Okay, so before we get to Cohen's words today...here are a few tips I have learned along the way:
+ Don't blame yourself.
Never for one second think that your child's needing of a helmet was because you failed in any sort of way. You are in fact being a better parent by helping your child. It is just like a parent giving their child braces so that they can have a straighter smile. Be grateful there is technology like this to help shape your little one's head along.
+ Be positive.
Babies can sense whether you are happy, sad or mad. So remember to be extra positive when you are attending your baby's helmet appointments and from then on while your little one is wearing the helmet. If you are hesitant or negative about it or the situation revolving around the helmet, your little fellow will associate that with the helmet itself. So put on your happy face and let him (or her) know everything is going to be okay!
+Be open to others.
In doing so, it allows for so much more positive growth for you, your family, and those around you. Which gives room for you to receive a lot more--much needed--comfort. As I have been open about this (and believe me I will be the first to say I was A-Okay with staying put in our basement apartment for the 10 weeks or so until the helmet was off just to avoid all the stares, judgements and whatever else I thought would come with it), I have actually received so much positive feedback, love, admiration, inspiration, and comfort.
+Invest in a squirt bottle and some rubbing alcohol.
When your baby gets up to wearing that helmet 23/7, be prepared, it's gonna get stinky. So take a trip to Walmart: go to the travel section and buy a little squirt bottle. Then fill it with some rubbing alcohol and be sure to clean that helmet EVERY day. We have a nice routine (from before we even got the helmet) where we give Cohen a bath every night at about 6:30 (of course unless we are out at an activity, function, etc.) to start getting him ready for beddy-by-time. Thus, for us, we take his helmet off at 6pm. Then we usually take him for a quick walk to let him air out (if the whether permits), just before 6:30 we feed him his solids, after that Steven will usually bathe him while I clean the helmet. I like to squirt the inside with the alcohol and rub it in real good with a clean wash cloth. Then I use another wash cloth dampened with water to get the outside cleaned up. Oh and I like to squirt and wipe off the velcro strap (as ours tends to get stinky...). Once the helmet smells nice and clean, I set it upside down (as we were instructed by our doctor to allow better ventilation while drying) in front of a fan. I just like to do that because I feel like it helps it dry faster and air out better. In the meantime, Steven finishes bathing Cohen, lotions him up (except for his head so that the extra oils don't get in the helmet), puts on his jammies, reads him a book or two then gives him his bottle. We find it is easiest to put his helmet on when he is all ready for bed and fed because then he is clean (obviously) and in a sleepy state. We position the helmet on and nighty night he goes. It sounds like a process, but honestly it takes about 30mins total. And yes, it is much easier with the two of us.
+Beware of heat rash.
Really just be cautious and aware of your little feller's head during that brief hour that it is off. Our doc told us that yes there will be the few red pressure spots (and he pointed out where those would be so we knew what to expect/look for), but those will go away within the hour the helmet is off. If they don't, do not just ignore them or else they may turn into sores. And then you have to wait until the sores heal up before you can continue use of the helmet. So it is just easier to check out your baby's head each night (and make sure their head is completely dry before putting the helmet back on) to try and avoid sores. For us, though, sores have not been the problem. It has been heat rash. Luckily it has only occurred twice, and with the use of hydrocortisone, it has cleared up in a day. But if we ignored the redness (which for us the heat rash was kind of just a red splotch all over his head), it could have gotten a lot worse. So in a nutshell, expect the red pressure spots to clear up within the hour it is off. If they don't, consult your doctor and use your best judgement as to whether or not you put the helmet back on until you are able to see your doctor.
+Keep the temperature cooler.
This goes hand in hand with being aware of heat rash. Because the helmet doesn't breathe much, it locks in all the heat that normally escapes from your baby's head. Yes, your baby's body will eventually adapt to wearing the helmet, but you need to help in the process by making sure they don't overheat (and thus develop that heat rash). Luckily for us we have AC and live in a basement...oh and Fall is coming up so hopefully it cools off soon. Even so, I find that Cohen's body temp is best regulated when he is in either a onesie or shorts and a T-shirt. As for nighttime, we still put him in his normal jammies, but we do not put him in his sleep sack anymore. Instead, we give him his little blankie (and two stuffed animals--Bear-Bear and Mr. Elephant) to snuggle with. But don't let this issue of keeping your baby cool limit you from going out on occasions.
+Get out of the house.
If you don't, you AND your baby will go crazy. Use common sense though and don't go strollering around in the blazing sun or sit in the park (even if it's in the shade, because it still is enough to get your baby heated). Instead, go visit a friend or go to the store or go for your walk in the mall. Try to go to places that are cooler. If all else fails, and you just want to take your walk outside, go either in the morning or evening before or after it heats up.
+Be happy the helmet is an extra cushion and protection against the falls.
As Cohen is crawling all over the place and pulling himself up to standing anywhere he can now, that means there are a lot more falls and bumping into things. Thus, it is nice not to have to worry about any bumps or bruises happening (at least on the head) as the helmet gives him good protection. *Fingers crossed, but I hope he learns to walk while wearing this thing for that very reason!* However, something to be aware of (for me too), I was talking to another family today that my husband and I met at the park while we were pushing Cohen in the swing. Turns out their little boy--who is now a year and a half old--had a helmet for five months when he was about Cohen's age. And this mother was saying that when he finally was done with his helmet, he continued to bump into things as he did while wearing the helmet. But when he had the helmet on, he wasn't really aware that he was actually bumping his head and it would normally hurt. SO when he started moving
all around--as babies do--without his helmet, he had to get use to not having the helmet there to cushion his falls.
Anyway, I thought it was just something to think about and kind of expect for
when the helmet is OFF.
Well, I am sure there are various other things I am forgetting to mention, and maybe your experience is very different than mine. So just take my two cents like a grain of salt and use your own best "motherly intuition". In the end, that is all we really can go off of anyway. We do what we mothers do, and we strive to do it the best way we know how. I like to think mothers are angel's hands doing the heavenly work of God. His children are His most precious gifts, and they are ours to love, nurture and raise.
