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The normal body temperature for children ranges from 36°C (96.8°F) to 37°C (98.6°F). Anything over 37.7°C (100°F) is classed as a fever.
Anything under 35°C (95°F) is also a concern because if the body temperature falls below this level hypothermia can develop.

Remember that a child’s temperature will be higher if he has been running around and lower in the morning than the evening because of muscle activity throughout the day. If your child’s temperature is high, wait for 20 minutes and take it again to check it is still high.

How to take your child’s temperature

It is best not to rely on the hand-on-the-forehead method, and invest in a good children’s thermometer.  There are lots of different types available and some are more suitable for children and babies than others.

Digital thermometers

These are probably the most accurate as they give high and low readings and can be inserted quickly into your child’s ear. They are probably the easiest as they can get a temperature reading almost straight away so if you have a wiggly, sick child, it will not be too disruptive for them. They are probably the most expensive thermometer available and need batteries to work. You can also place a digital thermometer in your child’s mouth under her tongue, but it is best to read the thermometer’s instructions on how to get the best reading.

Mercury thermometers

Mercury thermometers are unsuitable for small children to use as they have a tendency to bite the thermometer and object to it being in their mouths for a long time. For small children, it may be better to place the thermometer under their armpit for three minutes, but bear in mind this will give you a reading 0.6° C or 1°F below body temperature so you need to adjust accordingly.

Forehead thermometers

Forehead thermometers are also easier to use with small children and babies, but are the least accurate.  Place the strip on your child’s forehead with the numbers and panels facing outwards. Try not to touch the strip too much with your own fingers. Press flat and leave in place for 15 seconds. The panels will light up the temperature of your child’s forehead.

What should I do if my baby has a fever?

Whilst a raised temperature is actually a good sign because it means your child is responding and fighting off infection, it also needs to be treated because a high temperature in young children can lead to convulsions.
If the temperature is high, remove clothes and bed sheets and sponge your child’s forehead down with e tepid sponge.
To reduce a temperature effectively you can give your child medicine. Children’s Paracetamol like Calpol, or Children’s Nurofen can reduce a temperature quickly. Make sure that the medicine is suitable for the age of your baby, and that you are administering the right dose for his age.

Dear readers, New Year has finally arrived!

Abotbabycare.com wishes You bright hopes, new success and many new reasons to smile in 2011.

May each moment of this year be special, filling your heart with immense pleasure and may each day turn out just the way you want it to be. Have a splendid New Year

There are many factors that determine when a baby walks. A baby’s genes and a baby’s personality will play a part in when the baby will walk. Some babies are walking by the age of six or seven months already, while other babies are only taking their first steps well after they have their first birthday. The average age for a baby to start walking is between nine and twelve months. To answer the question when do babies walk also comes down to the baby’s activity level, if they have a great sense of fear or not and also how adventurous the baby is. You should consider taking your baby for an evaluation with a paediatrician if they have not begun walking by the age of fifteen to eighteen months.

Your baby will develop muscle strength and co-ordination in the first year of his/her life. There are ways in which you can assist your baby in learning to walk. If you live in a warm climate, or if you have a warm home in a cold climate allow your baby to walk around barefoot. Ensure that there are no sharp objects on the ground that your baby might be able to injure themselves with. It is easier for your baby to learn to walk when they can feel the surface of the floor beneath their feet. If it is too cold or if the floors are slippery, you can dress your baby in socks that have rubber or non-skid soles.

Try to limit the amount of time your baby spends wearing shoes to when they are outside the home. Do not purchase shoes that are heavy. This will be too difficult
for a baby who is only attempting to walk. Choose a shoe that allows your baby’s toes to move around freely and ones that are lightweight. Square toed shoes are usually the best option. A baby’s feet grow at a rapid rate, so don’t invest in very expensive shoes. Choose less expensive shoes that are also comfortable because you will be changing them fairly often.

