Things to Do with Your Newborn

Bringing home a newborn can be a daunting experience – especially for first-time parents. Infants are delicate little people that need constant care and attention, but all of your efforts are worth the time and energy. Bonding with your newborn may turn out to be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life.
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My baby's development: Month 5

My 5-month-old baby: growing stronger, and wary of strangers

By the end of this month, your 5-month-old baby will probably be able to sit up with some support, and be able to pass toys from one hand to another. Depending on how long your friends and family visit you, your baby might start displaying a wariness of strangers.

5-month-old baby sleep patterns and tips

• Your baby could start waking up more during the night to feed, and might not yet sleep longer than five to six hours at a time. He might still sleep about 12 to 15 hours total every day.
• He might start sitting up and waking himself up in the process. If possible, let him try to get back to sleep on his own instead of immediately trying to provide comfort.
• You should decide beforehand, with your partner's consent, if you are comfortable with this type of baby sleep "training." Many parents call it the "cry it out" method.
• Have questions about SIDS?
  Learn about SIDS at the American Academy of Pediatrics.

You and Your Newborn Baby: a guide to the first months after birth

 

Regardless of whether labor is long or short, whether it is hard or easy whether a baby is born vaginally or by cesarean, most parents recall the first hours and days after birth as crystal-clear images surrounded by haze. It is in this haze that you first take in your baby and make a giant leap from pregnancy to parenting.

Despite all the anticipatory parenting done before conception and during pregnancy, despite weeks of feeling movement within and fantasizing about your baby, despite months of having strange dreams, worrisome thoughts, and musings about what kind of parent you will be, the first time you hold your baby in your arms and call yourself mother or father, mama or papa, mommy or daddy, an awareness floods over you that life will never be the same again. Another human being is now dependent upon you for survival. More than anything else, you want to be the best parent possible.

Comforting a crying baby

All babies cry. It's just that some do it more than others, some do it a lot more than others - and a lusty-lunged few do it so much, you're driven to tears yourself.
Experts - and smug mums whose babies barely even whimper - will tell you that your baby's crying because it's the only way he can let you know that something's up. And, as soon as you sort it, the crying will stop.
Sometimes, it just ain't that easy to work what that 'something' might be. Is it tiredness? Wind? Colic? And by the time you have worked it out, your baby may well have screamed himself into such a state that no amount of something solutions will do.
What you need at this point (apart from a big hug) is some tried-and-trusted advice from mums who've been there and borne the hollering brunt before you - mums who can tell your run-of-the-mill crying jag from your full-on bout of colic, and pull some ace comforting tricks from up their parenting sleeves. And, since that's what Mumsnet does best, here you are...

Six tips to help manage baby sniffles

BLOCKED NOSE: Babies prefer breathing through their nose so it is important to help keep it clear.

The colder months can be worrying for parents when their baby suffers a blocked nose from a cough or cold.
As babies prefer breathing through their nose, it is important to help keep it clear, especially when they are feeding or sleeping ­- when they struggle to breathe they can often feel uncomfortable and restless. Your baby is also too young to be able to blow their own nose. 
Here are some tips to help ease cold symptoms so you and your child can rest a little easier.
1. Raise the head of the bed
Try slightly elevating the head of the bed by placing a pillow underneath the top of the mattress. The slight incline makes blood flow away from the head, reducing inflammation of the nasal passages.

FEEDING TIPS FROM BIRTH TO 12 MONTHS

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FOOD FOR BABY’S FIRST YEAR

These are general guidelines for feeding healthy babies.  Feed your baby only one new food per week. Then you can find out if your baby has a problem with the new food.  Talk with the nutritionist or health care provider for more information on feeding your baby.

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Birth To 6 Months

• Pediatricians recommend babies be breastfed until 1 year of age or older
• If you are thinking about giving infant formula (artificial baby milk) to your breastfed baby, talk with the nutritionist or health care provider.
• Babies who are not breastfed need iron-fortified infant formula until they are 1 year old. 

25 Simple Tips for Healthy Babies & Happy Moms

Every baby is different—and of course yours is the cutest, smartest, most special and most unique—I know mine is! But most parents share the same concerns for their baby’s health: Is she eating enough? Shouldn’t he be crawling by now? Is he warm enough? Is she too hot? So to take some of the guesswork out of Baby’s first year, here are 25 health tips covering every aspect of raising a baby, from eating to sleeping to teething to talking—bilingually, of course. Healthy babies equal happy moms!

  Fussy baby? A pacifier can soothe a fussy newborn, and researchers believe that pacifier use reduces the risk of SIDS (crib death).

    Problem sleeper? Try a “modified cry-it-out” (CIO) method, where baby is left to cry for short intervals, with reassurances from Mom & Dad.

10 Nutrients that every child needs

Calcium: Builds strong bones and teeth, promotes healthy nerve and muscle function, helps blood clot, and helps the body convert food into energy


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Essential fatty acids (EFAs): Help build cells, regulate the nervous system, strengthen the cardiovascular system, build immunity, and help the body absorb nutrients. Necessary for healthy brain function and vision.

Breast-feeding nutrition: Tips for moms

Breast-feeding nutrition can be confusing. How much should you eat? What should you avoid? How might your diet affect your baby? Follow these important nutrition tips.
 

If you're breast-feeding, you're giving your baby nutrients that will promote his or her growth and health. You might have questions, however, about what foods and drinks are best for you — and how your diet might affect your breast milk and your baby.

Understand the basics of breast-feeding nutrition.

Do I need extra calories while breast-feeding?

Yes, you might need to eat a little more — about an additional 400 to 500 calories a day — to keep up your energy.
To get these extra calories, opt for nutrient-rich choices, such as a slice of whole-grain bread with a tablespoon (about 16 grams) of peanut butter, a banana or apple, and 8 ounces (about 227 grams) of fat-free yogurt.

Eating tips for children (1) - babies

Summary

Babies can start eating solid foods from about six months. Breast milk (or infant formula) remains a baby's main source of nutrition for their first year. First foods for babies can include infant cereal, mashed or pureed fruit or vegetables and well-cooked meats, lentils or beans. Babies should not drink cows milk until they are twelve months old.

Babies grow quickly in the first year of life, so they need plenty of energy (kilojoules) and nutrients. A child’s growth isn’t always steady and even, which means that appetite and hunger can be unpredictable.

The amounts of foods eaten by your baby and their interest in food may be a little different from day to day. This is normal and shouldn’t cause any concerns if your baby is growing well.

Introduce solids at about six months of age

Breast milk is an important food for babies until at least 12 months of age, or longer if the mum and baby desire. Infant formula is important until 12 months. By about six months of age, a baby’s iron stores are low and extra foods will be needed to maintain healthy growth and prevent nutritional problems such as iron deficiency. Start to introduce solids around six months of age – when your baby starts showing interest in food.

Tips for healthy hair

How you wash your hair and the products you use can go a long way toward maintaining smooth, shiny hair. Follow these simple tips from dermatologists to maintain healthy hair.

1. Wash oily hair more frequently. How often you wash your hair should be based on how much oil your scalp produces.

• If your scalp is oily, you may need to wash it as often as once a day.
• If you have chemically treated hair, your hair may be drier, so you may want to wash it less frequently. 
• As you get older, your scalp makes less oil, so you may not need to shampoo as often. But if you see flakes in your hair, you may not be shampooing enough. This can lead to dandruff and other scalp diseases.