Hot answers tagged newborn
15
I don't want to discourage you, but we tried... and tried.. and our girl (18mo at the time) thought our newborn was awesome when we visited mommy in the hospital the day after. She did not think it was awesome that the baby was coming home with us. And that mommy spent all day with the new baby. There was no consoling her at all.
She was completely upset ...
15
The benefits include:
strengthening the neck, back and body muscles, as well as the arms and shoulders
additionally babies who get tummy time are less likely to develop Torticollis (where the neck muscles tighten and restrict movement
giving the baby an opportunity to see the world the way they will for the rest of their life
helps avoid the development of ...
12
Having kids has been a fairly expensive endeavor for my family. We have two kids - a 2 year old and an 8 month old.
Our biggest 'expense' has been a loss of income (of the mother). Although I am not a stay at home mother, time taken off for maternity leave, taking care of a newborn, etc. adds up. Between the two kids, we "lost" about 16 months of income. ...
12
Certainly people lived and existed before clothes were invented, so to some extent one could claim we don't "need" clothes. However clothes, especially for tiny babies, serve purposes other than warmth:
absorbency. Babies don't just leak from the diaper area: they drool, spit up, and just like us, they sweat. Most baby-specific clothes are very absorbent ...
11
This pamphlet, put out by the South Carolina Department of Health, suggests it is safe at one month. You should avoid large crowds, but the fresh air and stimulation is good for baby. You should probably not allow people to touch your baby's hands (since baby may put them in his mouth). Your greater concern in going outside is the weather - keeping baby ...
11
The guideline I've been given by our pediatricians was to avoid anybody with an easily transmittable disease for the first six weeks. The main reason to stay away from crowds and/or strangers is that you don't really know who in the area is ill or contagious. You don't want somebody to sneeze in your kid's face at any age, really, but a newborn is more ...
10
I remembered reading that recent pediatric research in the US has said that pacifiers are OK. I looked at some recent papers and found these:
Pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome). That's a pretty strong recommendation for nap-time use.
Pacifiers probably don't interfere with breast-feeding. There's correlation between ...
10
As suggested above plus a bit more what we've been doing with our six week old when she's prematurely falling asleep mid-feed is:
Feed until she falls asleep
Remove items of clothing until she wakes
again
Feed until she falls asleep
We've found rubbing the palms of her hands as she feeds, if she looks like she's dropping off,
helps. our midwife mentioned ...
10
Anecdotal evidence from my baby (Now 9 weeks):
Your Diaper & Stool issues are perfectly normal.
The Wiggling of legs is supposed to help, a little side to side motion should help
also.
Look up "Baby Massage" to help her relax.
The Babies internal plumbing is still getting started. Dont expect things to run perfectly straight away!
If in doubt ...
10
No, a child will not teach themselves to develop a new "language" to express themselves, at least not by any generally accepted definition of the term "language".
Language is a complex tool used by multiple people or a community. A single child who is never exposed to verbal language does not make up their own... what would be the point if no one ...
8
Breastmilk is about 80-90% water as it is, so there really is no need to add additional water to it. Water use is also discouraged for the reason you used it: newborns can fill up on water, so they should not be given water. (It's like filling up on cookies instead of an actual meal. Their growing bodies need good nutrition.)
Your wife is correct that water ...
8
You can't really prevent them from putting those things in their mouth. More than that: preventing them such thing is like preventing eyesight from adults, as at this stage the baby "feels" the world through touch and taste more than by eyesight.
The obvious solution to protect them from harm is to always make sure there isn't anything harmful around them ...
8
As you mentioned, it is the temperature change.
What may work for you is this:
Immediately prior to the bath, get a warm washcloth. Open his diaper, and clean his diaper area with the washcloth. Be careful with this! If it works, he may start to urinate while you are cleaning him, so you must be ready to quickly put the diaper back into place! ...
7
First off, some babies don't need to poop everyday, so you don't have to worry on that level, but if she seems uncomfortable you can try a baby yoga move I learned that worked wonders on our little one (six years ago now). Lay her on her back and speak softly and cooingly to her. Gently bend her knees so they are together. Move her knees - holding her lower ...
7
Your pediatrician can actually advise on this matter; ours told us that baby scissors are safer than nail clippers.
Also, we never cut her nails while she is awake - she moves too much and well, she has better things to do. I always cut them when she is sleeping.