When your baby progresses from crawling to walking, he will be pulling himself up by holding on to furniture. Sometimes a baby is not sure how to get back down. If this is the case with your baby, don’t just pick him up and put him back down on his bottom. Rather show him how to bend his knees so he will be able to sit down without falling over. Then let him do it by himself.

If you want to encourage your baby to walk, hold both his hands and walk him towards you. This will help him get used to the movement. You can also kneel in front of him with your arms outstretched toward him, encouraging him to walk to you this way.

On average by the age of about eighteen months, your baby will be a good walker. He’ll probably be able to get up stairs without a problem, but will need help getting down. Remember that your child is still a baby and you will need to keep an eye on him at all times.

Your baby’s sex is decided at the moment of conception  and it all hangs on whether your X-chromosome (female) egg is fertilized by an X-chromosome or Y-chromosome (male) sperm. If an X chromosome penetrates the egg first it’s X + X, meaning you have conceived a baby girl. But if a Y-chromosome sperm gets there first, X + Y results in you conceiving a baby boy.

There has long been debate over whether nature or nurture is responsible for the differences between baby boys and baby girls – but MRI scanning techniques have revealed over a hundred minute differences between the male and female brain and these come into play the minute your baby is born, becoming even more apparent as he grows. He has higher levels of testosterone in his body and this impacts on how he processes, stores and retrieves information. He’ll respond very differently to the world around him than a baby girl will, and when it comes to raising him it can help to keep this in mind.

So what can you expect from your baby boy?

Nappy changes are easier with a baby boy: As a rule it’ll be easier to clean your baby boy when you change his nappy, simply because poo tends to make its way into a baby girl’s vagina. No such problem with a baby boy. And don’t be surprised if your baby boy gets erections – it’s perfectly normal and you may see it at every nappy change. It can often signal that he is about to pee, so have a towel ready at nappy changes to avoid a soaking!

Boys sometimes walk sooner: Baby boys are more active than baby girls from day one, and will tend to kick and wriggle more. Boys also tend to have better gross motor skills than girls, so for that reason they may get on the move sooner and walk earlier than girls, and will tend to be much happier when they’re running or kicking a ball about. It means that you’ll probably have to encourage him more when it comes to getting him to sit down and do a task that involves concentrating and using fine motor skills, such as colouring. But it’s really in the late toddler and early preschool years that your boy will forge ahead when it comes to physical abilities and strength.

Boys prefer cars to dolls: Baby boys prefer to watch mechanical motion rather than human motion.  Your baby boy will be more spatially aware than a baby girl and better able to track motion – and it could be one reason for the fact that your efforts to be politically correct and get him to play with dolls will likely fall by the wayside as he clamours for his train set and toy cars!

Boys talk later than girls: Studies suggest that male brains have fewer nerve cells in the area of the brain that processes language and this may be why they often don’t vocalize as early or as clearly as girls the same age, and use less complex sentences once they do start talking. Speech delays are diagnosed in boys much more frequently than girls, so while you should expect him to be slightly behind girls the same age, get him assessed for a speech delay if he isn’t keeping up with other boys his age.

Boys are more emotional than you think: Your little boy may be a bigger softy at heart than a baby girl as he grows. Boys aren’t so good at socializing and communicating as girls and this often makes them less independent and more shy when it comes to mixing with others. You may find that your baby boy is more upset at being separated from you than a baby girl would be and that he’s actually more into cuddles with mummy!

However, as your baby boy grows he won’t be as adept as a girl at expressing his strong emotions – one reason why girls are more likely to talk things through and listen to reason when boys might be more likely to hit out. Help your boy by giving him the vocabulary he needs to label his emotions and express them verbally. If you see him looking cranky, tell him that’s how he feels – once he knows the right words to use, he’ll be more likely to use them.

There’s no doubt that boys and girls are different and that working with those differences can help you be a happy parent raising a happy baby boy. But do bear in mind that your baby boy is an individual and be prepared for some exceptions to the rules.

