February 25, 2011
Filed under: baby development — Alan @ 3:19 am
Today things have changed and were are not leaving daddy out of the picture like before when we frequently spoke about mother and child and not about daddy, but today father’s are almost as active in their baby’s lives. There are many ways for a father to participate in the nurturing of their baby as well as attend baby showers when years ago that was never heard of.
A real unique thing for father and baby is feeding the infant. This is a special time for mother and baby and the father can bring the baby to mother and then afterwards daddy can burp the child and help put the baby down to rest and if there is no breast feeding involved, the father can even participate by feeding the baby themselves.
Speaking to your baby is real important and since the baby was inside of your belly, they heard your voice and recognize the sound and it is a soothing thing for them as they try to find their way in their new environment. The father needs to talk a great deal with their baby in order to bond and help with his communication skills.
Many parents will tell you, if asked, that rocking the baby was one of their favorite times and one of the baby’s as well since he feels secure in your arms away from the big new scary world. Holding the baby a great deal during the first months is real good for the baby since it makes them feel secure and protected so as a father it is good to rock them to sleep as much as possible.
Crying is the only way your baby can communicate as a newborn so it is not bad to hold the infant when they cry because eventually they will learn to communicate in another manner, for example on obvious reason they cry is because they have dirtied their diaper or they are hungry and it may be because they are over excited, since they have a lot to take in at an early age and they might just get so excited they do not know what to do so they cry, if this happens it is the perfect time to hold them.
The early a day bonds with their child the stronger the bond gets and the harder it is to break waiting until the child is older is not the best approach.
February 19, 2011
Filed under: New Born — Alan @ 6:21 am
If your baby is having problems sleeping, then chances are that you are too and that cannot be good for either of you. The most important thing to remember in a baby’s early stages of development is that your baby has come from a very specific environment, that of the womb, therefore, in order to keep your baby happy, you should aim to replicate the environment of the womb as much as possible.
It should not surprise you to know, then, that your baby may need noise to sleep and not peace and quiet. It’s not so strange as it sounds. You would think that the womb is a quiet place to be, but you would be wrong. The womb contains plenty of fluid and fluid is a great carrier of sound. Think about it, when you’re under water, you can hear plenty of sound, you may not be able to make out exactly what the sounds are, but you can certainly hear them.
Recreating the right kinds of noises will help your baby to sleep. Think of that time spent under water, think of noises that you cannot make out, in short, white noise. Your vacuum cleaner is a good example. It might even be worth changing your cleaning route to do the vacuuming at the time your baby is settling down to sleep. Fans are also a good idea. Not only will they keep your baby cool but the noise they make is also the right kind of noise. You can also get CDs that play white noise.
Whichever method you choose, the volume level should be about that of the average vacuum cleaner, that is, loud enough to drown out any extraneous noises. You could even try and drown out the noise from a neighbour’s party, but the muffled noise from the party may actually help.
February 17, 2011
Filed under: Baby health — admin @ 10:28 am
The national charity STEPS is hoping their Baby Hip Health Week 13th – 19th March 2011 will help raise awareness amongst parents and health professionals of the vital need to check babies’ hips during the first few weeks of life to prevent unnecessary pain and disability in later years.
In the UK alone, up to 2000 children a year are diagnosed with Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH), which describes a range of conditions from mild instability to total dislocation of the hip. Early detection means DDH can often be corrected by a simple outpatient treatment, but a later or missed diagnosis can leave a child requiring hospital stays, operations and potentially a permanent disability.
Even if the hips appear to be normal it is important to be aware of signs that might mean there is a problem. The signs parents should look out for include:
- one leg appearing shorter than the other.
- an extra deep crease on the inside of the thigh.
- crawling with one leg dragging or walking with a limp or a waddle.
Whilst these signs are not conclusive, they may indicate the need for further investigation.
Please seek medical advice if you are concerned.
To help change this and put STEPS and DDH on the public agenda, the charity is asking people to hold a ‘Put the Kettle On’ event during Baby Hip Health Week. Julie Charlton, STEPS Marketing & Community Fundraiser, commented, “Whether you host a ‘Put the Kettle On’ event for two or two hundred people, we are very grateful for your donations. Without this support, our work, including campaigning, a helpline, information centre and website could not happen and many parents would be alone during a very difficult time. Ultimately we want all babies to be checked as early as possible and not have to endure unnecessary pain and suffering.”
