by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

How many ounces of formula does a newborn drink?

Infant Formula Dos and Don'ts for New Parents
When it comes to formula feeding, there are some things that are a must. There also are things that will be a definite no-no. Here is my list of infant formula do's and don'ts for new parents.

Newborn Feeding Guide for New Moms
If you're a new mom, you likely have many questions about feeding your new baby. Being a mom to multiple kids, as well as a former nanny, I offer tips and advice related both to formula feeding and breastfeeding based on my experiences and research.

Soy Baby Formula Benefits
Choosing the right formula can be a challenge. There are many great options for parents to consider. This article discusses some of the benefits of formula feeding a baby with a soy-based formula.

How to Tell If Your Baby Has a Soy Allergy
Cow's milk may be the most popular formula allergy to be discussed, but it isn't the only one. Did you know that a baby can be allergic to soy milk based formula as well? This article explains common soy allergy warning signs when formula feeding a baby.

How to Reduce Infant Spit Up
Infants spit up. That's a fact that cannot be completely avoided. However, there are ways to reduce infant spit up, whether formula feeding a baby or breast feeding. This article gives tips and advice on reducing the occurrence of infant spit up.

How Can I Cure My Formula-Fed Baby's Vomiting?
Spitting up is normal in babies. But vomiting is a warning sign. How can you tell which one your baby is experiencing? How can you cure vomiting in a formula feeding baby? This article can help parents faced with this issue.

5 Secrets To Successfully Bottle-Feeding Your Infant
Feeding your baby can often be a challenge, no matter the method. Here are 5 secrets to successfully bottle-feeding your infant.

What NOT To Do When Bottle-Feeding An Infant
So you’ve read up on successfully bottle-feeding your baby. Now, here’s what NOT to do.

Crying Baby with Colic? Soothing Sounds Plus Bonus Tips to Comfort a Colicky Baby
Babies who are breastfeeding, as well as those who are formula feeding can develop colic. Colicky babies often are uncomfortable and cranky. Many times soothing sounds will help. Here are some of the best soothing sounds for babies with colic.

How to Help a Newborn Poop
Sometimes your newborn may have difficulties making a bowel movement. Learn how to help a newborn poop safely.

*This is not meant to be a complete guide on formula feeding a baby. It also should not substitute the advice of a licensed medical professional. Your child's pediatrician is always the best source for health matters.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

How Often Should I Feed My Newborn Baby?

A newborn baby should feed every 2 - 3 hours, but might go up to 4 hours without feeding on occasion. If your newborn sleeps past 4 hours or doesn’t demand to be fed at that point, you will need to feed him or her anyway. Newborns should never go longer than 4 hours without eating. If your baby asks to be fed more often, that’s fine. Some babies feed on demand. A newborn won’t feed if they’re not hungry. Therefore, you can’t overfeed a newborn.

How Long Can Formula Sit Out?

Follow the instructions on your exact infant formula package, as they can vary. Most formula can remain unrefrigerated for up to two hours if the baby hasn’t drank from the bottle. If the baby has drank from the bottle, instead it will last only an hour, due to bacteria concerns.

Formula Feeding Safety Tips

• Make sure to burp your baby after feeding each half to full ounce
• Use bottles and nipples designed to help prevent gas bubbles
• Never feed baby formula that has been left out for too long
• Refrigerate unfed formula only (once fed, it is no longer good to refrigerate)
• Never heat formula in the microwave
• Never prop a newborn’s bottle for feeding
• Use only the scoop that came with the formula to measure
• The directions on your formula package should be trusted before the advice here
• Disinfect all bottles properly

How to Get Free Baby Formula

If you’re a low-income family, many food banks will provide infant formula for free, as will other charitable organizations. You can also sign up for discounts and free samples on infant formula websites, such as Enfamil.com. Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) also provides free formula to those who qualify.

*This is not meant to be a complete guide on formula feeding a baby. It also should not substitute the advice of a licensed medical professional. Your child's pediatrician is always the best source for health matters.

by Lyn Lomasi, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff

It's a warm, sunny day in midsummer and laughter from your backyard echoes throughout your neighborhood - or at least the block. Your two toddlers are thoroughly enjoying their kiddie pool. What you are enjoying is not only interacting with them, but also the fact that you have kept their pool safe and clean. With proper adult supervision and maintenance, kiddie swimming pools can be safe places for kids to play.

Setting it Up

Setting up a kiddie pool is as simple as filling it with water from the hose and leaving it in the sun, right? Wrong. This is where many parents and care providers make their mistake. Improperly maintained kiddie swimming pools can harbor dangerous bacteria that can actually do serious harm to children. The main thing to remember is to read the instructions that came with it. Not all kiddie pools will have the same setup directions, as they are all constructed differently.

Some kiddie pools will be inflatable, while others may be plastic or made of other solid materials. Each pool will have specialized instructions for setting it up. Adhering to those will help to ensure proper kiddie pool safety. Once that part is done correctly, simply fill the kiddie pool with water. According to the Water Quality and Health Council, tap water is already chlorinated, so extra chlorine need not be added to a small backyard kiddie pool. However, that does not mean that it doesn't need to be kept clean and sanitary.

Treatment & Maintenance

To help keep bacteria away and the pool water clean and clear, a kiddie pool should be maintained on a frequent basis. Because bacteria can easily collect in the water of a kiddie pool, it is best to change the water frequently. Younger children often have accidents, leading to contamination. To prevent this, tight plastic coverings can be worn over diapers or undergarments. However, regular maintenance still applies.

If fecal matter is present, just removing it from the kiddie pool is not enough to ensure proper hygiene. Urine can be stabilized with chlorine. However, feces contain properties that are not easily removed in this way. Instead, the pool should be emptied and cleaned. Fresh water should then be used.

