Double Dangers of Drug Exposure During Pregnancy
Drug abuse is doubly dangerous if you are a pregnant woman as drugs can harm you, compromising your ability to have a healthy pregnancy and they can also directly damage your baby’s prenatal development. As a pregnant woman it is vital you lead a healthy lifestyle by having a well-balanced and nutritional diet, you get enough rest and carry out some light exercise. It is very important to abstain from doing anything that could harm your unborn baby like smoking, drinking alcohol or using drugs.
What to Do When Your Baby Rejects the Bottle
After several months of breastfeeding, many babies are understandably reluctant to change. Breastfeeding is warm and comforting, it brings mother and baby close together, and it comes easily and naturally. So when it comes time to introduce the bottle and your baby does not take to it right away, do not be frustrated. The plastic nipple takes some getting used to, and the temperature of the milk in the bottle can be difficult to regulate. Plus, if you are introducing formula at the same time, this adds another element of difficulty.
Posted in Bonding, Bottle Feeding, Breastfeeding, Feeding Products, General Health, Health, Illnesses, Learning, Moms, Motor Skills, Newborns, Nutrition | 
Leave a commentStaying 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 utilize the benefits of their birthing balls until they have gone into labor. 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 labor. 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 commentThe Perils of Meconium
Meconium is your baby’s first poo! It has the consistency of treacle, it is odourless and unlike later offerings it is sterile. It is very dark and almost impossible to wipe clean. Meconium consists of water, mucus, amniotic fluid, lanugo which is downy baby hair and also intestinal epithelial cells. For most babies it is just their first poo (one of many!) and means a very gooey first nappy but in some cases it can be a cause for concern.
What 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 commentInfant Napping: Everything You Need to Know
By Jamell Andrews
Everyone knows that babies spend a great deal of time napping, but many new parents are surprised by just how much of their time and energy will be devoted to fostering the baby’s naps. Getting a baby to nap regularly and on a set schedule is an immensely appealing idea to new parents who want a little predictability in their lives. But unfortunately, given that newborns’ sleep patterns tend to be unpredictable and may stay that way for several months, it is important to accept that it may be quite a while before your baby has set nap times.
Posted in Activities, Babysitter, Care, Development, General Health, Health, Moms, Nanny, Newborns, Sleep, Sleep Care | Leave a commentGetting an Infant to Sleep: Strategies for Parents
When it comes to getting an infant to sleep, there are many factors that parents have to balance. They have to balance the child’s personality and preferences with the recommendations of doctors and parenting guides-and these two things are seldom perfectly aligned. They have to balance the child’s sleep schedule with their own schedules. They have to figure out how to regulate the child’s naps so that he or she sleeps the proper amount during the night. And in addition to these issues, there may be other, unexpected factors that come into play. All in all, figuring out how to give your child healthy sleep is one of the biggest challenges of the first several months of parenting.
Posted in Babysitter, Care, Dads, General Health, Moms, Nanny, Newborns, Preemies, Sleep, Sleep Care, Twins - Multiples | Leave a commentChoosing a Doctor for Your Baby
For new parents, the early stages of pregnancy are all about keeping the mother healthy and preparing for labor. You might be so preoccupied with these concerns that you forget about the years of parenting that will follow the birth. While some tasks can be saved until later, there is one thing that must be taken care of as early as possible: finding a doctor for the baby. Parents should start thinking about this early in the pregnancy, and it is best to have a doctor chosen by the seventh or eight month.
How Will We Know If Our Newborn Baby Is Ill?
New parents are often worried that they will not be able to tell if their newborn baby is unwell. There are precautions that you can take to help keep your baby strong and well. Washing your hands after each diaper change and staying away from sickly people is a good idea. If you have decided to breastfeed your baby, then try and keep doing this for as long as possible, at least twelve months if possible. Make sure your baby is properly immunized and never let anyone smoke around your baby. Placing your baby on his back to sleep reduces the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).
Posted in Babysitter, Dads, General Health, Health, Illnesses, Moms, Nanny, Newborns, SIDS | Leave a commentThe Pros and Cons of Circumcision
Although circumcision is a long-established tradition and is very common in the United States, it is a perpetual subject of controversy. There is a substantial body of evidence that circumcision might have health benefits, but the procedure also comes with risks. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not consider the benefits of circumcision significant enough to outweigh the risks, which is why they do not officially recommend circumcision, saying that it “is not essential to the child’s well-being.”