7
It may be obvious except to new parents, but make sure to burp the baby after every feeding. Some babies also need to be burped once or twice during feeding. The point is to get the air out of the stomach before it goes into the intestines.
Baby massage is also often helpful: gently rub the belly in a circular motion; clockwise when facing the baby. This ...
7
When navigating subways and escalators with a toddler or older infant with good head, neck, and back control, you want a lightweight, compact umbrella stroller that you can quickly and easily fold closed and open, and a hinge, hook, or clasp that you can engage to keep it shut when carrying it closed. You can even carry your child and the folded up stroller ...
7
You will not be able to teach a newborn baby very much! For many, many months, your child is going to be learning fundamentals like how to eat, how to focus eyes properly, how to roll over... you've got years to prepare for a solid homeschooling curriculum, so you do not need to have all the pieces in place by July.
You can certainly do things to keep an ...
7
Mary Jo mentions a common skin condition. That's probably a good guess and you can easily see the scales on the head.
If there are no scales, then perhaps it's just that famous baby smell. I never knew what "baby smell" smelled like before I had a child, but now I know it. It's a very nice smell. Savor it; it will be gone soon. If it's baby smell, then ...
7
I have never heard that strangers are to be avoided with newborns, and I certainly wouldn't recommend staying inside to avoid them. You need to get out for your own sanity, so get out and go for walks as soon as you can. Exposure to new environments and people is good for babies development, keeping them cooped up indoors and away from social contact is not ...
7
This is the "forbidden experiment"-- linguist wish they new more about this because it has implications for other questions. But doing this to children is barbaric child abuse. So we wait for natural experiments to arise. The best documented ones are the ones Beofett covered, so I won't repeat that part.
The cases of feral children and children locked up ...
6
Adding half an ounce of water for a one off feeding is not going to harm the baby in any way.
Doing this for the majority of feeds is likely to be an issue in terms of nutrition and in the extreme perhaps water intoxication.
The mistake here is to conflate a small issue as being an extreme case. Despite being unable to process water as well as adults, ...
6
Have you tried the 5 S's? It's a sleep technique introduced by Dr. Harvey Karp, and he's made quite an industry out of it (http://www.happiestbaby.com), with a particular page here that describes all you really need to know. The method itself is:
Swaddling: Tight swaddling provides the continuous touching and support your baby is used to experiencing ...
6
You could do almost anything, but I think you should set yourself some ground rules. Obviously you don't want to put your baby into any kind of potentially harmful situation. You want to avoid any experiments that cause undue stress... no witholding of food, sleep, or affection, no stress testing their capacity for discomfort, etc.
So what can you do? I ...
6
Having used both types of diapers with our kids, I found there are advantages and disadvantages to each.
Where cloth diapers have the advantage:
Cloth diapers are touted as more environmentally friendly
Cloth is often cheaper in the long run
Cloth is said to lead to easier eventual potty training (several cloth diaper delivery services such as Happy ...
6
If you're having to describe this process as a "negotiation" then I get the impression that relations between your family and your parents/in-laws aren't always the most hospitable. Perhaps I'm reading more into the word than was intended. Are they the types of people who tend to over-stay their welcome? Show up unannounced? Have unreasonable ...
6
This is my first time answering on this site, but your post really grabbed me. I am answering with the background of being a mum of a 6 month old boy, and a paediatric doctor in Australia.
Firstly, it sounds like things are really tough at the moment. Hopefully you will get some good sleep soon to recharge. I have a few suggestions, and will separate them ...
6
It sounds like you're doing a pretty good job of preparing him for the positive aspects of having a baby sister. The negative side is easier to overlook. Primarily, he is accustomed to receiving your instant and undivided attention, which he will not be able to get as often. A lot of parents anticipate this by showering him with attention now, and there's ...
6
Congrats on the move to man-to-man parenting! First, I suggest you start figuring out now how to schedule some one-on-one time with him. My daughter spent the first two months after her brother arrived telling me she didn't love me anymore, which was her way of telling me she needed attention too. We started having Mommy-Daughter and Daddy-Daughter dates, ...
6
Your baby may have cradle cap, which is a very common skin condition in infants. It's official name is seborrheic dermatitis. According to MedlinePlus (National Institute of Health):
It appears as thick, crusty, yellow or brown scales over the child's
scalp. Similar scales may also be found on the eyelids, ear, around
the nose, and in the groin. ...
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