New Moms Voice Concerns and Share Trends Around Infant Care Issues

SHELTON, Conn., Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Bringing home a newborn baby is an exciting time for new parents, but it can be stressful too. A recent national survey(1) commissioned by Playtex revealed top concerns for new moms during this time – with creating daily routines for their little ones at the top of the list.

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According to the survey, more than half of moms (57%) worry about establishing a healthy sleep routine, and nearly half (49%) are concerned about establishing a healthy feeding routine. More specifically for feeding, moms worry if their baby is getting enough to eat (26%), if they are latching on correctly (21%) and about general gas, colic and spit-up issues (20%).

Other primary concerns among moms include: making sure they have everything they need to properly care for their baby (57%), minimizing exposure to germs and viruses (52%) and not being able to comfort their baby or stop them from crying (45%).

As a leader in infant care, Playtex commissioned the national survey to help understand common concerns and misconceptions new moms face during this time, and help provide them with the information and tools they need as they take on these challenges.

"Adjusting to having a newborn at home can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to key issues like feeding," said Jon Jager, Senior Brand Manager, Playtex Infant Care.  "We are pleased to partner with Dr. Laura Jana to help educate new moms on issues surrounding coming home with their newborn, so they can enjoy this special time with their little ones."

To further address the survey findings and provide expert advice, Playtex partnered with Dr. Laura Jana, renowned pediatrician, parenting expert, and co-author of the award-winning, newly released second edition of the book, Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality.

"New moms often have many questions and concerns about heading home with their newborns, from feeding to sleeping to diapering," says Dr. Jana. "It can be challenging for new parents to make sense of all of the information that's out there and still believe they are doing a good job. By providing simple tips to help new parents adjust to parenthood, I am committed to making this experience much less stressful and much more enjoyable."

Dr. Jana provides her expert tips and solutions below in response to the concerns of new moms identified in the Playtex survey.

• Survey insight: Four out of five moms (80%) believe that keeping a set feeding schedule for your baby is best.
  • Dr. Jana says: Getting babies to follow some semblance of a feeding schedule is a subject of great interest to many parents of newborns. However, it's especially important when feeding a newborn to go with the flow. Focus your attention on making sure your newborn is waking up to feed at least every 2-3 hours and is getting enough to eat to gain weight and grow as expected.  Even as babies get older, it helps to remember that not everyone eats the same thing, in the same amount, at the same time, day in and day out – and babies are no exception! Prepare for a reasonable amount of variation in the amount your baby eats as you establish a routine.

• Survey Insight: About one in five moms (20%) worry about colic and spit-up issues.
  • Dr. Jana says: Gas, colicky symptoms and spit-up are some of the most common feeding challenges new moms face. If you find yourself faced with a gassy baby, try burping your baby halfway through the feeding as well as after.  Also try to reduce the amount of air your baby swallows by responding to your baby's cues that he's hungry before he really starts crying and swallowing extra air. Also consider using a bottle that doesn't interfere with natural suck, swallow and breathing patterns or cause the baby to swallow extra air. A bottle system like Playtex® Drop-Ins® that allows babies to suck more naturally and without extra air -similar to how they would when breastfeeding - can help make the bottle feeding experience smoother and less likely to cause gas, spit up, or colicky symptoms.

• Survey insight: About three out of five (59%) of expectant moms sometimes worry they won't know exactly the right thing to do when caring for their new baby. Also, more than two-thirds (67%) of moms cite their own mom as their main source of information during the first two weeks at home with their newborn.
  • Dr. Jana says: A new baby and a significant dose of sleep-deprivation is understandably enough to make new parenthood seem a bit overwhelming. Do what you can to decrease stress, including calling on help. Accept any and all offers of help when it comes to cooking, cleaning, and otherwise maintaining some semblance of order in your new daily routines, and don't be afraid to ask rather than waiting for an offer. The support of a hands-on spouse or family member can be invaluable, and for babies who are bottle-fed, simply having someone else take over a single feeding can also afford you a longer uninterrupted stretch of sleep or a couple of very valuable hours in which to feel more caught up and in control.

For more infant care tips and information, please visit Playtexbaby.com and check out the new, second edition of Heading Home with Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality.

About Playtex® Drop-Ins® Bottle System

While most regular bottle brands can disrupt a baby's natural suck-swallow-breathe feeding rhythm, Playtex® Drop-Ins® Bottle System is clinically shown to deliver an experience that mimics breastfeeding.  In a clinical study, babies who switched from other bottles to Playtex® Drop-Ins® Bottle System significantly reduced gas, colic and spit-up(2). With the Playtex® Drop-Ins® Bottle System it is easy and convenient to pump, store and feed directly in the fresh, pre-sterilized liners.

About Playtex® Products for Infant Care

Playtex Infant Care, a division of Energizer Personal Care, is a leading manufacturer and distributor of infant products including the Playtex® Drop-Ins® Bottle System, Playtex® VentAire® bottles, a variety of Spill-Proof Guaranteed(3) cups including The First Sipster®, Sipster® and the Insulator® and Coolster® Cups, Ortho-Pro® and Binky® Pacifiers and the Diaper Genie® Disposal Systems.

© 2010 Energizer Personal Care, LLC.  Playtex is a licensed trademark. All other trademarks are owned by Energizer or its affiliates.

(1) The Heading Home with Your Newborn Survey was conducted from November 8-14, 2010 as a self-administered online survey by Richard Day Research, a national, independent market research firm, on behalf of Playtex. Results for this survey are based on interviews with 1,015 mothers ages 18 and older. The survey included 505 expectant mothers and 510 mothers of infants ages -12 months old. The sample is weighted to reflect the age, region, race and ethnicity of this population as estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). With a pure probability sample of this size, one could say with a 95 percent probability that the results based on the total sample of mothers have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Results based only on the sample of expectant mothers or mothers of infants would have a sampling error of +/- 4 percentage points.

(2) In a clinical study vs. Avent®, Gerber™, and Evenflo® reusable bottles.

(3) If not fully satisfied, return for replacement product or full purchase price refund.

SOURCE Playtex Products, LLC