For parents who are struggling to get their baby to sleep, any miracle solution would be a life-saver. But what if it comes in a form of melatonin drops? Can babies take melatonin? This article will inform you about melatonin and its safety considerations when used with babies and young children. [Read more…]
More than just baby talk, Parentese is a special kind of language used by moms, dads and loved ones to speak with their little ones! Read on and learn how it can boost both language and brain development.
Hello, everyone! We’d like to introduce you to someone very special.
This is baby Allen. Don’t be shy. Say “Hello!”. Allen is very sociable and loves nothing more than talking and interacting with all those around him:
One of Allen’s most favorite thing to do is babble happily as he listens to his mom and dad talk to him in silly ways with funny expressions on their faces. Allen simply lights up with joy when his mom describes a toy to him in her high-pitched sing-song voice, “Looook at thiisss babyyy!! Iiiit’s aaaaa yeeelloww duucckyyy!”. Sometimes Grandma Gigi or his favorite Uncle Charlie comes over and they talk to him the same way too, “Hellloooooo liiiitttlle Alleeen! Whoooo’ss a cleeeverrr booooyy?” and Allen can’t help but giggle, laugh and babble back right at them.
But not everyone talks to him this way. One of Little Allen’s aunts, Gem, is a little quiet. She loves to play with him but Allen just gets a little restless around her. Aunt Gem just doesn’t talk the way Mom, Dad, Granny Gigi or Uncle Charlie talks to him. She doesn’t sound funny, she doesn’t make silly faces, she just talks, well, in normal way. No, no. Baby Allen prefers a singsong voice. That’s okay though, Aunt Gemmy, Allen seems to say as looks at her lovingly; we will be best buddies soon – just not today. Allen squirms from his Aunt Gemmy’s arms and reaches out for his Mom.
Why does Allen seem to specifically prefer one way of his family’s talking to him over another? Much like all other babies, Allen naturally responds and shows more active, alert interest to a parent-to-baby language called “Parentese”. Yes – that high-pitched voice you use when you’re interacting with your baby actually has a name and it’s been studied by experts for the past 30 years. [Read more…]
A new strain of coronavirus is taking its toll on families across the world. Knowing the overwhelming effects on this virus, many parents can’t help but be worried about their babies’ health. So how can you protect your baby from coronavirus?
Let’s learn a bit more about this disease-causing microorganism to find ways on protecting your whole family from its dreaded effects. [Read more…]
Bringing a newborn baby home is a joyous occasion – but nothing causes more anxiety than cleaning a newborn’s small, sensitive ears for the first time! Read on for tips, do’s and don’ts for cleaning your newborn’s ears.
As unique as parenting is for all moms and dads, many new parents still often share the same experiences. From the pains of labor to the joy of holding their baby for the first time, parenthood does feel like being part of an exclusive club.
And speaking of which…
There are so many new and amazing firsts that you can enjoy now that you’re certified new parent and we’re here to help make the journey easier for you – especially when it comes to cleaning your newborn’s tiny and delicate parts.
One thing that new parents commonly agree on is the anxiety-causing thought of bathing and cleaning their newborn baby for the first time at home and usually without any assistance from anyone more experienced. [Read more…]
A family’s constant rock and pillar of support, dads of preemies play an important role in supporting their wife and family. This article explains what to expect and how to deal with the oftentimes stressful challenges of caring for a preemie.
Are you a preemie dad?
If you are, here’s a quick note from us to you:
You must feel like you’ve just stumbled upon unfamiliar terrain. You prepared for the day of your baby’s birth but nothing seems to have prepared you for the early arrival of your baby. It’s all overwhelming, confusing and it makes you very afraid – for your wife, for your children at home, for your tiny preemie fighting to survive. Sometimes it’s all too much to handle. Sometimes you feel like you have no control. You might already feel stretched out with all your responsibilities and obligations that you may sometimes be tempted to just shut down, go back to work or go anywhere else to just to be able to escape all these feelings.
Take a breath, dad.
