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).
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The 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 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.
Soothing 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.
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