Archive for ‘Baby Care’
Bacteria can grow easily in warm or room-temperature milk and milk-based formula. To protect babies from bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract, it's essential to make sure that formula stays perfectly fresh and all feeding equipment is kept clean and free from contamination. Some doctors still recommend sterilizing bottles and other feeding equipment in boiling water and using only sterilized (boiled) water for making up formula. In some areas the water supply is clean enough that stringent hygiene is adequate. Ask your pediatrician for specific advice. Even if you don't sterilize bottles, you must scrub bottles and nipples using a bottle brush and hot, soapy water. Bottles and caps (but not nipples) can also be washed in an automatic dishwasher set at its highest temperature. Here are some other hygiene tips to follow carefully: If possible, make up only one bottle at a time. If you make up several bottles at once, refrigerate them immediately with the nipples co...
Most newborns sleep about two-thirds of the time, but their periods of sleep tend to be rather brief and scattered all around the clock sometimes, it seems, in a totally random fashion. Within six to eight weeks, almost all babies begin to sleep more at night and less during the daytime. Still, they differ greatly in the ages at which they begin to sleep through the night. Part of this variation has to do with temperament, but household patterns also have an effect. Like adults, babies have alternating cycles of light and deep sleep, which become more regular in the first few weeks of life. At first, your baby's sleep patterns will be closely linked to feeding times, and he will tend to fall asleep readily after feeding and burping. Later, as the baby spends longer periods alert and awake, fatigue (rather than a feeling of being well-fed) will lead to sleep. He may also cry and fuss as if fighting sleep....
After the first few weeks of the baby's life, you and your baby should start settling into a daily routine of sorts. You don't need to follow a rigid timetable, but it will be helpful to keep to a fairly regular pattern of eating, sleeping, and care that allows you to meet the baby's needs within the context of daily family activity. As much as possible, accommodate the baby's own rhythms and preferences rather than trying to impose your schedule. For example, if he naturally has a wakeful period between 6 and 8 A.M. (when you'd prefer to be sleeping), your best bet is probably to stay awake yourself indulging, if possible, in a midmorning nap of your own. The ease with which your baby settles into a routine depends largely on his temperament. Many parents blame themselves for cranky or difficult babies. In the past, some child care experts did the same, claiming that tense parents made for anxious infants. But the opposite is probably true: Inherently fussy babies make for stresse...
Babies are born with the ability to perform certain instinctive or reflexive behaviors. Some of these reflexes disappear and never return; others remain for life; and a few fade and then return later when the time is right for new developmental milestones. The major infant reflexes are: Sucking, Swallowing And Rooting Babies need to suck, not just for food but for comfort. In the womb, babies swallow the amniotic fluid that surrounds them, and some even suck their thumbs. Newborns are also programmed to seek out food, at least within the tiny confines of their mother-baby universe, through the rooting reflex. When a newborn's cheek is stroked lightly, he or she turns to that side, lips pursed for sucking. As a baby learns to feed voluntarily, this reflex lessens. Grasping It's always surprising to feel the strong grip of a tiny infant's fingers. This powerful grasp tight enough to hold up a baby's own weight may be an evolutionary throwback to a time when the primate ancestors o...
Before you leave the hospital or birthing center, the nursing staff should offer hands-on lessons in feeding, bathing, and changing your baby. They should also remind you of any trouble signs that warrant a call to the pediatrician. If you don't already have a pediatrician lined up, this is the time to find one who is well-qualified, conveniently located, and personally compatible. It is most helpful if your pediatrician's office has a "call hour" when you can ask questions. You'll also be given an appointment for a routine post-partum checkup from the obstetrician for yourself and from the pediatrician for the baby. Often, the baby's checkup is scheduled for two weeks after birth, but you many need it sooner, particularly if there were any problems early on. At home, you will soon discover the best ways to keep the baby comfortable and happy. Babies vary tremendously in their likes and dislikes, as well as in their overall moods and body rhythms for example, sleep cycles and elimi...