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…]
False positive pregnancy tests are confusing, panic-inducing and sometimes devastating. Read on to learn what you need to know about false positive pregnancy tests.
False hopes are the worst. You might have expected something great to happen, found proof that it will finally happen but then have those soaring feelings of hope deflated upon finding out that – “Oops, sorry! It’s not actually happening! Try again next time.”
But, such is life and pregnancy tests are no exception. As pregnancy tests are only 99.9% accurate, it may still sometimes display incorrect results – a false positive, for example.
This was a reader-submitted question. To have your question answered for free, read through this post to the end!
The common cold has gotten its name for a reason! This viral infection can hit anyone at any time and there is no exemption, even if you’re breastfeeding. Cold symptoms are often mild and respond quickly to over-the-counter medications. This may sound pretty simple but if you’re currently nursing, you can’t help but wonder, “Is cold medicine safe for breastfeeding?” [Read more…]
In these dangerous times of a global health pandemic, there is no better opportunity to teach and reinforce the importance of practicing proper hygiene to the littlest members of our families.
To date, the COVID-19 or Coronavirus has affected thousands all over the world and already by the hundreds in the U.S. It’s a fearful time for everyone especially those of us with older or younger family members. All of us are advised to take all necessary precautions and the world’s most prominent health experts all echo the same advice:
Now, more than ever, is the best time to make sure that the youngest members of our families understand the importance of practicing proper hygiene. It’s not just about being healthy amidst the current pandemic but it’s also to help them avoid other types of viruses and bacteria as well, because cute as they are, your toddler could be carrying more germs and bacteria than you can imagine. [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…]
Pregnancy is a wild ride. One day you’re up, the next day you’re down. An emotional roller coaster up until the day of childbirth, pregnancy oftentimes leaves women in mood swings that are sometimes downright scary. Spouses and partners are generally advised to help keep their pregnant loved ones fed with healthy snacks, hydrated with 8 glasses of water a day and well-rested with 8 hours of sleep (or more) every night to keep all those ever-changing hormonal and bodily changes in check.
Chief amongst pregnant women’s ever-changing emotions is the heavy weight of expecting. They are, after all, expecting to give birth in nine months. And to pregnant women, those nine months of waiting, anticipating and expecting can feel so long. [Read more…]
An old wives’ tale that may probably hold a grain of truth, pineapples supposedly kick start labor for expecting women. Fact or folklore? Read on.
More than just your favorite summer fruit or SpongeBob Squarepants’ home of choice (who lives in a pineapple under the sea?), pineapples are a chockful of vitamins, nutrients and history. Before we jump into the main topic of this article, here are some quick fun facts about pineapples: [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…]
Scouring the internet for a list of must-haves for a new mom is easy – from swanky, luxurious spa memberships to inexpensive, handmade gift baskets, online searches should glean a chockful of results that will give you an endless list of gift ideas for new moms that will leave your head spinning.
But we hope to end your search right here, right now because we’re sure that not many results online or anywhere else will show you anything that won’t require you to provide your credit card details. [Read more…]
All toddler’s go through a shy period, but for some it’s more than just a phase. Children each have their own little personalities, and some are naturally shyer than others. So, if your little one is naturally shy, you may be wondering how to boost their confidence.
The good news is, confidence is something you can nurture in young children. So, to help, below you’ll discover some of the best ways to boost your toddler’s confidence. [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…]
Pregnancy is typically viewed as an exciting, happy and wonderful experience. You have this little miracle growing inside you that you made, and the hormones running through the body should make you feel energized and happy. Only, you don’t.
Instead, you feel tired, sweaty, you have horrendous morning sickness and you feel terrible. You hate your pregnancy, and that makes you feel even worse as you think there must be something wrong with you. Sound familiar? If so, you’re definitely not alone!
Far more women hate their pregnancy than you might think. While it is a wonderful and euphoric experience for many women, for others it’s an utter nightmare. Each woman has a different experience of pregnancy and that’s OK! You don’t have to love it, especially if you’re experiencing bad side effects. However, if you are hating your pregnancy, you don’t just have to ride it out alone.
Here, you’ll discover some top tips you can follow to make your pregnancy more bearable. [Read more…]
Parenting is a unique, one-of-a-kind journey with many paths. There is no one, conventional way of raising children and building a family. This is truer more so in recent times where you can find more and more diverse, non-traditional families, LGBT couples or divorced co-parenting couples who successfully rear and raise happy, healthy families.
One particular family dynamic and co-parenting trend that is growing in popularity in recent years is “platonic parenting” which, in the most basic terms, means two (sometimes more) non-romantically involved people work together to raise children as a family unit.
In a society that, for decades, has been taught and raised to believe that only traditional nuclear families with a mom and a dad have the capability to raise children, and only recently began to recognize the capability of same-sex couples – platonic parenting can seem like an ultra-modern, progressive idea. However, many platonic parents say it’s quite a simple concept: just two or more adults raising children together.
But is it really as simple as that? Kinacle examines the good, the bad and the ugly of platonic parenting so you can determine if it’s an arrangement that will work best for you. [Read more…]
Bleeding during pregnancy is considered by many women as a nightmare scenario. And the thought alone can incur morbid “what if’s” that can send stress levels up into space.
That is why in this article, we decided to explore the different factors associated with it. Why does it happen, what are the factors that contribute to it, and most importantly – how to deal with it effectively.
Let’s begin! [Read more…]