Baby Care Information & Advice

See if you can answer this riddle:

What fun activity can you participate in while lounging in your pajamas that also relieves stress, reduces pain, delays mental decline and can make you a better surgeon?

The answer is playing games, and if you solved this riddle it is probably because you already classify as an avid game player.

The benefits linked to game playing have been confirmed in multiple studies led by credentialed researchers from a variety of medical specialties. If you think I’m pulling your leg, look below for a couple of examples:

A study led by Dr. Robert S. Wilson that was published in the February 13, 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people who engaged more frequently in brain-challenging activities were less likely to develop Alzheimer’s Disease. The study also listed playing games and solving puzzles among the list of beneficial cognitive challenges.

A March 19, 2007 article on Forbes.com entitled “Gaming’s Health Benefits” includes the results from several studies that linked game playing to a variety of benefits, including pain management, fewer surgical errors, and even sharper eyesight. You can read the entire article HERE.

All of these studies linking mental health benefits to playing games means a win/win situation for you, because while participating in a fun activity you are also giving your brain a boost. Best of all is that whether you prefer brain teasers, board games, puzzles, or Pac-Man, every single type of game is linked to at least one brain benefit. Be warned, though, Boomers – six hours of PlayStation every day won’t help you to ward off dementia. It’s brain teasers such as the optical illusions and psychological games found on Boomer Yearbook that will keep your brain at its best well into your Golden Years. Now that you know where to find these games, there’s only one thing left to say: Game on!

Intrigued by the research linking game playing to brain benefits? Puzzle it over at Boomer Yearbook.

Having a baby is always something to look forward to. It is especially exciting for first-time parents, however, it is understandable that first-time moms have a few hundred questions they need answered when it comes to taking care of their children. When he cries uncontrollably in the middle of the night and refuses milk or any other pacifier, would you know what’s wrong with him?

Fortunately, there are baby experts who can help every parent get through their anxiety of whether or not they are raising their baby well. When in doubt, consult your pediatrician, turn to friends, your own mother, and baby books to help you understand your baby. Bear in mind that the helpful advices you get are just suggestions, instinctively as a parent, you will know whether to follow some of the advice you’ve been receiving or not.

1. When your baby cries don’t think twice about going to him and either getting him or caressing him. If he is hungry, he will welcome your milk or his bottle. If he isn’t, try burping him maybe he feels irritated because of a full stomach or he has gas. You can also try laying him on his stomach and slowly rub his back; this will soothe him and put him to sleep.

2. Read to your child before bedtime from newborn up. With a newborn, you might find yourself reading to a sleeping baby since they sleep most of the time, however reading to him even when he is already sleeping will remind him later on about the soothing effect of your voice. He will learn to associate reading before bedtime with sleeping.

3. Start him on a schedule as early and as much as possible. Getting him used to a routine will help him recognize the daily activities the two of you will be doing from feeding to play time to nap time. Let his body clock tell him what it’s time for so you won’t have a hard time with bathing, feeding and such once he reaches his terrible two’s age.

4. Make a variation of his food. Feeding him the same pureed vegetable or fruit over and over will likely result in him eating very little if at all. You can check the internet for baby recipes if you’re stumped on what else to feed him. You can try pureeing a cooked meat dish like casserole or stewed beef.

5. Never leave your baby in the playpen or crib unattended. You might think that a crib or playpen is heaven sent because you can leave your baby for awhile to give you a little free time to finish your other chores but, crib accidents are one of the topmost reasons for babies getting hurt.

He can get tangled up in the playpen’s material or his head could get stuck in the crib. Put him within plain sight of you or put him in his stroller where you can take him with you wherever part of the house you’re at.