About Baby Care

Archive for the ‘Baby Care’ Category

Long before your baby starts making his first steps you should think of how to make that process most funny and joyful for him. Help him overcome all the difficulties related to walking. Remember not to torture him all day long to have a good result; every baby is unique and if you see your neighbor’s daughter has the same age and is already walking, but your baby is not, you don’t have to worry. We don’t talk about 5 years-old children, but very little ones, so if he is 1 year-old, don’t force him into walking; just prepare comforts to make him do his first steps with pleasure.

Your baby will start moving from one side to another and will learn how to roll over from two to six months. You can expect him to raise his head while pushing himself up on his arms before flipping to his backstage. Encourage him to roll over from his backside to his stomach by holding a toy over him while he is lying on his back. Then when he reaches it, move the toy across his body until he reaches even further for it and rolls over. This will help him a lot to improve legs, neck and back being ready for the next steps.

From already the fourth month he can start sitting if you support him and in the sixth month he may even sit by himself. Help him make a sitting position while he is lying on his back by carefully pulling him up by his hands.

When he is already six months you can teach him to reach the things he wants of course by helping. Start placing different colorful and favorite objects in different places not very far and make him reach those. Show him these things and explain that they are waiting for him, make it fun and enjoy the moment.

Help him also strengthen his leg muscles. Your curious baby will soon start pulling himself up onto objects like furniture, mommy’s leg or anything else to prop himself up. He will start organizing his way to stand up without any support and this usually happens from seven to twelve months. It will help him develop leg muscles, so help him and sometimes let him do it himself, but watching is a must.

There is nothing more pleasant than walking together. So take his hand and walk together; help him with his first steps, show him how mommy is walking. This will not only create desire in hm for walking, but he will also be very encouraged and happy to take mommy’s hand and enjoy sunny weather together in a green park.

Enjoy your walking and make every step  of your baby simple and joyful!

Photos credits to 1

Do you think your one-year-old baby doesn’t talk and only makes some sounds? Your baby talks and talks exactly with you. Sometimes he can even sing, so you have to encourage him and not make him keep silent. Baby’s reaction can be a little bit slower than you think, but you have to wait for his communication and help him improve his language skills. We suggest you some funny and useful things to do together with him. Be attentive and you will have success.

1. Babies cry almost every day. During the first year crying is their main ‘work’ and the basic way of communication. Babies learn how to behave when you respond to their cries; they feel safe when mommy talks to them while crying, so respond to your baby’s cries.
2. Talk to your baby, it’s very important. They look at you expecting something from you; a nice word or a warm welcome. So you can practice your conversation skills together and have a good result.
3. Even when you are in supermarket with your toddler, don’t hesitate to communicate with him. Show him things and say why you are going to take them, try to choose colorful ones and let him take the small one; he will be very happy to see you trust him.
4. Sing songs for him or together. Babies like singing in their own way and if parents encourage them it’s the greatest thing. Sing together and tell him that he perfectly does everything.
5. Read books for your kid. Choose a very kind fairytale for him and before going to sleep read a book for him, tell him about good things and kind angels, make him love the world he is going to live in. Don’t tell him about bad people; you will have much time for that.
6. When your baby looks for example into your eyes, tell him, “These are my eyes, see, you have them too,” or when the phone rings and he concentrates on the sound just say, “Oh, you heard a sound? Maybe it’s dad calling? Let’s take the phone and talk to him.”

The most important thing is to never talk to the baby like a baby. Talk to him in a simple language, but never primitive. Don’t scream at him when talking, explaining or showing something to him. It’s very useful to make him listen to different songs about children and the nice world.

Photos credits to 1

TV is a powerful source of information and entertainment as well as a great way of educating your child by example. But sometimes there occur problems the cause of which is that same TV. What to do? How to make your child take the good from it?

On the whole the only way to keep your child away from watching bad programs is to forbid him watching TV in general. This is impossible. So let’s see how you can solve TV related problems.

Make a DVD TV for him. Collect kind and funny cartoons, different child programs and do your best to watch with him. Tell him you like them too, because children always want to do what their parents love. Don’t tell him you love cartoons and go and watch soap operas, because sooner or later he’ll follow your example. Watch movies, and while watching explain what happened and ask him how he’d act if he appeared in a similar situation. Develop critical thinking and problem solving in him.

Does your child watch TV all day long without thinking about his lessons? Make a TV rule for him at an early age. Let him know that lessons should come first and TV only the second, if not the third. He must know that lessons must be prepared before his favorite cartoon starts.

