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 MoreCategory: Newborns
Birth From A Newborn’s Point Of View
From eight weeks into a pregnancy a baby can feel the touch of her umbilical cord and her hands on her face. Over nine months she will develop all her body senses including vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste. At fourteen weeks old a baby can taste the chocolate her mother has just eaten because the flavours of the food ingested enter the amniotic fluid which the baby floats in.
Read MoreHow to Put Your Baby to Bed Safely
It can be an emotional mix of relief and anxiety when you put your newborn to bed. Relief for the well earned break you are about to enjoy and anxiety as you listen to every breath and look for every movement your baby makes. You need to know you are putting your baby to bed in the safest possible way. Remember that cot death or sudden infant death syndrome is very rare and you can reduce the risk even further by following the sleeping advice from the experts detailed below.
What Is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder?
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is an umbrella term which describes the various birth defects which can occur in people whose mothers drink alcohol during their pregnancy.
Read MoreImportant ‘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.
A Father’s Role During Pregnancy And Childbirth
During a woman’s pregnancy she will appreciate a man who is involved in what she is experiencing and a man who listens and who is attentive to her needs. At times she will feel the need to be ‘mothered’ herself and the father should allow and let this happen by nurturing and looking after her.
Read MoreSoothing a Fussy Baby
If you are the parent of an infant, it is pretty much inevitable that you will have to deal with a fussy baby at least from time to time. For many parents, dealing with a fussy baby is a regular occurrence that quickly leads to frustration, loss of energy, and a lack of sleep.
Read MoreStep-By-Step Weaning for a Healthy Baby
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers continue to breastfeed their babies throughout the first year of life. This is a great goal, and mothers who can achieve it should be proud. However, the fact is that a variety of factors tend to get in the way. Work and other responsibilities can be disruptive to the breastfeeding routine, and in many cases babies may voluntarily give up the breast before reaching that one-year point.
Read MoreTreatments 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:
Disposable or Reusable Diapers?
Reusable cloth diapers
Initially the outlay for reusable diapers can seem more expensive but actually they cost less that the accumulative cost of disposables over two to three years. Reusable diapers are also kinder to the environment even though you have to wash them. They can be used for further children and they make a big impact on your weekly spend.