Baby boys are more at risk of poor health: Keep a close eye on your baby boy’s health in his first weeks and months as baby boys are more vulnerable to respiratory infections. They are more likely to suffer from bronchiolitis (a common illness in infancy) as well as wheezing and asthma. Baby boys who are born prematurely also fare less well than baby girls. Physically, boys have less mature skeletal systems, and this means that they’re more susceptible to injuring themselves than girls – the fact they are more physically active as they grow raises this risk.

Your baby’s sex is decided at the moment of conception  and it all hangs on whether your X-chromosome (female) egg is fertilized by an X-chromosome or Y-chromosome (male) sperm. If an X chromosome penetrates the egg first it’s X + X, meaning you have conceived a baby girl.

There has long been debate over whether nature or nurture is responsible for the differences between baby boys and baby girls – but MRI scanning techniques have revealed over a hundred minute differences between the male and female brain and these come into play the minute your baby is born, becoming even more apparent as she grows.

The estrogen in her system affects her brain development, and she also has higher levels of the hormones serotonin and oxytocin. Serotonin affects mood, meaning that your baby girl may be less cranky and more easily soothed than a baby boy. Oxytocin is a hormone produced during sex and while lactating, and could be the key to a baby girl being more receptive to emotions than a baby boy.

What else can you expect from your baby girl?

Nappy changes will be more fiddly : With a baby girl you have to be extra careful to wipe from front to back as this can help to prevent poo from entering her vagina, which can result in a yeast infection (these are common in baby girls), and her urethra, which can jumpstart a urinary tract infection. In her first few days you will notice that your baby girls vulva is swollen and she may pass discharge – this is perfectly normal and results from oestrogen that entered her system from your body via blood passing through the placenta and umbilical cord. She also may have discharge from her nipples for the same reason.

Baby girls are often smaller: Baby girls tend to be born smaller than baby boys, although if you and your baby’s father are especially tall she may be larger than a baby boy whose parents are small. They tend to be healthier too: their skeletons are stronger, making them less vulnerable to injury, and they also seem less susceptible to developing complications from respiratory infections such as bronchiolitis. Premature baby girls typically thrive better than premature baby boys.

Baby girls love to be active! Don’t be taken in by the fact your baby girl may seem less physically strong and active than a baby boy – she still needs to run and climb and kick and throw a ball. You shouldn’t treat her as any more fragile than a boy and a good workout will help her gross motor skills catch up with those of boys her age.

She’s keen to communicate with you: Baby girls are entranced by faces, and your baby will love nothing more than to be held up close to your face and will maintain eye contact with you for longer than a baby boy. It may be one reason why girls are better at reading emotions as they grow. Her fascination with watching your features express emotion makes her a great mimic – from just a few hours old she may copy you if you slowly poke out your tongue at her.

Baby girls are good with their hands: Baby girls are better at fine motor movements performed with the fingers so your baby girl will probably be able to hold and control a piece of chalk or a crayon with more dexterity than a boy her age. They are better at playing with toys that require a degree of manipulation, such as twisting movements, and more proficient at using a spoon when it comes to self-feeding, and holding a pencil for writing later on.

Baby girls talk sooner: The fact she’s watching you that bit more closely and better able to register your voice means your baby girl is likely to understand what you are saying to her earlier than a baby boy would, and she’s more likely to try to communicate back with hand gestures such as waving and pointing, sooner too. She’ll talk sooner too: at around 12 months as opposed to around 14 months for a baby boy. By 16 months or so, your baby girl will know and be able to say up to 100 words, while a boy the same age will typically average around 30. She’ll string words together to form sentences earlier, and once she reaches preschool age she will use longer and more complex sentences than a boy.

Baby girls are better listeners: Baby girls are better able to hear noises in a higher register. The fact your baby girl is more attuned to your voice should mean that she is more inclined to listen to you (though we can’t guarantee it once toddler tantrums rear their ugly head!)
The fact her hearing is more acute means you can expect your baby girl to be more easily startled and upset by loud noises than a baby boy would be, and when it comes to toys that make noises she will prefer gentle sounds like music rather than the wailing sirens a baby boy would favour.

