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Baby Care
1 Shampooing without Tears
Always use hypoallergenic, non-sting shampoo,
which is specially formulated for baby's
skin. Be very careful not to splash your
baby's face or get shampoo in her eyes.
During the first 24 months of life, a child's
sebaceous glands and hair follicles are
maturing, so only use shampoos designed
for babies.
2 Taking
care of Baby's Teeth
It is never too early to start cleansing
baby's teeth. As soon as those first milk
teeth appear, gently wipe the gums and teeth
with a clean soft damp cloth at bedtime.
Switch to toothbrush with a pea-sized amount
of toothpaste once baby has 6 or more teeth.
Brush your baby's teeth every morning and
night. Allow him to play with his brush
while you brush your own teeth. You will
encourage good oral hygiene and prevent
tooth decay.
3 Choosing
Easy Care Fabrics
Your baby's clothes will need frequent washing
' a newborn may need a complete change 3-4
times a day ' so make life easy for yourself
by choosing garments made from hard-wearing,
easy-care fabrics. Look for soft natural
fibers such as cotton flannel or cotton
fleece, which will be soft against your
baby's skin. Check the washing instructions
if the clothes are machine washable and
require minimal ironing. Safe your time
for your baby instead.
4 Natural
solutions for Nappies
It is important to wash cloth diapers in
boiling hot water, which sterilizes them
and protects your baby's delicate skin against
infection. You can make your own sterilizing
solution by adding five drops of tea tree
oil to a gallon of water. Alternatively
try one half to one cup of white distilled
vinegar which will also act as a fabric
softener. Avoid using standard detergents
and bleach when you wash diapers because
residues left on diaper can irritate your
baby's skin.
5 On the
Mat
Use a changing mat when you change your
baby ' it helps to keep the mess under control.
And if the room is warm, let your baby lie
on the mat and kick without a diaper for
a few minutes. He will enjoy the freedom
and the air will be good for his skin.
6 Pressure
Changes
When you are flying breast-feed our baby
or offer a bottle when you take off and
land. Sucking helps prevent ear aches caused
by the changes in air pressure.
7 Baby Carriers
Your newborn will love being carried snuggled
up against your front, no matter if you
are at home or in the supermarket. Buy a
carrier with a head support that can be
removed once your baby gains head control.
Always try before you buy to ensure that
you can get the carrier off and on yourself
without help. At about sex months your baby
will enjoy sitting in a carrier on your
back and watching the world go by. A carrier
is also ideal if you take long walks because
it is so much easier to manage than a stroller.
8 Learning
language
Your baby starts to communicate with you
in the first weeks of life by making burbling
noises. As he grows older, coos and chuckles,
often in response to your talk replace these
noises. At about six months he will begin
to enjoy playing with different sounds;
he will babble with them and experiment
with them for hours. You can help this early
speech development by talking to him, repeating
simple words and encouraging him to copy
you. Watch his facial expressions as he
tries to imitate the sounds you make.
9 Stress-free
Dressing and Undressing
Your baby may become fussy when you are
dressing or undressing her. The faster you
can change her clothes, the better. Make
sure the room and your hands are warm. Stretch
suits with snaps all the way down the front
are quick and easy to put on. Two piece
outfits that expose only a part of her at
a time may also cause less stress. Make
plenty of soothing noises as you dress and
undress her, and always finish with a cuddle.
10 Helping
the Medicine to go down
If your baby is on liquid medication, you
will find it easier to give it to him in
a syringe or dropper that on a teaspoon.
Touch your baby's bottom lip to encourage
him to open his mouth and then, leaning
him back slightly, squeeze the medicine
into his mouth.
11 Getting
the Temperature right
Your baby is not able to control his body
temperature as you can, so it is up to you
to make sure that he doesn't get too hot
or too cold. His body should feel warm to
your touch but not damp or sweaty. If his
skin feels hot, he probably has too many
clothes on. However you should also check
for signs of fever. If his hands and feet
feel cold, he may not be warm enough. Don't
rely on him to cry to let you know he is
feeling cold ' he may be too busy conserving
his energy in order to maintain his body
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Feeding without
the Fuss
12 Testing
the Temperature
When you heat your baby's bottle, test the
temperature of the milk before giving it
to him. Shake the bottle then drip some
milk onto the inside of your wrist. It should
feel neither too hot nor too cold on your
skin. Not all babies like their milk warm.
Some prefer it unheated; if your baby prefers
his at room temperature, don't worry its
safe for him to drink it like this. But
never give your baby the bottle straight
from the fridge because the cold could give
him a tummy ache. Always discard unfinished
formula after feeding.
13 Enjoying
Skin to Skin
The world cans sometimes feel very strange
and frightening to a newborn. You are the
most familiar thing to her, so your baby
needs close contact with you to feel secure.
Cuddle her against your skin when you feed
her, even if its bottle-feeding.