Limit eating while watching TV. Eating is very important for your child’s development, therefore be careful and ask him not to eat while watching, because while watching kids start overeating. In this regard again, you have to serve him a good example.

Plan different and funny activities for family members. This will help you not only spend your time in a family-friendly atmosphere, but also let your child not concentrate on TV programs and be in action.

Late sleeping is also harmful for your child, so instead of leaving your child alone in front of TV and going to bed, spend ten minutes with him and read a nice fairytale for him.

So most importantly, spend much time together and enjoy every single moment. Don’t deprive him of being together, organize picnics with family, play football and do everything to make his childhood incredible and amazing.

Photos credits to 1

When can babies take vitamins? There are parents who don’t consult with doctors and give different vitamin pills to their babies without thinking they are useful or not. This is not right.

The vitamins your baby needs, he can get from what he eats, starting from breast milk to fruits. In this regard, there is no need to give him special vitamin pills. But this is the common approach, since many babies, particularly breastfed infants, should start taking vitamins.

Let’s firstly understand what vitamins are and what their function is. Vitamins are compounds the baby’s body needs. They aid in proper growth and development. Make sure you give your baby only a certain amount of vitamins because their big amount can cause an opposite reaction. Babies and children need a total of 13 vitamins such as A, C, D, E, K and more. A breastfed infant usually doesn’t get vitamin D, which is necessary for strong bone development.

Breast milk doesn’t contain high levels of Vitamin D, so she must daily get that Vitamin D from some other food. Breastfeeding moms should consume many vegetables, dairy products and healthy food without fat.

But there are babies who don’t take breast milk, so they have to take vitamins. What to do? There are special fruit foods and also useful juices, take carrot juices. But first and foremost ask your doctor to examine the baby, because he might be allergic.

Vitamins are very useful if taken in necessary amounts. They will improve your baby’s organism development and help him avoid many viruses and bacteria.

 Consider the following:

1. Fully or partly breastfed babies should start having a daily supplement of 400 IU of vitamin D within a few days of birth.

2. Babies who are not breastfed and older children who consume less than one quart (about 2 pints or 1 liter) of vitamin D-fortified formula or milk a day should also be taking a daily supplement of 400 IU of Vitamin D.

3. Adolescents should also take a daily supplement of 400 IU of Vitamin D if their diet does not give them this amount every day.

4. Some children may need higher doses, for instance if they are taking certain medications, which can put them at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.

Photos credits to 1

At what age should parents leave a child alone at home? Honestly nobody can give an exact answer, it depends on the age of your child as well as on how independent he gets and on how independently he can act and behave. But the one thing is clear; you should educate your child in a way he feels safe while alone at home.

• Scientists have proved children recognize numbers earlier than letters, thus you can explain to him in what case where to call. For example, you can write on a paper three main numbers of the fire service, ambulance and police. To make it even easier you can draw matches on the fire service paper, a red cross on the ambulance paper and so on. Kids like calling here and there, it’s fun for them, but do your best to teach your child not to call these services just for his pleasure. Explain to him the possible consequences. Besides these numbers, give him the phone-numbers of mom and dad, close relatives or neighbors in order to call someone in case of emergency.

• Close the windows before leaving, because a child can open and fall down. Take care of acute and incisive tools you have in your house because those can injure your child.

• Close the bathroom door because  the child can use hot water, or fall into the bathtub. And one of  the most scary things is the child can switch on the washing-machine.

• Allow your child to answer phone calls, but teach him not to tell he’s alone. This way you’ll be sure your baby’s naivety won’t serve for “bad people” as a source of information, which can threaten his safety.
• Educate your child not to open doors to unknown people, even if the strangers claim to be your relatives. Explain this in a way he doesn’t get scared of the idea someone might knock on the door and present a danger for him.

• One place all kids love in the house is the kitchen, with its fridge (I believe if the fridge were in the balcony, we’d refer to the balcony as their favorite place in the house). Don’t put your pills in the fridge, he can easily get them and eat just like a candy. In any way, even if you have to leave the pills in the fridge, put them on the very top. Alcohols are also sure to attract kids, so put them in out-of-the-reach places in your fridge, or if you feel there is no such a place, then just take them out from there. Some two hours or so won’t spoil them.

These are points you should consider once your child’s alone at home or you are in another room. Be attentive to the most minute things, and you’ll ensure your baby’s safety at the most.

Pregnancy is a period of amazing nine months during which mothers spend most of their time on looking for beautiful names for their baby and buying every little detail to make their babies’ childhood unforgettable and wonderful.

