For new parents, no two situations are alike. Everyone has their own habits, their own hobbies, and their own experiences. So if you are about to welcome your first child into your life, only you can know how you are going to handle it. Some people have been preparing for years to become parents and are more or less ready, while others receive their first child with no more than a few months to prepare mentally, socially, and financially. Whatever your situation, there are ways to handle the new arrival so that your life and your family’s life become better. One thing is for sure, though: Life will change.
Read MoreCategory: Moms
How Do You Prepare For The Arrival Of Twins?
If you are expecting twins there are of course special preparations that you can make in anticipation of their arrival.
Read MoreGetting 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.
Read MoreHow 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).
Read MoreReturning to Work after Childbirth
The question of when to return to work after giving birth weighs heavily on the minds of many pregnant woman. In the United States, the vast majority of women with children of preschool age or younger are part of the work force, and the rate is increasing throughout the world. This can be troublesome in an age in which women are still widely expected to be the primary caregivers for young children, and the issue is further complicated by the physical and emotional difficulties surrounding the post-childbirth return to work.
Read MoreWhat Colour(Color) Will My Baby’s Eyes Be?
You would think that if two parents have brown eyes that their children would also have brown eyes but this does not always occur! Genes determine eye colour. It is more likely that the children will have brown eyes if the parents are brown eyed but they could also have hazel, green or blue eyes!
Read MoreBonding With Your Newborn Baby
Not all mothers feel an overwhelming rush of love when they first hold their baby and look into their eyes. They should not feel alone if they do not instantly connect with their newborn baby. Sometimes after a difficult birth, feeling exhausted and possibly being in pain a new mother can feel a bit resentful of the traumatic experience she has just had to endure. Sometimes bonding with their baby can take time but she must relax, it will happen. There are some things that can happen that can cause the bonding process to be delayed, such as:
Read MoreThe 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.”
Read MoreNew Baby: Co-Sleeping or Crib-Sleeping?
In child care, there are few issues more contentious than where a baby should sleep. It is the kind of thing that can arouse arguments between friends and drive wedges between spouses. Everyone seems to have strong feelings about it, and there are no sleeping conditions that all doctors categorically recommend for everyone. This makes it an extra thorny issue, but it does not have to be so complicated. Ultimately, the main goal is to sleep in a way that is most beneficial for both the baby and the parents. And while sleeping habits are a matter of personal choice, there are things that doctors do and do not recommend.
Read MoreDoes Bump Size Matter?
Baby bumps come in all shapes and sizes. You are more likely to have a neat bump with your first child but with further pregnancies your muscles become more relaxed and your bump can spread out more. The shape of your bump can also depend on how many babies you are expecting, the amount of amniotic fluid you have in there and also what position your baby is lying in.
Read More