We’re here to tell you that everything you’re feeling is all normal. Running away from any situation that overwhelms us is usually our natural instinct but, as difficult as it sometimes is, processing and acknowledging your feelings is the first step to coping with the many challenges of having a premature baby. Coping day by day might be a “new” kind of normal and you might feel isolated from the rest of the other dads, we can assure you that you are definitely not alone.
According to stanfordchildrens.org, “In the U.S., nearly half a million babies are born preterm. Many of these babies also have low birth weights.” This means that there are thousands of dads out there who are going through the same situation as you and going through the same thoughts as you.
This article is crafted especially for you. We will talk about common experiences as a preemie dad, what to expect and some tips to help you cope. While we may not perfectly capture everything exactly as how you see or feel it, we’ll do our best to create a handbook for you to help you carry through these challenging times. [Read more…]
This was a reader-submitted question. To have your question answered for free, read through this post to the end!
Sweating is something that we normally encounter every day, but when it comes to our babies, nothing is too little to be concerned about. As a parent, you can’t help but feel worried and curious about why your baby is sweating a lot, especially when it involves your baby’s head.
Do you want to know more about baby head sweating? Here’s some useful information for you to ponder. [Read more…]
2020 is shaping up to be a great time for babies! From names to nurseries, Kinacle has a look at 10 of this year’s biggest trends. If you’re expecting a baby sometime soon or simply looking for gift ideas for a brand new parent, read on.
What a time to be alive. Especially for babies! With the start of a brand-new decade, the youngest members of our families have every reason to be excited. And it’s only March! And that’s probably because 2019 wasn’t too shabby for babies either. With hundreds of trending baby-friendly gadgets, apps, clothes, games and even diaper delivery services, we’re not surprised that 2019’s baby-lovin’ trends spilled over to this year.
Let’s take a quick look back at some of 2019’s baby trends that’s ushered in a great 2020 for your baby! [Read more…]
A time-honored childcare practice in many cultures around the world, find out how massaging your baby can soothe almost every ill and ache that causes your little one to cry… and help them become healthier and happier.
Let’s start with the all-too-familiar story of two mothers helping soothe their little one’s first bout of colds…
It’s late at night. There’s a mom in America right now, scrolling past Google results on her phone, looking worriedly at her baby finally asleep after a full 5 hours of on and off crying and general fussiness, her baby’s tiny nose all red and stuffed up and chubby cheeks flushed pink as she is experiencing her first bout of colds.
She might find a hundred different results online telling her what to do, what not to do, when to worry and when to take her baby to the doctor. She’ll find a few bits and pieces of advice that are helpful and maybe an article or two that will tell her how to deal with her sick baby but it still doesn’t completely ease her worries. She sees an article on baby massages but she’s not so sure. She’s never done it before. Something about essential oils, too? She checks out a few more articles until she feels very drowsy.
“I’ll take her to the doctor tomorrow,” will be her last thought as she drifts off to sleep, well aware that she’ll be up again in a few hours.
Meanwhile in another part of the world:
The sun just rose in Southeast Asia. Somewhere in a quiet, rural town, there’s another young mother whose baby is also having the sniffles for the first time in his young life. She is calmly preparing for a quick morning massage session for her baby which she learned from her mother. The baby, also quite fussy, is in the crib fresh from a warm bath.
Wrapped up in a towel, she carries him to the bed where she gently massages the baby’s chest area, front and back in gentle, rotating motions with a bit of home-made massage oil while softly humming a lullaby. She concludes her baby’s massage with some quick strokes at the forehead and towards the nostrils.
Her baby, now visibly calmer, is ready and relaxed for his morning nap. Although she openly embraces the traditional ways of soothing her baby, she also knows that her baby may need to be taken to the doctor if the colds persist. She’ll wait and see in two to three days. For the moment, her baby is calm and feeling better; that is what’s most important. She herself grew up being given regular massages. Massages, as far she has known, were weaved into the fabric of her everyday life.
The two moms discussed above are from different parts of the globe, both worried about their baby’s first colds and both doing the very best they can to soothe their little ones. One is not better than the other, of course. Both are simply finding ways to make their babies feel better based on what they know.
