Staying On The Ball!
You may be one of the many pregnant women who use a birthing ball to exercise and strengthen your back. Unfortunately, most do not utilise the benefits of their birthing balls until they have gone into labour. Midwives recommend birthing balls to pregnant women because they encourage you to maintain good posture by balancing on them. By sitting on the ball you are forced to sit properly so that your back is well aligned and this relieves your back of pressure which is especially helpful later on in your pregnancy. Birthing balls are sometimes used to encourage your unborn baby to move into the correct position enabling you to be more comfortable during labour. You often see them in maternity wards.
Posted in Activities, Care, Development, General Health, Health, Misc, Moms, Motor Skills, Newborns, Physical, Preemies, Products, Uncategorized | 
Leave a commentWhat Does It Mean If My Baby Has Tongue-Tie?
There is a visible string of tissue underneath your baby’s tongue that is attached to the floor of his mouth and is called the frenulum. Babies who have tongue-tie have a frenulum that is too short causing problems with the mobility of their tongue. The medical term for tongue-tie is ankyloglossia.
Posted in Dads, Development, Emotional - Social, Feeding, General Health, Health, Language Skills, Learning, Moms, Motor Skills, Newborns | Leave a commentBaby Napping: 7 Tips for Optimizing the Little One’s Sleep
Napping seems like such an ordinary thing, but to parents of young children it is a constant concern and often a source of anxiety. We know that getting the maximum amount of sleep possible is good for a child, yet the child is obviously not aware of this, and many seem to naturally resist being put down for naps. Some babies fuss, wake up frequently, and are unpredictable in when and how they like to nap. These are all simple facts of being a parent. And while you cannot stop nap troubles entirely, what you can do is minimize the difficulties.
Posted in Babysitter, Dads, Development, Health, Moms, Motor Skills, Nanny, Newborns, Sleep, Sleep Care | Leave a commentCommunicating With Your Baby in the First Six Months
By Jamell Andrews
During the first six months of a child’s life, parents go through virtually every conceivable emotion, from elation, to frustration, to hope, to terror. But there is one that stands above all the rest: The pure elation you feel when you begin to truly communicate with their little one. During the very early weeks of the baby’s life, parents are busy taking care of all the baby’s needs, but it is not until a little later that the back-and-forth, loving communication becomes tangible. And when this happens, it is one of the highlights of any parent’s life.
How Can You Help Your Toddler Talk?
Babies, even before they are born have an inbuilt curiosity and interest in human voices. They instinctively want to listen to and concentrate on sounds especially human voices. When you are thinking about how you can encourage your toddler to develop his speech remember this in-built instinct he naturally has.
Posted in Activities, Bonding, Development, Language Skills, Learning, Motor Skills, Physical, Social Life | Leave a commentHow Babies Learn to Talk, and How You Can Help
Learning how to talk is an innate human ability that scarcely needs parental encouragement. As long as a child is around people who talk, he or she is eventually going to begin picking up on words, and adeptness with the language comes soon thereafter. However, the sooner a child learns how to talk, the sooner she can begin to communicate more complex things, learn to read, and socialize meaningfully with other children. As a parent, you may not be able to speed up the process significantly, but some babies do respond well to encouragement.
Posted in Development, Emotional - Social, Language Skills, Learning, Motor Skills | Leave a commentImportant ‘Tummy Time’ With Your Baby
Parents are now very aware of the importance of laying their babies on their backs to sleep as lying them on their tummies can increase the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). In fact, cot deaths have decreased by 40% since the recommendation was put into effect in 1994.
Posted in Activities, Babysitter, Colic, Dads, Development, Feeding, Health, Moms, Motor Skills, Nanny, Newborns, Nutrition, SIDS, Sleep, Sleep Care, Solids | Leave a commentTreatments for Positional Plagiocephaly
Re-positional therapy
This means regularly varying the position your baby settles and sleeps in. Babies tend to find the same position they find comfortable and you need to alter it to avoid the same pressure being applied to the same part of their head. During the day you can do the following to strengthen your baby’s neck muscles:
Posted in Development, General Health, Health, Motor Skills, Newborns, Physical, Sleep Care | 3 CommentsDetecting Flat Head Syndrome or Plagiocephaly
There is a condition that causes a baby’s head to become misshapen or have a flat spot and is known as plagiocephaly. The most common type is positional plagiocephaly and happens when a baby’s head develops a flat spot because of pressure on that area. Babies’ heads are soft when they are born so are vulnerable to this condition.
Preparing To Swim With Your Baby
Being in water is great for pregnant women and during labour. Swimming is also a great activity for babies. Before they crawl and walk, swimming enables them to move around independently as the water supports them.
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