The Super Mom » Super Moms

Colic Trouble: Helping Your Baby and Yourself

Galina Ozgur — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 21:35:45 +0000

There’s a lot of talk about baby colic, and mostly it’s not something an excited mom would bring up in a conversation. In fact, if you have a baby with colic it’s most likely you don’t look all that excited at all. The fussing and the crying on the baby’s side and the distress on yours may last for hours on end, and it’s only but natural that some moms get to the end of the proverbial rope. This article on Parenting.com might give you some motivation in handling what doctors have no official explanation for. Here are the highlights of the article summing up the advice you need in order to stay sane:

Cut yourself some slack. You’re trying, and you care, and that’s what makes you a good mom.

Actively look for a fellow sufferer.

Occasionally leave your baby with friends or relatives during her “witching hours.”

Remember that even though the top doctors and researchers in the world don’t agree on what does make a baby colicky, they don’t think it’s the mom’s fault.

It really is okay to be angry with someone who wails for hours each day. What’s not okay, of course, is to act on that anger.

So now that you’ve addressed your own issues with colic, how do you help your baby that cries 12 hours a day? You’ll be surprised, but no one’s come up with a better solution than the following well-known homemade remedies:

Warm towel – Placing a warm towel on your baby’s belly can do wonders as it may reduce heartburn and help gas movement.
Sound distraction – Distracting your child is another smart way of reducing the crying. Vaccum cleaners work, as well as washers and dryers. Just turn them on for a brief period of time.
Rocking chair – Rocking chairs were invented for a reason. Use one. It helps to calm the baby down and also helps them pass gas.
Car ride or vibrating infant seat – Some babies love it when you take them for a ride. It’s a good source of distraction. Low vibration baby seats also work miracles.

More Support for Infant Aquatics

Galina Ozgur — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 19:29:23 +0000

Great news for those parents who were in doubt about signing their toddler up for early aquatic lessons! The American Academy of Pediatrics seem to be changing their minds about teaching kids to swim at a young age. Not that kids under 4 were ever banned from swimming classes. In fact, I have a couple of friends who enrolled their babies into a swimming class when they were barely 18 months old and they never stopped praising this early education system. However it’s just nice to know that the official recommendation is now in sync with some parents’ child rearing instincts.

Product Review: Little Looster

Karlynn Johnston — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:56:09 +0000

Other than the fact that the name is just gosh darn cute, the Little Looster is a pretty good idea! I was sent one for review purposes and for the heck of it, had my daughter try it out for a while. She is fully potty trained but she is still short.

The Little Looster is a stool that wraps around the toilet and supports your child’s legs while you are potty training. I didn’t have the problem with my son, but I really could have used this product with my daughter. She didn’t have a good sense of balance on the toilet when training, and because this wraps around the loo, it is incredibly sturdy for little legs to support themselves.

One of the main parts of potty training is giving kids a sense of security and safety on the toilet and this definitely helps. I also am one of those parents who loathed the small potties and quickly stopped using it with my first child and never bothered with my second at all. This is perfect for parents who also want to train right on the normal toilet instead of little plastic potties.

It also is narrow enough that adults don’t have to move the stool to use the facilities either, a huge bonus for those who don’t have a bathroom to dedicate solely to the purpose of potty training.

I will be sending my Little Looster for my sister to use with my nephew and I am sure that it will be an invaluable resource for her, since potty training is hard enough as it is.

You can visit the Little Looster website and check out more on this neat and innovative product.

Product Review: Haircoverings.com

Karlynn Johnston — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:18:49 +0000

Haircoverings.com was kind enough to send me a sample of their wares to review, their wide headband.

I wasn’t sure initially how it was going to fit, I have trouble with pre-made headbands and bandana’s not staying on, slipping, driving me nuts and generally I don’t wear them that often due to that.

But gardening season has arrived and I could really put the item to the test the past couple of weeks doing the yard work outside. I have used bandana’s before to keep my hair out of my eyes and off the back of my neck slightly, but they always fall off.

Not with the headbands! The pre-tied part is elastic with material ruched over it and expands to fit even my weirdly shaped head. It stayed on the entire day while I did yard work, helping to keep my hair out of my face and the sweat off my brow. I know, eew. But it’s true. It was comfortable and the material is very breathable.

They have some absolutely adorable patterns, including a leopard print in the wide headband which I love.