Baby girls are more sociable: Baby girls have better social skills than baby boys, mainly because they are better at communicating, and at empathizing with others. This means your baby girl might well be more independent than a baby boy would be, less apt to get upset if she isn’t in your presence and more inclined to play with other children a further distance from you than a boy the same age would be.

There’s no doubt that boys and girls are different and that working with those differences can help you be a happy parent raising a happy baby girl. But do bear in mind that your baby girl is an individual and be prepared for some exceptions to the rules.

You’ve decided you’re ready to take the plunge and have a baby of your own, but how can you tell if your man is ready to take the plunge with you? Here are some tell-tale signs that he’s ready to start painting the nursery and give up his Saturday nights at the pub:

1.    He notices babies everywhere
He peers into other people’s prams at the supermarket, points out cute babies, and loiters when you walk past the park. All signs that he’s thinking about pushing the pram and playing in the park with his own kids.

2.    His best friend has had a baby
Men often subconsciously emulate people they admire: if his best friend has had a baby and lived to tell the tale then the chances are he’s looking forward to the day when they can share fatherhood stories together.

3.    He likes to be around children
Like an overgrown child, your man is the first to grab the football when older children come over. He likes to torment young teens about potential boy or girl friends, he loves a bouncy castle, and he has the energy to keep up with the younger kids all day. This is a man that’s ready to be a daddy.

4.    He’s already talked about fatherhood
He might not have said he’d like children asap, but if he’s already imagined becoming a parent (with you as the imaginary mother!), and you’ve already had a conversation about it, then you’re halfway there!

5.    He’s spending more time at home with you
If your partner is spending Saturday nights at home with you, when they used to be spent in the pub, then he’s ready for the loss of social life, and quiet nights in front of the TV that come with a new born baby.

6.    His parents are ready for grandchildren…
… and he’s mentioned this to you. More than once. This is a man that’s sounding you out about starting a family: if you’re ready too then let him know, and go forth and multiply!

When you were little, all you wanted to do was grow up, get bigger and become an adult. Not once did you think about how brilliant it was being a kid. Babies take this one step further, by living like Kings and Queens. You don’t have to be famous or rich to live the life of luxury, you just have to be a baby. Hey babies, here’s the perks we want back…

1. Taking naps whenever you’re tired
Napping babies, have the ability to sleep wherever and whenever they like. Even if this means that ten minutes after waking up they’ll suddenly fall asleep. As parents we become obsessed with our children dropping naps as early as possible as a sign they are ‘growing up’. Unfortunately this sleep deprivation builds momentum once you have your own children. Imagine being able to rest your head on the sofa after a tiresome playdate, or if you are a working mum who has been up all night with a teething baby, how nice to be able to have catnap under your desk. Next time you see a sleeping baby remember to whisper quietly in his ear, ‘make the most of it’!

2. No worries
Think back to what it was like being a baby…um, you can’t can you? That’s because it was probably the only time in your life where you had absolutely no worries. The only thing you really thought about was milk, and that arrived as soon as you cried. You had no mortgage worries, no relationship ups and downs, lunchboxes to pack, work deadlines to meet or stuffy aunties to cook for at Christmas. Life was boring, but oh so sweet.

3. Food on tap
You cried and food arrived. If you were breast feed the milk changed to accommodate your needs (a bit like a personal chef recognizing you were on a new diet without you having to tell him). Six months of the same milk seems a bit dull, but you didn’t mind, you were more interested in trying to work out what the wiggly things on the end of your hands were.

4. Being fat is sweet/cute
The fact that you had no wrists because your arms were so fat was much admired by anyone who was within reach of your soft , sweet smelling baby skin. The older you get the more desperate you are to lose the fat; until you have your own children and you realise that some of the fat on your body is there for life and it would be easier to learn to love it like all those wrinkly aunties who so admired you as a pudgy baby.

