Cláudia Morgado, Author at Aurora

Pacifiers, do’s and don’ts

As we mentioned before, the pacifier is not mandatory at all and not all babies need a pacifier. However, and because (in the end) it remains a parents’ choice (whether or not to use a pacifier), here are some tips for you to know how to choose and decide for the best.

As we also mentioned before, the pacifier has advantages and disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage is the fact that it can cause deformations in the child’s teeth, which can cause numerous problems in the future.

This can happen due to the prolonged use of the pacifier and also to models that are not very anatomical and have long been discouraged by specialists. However, due to commercial pressure, they continue to be sold without any warning to parents and they often end up buying without realizing the risk they are taking and what they are causing their children, with that choice.

So let’s go by parts: Model, Size and Material!

Model:

When choosing a pacifier (if that is your decision), you should choose the one that is narrower (flat) in the area of the teeth and slightly flat and tilted upwards, in the area of the tongue.

To avoid, at all, are all water drop shapes, cherry and others, that do not comply with the rules described above.

There are even some health professionals who claim that these pacifiers are better, that they soothe a lot, but that they do not take these conditions into account. The use of a pacifier that does not follow these instructions may mean that the child will later require a dental device or even speech therapy sessions, among other problems that require specific care. It is because we have this concern, with the future well-being of babies, that we alert you to the importance of following these recommendations.

Size:

Also due to the above recommendation, less informed people will advise you to always use the smallest size (faulting by over-care) and this advice is just as wrong as using models that do not comply with the above rules.

The recommended size / age is related to the size of the mouth and the development of the baby / child. This size must be respected, except for premature newborns, for whom corrected age must always be taken into account (according to the degree of prematurity).

So summary: use the pacifier of the appropriate age and size, always!

Materials:

Silicone and rubber / latex are the two options almost always present in pacifiers and teats (among other accessories for babies).

Silicone is more hygienic and keeps looking good for a longer time, being just a little duller over time. On the other hand, silicone is friable, that is, it is possible to pierce and break, breaking into possible small pieces and this is a risk.

Rubber is a natural element and is more elastic, but it can start to lose qualities over time, it tends to get “sticky” and is less hygienic. As well as, it also has the potential to cause allergies since it is, in fact, latex and there are some people sensitive to latex.

So what is(are) the rule(s) here? There are 2 to follow:

Newborns, premature babies and/or babies who are allergic (or with allergic potential, allergic or asthmatic parents) should only use silicone.

Babies with teeth (even if they are only breaking) should only use rubber since the silicone is possible to pierce and break and with this, the baby may end up swallowing parts of the silicone without realizing it.

In short:

Babies do not need pacifiers, but if you decide that you want to use a pacifier on your children, choose anatomical, thin at the base and flattened and tilted upwards at the teat. Choose silicone for newborn (or baby with allergies) or rubber if you already have teeth and always in the age-appropriate size. 🙂

FINAL NOTE: This is not a sponsored article, there was no payment or consideration associated with its publication. Aurora team is not sensitive to any approach by trademarks. That is why there is no form of advertising on the website, Facebook page or any other of our communication channels. Aurora’s income comes exclusively from our customers, or from the creators’ own funds, which also have no connection to commercial brands linked to this area.

Bedtime routine – 3 surefire tips

Bedtime routines are one of the issues that cause the most doubts for parents who come to us.

If, on the one hand, it is commonly accepted that having a routine is good for everyone (parents and babies/children), on the other, many parents struggle with what to do and how to know if the routine they have is the ideal routine for their child.

After many questions posed to me and Aurora, here you go, 3 surefire tips for your rest and success in the “arduous” task of helping our most loved ones to sleep:

1. Have a stable routine.

A good routine is one that can be applied in 99% of the nights.

This scares many parents, but, to better understand, a routine is a series of recurring activities/actions that are done in the same order. If it is wearing pyjamas, bedtime story and good night kiss it is always pyjamas, story and good night kiss. If the night is at grandfather’s house, the grandfather will start by pyjamas, tell the story and kiss him/her good night. 😉 The child’s/baby’s bedtime routines are not fixed to places or people. But they must have a fixed order of activities. Until they have a fixed routine with good results, avoid exceptions. Be consistent.

2. Promote the appearance of natural sleep before starting the routine.

The outcome of the routine depends more on the existence of natural sleep than on the duration/type of activities of the routine itself.

Starting a routine with no sleep is like starting the party on an empty stomach. The routine should include some care for the child’s environment that favours the appearance of natural sleep, for example, the reduction of ambient and natural light 2 hours before bedtime. (Close blinds, use only weaker lamps and with warm tones (yellow), avoid digital screens without blue radiation filter and with a lot of brightness, etc …)

3. Do not make too many changes to the routine (even when it is not yet properly tuned).

We know that a routine is good (it works) when, regardless of the time it starts, it ends with the same result, that is, a child sleeping peacefully.

Many parents try many different strategies each night, a little out of desperation, perhaps. However, a routine is only a routine when it is stable. And, regardless of age, no more than one slight change to the routine should be introduced every 3 or 4 days, at the risk of causing the opposite effect, which is to let the child agitated and anxious due to the lack of stability brought about by replication of the daily routine. So think carefully before making changes, choose carefully and think long term, but when you do introduce them, be consistent (at least a few weeks) until you see the result.

Lice, nits and nymphs: a true fairy tale!

