Naming your Baby: 7 Things to Consider
Naming a child is one of the most fun things about having a baby, but it becomes daunting when you think about how important that little series of letters is going to be in your child’s life, not to mention in your own. You have to really make sure the name your choose is to the liking of you and your partner and will be one your child can wear with pride through a long, full life. Most new parents do a good job of thinking through the decision, considering lots of names and not choosing too rashly, but Continue reading
What Your Newborn Will Look Like
New parents who do not have much experience around newborns are often surprised by to find that their babies are not the charming, camera-ready cuties they had been expecting. Of course, newborns are very lovable and most new parents are enamored from the moment they lay eyes on their little sons or daughters, but it takes several days, even weeks in some cases, for a newborn’s appearance to begin to Continue reading
3 Reasons to Buy Green Baby Toys
American consumers are increasingly being informed of the dangers of toxic chemicals often found in plastics, including baby bottles, as well as chemicals that contaminate the foods we eat, such as synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.
These chemicals are also found in many baby toys.
Plastics used to make toys can Continue reading
New Study Reveals Babies Start Learning Basics of Language Months Before Birth!
Researchers have known for 30 years that babies start learning from hearing their mothers talk while still inside the womb … previous studies have shown that fetuses seem to recognize musical melodies.
But a new study co-authored by researchers in the United States and Sweden shows that babies start learning basic units of language — vowels — from about Continue reading
Changes a Newborn Undergoes at Birth
Some important changes start taking place in a baby immediately after he or she comes through the birth canal and into the world. These changes will allow the newborn to survive outside the womb and adapt to their new environment.
The beginning of air breathed through the lungs marks a monumental first step. Inside the womb, the fetus gets fresh oxygen Continue reading
The Benefits of Neonatal Circumcision
There is a mountain of decisions to be made before a mother gives birth to her baby — and whether or not to circumcise a baby boy is an important decision that expecting parents need to address before the due date.
Circumcision, the surgical removal of the foreskin that covers the head of the penis, was until relatively recently a traditional procedure performed on Continue reading
Newborn Care: 3 Things to Know About the Umbilical Cord Stump
Before birth, babies receive all their nourishment through the umbilical cord, a tube that runs from the placenta, on the inner wall of the uterus, to the baby’s navel. This is how the baby gets all her food, liquids, and oxygen, and it remains quite literally her lifeline until she enters the world. Cutting the umbilical cord is one of the first things that happens after birth, and clamping it shut—which, along with the cutting, is painless as there are no nerves in the cord—happens soon thereafter, leaving the baby with a Continue reading
The 5 Most Important Decisions to make About Your Baby
For first-time parents, the decision to have a child is sometimes much easier than the choices that come later. After all, we are biologically programmed to have, love, and raise children, so this choice is very often a no-brainer. But as the pregnancy starts to progress and the reality of your situation begins to settle in, you will discover that there are a slew of other decisions you have to make, beginning with Continue reading
The Dangers of Hidden Chemicals in Skincare and Grooming Products for Babies
Though things often appear not to improve fast enough, concerned citizens and scientists in the industrialized countries of our planet are gradually compelling governing bodies to take concrete steps to curb the toxic chemicals all around us, be they in our foods, the soil, the air, or the water.
But interestingly, the area of cosmetics (defined as grooming, skincare and make-up products) — and the toxic chemicals in them — have remained, until recently, virtually a “no man’s land.”
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (an arm of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA) estimates that close to 900 of the chemicals used in cosmetics are toxic!
Research by the Environmental Working Group, an alliance of scientists, engineers, policy experts and lawyers, with several offices nationwide, found that, with the exception of products made by small companies in the fast-growing natural products sector, nearly all personal care products contain Continue reading
What to do About an Overweight Baby
If you are worried that your baby has gained weight too fast and now weighs too much, it is most likely that you are worried over nothing. Infants can indeed become overweight if they are overfed, but this happens only rarely. Even most perfectly healthy infants go through many different phases in their first year of life, and those who are born large and thrive during their early months commonly accumulate a lot of fat, which can make them look rather round and pudgy. But looks can be deceiving. Whereas we usually think of adults with a lot of fat as unhealthy, a decent amount of extra fat on a baby can Continue reading