Perfect Baby Tips

Bisphenol A (BPA)
An ingredient of polycarbonate (one of the plastics that may have the number 7 recycling mark or the letters PC on the bottom), BPA has been linked to developmental and reproductive problems, prompting some states, municipalities and manufacturers to take steps to stop using it for children's products and materials that come in contact with food. 

Phthalates
A group of compounds used as plasticizers and as ingredients in some pliable plastics, some perfumes and personal care products, phthalates mimic the hormone estrogen in ways that are linked to certain birth defects and reproductive problems.  

Melamine and cyanuric acid
These nitrogen-rich compounds have been used to artificially (and illegally) boost the apparent protein content of various human and animal food products. The adulteration of pet food and infant formula in China with melamine led to critical illnesses and numerous deaths when the compounds crystallized in the urinary tract, causing severe kidney problems, particularly in infants.

Toxic metals and minerals
Mercury and lead are probably the most familiar and among the most toxic metals. As are asbestos and arsenic. These inorganic substances (meaning they don't contain carbon atoms) persist in many older homes in the form of insulation (asbestos), old paint and plumbing (lead), pressure treated decks (arsenic) and in the environment through the food chain (mercury in fish). Though many uses of these substances have been banned or phased out, some, such as lead, continue to turn up in cheap imports like kid's jewelry. Some applications, like mercury in dental amalgams and fluorescent light bulbs, have yet to be completely eliminated.

To read the rest of this post, including what can be done about toxins, see our Safety blog.

Sucrose is the sweetener in Similac Organic formula, as well as some protein-hydrolyzed formulas and some lactose-free infant formulas, such as soy formulations. All infant formulas have some added sweeteners, to help infants digest the protein from cow’s milk or soy. Along with lactose or sucrose, you might find corn syrup solids and maltodextrin. “Sucrose acts on bacteria in the mouth to produce acid and form plaque, which can begin to erode tooth enamel if it has direct contact with teeth for just 20 minutes,” Paletta says. Check the ingredients on the label if you want to avoid a formula sweetened with sucrose. (See our post on soy vs. milk-based formulas.)

After every formula feeding, wipe off your baby’s teeth with a wet or dry gauze pad so that a layer of plaque never has the chance to form. You don’t need toothpaste, Paletta says. “Just the mechanical action of wiping is enough to get rid of plaque, and that’s even true for adults.

Also, never put your baby to bed—or even down for a nap at home or on the go—with a bottle of milk, breast milk, or formula, or give your baby juice or water sweetened with table sugar, all of which can lead to baby-bottle tooth decay.

Sucrose is the sweetener in Similac Organic formula, as well as some protein-hydrolyzed formulas and some lactose-free infant formulas, such as soy formulations. All infant formulas have some added sweeteners, to help infants digest the protein from cow’s milk or soy. Along with lactose or sucrose, you might find corn syrup solids and maltodextrin. “Sucrose acts on bacteria in the mouth to produce acid and form plaque, which can begin to erode tooth enamel if it has direct contact with teeth for just 20 minutes,” Paletta says. Check the ingredients on the label if you want to avoid a formula sweetened with sucrose. (See our post on soy vs. milk-based formulas.)

After every formula feeding, wipe off your baby’s teeth with a wet or dry gauze pad so that a layer of plaque never has the chance to form. You don’t need toothpaste, Paletta says. “Just the mechanical action of wiping is enough to get rid of plaque, and that’s even true for adults.

Also, never put your baby to bed—or even down for a nap at home or on the go—with a bottle of milk, breast milk, or formula, or give your baby juice or water sweetened with table sugar, all of which can lead to baby-bottle tooth decay.

Make life easy for baby and you. Since most babies dislike having anything pulled over their heads, look for garments that are easy to take off and put on, with front-opening or side-snap tops. Snaps are easier (and faster) than buttons. Quick access to the diaper area is essential, so opt for snap-open legs or loosely elastic waists. Velcro closures are quick and convenient. (Before washing, close them so that they don’t fill up with lint and threads and lose their holding power.)

Comfort is everything. Check the seams on the inside of the garment. They should be smooth, not rough, and lie flat rather than sticking out. Don’t buy clothes with tight elastic bands on arms, legs, neck, or waist; they can irritate your baby’s skin and restrict circulation. Bypass anything that could be scratchy—unpainted metal zippers, appliqués, or snaps with rough or uneven backings. If an appliqué is made of heat-welded plastic, check for rough edges on the back.

Look out for choking hazards. Give sequins, buttons, and snaps a quick tug to make sure they can’t easily come off, posing a choking hazard. But don’t pull so hard that you weaken the attachment in the process. And recheck after each washing.