If there is one thing that all parents of young children fear, it is that day when the schools notice the presence of lice in the classroom! Even with all the care that is taken, there are things that are almost impossible to avoid and having lice among school-age children is one of them. For us, parents, to be able to survive this plague, I leave here some important information and advice.

First and in order to better know how to act, it is good to know a few things about these little friends of the heads.

Lice are animals that live exclusively on human heads (they do not infest pets, for example, nor do they spread throughout the body, not even the furriest!). There are other types of “bugs” that can live on body hair and in other specific areas, but they are not the same lice that inhabit our children’s heads (nor even our own heads).

They live their entire life cycle on a hairy head. They are unable to fly, jump and even walk nimbly on a flat surface. However, they are very fast to move in the hair (up to about 4mm / second). For this same reason, contamination always occurs through direct contact between hair and hair, or hair and objects that then come into contact with other hair.

For example, tight hugs and head-to-head kind of roleplays are some of the games that can lead to the direct transmission of the plague. Changing hats, indiscriminate use of other people’s combs, changing hair clips and hooks or sharing pillows/beds are examples of contamination by objects.

Lice do not transmit any kind of disease and only cause a lot of discomfort due to the itching. This itching is caused by an allergic reaction to your saliva, which is extremely irritating and is left by the lice with each new meal on our scalp. Well, lice feed exclusively on human blood! The itching may not appear early in the infestation, but it will eventually appear. It can also remain present after the definitive resolution of the infestation, precisely because it is an allergic reaction and is not exactly caused only by the presence of lice.

To avoid other complications, children’s nails should be kept short and if necessary, cotton gloves can be used for sleeping to prevent the formation of wounds and infections on the scalp caused by scratching. It is a good time to go back to using baby shampoos, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic and soothing to the scalp.

Outside the head, lice survive less than 24 hours, dying quickly from dehydration. In general, lice live for about 1 month.
These bugs reproduce by eggs (nits) that are effectively attached to the hair. Depending on the hair colour, these, although smaller (less than 1mm), can be more easily identified, first because they do not escape and second because they look very well in dark hair. Nits are oval, elongated and range from white to a coffee-milk colour. They differ from “dandruff” in that they are firmly attached to the hair, is difficult to loosen or move. After laying eggs, nymphs (non-adult lice) are born between the 6th and 10th day. Nymphs reach reproductive capacity (laying eggs/nits) 9 to 12 days after birth. Each adult louse can place up to about 10 nits per day.

An adult louse measures up to about 3mm.

Detecting them early and taking immediate action is the most effective way to control this pest.
Over the years, countless ways and “methods” to solve this plague have appeared, but the truth is that since the mummies of Egypt until today, these insects have always known how to survive. The truth is that in a school context, re-infestation often occurs before the first wave is resolved. This is due to the life cycle and the hatching time of the eggs.

Any and all treatments must / should be repeated between 7 to 14 days after the first application. Nits are very resistant and must be allowed to hatch in order to kill the lice that have been born, preferably before reaching adulthood. In our temperate climate, nits are placed between 3 to 5 mm from the scalp, so nits that are more than 1 cm from the scalp have already hatched (are empty) or have died and will not be born. Nits do not come loose after hatching, so it is possible to have nits in the hair (more than 1 cm from the scalp) and no active/present infestation. This is especially important for the most concerned mothers and fathers.

The only way to loosen the nits is by physical pressure, picking or using thin metal combs (results in straight hair better). These can take up to 6 months to disintegrate and loosen on their own.
All products that “promise” the elimination of lice, refer almost exclusively to live lice and nymphs (as) and are not exempt from contraindications or adverse effects. This is almost always due to the fact that our scalp is very permeable to chemicals and potentially reactive to all foreign substances since it is already reacting to lice saliva from the start.

For this same reason, and to make sense of the popular saying: “blacksmith’s house, wooden skewer”, here at home, the method of choice is electrocution. Yes, I’m serious! There are already several types of electric metal combs on the market that work with a low voltage (usually a 1.5v AA battery) and that are limited to electrocuting 6-legged friends. It is important for the hair to be very dry and untangled, and to pay special attention to the area close to the ears and the top of the neck, the rest is just to ensure that all the hair passes through the comb and that it runs through all the hair preferably quickly but effectively.

In curly, or thicker hair, it may be necessary to make locks of hair in order to ensure that all hair passes through the comb. In thin and straight hair (blessed genetics here at home) it is quite fast. This is an effective way to control the infestation. However, as with all other methods, a single passage does not arrive, it is important to keep doing it over the days and as long as the school/classroom infestation lasts. It is not necessary every day, but if the infestation is active at school, it doesn’t hurt to do it every time you come home in order to prevent a new louse from spending the night laying new eggs and the infestation to remain active as well. in our home. Despite the higher initial investment, it still seems to be a good solution since it is a unique investment that can be used by all family members. The only care is to do a good cleaning of the comb between each use, removing all hair and / or impurities accumulated between the teeth of the comb. Wiping with an alcohol wipe can help.

Bed linen (mainly pillowcases) must be washed above 60ºC. At this temperature, both lice, nymphs and nits (eggs) are eliminated. More delicate objects such as hairpins or hair clips can be kept closed for more than 24 hours to ensure that they have no pets alive during the next use. Care must be taken to eliminate hair from all combs, brushes, hooks, hats, etc … in order to ensure that no eggs/nits will hatch in the meantime. Although uncomfortable, this type of pest does not require school eviction, and the school must be alerted so that the entire community can take due care of surveillance.