Q: If you coax your baby to sleep by rocking them, gradually stop the practice so that your baby learns to fall asleep without human contact. When weaning your baby from this practice, rock them until your child starts relaxing but is not quite asleep. Your baby might protest after you stop, but if your baby feels relaxed enough, these protests should not last long before they drift off. Gradually decrease the amount of time you spend rocking your baby until, eventually, your baby is able to fall asleep simply by being held and not by being rocked. After your baby adjusts to falling asleep without being rocked, you can transition them to falling asleep without being held. If your baby sleeps in your bed, graduate them to a separate bassinet or small cradle placed directly next to your bed. Your baby might feel more comfortable with the concept of not being able to cling to you at night if they can at least see you. After your baby has adjusted to sleeping separately and has done so for several weeks, you can consider moving your baby out of the room completely. Instead of holding your baby during nap time, let your baby fall asleep wherever they can get comfortable. Oftentimes, babies have an easier time napping in baby swings or car seats than a crib. This is mostly due to the fact that these spaces are more enclosed, thereby mimicking the feeling of being held in mom's or dad's arms. While these spaces should not be used for naps indefinitely, they can be helpful in transitioning your baby from napping in your arms to sleeping alone. Once your baby adjusts to sleeping alone in a confined space, you can start placing them in the open space of a crib during nap time. Start your baby on napping in the crib before requiring your baby to sleep through the night there. Many babies have an easier time falling asleep alone during the day, when things are lighter and more active, than they do at night, once everything quiets down and they can no longer see or hear their parents. The transition into the crib may not happen quickly. You may need to stay in the room with your baby as they fall asleep for the first few weeks.
A: Stop rocking your baby to sleep. Use a bassinet. Let your baby nap where they are comfortable. Introduce your baby to the crib during the day. Give your baby time to adjust to sleeping alone at night.

Q: Healing touch is an energy healing technique that relies on gentle physical touch. Practitioners believe that healing touch works by balancing the natural energy fields in and around the human body. Research suggests that healing touch can be helpful when used in combination with standard medical practices to: Promote relaxation and a sense of wellbeing, especially in patients dealing with stressful or difficult conditions and treatments Reduce symptoms of acute and chronic pain Reduce fatigue Promote wound healing Improve sleep Boost the immune system Relieve the symptoms of chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia and chronic headaches There are 2 major professional organizations that offer healing touch training and certifications. These are Healing Touch International and the Healing Touch Program. Look for certified instructors in your area to begin the training process. You can find qualified teachers through Healing Touch International here: https://www.healingbeyondborders.org/index.php/find-healing-touch?st=sinstructor The Healing Touch Program offers a list of qualified instructors here: https://www.healingtouchprogram.com/find-an-instructor In order to become a certified healing touch practitioner, you will need to complete a program consisting of several courses and a period of professional practice. The courses typically take 2-4 days to complete. During the advanced part of your training, you will work closely with a qualified mentor who will train you and observe you during your period of professional practice and development. Mentorship training lasts at least 6 months. Learn about the Healing Touch Program's training curriculum here: https://www.healingtouchprogram.com/classes/class-program-information. A full training package, including all training courses and certification, is available for $2,797 USD. Find out about the Healing Touch International Certificate Program training course here: https://www.healingbeyondborders.org/index.php/education/hti-healing-touch-certificate-program/course-objectives-and-descriptions. Contact individual instructors for information about course fees. Once you have completed your training, you can apply for certification with your professional organization. In addition to completing coursework, mentorship training, and professional practice, you may also be required to pass a certification exam. Healing touch practitioners must renew their certification every 5 years. Learn about how to apply for practitioner certification with the Healing Touch Program here: http://www.healingtouchcertification.com/practitioner Find out about certification requirements with Healing Touch International here: https://www.healingbeyondborders.org/index.php/education/certification/become-certified Certification through the Healing Touch Program costs $275 USD, with an additional $200 fee for the HTCP Entry Level Proficiency Exam. The certification fee through Healing Touch International is $325 for non-members, $250 for members. In order to renew your certification, you will be asked to submit evidence of an active Healing Touch practice and continuing education (e.g., records of classes you have taken and professional work you have done). You must submit a renewal form through your certifying organization. Renewal fees range from $125 USD-$200 USD. There may be an additional fee for late renewal submissions. Healing touch is meant to be used in conjunction with other forms of healing and therapy. Consider incorporating healing touch into your practice if you are a nurse, physician, physical therapist, counselor, psychotherapist, or other type of healthcare professional. Work or volunteer with an institution or facility that offers holistic approaches to medicine and healing.
A: Get familiar with healing touch therapy. Find healing touch classes in your area. Complete a training program. Apply for certification. Integrate healing touch into your therapeutic practice.

Q: Many plastic products, and especially those used for food or drink or children's toys, contain a number label that can tell you if they contain BPA. Look on the bottom of the product for a number from one to seven (1-7) surrounded by a triangle made of three arrows (commonly known as the "recycling symbol"). Items with numbers 3, 6, and especially 7 are most likely to contain BPA. Items with 1, 2, 4, or 5 generally do not contain BPA. A "BPA free" label on the product or packaging, in combination with one of the "safer" recycling numbers, is your safest bet for avoiding BPA. BPA is used to provide some "give" to rigid plastics in order to reduce cracking and breaking, and rigid plastics are usually made of polycarbonates. If the plastic item has a recycling number "7" and/or has the marking "PC," it is a polycarbonate and more likely to contain BPA. If a plastic product is rigid and transparent for instance, a reusable food storage container the odds are good that it is a polycarbonate that may contain BPA. Softer, flexible, and opaque plastics are usually not polycarbonates and less likely to contain BPA. But always look for labeling. BPA has been in use since the late 1950s, so there's a distinct possibility that your childhood "sippy cup" or your grandma's vintage plastic food storage containers contain BPA. Older products are less likely to have identifying labeling as well. Many people are particularly concerned about BPA exposure in babies. BPA was banned in baby bottles and kids' sippy cups by the FDA in the U.S. in 2012, and earlier in Europe. If you have older plastic baby bottles, assume they have BPA and discard them. Scratches, general wear and tear, and repeated heat exposure cause the release of greater amounts of BPA from plastic products. This is another reason to consider discarding older, well-used products that may contain BPA.
A:
Examine plastic products for labeling. Identify polycarbonate products. Discard older plastic products.