First Christmas

It's your baby's very FIRST Christmas, and if you are a first time mom, this makes Christmas extra special and filled with excitement as you get to experience it as if you were a child again AND you get to start your very own family traditions.
 
My Top 3 Great Idea's for a First Christmas:

3. Seeing Santa

Photos of your little angel sitting on Santa's lap year after year is a great way to keep track of how he/she has grown. Even better - get your husband to play Santa.

2. Smile!

There are many family traditions that you could start to make your families Christmas unique, but one thing you MUST DO is take a lot of memorable photographs, especially of how spoilt they were at their first Christmas (you may be able to use this as leverage in future).

Take photos of your little one to send as Christmas cards to your family and friends, afterall there is nothing sweeter than a baby picture, even if they look grumpy in it. On the day take photo's of them trying to open their gifts, or of them admiring the Christmas tree etc.
If you get trigger happy like I do - then I suggest you keep a spare battery handy.

1. First Christmas Decoration

Get creative and hand-make a Christmas decoration for your little angels first Christmas that you can keep for decades. Use one of their very first shoes, and glam it up with some glitter or sequence.
You could continue this tradition to create yearly ornaments.

It's All Fun and Games until someone starts Teething...

... After about a week of loooong restless nights, accompanied by ear rubbing, plentiful drool, nagging niggles and gnawing on hands (not only hers), we have come to the conclusion that our little angel is teething.

So far we can see the two bottom teeth through the gums however, she is only just 5 months old, so it's quite early for her to be teething but not abnormal. Both my husband were late teethers, only teething after a year, so either she is an exception, or we will have many many MANY more sleepless nights. In the meantime, I am preparing myself for the worst scenario by finding out everything I can about teething.
Here are some fantastic natural remedies that are safe for first time teethers, but don't forget the best comfort is TLC from mom and dad:

1. Chamomile
This herb, commonly found in tea, is a common remedy used for very irritable children with tooth pain. Some ways you an use it for your child are to crush up a chamomile tablet, found at a natural food store, and mix with water. You can also brew a chamomile tea, let it cool, and give it to your baby. Lastly, you can dip a washcloth in the tea, freeze it, and let your child suck on the cloth.

2. Pressure
Gentle pressure can help relieve teething pain. Softly rub the baby's gums with a clean finger, or offer baby either wooden or a plastic teething toy. These are great for baby to chew on, relieving pain whilst helping the teeth work their way through the gums quicker. You don't even have to go out and buy something new, use the ubiquitous alternative to the wooden teething ring: the wooden cooking spoon.

  

3. Cold & Slushy Remedies

This is where we can get creative - treat your first time teether to a safe *Momsicle or a
Frozen banana which is both soft and sweet, or combine them to make ice cream.
Another great gum-friendly idea is cold apple or pear puree or you could even give your baby a full sized carrot to chew on if your baby is still being introduced to solids.   

4. Rescue Remedy

Rescue Remedy is an awesome trick that my midwife taught me. You can get the regular one or the sleep one (preferably with the spray top). Normally you would spray some of this in your mouth to calm yourself down but for a small child or infant you can spray some on their feet or wrists. You can also use it while you are pregnant if you are having trouble sleeping at night. This stuff is great for any kind of fussiness not just teething.

Some interesting facts about teething:

• on average, a girl's teeth appear sooner than a boy's
• 1 in 2000 to 3000 children are born with one or more teeth.
• Discomfort from teething only happens at the time when the tooth is ready to break through the gum. These symptoms should not last longer than a couple of days.

5. Tissue Salts

You can dissolve 4 tablets of tiussue salts no. 2 (Calc Phos) in 25ml's of water and rub on the gums 4 times a day, or no. 1 (Calc Flour) if the gums are swollen.
We've actually been using tissue salts 4, 5 and 9 for our little teether, 4 for inflammation of the gums, 5 and 9 for runny nose and colds generally associated with teething.

To be certain your baby is teething take this quick quiz here:
http://www.babyzone.com/baby/teething/baby-teething_82000



References:
http://www.babycareadvice.com/babycare/general_help/article.php?id=49
http://www.yourdentistryguide.com/teething/