General Safety Tips

Both the Water Quality and Health Council and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have listed some general safety tips for using and maintaining kiddie swimming pools.

• When the kiddie pool is not being used, empty the water to prevent accidental drowning. According to the CDC, an average of 10 deaths related to accidental drowning occurred per day in 2005.
• Change the water often. This can help prevent bacterial contamination from fecal matter and other foreign properties.
• All pools should be surrounded by fencing that is at least 4 feet high, even kiddie swimming pools.
• Swimming lessons can help young children. However, there is no substitute for good adult supervision. Even children who have had safety classes can drown in a kiddie pool. Drowning can occur in just 2 inches of water.
• An adult who knows cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR, should be present at all times when children are in a pool.
• Avoid using inflatable water toys as sole flotation aids. While these can be fun to play with, they do not have life-protecting properties. Life vests are far more reliable than floating rings, swim wings and other inflatable water devices.

Eliminate The Need To Haul Playpen/Bassinet To Park Or Other Outing

Baby can get worn out in the most inconvenient places, but it's up to the parents to prepare for this. With a double stroller, you can just lie the back seat down and bring up the footrest or under-attachment for protecting baby from falling. All four sides will be secure and create a quick napping spot that is also safe and comfortable. It can also act as a bassinet for smaller babies. If you have a particularly fussy baby, this can come in handy. Just pull the stroller back and forth to create motion for a cranky baby. Most double strollers also have a 4-way harness system (much like that of a car seat, but a bit thinner) in the back seat to prevent a small baby from rolling. The footrests usually also will latch upright. Some models may allow two such resting areas.

No Need To Hunt Down a Sanitary Changing Station

Changing a baby when you're on the go can be a challenge. You need a place to do it, which can't always be found and then if you do find a spot, it is rarely clean or sanitary. That's when your back seat in the double stroller comes in handy. Lie it all the way back and strap baby in with the correct buckle (harness or regular), depending on baby's age. Now you have a clean and safe surface for changing baby. This can also be a good spot to change baby's clothing if it gets soiled.

If You Get Pregnant Again, It's One Less Item To Buy

Sometimes a new baby will come right after the first or at least two years apart. The first child is still in the stroller, but now a second child will be in the stroller as well. Well, have no fear. You've already purchased the double stroller, so you're one step ahead in that department.

Most Infant Car Seats Can Attach To Both Seats

Lugging around the car seat of a sleeping baby is not exactly fun, but you don't want to wake baby, either. Most double strollers allow for two infant seats to be attached to the stroller easily. You may only need to attach one, but if so, you'll still have room for another child or some cargo. Cross-branding is okay, too because many models, like the Graco DuoGlider (mentioned above), will give instructions for latching other brands into the stroller properly.

*I originally published this via Yahoo Contributor Network

According to reports from various sources, such as TheFrisky and DailyMail, parents have been using baby wigs to enhance the look of their infants. This trend may be most popular with parents of bald babies. Is a baby wig necessary for a bald infant? Is it safe?

Bald Babies
Probably since the beginning of time, some babies are naturally born bald. It's simply a fact of life. Does this mean there is something wrong with the way these babies look? Apparently, that depends on who you ask. Some parents support the use of wigs on babies, especially girls, for reasons like making them appear more girly or look like celebrities. Other parents, such as myself, oppose the use of wigs on infants for any reason. Which of us is right?

Why Some Parents Support Using a Baby Wig
According to another report on TheFrisky.com, one mother sent pictures of her infant in a lace front wig to another website. The report stated in the mother's view it's never too early for a child start looking as glamorous as stars like Beyonce. Looking at the picture, to me the baby looks no more than six months old. Another website, Baby Bangs, creates hairbands for baby girls that have hair attached to them. This site claims that the wigs allow baby girls who have little to no hair the chance to look girly.

Why Some Parents and Experts Are Against Wigs for Babies
According to DailyMail, Michelle Elliott of Kidscape said "This is ridiculous. Any parent who buys one of these wigs for their child needs their head examining." The report also says that she pointed out how dangerous wigs could be for babies. Apparently, this was her response to the wigs on BabyToupee.com that are modeled after hairstyles of current superstars such as Lil Kim, Bob Marley, and Donald Trump. As a mother, stepmother, and former nanny, I do not agree with wigs for infants either. This especially is true when it comes to wigs that require gluing. Another thought that comes to my mind is safety.

Are Baby Wigs Safe?
The FAQ on the Baby Bangs website states that the Baby Bangs hair+bands have been safety-tested and approved for infants ages 0-9 months. I could find no information on who conducted the safety testing. That's not to say that it isn't valid, but upon my visits to the site, I could find no information regarding the source of any safety testing. As for the other types of wigs, BabyToupee.com states on the front page that the wigs are safe for ages 0-9 months as well. I could find no other safety information regarding these or any other wigs for babies. As a mother, the fact that I am unable to locate any specific safety information does not make me very comfortable.

Should Parents Really Use Baby Wigs for Bald Babies?
Because baby wigs are more of a vanity accessory than an actual need, I would have to conclude that they are not necessary. My personal thoughts are that all babies are beautiful no matter how little or how much hair they have. There have been bald babies for ages and it's very likely that the majority went without a wig as a baby. My take is that kids can already pick up on so many vanity and self-esteem issues as is. Why add to that by covering up their natural beauty, especially at such an early age? That's not even taking into account any safety issues that may arise. Should parents use them? I can't be the judge of what others do. But I do hope that parents do their research and make a wise decision.

UPDATE: Since I first published this story several years ago, many more wig stores featuring products for babies have come about.

*I originally published this content via Yahoo Contributor Network