STEPS Helpline: 01925 750271
www.steps-charity.org.uk
e: info@steps-charity.org.uk
February 12, 2011
Filed under: baby development — Alan @ 7:09 am
The Happy Child Guide will change the way you deal with your children and, quite possibly, change your lives. The e-book, written by couple Ashley Ryan and Dr Blaise Ryan, starts from the point of view that if your child is happy, they will not pose as much of a problem growing up, which can only be a good thing.
Take tantrums, for instance, according to the book, the traditional methods for parents to deal with their toddlers having tantrums simply don’t work – you can keep your naughty steps and corners, your parental tantrums in return, any systems of reward, talking to them, and, as a last resort, psychologists and drugs.
According to the book, far more effective is concentrating on making sure that your baby is happy and that everything is ‘in balance’. If you follow the book, your toddler should be happier within 21 days. Although I’m not sure if you get your money back on either the toddler or the book, if they are not happier.
The book recommends that if you address the child’s basic needs of food, exercise, rest, and positive influences, in a disciplined and controlled manner, you and your child will begin to reap the rewards. Apparently, all a tantrum is when one of those basic needs is not in balance, so this is your child’s way of showing it. Simple!
Plus, the actions you can take to address all of this are simple, too. Make sure that your child is eating healthily, not too many sugar or fatty foods. Get them from in front of the TV and out in the fresh air for some exercise! Children need more sleep than adults, around 14 hours.
February 5, 2011
Filed under: Child Birth — Alan @ 6:11 am
You may be considering adding another child to your family or starting out from scratch. So you might want to know the secret to increasing your odds at producing a baby boy. Certainly you have heard the rumours of old-fashioned gimmicks to do it right and you think of them as old wives’ tales. Some of them have reason behind them though and should be revisited.
Of course, even though your chances might be increased, there is no way to be 100% certain of its success. Yet, if you can push those odds up to your favour, then why not?
A small thing, such as the position of copulation while having an orgasm can be a straight forward way and there are good reasons to believe this.
There is evidence that the sperm carrying the Y gene that determines the production of a baby boy has a shorter life span, while that carrying the X gene lives longer. To provide the best possibility of that Y gene making it to the egg is the trick of increasing the odds of having a baby boy.
You can do exactly this with a sexual position named the Reverse Cow Girl. In this position the woman can best keep control of how deep the penetration goes. This one factor in itself provides a closer shot for the Y gene to get to its target before dying.
February 4, 2011
Filed under: Baby public health — Alan @ 3:07 am
There is no reason why you should not continue to breastfeed your baby even after you start feeding them solid foods. If you are worried that you are not producing sufficient milk, you can always add formula milk, but in any case, you should always consult your GP.
For the first few months, a mother’s milk will be enough for a new baby. Signs that a baby is ready to move on to solid foods include being able to sit up a little by themselves with the support of a steady hand and being able to keep their head up while feeding.
Start with them off with something simple like cereals and rice. Remember, that that they have only been used to one form of nutrition until this time, so introduce any changes gradually, for instance different varieties. Adding milk or water is acceptable but don’t attempt anything else at this stage.
If your baby shows any side effects whatsoever of any new feed, this may be early symptoms of allergies and you should consult your GP and advise the food company
After a couple of months you can begin to be a bit more adventurous, you can even start to give them their five fruit and vegetables a day, in liquid form, at least. Once your and your baby are happy with that (always listen to your baby), move on to proteins, including fish, whites of an egg and meat, in the form of soup.
If you do continue to breastfeed, allow sufficient time between feeds, a couple of hours should be sufficient as a balanced diet is important right from the start.
Today things have changed and were are not leaving daddy out of the picture like before when we frequently spoke about mother and child and not about daddy, but today father’s are almost as active in their baby’s lives. There are many ways for a father to participate in the nurturing of their baby as well as attend baby showers when years ago that was never heard of.