Soft, durable fabrics are best. Apparel labels must state fiber content and care instructions. All-cotton knits may look large when new, but they can shrink as much as 10 percent with repeated washing. Polyester/cotton blends are less expensive than pure cotton or organic cotton and more resistant to wrinkles and shrinking. Avoid thin, semitransparent items or garments with poor finishing such as unclipped thread. Although babies grow fast, you’ll need clothing that’s durable enough to last several months.

See our post on buying used children's clothing and our newborn clothing checklist for more information.

I see them on little kids at our local playground all the time—bicycle helmets that look like big bubbles, perched high on the crowns of the children’s heads. They look a little silly, but worse, they’re not fitted properly. Getting the right helmet fit is essential in case of an accident.

The front of the helmet should be level and no more than one or two finger widths above the brow. (See the video at right for more information.) The helmet should fit snugly, with the head partially compressing the soft foam pads inside, even before the straps are tightened. The straps should form a "V" under each ear, and the buckle should be centered under the chin, not to the side or along the jaw. The straps should be snug enough that the helmet is pulled down when the mouth is opened.

See our full bike helmet report, and check our bike helmet Ratings to learn which models held up in our tests.

—Artemis DiBenedetto

Installing a car seat is difficult, and the variations among child seats and cars’ back seats don’t make it any easier. Adding to the difficulty is the installation of the top tether, a strap built into the top of the child seat with a hook at the end that fastens on to an anchor in cars equipped with the LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system. Consumers often install it incorrectly or overlook the top tether entirely. You’ll likely find top tether anchors on the rear parcel shelf for sedans (see image above, left) and on the rear seatbacks for SUVs and hatchbacks (see image above, right).

In a survey conducted in 2006 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, only about half of the child safety seats installed in a vehicle equipped with an upper tether anchor were actually attached to the vehicle using a top tether, mainly because people didn’t know how to use it or didn’t think using it was necessary. We recently tested forward-facing convertible car seats both with and without top tethers. Based on those results, children are less likely to sustain injury in seats where the top tethers are attached. (See our new convertible car seat Ratings.)

I suggested that my husband consult the car’s instruction manual, which seemed to be the answer. Sure enough, the installation was very different from any we’d done before, particularly the installation of the top tether, which differed from the way it’s installed in our car.

Top tethers, when available, should always be attached for forward-facing seats, whether the seat is installed with the seatbelts or the LATCH system. Find more installation tips at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s LATCH page. If your vehicle isn’t equipped with a top tether anchor (many cars manufactured before 2002 don’t have them), ask your dealer about having one installed.

–Artemis DiBenedetto, Web associate editor

Go with store-brand disposable diapers. Although Consumer Reports tests show that the name brands are the top-rated disposable diapers, because overall they tend to be more absorbent and fit better, you may find store brands more than adequate—and a cost cutter. You’ll save about three cents per diaper if, for example, you compare the cost of size 1 Parent’s Choice diapers, Wal-Mart’s store-brand, with Pampers, also size 1. Saving pennies per diaper may not seem like much, but with 10 changes per day (which is reasonable with an infant), you’d bank about $9 per month and $108 per year using the size 1 store brand diapers.

Breast-feed if you can. It’ll save you $2,000 a year, the money you’d spend on infant formula.

If you choose or need to use infant formula, buy powdered formula. It cost less than concentrated liquid or liquid formula. And keep in mind that all infant formula sold in the U.S. must meet the same basic nutrient requirements specified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, so if your baby likes store-brand formula, buy it—in the largest-size cans you can find.

Get bargain-priced bottles. The best prices we’ve found on major-brand baby bottles were at Wal-Mart and Target. Major baby stores also offer sale and coupon mailers and newspaper inserts, so watch for them. The latest Babies “R” Us mailer we’ve seen gave a 15 percent discount on bottles and feeding accessories from Philips Avent, Dr. Brown’s, Born-Free, MAM, Evenflo, and Playtex. It also offered discounts on hundreds of other baby products.

Don’t think you have to shell out to get a quality stroller. Bigger-ticket strollers often have such comfy amenities as adjustable handles, which can save your back if you’re tall, but so do a number of cheaper models. In fact, a lower-end stroller may serve you well. For infrequent travel or trips to the mall, an umbrella stroller (less than $100) may be all you need for a child 6 months or older. But if you’re going to be strolling more often and through all kinds of weather conditions and terrain, consider spending more. But you don’t have to go high-end—in the range of $750 or more. You can find good quality all-purpose strollers starting at around $150.

Share your baby money-saving ideas with us!