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.
Read MoreCategory: Development
Returning 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 MoreHunger is Not Why Babies Wake up at Night
For new parents, sleep can seem like a rare and priceless asset. During the early months, babies can be very unpredictable in their sleeping habits, and they wake at all hours, sometimes for seemingly no reason. Many pants find that their infants settle down and sleep more predictably after the first couple of months, but then things get rough again a little later, usually between the ages of 6 and 10 months. No one is sure exactly why this happens, and research has not made it clear. However, it is likely that frequent wakeups at this age result from a variety of factors. Here are a few of the most common ones.
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 MoreBirth 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 MoreWhat 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.
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