The feather headbands are so pretty and happen to be on sale at the moment.

I was really impressed that the flat rate shipping to Canada is only $8.29, usually when I want to purchase something from an American company the shipping cost is too prohibitive.

So go have a peek at their site to see their selection of hair accessories, they have sales on items as well as a promo code Spring, which saves you 10%.

I will also be posting a giveaway in the Super Free Section today which is open to anyone worldwide, so go and enter to win $25 worth of merchandise that Haircoverings.com will send to you!

Adult Book Review: Brain Training

Karlynn Johnston — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:00:01 +0000

If you are not only a lover of brain teasers and puzzles, but have a keen interest in learning how your gray matter actually works, this is the book for you.

While full of the requisite teasers that I swear, really do actually make your brain hurt with the effort to solve them, the book does what very few others do; it teaches you how to solve them. You are shown the skills you need to tackle most of the puzzles within, with explanations on how your brain processes certain types of information and gives you tricks to help you train your brain.

I couldn’t get over how fun this book was, while reviewing it I had to literally stop myself from agonizing over the puzzles, pry my eyes off the pages and write this review. Instead, I kept getting distracted over how to cut a round birthday cake into 8 equal pieces using only three slices.

See? Now you are going to draw that cake and think on how to slice it into 8 pieces with only three cuts.

My advice: buy it, try it and have an absolute blast training your brain!

Reading level: adult

Page Count: 192 pages

Publisher: DK Publishing

Publisher’s synopsis: For people of all ages who want to improve their memory, hone learning skills, and boost mental performance in their daily lives, Brain Training is a vibrant collection of visual puzzles and tips to help exercise the brain and keep the cognitive faculties razor-sharp. Covering the key areas of brain function, including memory, perception, problem-solving, verbal reasoning, and the body (such as diet, exercise, and meditation), Brain Training is a dynamic resource that will boost everyone’s brain power.

For more information on this book and others, you can visit DK Books at http://www.dk.com, and click the flag to choose your country.

Available on Amazon:

What Moms Dig: Boudoir/Glamor Photography

Rebecca — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:00:21 +0000

When we did our first boudoir marathon earlier this year we didn’t really think it would impact us the way it has.
My partner, Lisa and I are both mothers of busy young boys. We don’t often allow ourselves the time or give ourselves the opportunity to get dressed up, get our hair and make up done or as simple as it may sound (all you Moms will understand this one), take a few hours to just focus on ourselves.

As our first marathon wrapped up Lisa and I sat down and we were in awe with the women we had just photographed. We had just watched a transformation. We saw women, mothers come in feeling a little nervous, reserved and shy (of course we had coached them for weeks prior via email and phone calls, helping them prepare for their big photo shoot)., but something happened once they had their hair and make up done. Slowly they grew more confident and fierce.

In front of our cameras, the women became empowered, confident and so sure of themselves. Some of the women went on to give their images to their significant others as gifts, but they’ve all told us the best gift was the one they gave themselves…the experience of it!

“I was soaring on a cloud for weeks after my shoot.”

Some women have come to us when they have reached a weight loss goal, some women come specifically for gifts, some women come with friends, some mothers have come to us (as early as 6 months after their babies were born) telling us they just needed to do something to feel great again.

And in case you’re wondering…not all of our clients are a size 4 or even 12 for that matter. It’s all about finding the right angles. We also spend a lot of time preparing with our clients for a few weeks discussing favorite body parts, least favorite, ways to practice posing, tips to boost your self esteem.

All of our clients do have something in common. They all leave with their heads high, glowing with confidence and beaming with inner beauty. As mothers both Lisa and myself have realized this is such an important gift to give to ourselves.

I have grown to see just how beautiful every woman truly is, and I now see the importance in not just taking care of yourself physically, but also emotionally, mentally and spiritually. Make sure you take some time today to yourself, look in the mirror and tell yourself something nice (I know, sounds corny, but you’re so worth it!!)

Rebecca

~You are Beautiful. You are Sexy. You are Gorgeous.~
~ Because You are You.~

Note From Karlynn: If the idea boudoir/glamor shots intrigue you, please feel free to visit Rebecca’s website to find out more, Forever & After Boudoir. If this (or another type of photography that they offer) is something you would like to do, contact them and be sure to mention you found them on thesupermom.com and receive a complimentary 8×10 upon booking!