Ouch! (Scratch Mittens for Your Baby)

Member Name: Gretta

Product:	Scratch Mittens for Your Baby
Date:	25/04/01 (2266 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Help prevent babies baring a resemblance to Vinnie Jones next-door neighbours!

Disadvantages: Easy to misplace and get soggy.

Soon-to-be-parent: So how will I know how often to cut my babies nails?

Mother: Ouch! Ahhhh! Stop it devils spurn! Sorry, I missed that, what did you say, I was too busy trying to get this little angels fingers nails out of my boob.

I used to wonder how babies knew how to breastfeed, the diagrams made it all look a bit like a complex yoga position. Well, I don't have the answer, but I can officially tell you give baby a couple of weeks and they will almost certainly become a real expert.

My second baby was a dopey, lazy little thing, and found it all too much like hard work at first...

'Mum, you don't really actually expect me to move my mouth muscles do you? You must be joking, squirt it into my mouth or I'm going to scream and scream until I turn purple'

He soon realised it would all work a bit more smoothly if he put a bit off effort in as well. He cottoned on to the fact that if he grips my boob with his hand not only can I not go away without him noticing, he can also wring out every last drop of milk.


And that's not all babies like sticking their tiny nails into, my eyes also hold a strange fascination. Many babies also scratch their own faces, particularly at night. If your baby sucks their thumb this is even more likely to happen. And no matter how often you cut them they only have a few millimetres to grow till they're back with a vengeance, sharp as ever.

OK, TIME FOR THE SERIOUS BIT

So what can you do about these miniature daggers? Firstly, cut them as often as you can bear. The more you do it and the younger you start the more accustomed to it bubs becomes. They will realise it's inevitable after a while and will probably start to wriggle less. The two best ways to cut them I have found are…

1 In the bath - At the end of their soak the nails will be softer than usual and should be easier to get off. Try biting them
off if your child seems scared of the nail cutters.

2 When asleep - If all else fails you could try cutting them while baby sleeps, although you do face the risk of waking them up again, not what you want if you just spent half an hour rocking them to sleep.

And this is where scratch mittens come in. These thin mittens, usually in plain white, are very cheap, and the sort of thing you tend to get given with a gift. They cost about £3 for two pairs in Mothercare.

I tend to stick to using them at night, to stop baby scratching themselves; they really can draw blood sometimes, which makes you feel awful when you see it.

There are two main problems to using them during the day. Firstly, if your baby puts its fingers in its mouth they get all wet and soggy, which can make them feel uncomfortable, and even cold if you are outside. Secondly, they stop your baby being able to grip things and feel things as much, and we all know how good being able to grab hold of stuff is for babies, developmentally, and just for sheer enjoyment.

You may decide that you want to use them while feeding, but I found that if you give baby something else to grip, like a finger or the strap of your bra, you can usually persuade them to leave your boob alone!

One thing I did find scratch mittens very handy for was using as socks! I think all babies feet are designed so socks fall off, especially when you are taking them in and out of prams, passing them round relatives etc. These however tend to stay on better, don't know why, but give it a try, although obviously make sure the elastic isn't too tight.

In conclusion, if someone gives you some, pack them in your hospital bag. If they don't there's no reason to rush out and buy any, unless your baby scratches it's face at night you can survive without them.

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