Encourage and applaud baby's healthy risk-taking, such as mastering a challenging stair climb or pushing through moments of frustration and failure. Additionally, create teachable moments that introduce your child to necessary limits. For example, if you have hot coffee in the morning and your little one wants to touch the mug, let him or her gently touch a warm area of the mug with a fingertip and repeat that the mug is "hot" to help encourage exploration and flex baby's senses.

Let baby be free. While you may think baby gadgets are necessary for playtime, consider rethinking those toys. Instead of searching for stimulation through lights and sounds from a toy, allow your baby to explore the natural environment. Look for opportunities that allow him or her to make a manageable mess and even get wet or dirty. This could be as simple as playing with a container filled with water or letting your baby pull up grass in the backyard. These small unstructured play adventures can help develop independence and confidence.

Engage the senses. Exposing your baby to new flavors and smells helps engage him or her on a multi-sensory level. For example, allowing your baby (at an appropriate age, typically between 4-7 months) to try new foods can provide a feeling of accomplishment while also exposing him or her to different textures and flavors. Encourage even more sensory exploration by allowing your baby to smell the food and even play with it using his or her fingers.

Provide early exposure to new places. Bringing baby along to restaurants and other public spaces allows for positive exposure to new places, people and sounds, which can help build the immune system, encourage social interaction and support development. While letting a child explore in a public setting like an airport or train station can make many parents anxious, carrying products such as Babyganics Alcohol-Free Hand Sanitizing Wipes can help ease parents' apprehension and keep little hands germ-free while on the go.

Wait a moment. It's common for parents to intervene the moment baby awakes from a nap or starts moving toward the stairs. Try pausing, allowing your little one to naturally find his or her limits while managing your own fears and worries. This tactic can allow your young explorer an opportunity for cognitive and social-emotional development with you as a safety net nearby.

"Parents often look to their own internal response to guide parenting: 'If I am worried then it must be dangerous, and I should not allow my baby to do it,'" Wegner said. "When in fact, parents should prioritize their baby's exploration and needs to provide learning opportunities rather than allowing their own anxieties to impede their children."

For more information, visit babyganics.com.

3 Common New Parent Questions

(Family Features) Almost every new parent knows the feeling: It’s 2 a.m., you’re bleary-eyed and you want nothing more than everyone to get some sleep. However, you’re up, and so is your new baby.

Though most parents wish their little one could tell them what’s keeping him or her awake, sometimes there’s no clear answer.

To help parents who are looking for answers to the questions that keep them awake, including those regarding poop, sleep and tummy time, the experts at KinderCare, who’ve been caring for new babies for almost 50 years, offer this advice. 

1. Why is my baby’s poop a weird color?
Flash back to before your baby was born: You probably never imagined you’d be searching the internet for answers to questions about poop. Yet here you are, and many new parents know how you feel.

When you have questions about poop, however, you may find there’s an app for that. Many apps also track sleep, feeding, pumping, weight and more, making them useful tools to add to your new-baby starter kit.

If you see a change in your baby’s poop, track it. It might be no big deal, but it’s easier to remember what happened a week or even a day ago when you have all the data right at your fingertips. Also remember, if you see anything out of the ordinary, it’s worth a quick call to your doctor’s on-call nurse hotline to make sure it’s nothing to worry about.

2. What’s the big deal about tummy time?
You’ve probably read how important tummy time is for developing your baby’s muscles to get ready for all of the crawling, rolling, scooting, sitting and walking ahead. While your baby’s back is still the safest place for him or her to sleep, awake and supervised tummy time is important, too.

Tummy time doesn’t have to be long to be effective. Talk to your doctor to see what’s recommended for your baby. Though tummy time can be any time, you might be more successful right after a nap or diaper change when your baby is well-rested and comfortable.

If your baby just won’t take to tummy time, try making it fun with toys and make sure you’re getting down on the floor to play, too!

3. What if my baby just won’t go to sleep?
It’s never easy to hear your baby cry, but Dr. Elizabeth Super, a pediatrician and children’s sleep specialist with the pediatric sleep medicine program at Oregon Health & Science University’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, has some advice for sleep-deprived parents.

According to Super, by around 6 months of age, many babies no longer need a middle-of-the-night feeding and are ready to start learning how to self-soothe. However, about 25 percent of 1-year-olds still have problems waking up in the middle of the night.

“They should be sleeping through the night and can be doing it, but it’s very common that they’re not,” Super said. “Know that lots of kids have sleep issues, and sleep issues will come and go as they grow.”

In other words, if your baby has trouble sleeping, you’re not alone. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, and it’s important to choose an approach that fits your family. That might mean adjusting your schedule to accommodate an earlier baby bedtime (Super recommends 7-8 p.m.) or coming up with a simple bedtime routine like taking a bath, brushing teeth, reading a book, and going to bed.