Their stories simply illustrate that while Western parents do not tend to instinctually look to baby massages as a way to soothe their baby through common illnesses, baby massages are often practiced by mothers in other parts of the world taught to them by their mothers and grandmothers before them. [Read more…]
As parts of America experienced one of the heaviest snowfalls in years thanks to the Polar Vortex, many families have found themselves snowed in with baby. While the snow may be beautiful to look at, it’s not exactly great to venture out in; particularly if you have a baby.
If being stuck indoors with baby is making you go a little stir crazy, here you’ll discover some great snow day activities to keep you busy. [Read more…]
How to teach your baby to walk is one of those things that parents are more than happy to volunteer for. Spending hours seeing if your little bucket of joy can walk upright, even for just a second or two, can bring out a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon.
The moment your baby figures out how to stand, then he/she is ready to start walking. And though walking for a child will eventually happen, whether you help out or not, we know for a fact that no parent can’t resist to make that transition a little bit faster.
In this article, we will talk about different ways you can make that transition from crawling to walking – as well as things you should do – based from the collective knowledge of the Kinacle team in raising our own children. We’ve also included advice from other parenting experts from around the world.
We hope that with our collective knowledge, we would be able to come up with a comprehensive guide that you can use, or share with others.
So, are you excited?
Let’s get started then! [Read more…]
When you’re preparing for baby’s arrival, it’s common to think about the nursery and the basic essentials you’re going to need. However, what many parents-to-be tend to forget about is car seat safety.
You’ll more than likely be transporting baby home from the hospital in your new car seat. What you may not know however, is that the hospital won’t typically let you take baby home unless you have a car seat that’s properly installed. Therefore, it’s crucial you understand the basic baby car seat safety guidelines.
To help, here you’ll discover the ultimate baby car seat safety tips you’ll absolutely want to follow. [Read more…]
When you’re preparing for baby’s arrival, you’ll likely already have a list of essentials you think you’re going to need. Diapers and baby wipes for example, are just a couple of well-known essentials every new parent needs. However, did you know there’s likely a lot of stuff you’ll need which isn’t on your list?
As well as the obvious necessities, there’s a lot of unconventional essentials you’ll want to stock up on too. Here, you’ll discover just 10 unconventional baby essentials to get you through. [Read more…]
Did you know that people are now earning from professional cuddling? Yes, professional cuddling is a new job trend in Japan. In fact, Japan’s first cuddle café named “Soine-ya” opened its doors in 2012 to clients who want to pay for a cuddle.
It may sound strange, but there are real people who are willing to spend their money just to reminisce the feeling of being cuddled during days of loneliness. This idea suggests that cuddling is indeed something that people consider important that they’re willing to pay for it.
Can you still recall the feeling when you had your last cuddle with a loved one – be it with your partner, siblings, parents, or close friends? A huge hug is something that makes people feel good, wanted and secured. How much more for a little baby?
Cuddling is unquestionably one of the vital needs of an infant that provides lots of beneficial effects both for them and their parents.
When your baby arrives, there are a lot of things you’re now faced with protecting them from. The world can suddenly seem like a very scary place and with so many different illnesses and conditions to worry about, it can become overwhelming trying to protect them from everything.
While you can’t prevent all illnesses, one condition you can work on preventing is what’s referred to as “flat head”. Since 1992, physicians have experienced an increase in the number of babies experiencing neck and head issues. So, how can you prevent your baby from developing a flat head and what exactly is it? Below, you’ll discover everything you need to know. [Read more…]
When baby comes along, dads can often feel left out. Tasks such as changing and feeding baby are often carried out by the mom. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but the reason many dads are left out of the process is because they’re anxious.
Taking care of a newborn is daunting. Suddenly, you have this little person who is reliant on you to take care of their every need. This can understandably make you nervous of carrying out certain tasks such as feeding. However, feeding baby doesn’t just make you feel a little more useful, it also gives you a great chance to bond with your little one.
If you’re nervous about helping out with the feeds, here you’ll discover 10 baby feeding tips for dads.