But pregnancy period is not a process, which always goes smooth and problem-free. Future mothers can face various problems, thus for them it is a must to know how to solve them. I know many women interested in whether it’s OK to travel while pregnant or not. So today we’ll talk about how safe it is to travel during pregnancy. We’ll also offer you points to make your travel both safe and enjoyable.

The perfect time to travel is the second trimester because during the first one different symptoms like morning sickness (nausea) can occur. Third trimester travels are not a good idea as well, because they make you tired and exhausted — it’s not safe.

Everyone is an individual, so the pregnancy is individual too. To avoid problems, right before traveling consult your healthcare doctor to learn if  you have any medical problems to worry about or not. Your doctor will tell you if it’s normal to travel or no. This is what you should do by all means because sometimes a woman needs to be under the strong and constant control to deliver a healthy baby as well as avoid possible difficulties.

During travel take all documents related to pregnancy (all the prenatal tests) — this way you will be prepared in case of emergency and you’ll get right medical help at the right time without delays, which can occur because of lack of your pregnancy test history. Make sure you take the medications you need — there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to find the pills and vitamins you use in the other country. If you want to protect the growing baby, you must also take into account that not using seat belts can be too dangerous for both of you. Hereby, no matter you’re traveling by car, train or airplane use the belts.

Air travel

If your pregnancy is normal and there are no any difficulties, air travel is the safest one. The period between 14 to 27 weeks is an ideal time for travels, because you won’t suffer from morning sickness anymore and you will feel much more comfortable. But, be attentive not to fly after the 36th week. Many airlines even don’t let women travel at the end of the pregnancy because it’s a big responsibility and risk.

Car Travel

Though car travel might seem scary, traveling by car is also normal. You just need to follow certain safety steps. Wear the seat belts, especially if you are sitting near the driver. Pregnant women always need fresh air, so keep the window open so that fresh air goes in. If it’s cold outside, at least make sure the window is half open. And very importantly, if you want to avoid the possibility of feeling nausea, concentrate on the horizon or on a subject far away.

Train Travel

If you ask me which the safest way of travel is, I’ll answer “travel by train.” It’s not only safe, but also comfortable. You are allowed to walk in the train enjoying the freedom of your movements. If you feel fatigue, you can go and lie. Travel by train also gives an opportunity to enjoy the glaring view from the window. To make it complete you can listen to relaxing or favorite music/songs. You can also read a book about pregnancy and get more informed about the pleasant “situation” you are in. : )

You know, I see no reason to say “no travel” during pregnancy, this, of course, refers to the second trimester pregnancy. Follow all the steps correctly, and you’ll both feel happy and perfect. Travels always bring good emotions and feelings, so why not travel while your baby’s still on his way to this beautiful world? I believe he’ll love it too. So enjoy the most incredible nine months of your life in every possible way, including by travels.

Photos credits to 1

Being a mother is a unique specialization and you have to be very “well-educated” to make your baby’s life full of joy and fun, at the same time keeping him away from troubles.

When your child is 2-3 years old, you wash his hands yourself explaining the importance of cleanliness. But when in kindergarten with friends, he hardly remembers your advice. So you have to use every possible and impossible way to make him understand the importance and necessity of washing hands. It should become a pleasant habit for him.

To help you with this problem, we offer you steps to make your child enjoy water and understand why he needs to wash hands.

1. Instead of telling him fearful stories about illnesses caused by dirty hands, try to be a good example for him. Shouting all the time about the importance of washing hands will not make him love this process. Wash your hands together! Start playing with the soap bubbles; it will be very funny for both of you.

2. Make an experiment together. Take him to the bathroom and open the water. Show him the purity of the water. Ask him to wash the hands. That’s when the experiment will start. While washing, he’ll notice the water getting dirty. At the same time he’ll keep on playing with the water. That’s an interesting process for every child, you just need to revive that interest in him. While he’s enjoying his “hand-soap-water” communication, tell him about the naughty things called “bacteria.” Afterwards you can leave him; he will enjoy being a hero and fighting against the “entire army of bacteria.”

3. Take him to any market and let him choose the soap he wants. This will be a process you’ll both love — you’ll enjoy his shopping and spend a good time together, and he’ll appreciate your trust in him. Liquid soaps are very common and the bottles are quite well-decorated to attract a child. He will choose his favorite flavor and will surely hurry home to use his “new discovery.”