For answers to more questions that can keep new parents awake, visit kindercare.com.

5 Ways for New Parents to Get More Sleep

(Family Features) Between feedings, changing diapers and household chores, sleep is often put on the back burner for new parents at the end of a busy day.

In fact, a survey of 2,000 parents, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Mattress Firm, found the average parent loses one-third of his or her nightly sleep after a baby arrives, decreasing from an average of six hours per night to just four. The same study also found that nearly half (48 percent) of new parents said sleep loss is their biggest obstacle to overcome.

Getting adequate sleep may seem impossible with a new addition but it is essential for managing stress and preparing for the day ahead. While there isn’t a magical formula for getting enough sleep, these strategies can help:

Find time for rest
While your first inclination is probably to be productive while your little one naps, taking a nap of your own – even 20-30 minutes – may prove more beneficial. Even if you can’t sleep every time your baby is napping, try lying down or doing something relaxing like yoga, meditation or reading a book every so often. Taking a few minutes for yourself can give you the energy to tackle the rest of your to-do list later in the day.

Split duties
According to the survey, 67 percent of female respondents said their partner got more sleep in the first year of parenting. To help reduce the burden and ensure both parents are getting adequate rest, work out a schedule that allows each of you to alternate tackling those late-night feedings and diaper changes while the other sleeps.

Establish a routine
Creating a routine with your baby before going to sleep, such as reading a book or taking a bath, can signal that it’s time for bed and help him or her calm down. Try making bedtime the same every night to further enhance the routine. Doing so can help both you and your baby get more rest.

Try soothing techniques
The average parent spends 74 minutes every day – that’s the equivalent of 19 days a year – trying to woo his or her baby to sleep, so unless you suspect your baby is hungry or uncomfortable, encouraging self-soothing could help your child’s sleep schedule in the long-run. Of course, self-soothing isn’t right for every family and there are also things that can be done to help lull your little one to sleep, such as rocking your child, giving him or her a pacifier or using a sound machine to play comforting sounds or white noise.

Choose the right mattress
Getting the National Sleep Foundation-recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night can have a dramatic impact on your mood, performance and health. Your body can experience many changes after giving birth and a new mattress can help alleviate pain or discomfort. Sleeping on a mattress that is right for you can be key to getting the sleep you need, and a retailer like Mattress Firm, America’s No. 1 specialty bedding retailer, has a broad selection of mattresses and bedding accessories from leading manufacturers to help you get a better night’s sleep.

Remember, the sleepless nights won’t last forever; the American Academy of Pediatrics notes almost all babies should be able to sleep through the night by 6 months of age. For more strategies for helping new parents sleep, visit DailyDoze.com and follow along on social media with #WorkHardSleepHarder.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

Best for Preemies

(Family Features) It is widely known that breast milk is best for babies. However, many people are not aware that babies born prematurely need more calories and protein than breast milk alone can provide.

This is why for preemies weighing less than 3 pounds, 5 ounces (1,500 grams), the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends fortifying mother’s milk or pasteurized donor milk, using a product called human milk fortifier (HMF).

This product name can be a cause of confusion for many because it suggests the fortifier is made from human milk. Yet, this is not the case; nearly all commercial HMFs are made from cow milk.

“In the past, we’ve had to rely on bovine milk – cow milk – protein to help preemies grow, and that’s not natural,” said Amy Hair, MD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, neonatologist and director of the neonatal nutrition program at Texas Children’s Hospital.

While some cow milk-based nutrition may be OK for full-term infants, clinical studies show that the risk of several severe complications, particularly necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), increases with every 10 percent of cow milk in a premature infant’s diet, according to research published in “Breastfeeding Medicine.” NEC is one of the leading causes of death among preterm babies.

In fact, NEC affects 1 in 6 extremely premature infants who receive cow milk-based nutrition in their diet, according to research published in the “Journal of Pediatrics.”

That is why neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the country are instead turning to a fortifier from Prolacta Bioscience that is made with 100 percent human donor milk, instead of cow milk. Using a fortifier in the NICU made from human milk is the only way to ensure that extremely premature infants receive an exclusive human milk diet.

“Provision of an exclusively human milk diet during the early postnatal period, a diet devoid of cow milk protein, is associated with lower risks of death, NEC, NEC requiring surgery and sepsis in extremely preterm infants,” said Steven A. Abrams, MD, director of the Dell Pediatric Research Institute and chair of pediatrics at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin.

An exclusive human milk diet gives preemies the best chance to grow strong and healthy. Parents should be encouraged to talk with their baby’s care team about fortification and the benefits of a 100 percent human milk-based fortifier. Learn more at prolacta.com.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images