5. A personal stylist and all the latest fashions
Whether your mum dressed you in the latest fashions, or knitted everything herself, one thing is certain, as a baby you never had to think about what to wear and even if your mum put you in something ridiculous (which most probably happened if you were a child of the seventies or eighties), you didn’t really care as long as you got your milk and naps.

6.  When you cried, someone immediately hugged you
Once you become an adult, crying in public makes people think one of the following:
a)    You can’t handle your job
b)    You can’t handle your kids
c)    You’ve got post-natal depression
d)    You’ve got pre-menstrual tension
When you cry as a baby, someone, usually your mum, rushes to your side, scoops you up and cuddles you. This is sometimes accompanied by your favorite lullaby or some of your favourite food; milk. (Personally speaking, in stressful situations, I could really do with a hug from my mum, Clair De Lune and some milk and honey.)

7. You made a mess and your parents thought it was so cute they took pictures
One of the best things about being a baby is tipping a whole bowl of pureed parsnip on your head, finding it hilarious and then having your mum wipe you down. Now all you seem to be doing is clearing your kids/husbands/friends’ mess up, or pureeing parsnips…

8. You never have to put make-up on/shave your legs/straighten your hair
Imagine how much time (not to mention money) you would save never having to perform these womanly daily rituals.

9. Having a wee or poo on the potty is met with applause and treats…
…and phone calls to grandparents and boasts to other mums. The older you get the more your ‘going to the loo’ time becomes the only ‘me’ time you get all day.

10. Literally everything makes you laugh
Daddy crossing his eyes or mummy blowing on your neck. Hilarious. Sometimes you laugh so much it makes you fart. This is also hilarious. The older and more cynical you get the harder it is to belly laugh. OK, your kids make you laugh but comedians have to be damn good for any kind of public guffawing. Plus if you’ve had a natural birth and you’re out with the girls having a good old laugh, pack some extra pants.

One of the first things you’ll be told when you find out that you’re pregnant is that you need to quit the habit if you smoke. All the evidence points to the fact that continuing to smoke while you are pregnant is very harmful to your pregnancy and your unborn baby. Unfortunately it isn’t easy to stop, even if you know it’s bad for your baby.

Smoking and your pregnancy
Many of the complications that can occur during pregnancy – for example, miscarriage, placental abruption, premature rupture of the membranes, miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth, and low birthweight – are much more likely to happen to pregnant women who smoke. This is because cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals many of which are highly toxic (carbon monoxide, nicotine, cyanide, and lead).

These chemicals pass into your unborn baby’s body via the placenta, and reduce his supply of oxygen. This can slow his growth and development, and increase the risk of preterm labour. Pregnant women who smoke have almost double the risk of going into labour early and having a low-birthweight baby. If your baby is very early his lungs won’t yet have matured sufficiently for him to breathe unaided and he may have to spend many weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit. Preterm birth puts your baby at higher risk of health problems including cerebral palsy and heart problems, as well as behavioural problems and learning difficulties.

By smoking you also risk your baby being born addicted to the same chemicals in cigarette smoke that you crave, and he will have to go through withdrawal. This can make him fretful and hard to settle in his first few weeks, making your job as a new mum much more stressful.

How to quit smoking in pregnancy
There’s no doubt that if it was easy to quit smoking few of us would indulge in the habit. The reality is that no matter how much you tell yourself that you’re quitting for the sake of your health and your baby’s, giving up will be difficult if you smoke a lot, and you’ll likely find yourself craving a cigarette for many weeks after you stub out that final butt.

Think very carefully about your unborn baby’s wellbeing – it can be a powerful incentive to stick to your guns when it comes to not smoking. Remember that the minute you stop smoking, you stop exposing your baby to the toxic chemicals that harm his health.

Do be prepared for nicotine withdrawal, which will make you cranky, anxious and jittery for several weeks, especially if you were a heavy smoker. This can be hard to cope with at a time when pregnancy hormones will also be making you feel more emotional than usual.