4. After playing with favorite toys on the floor, he will open the door of the fridge, absolutely forgetting about washing hands. Look no further, take a cream for hands and ask him to follow you. While applying the cream he will see it become unimaginably dirty and will be surprised why Mommy’s hands are not like his. Explain to him that before using the cream you washed your hands. As the cream process is very enjoyable he will surely follow your advice.

These steps will help you make your baby’s childhood not only happy, but also “clean” and why not, risk-free. Every child is an individual demanding unique approach, so if one suggestion doesn’t work, try the rest to see which one helps in your goal.

 Photos credits to 1

The key to good nail care is keeping finger and toe nails short. This helps keep them clean, prevents your baby from scratching himself or others and prevents nails from breaking and tearing.

Newborn babies’ nails are very fragile, so resist cutting them for the first few weeks. If they are very long, a pair of scratch mitts will keep her from scratching her face. After a few weeks, you can start using baby scissors with round ends or special clippers. Avoid cutting too close to the quick.

Remember to check older children’s toenails regularly – small children’s nails grow very fast, and unless they are in open-toed shoes in summer, we may not see much of their feet, so be sure to have a look at bath time and check whether trimming is in order. Ill-fitting shoes can cause all sorts of problems for growing feet, including growing toenails, so be sure to have your children’s shoe size measured regularly.

Remember that most children dislike the feeling of having their nails cut, or may be afraid of scissors, so a good time to try and do this is when they are asleep. Keeping a pair of scissors handy (in the car, for example, for when you take a long journey and your baby or toddler might have a nap).

What colour your baby’s eyes are is determined by melanin, a dark pigment contained in the iris. The more melanin there is, the darker the colour of the eye is. This means that the less melanin there is, the lighter the colour of the eye is. The iris controls the amount of light allowed into the eye. A newborn baby’s pigmentation process in the iris is not yet complete. When trying to find out when do newborn babies eyes change, it is usually during the first year of a babies life.

The lighter skinned your baby is, the lighter the eye colour usually is. It is usually a blue to bluish-grey colour at birth. After about a year, this colour will deepen becoming darker. If your baby is dark skinned, he will probably have a dark eye colour at birth and they will probably stay relatively dark.

It is not only the colour of a newborn baby’s eye that will change. The pressure on your baby’s face during the delivery process can cause your baby’s eyelids to be puffy and to have blood spots on the whites of the eyes. Eye medicines used to prevent infections after birth can also leave your baby with red eyes.
The redness and puffiness of the eyes usually only lasts about 3 days, it could take up to 3 weeks for the blood spots on the white of the eyes to go.

If you notice that your baby is not opening his eyes, it might be that the light in the room is too bright for him. Try dimming the lights to encourage him. A newborn cannot see very well. The optic nerve that sends information from the eyes to the brain does not function yet. Their vision will be hazy. The eyesight will improve by the time your baby is about 4 to 5 months old, allowing them to see colour and objects. By the time your baby is 8 to 12 months old, they will be able to see clearly. Their brain has matured a great deal in this time.

Don’t be alarmed if your baby cries without actually producing tears. A baby usually only creates enough tears to keep the eyes wet. A baby will start to produce more tears by the age of about 8 months. Blocked tear ducts are not uncommon in newborns. A sign of this is a yellow sticky discharge in one or both of the eyes. If you suspect that your baby might have a blocked tear duct, speak to your caregiver and they will be able to advise you on how to massage your baby’s tear ducts to unblock them.

Parents  of young children are kept busy looking after their children’s myriad needs. In all this, the hair often gets neglected. Proper hair care, even at this age, is important for your child. It will also help to make hair care a habit with your child as he grows up.

Here are some tips to help you care for your children’s hair:

• Always keep your child’s scalp clean; this is important even if your baby has no hair yet.
• Wash your child’s hair every few days; due to their scanty growth, it is not necessary to wash your baby’s hair everyday.
• Gently ease out any tangles in your baby’s hair before washing it.
• Be gentle and exercise caution. Do not exert pressure on the baby’s soft spot on the scalp.
• Use a gentle baby shampoo that will not hurt the baby’s eyes.
• Many children may find the process of having their hair washed distressing. Speak to your child gently and in comforting tones. Encourage your child to enjoy having the hair washed.
• ‘Cradle cap,’ a condition marked by red or flaky skin on the scalp, is prevalent amongst young children. It can be controlled by regularly washing the scalp with a gentle shampoo; your doctor may prescribe a cortisone cream.
• Remember: It is a myth that shaving off an infant’s hair helps it grow thicker and better.