14 Checking
the flow of things
If your bottle-fed baby is trying to hard
at his bottle or gets gassy from gulping
milk too fast, check the milk flow. It should
be about two or three drops a second ' any
more or less could cause a problem.
15 Burping
your baby
If your baby gets very gassy while she's
feeding, stop to burp her. When she's very
young sit her upright on your lap, support
her neck and head, and gently rub her back.
Once she has gained head control, she would
prefer to be held up against your shoulder
for burping. If she doesn't burp after you
have rubbed her back for thirty seconds
or so then she doesn't need to burp, and
that is ok.
16 The perfect
Formula
If you are using powdered milk, follow the
manufacturer's instructions precisely. Too
rich a mixture can overload your baby's
immature system, possibly causing long term
damage. Too little leaves him hungry. Always
use the scoop provided and level it off
with the back of a knife, making sure you
don't pack the powder down too much. If
at any time you lose count of the number
of scoops you have added, throw out and
start again.
17 Sterilizing
for Protection
Milk is the perfect breeding ground for
bacteria that could cause sickness in baby.
Wash, rinse and sterilize baby's feeding
equipment to reduce the risk of upset stomach
and infection. You have three options: chemical,
steam or microwave. When travelling it becomes
easier to use disposable bottles, which
can be replaced at each feeding.
18 Home cooking
It is very ok to give your baby home-cooked
meals as long as you have not added sugar
or salt, and it is low in fiber. Prepare
in the normal way, sans the salt and sugar.
Once cooked, remove portion for baby and
season the rest for yourself and the rest
of the family.
19 High chairs,
Low chairs or Table seats?
The right seat is an essential piece of
furniture when you start to introduce baby
to solids. Make life simple for yourself
and safe and hygienic for baby by choosing
a chair that is well padded, sturdy and
easy to clean. It should have an integral
crotch strap and D-rings for separate safety
harness. Be careful when moving your child
in or out of the chair and never leave baby
unattended in the chair even if he is strapped
in. Be careful not to place chair on slippery
or raised surface.
20 Mealtime
equals Family Time
Your baby wants to be a part of family mealtimes.
Sit her at the table in her high chair so
that she can join the social interaction.
She may soon enjoy this ritual and this
may help overcome any feeding difficulties.
21 Eating
Out
Your baby will enjoy eating out in a restaurant
of café. Don't worry about his behavior.
Select a family-friendly spot, if possible
and relax. Be prepared for him to get bored
before you are done with your meal. Try
offering him finger foods to keep him busy
or provide a selection of toys from his
goody bag so he can play while you finish
the rest of your meal in peace.
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Quiet
Nights
22 The right
Temperature
Your baby can quickly become overheated,
so it is important to make sure the room
doesn't become too hot. Buy a room thermometer
to maintain an ideal room temperature of
18 degrees Celsius.
23 Monitoring
your Baby at night
Check on your baby, even when she is asleep.
A baby monitor allows you to relax, knowing
that you will hear her when she needs you.
Check the reception before using them. Systems
come with separate units for baby and you
and can be plugged in or battery-operated.
24 Swaddling
a newborn
Newborn jerks can keep your baby awake.
Try wrapping him firmly in a soft, light
baby blanket with his legs and arms tucked
in. Lay him in the middle of the blanket
with his arms by his sides. Gently pull
one side of the blanket across his body,
then pull the other side across and tuck
it under him so that he is swaddled. Place
him on his back to sleep. Check his temperature
every hour to see he doesn't get overheated.
25 Saying
Good Night
Although it is very tempting to cuddle baby
to sleep in your arms, you won't be doing
him any favors. He needs to learn to sleep
on his own so that he knows how to do it
again if he wakes up in the night.
26 Dividing
Day and Night
Help your baby understand the difference
between nighttime and daytime sleep by keeping
the crib for sleeping at night and a carriage,
basket or playpen for daytime naps. She
will soon associate the crib with part of
his bedtime routine and nighttime sleep.
27 Baby Sleep
needs
Your newborn has no concept of day and night
and will sleep in short bursts for a total
of up to 16 hours in every 24. Her sleep
pattern will gradually change so that she
sleeps more at night and less during the
day. By 6 months, your baby will be napping
2-3 times in the day and sleeping up to
12 hours in the night. By her first birthday
she will be sleeping an hour less than she
did at 6 months. That said, all babies are
individuals, so be prepared for your baby
to be different.
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Fun and Games
28 Mirror,
mirror ..
Hang an unbreakable mirror in the crib where
your baby can see her reflection, and encourage
her to look at herself. She will get endless
hours of enjoyment from studying her changing
image. This also helps to develop her observation
skills.
29 Imitating
you
There is no doubt about it; you are your
baby's favorite plaything. Even at 3 months
of age your baby will enjoy watching you
and will try to copy your facial expressions.
Hold him and stick out your tongue; watch
your baby as he tries to imitate you.
30 Changing
levels
Research suggests that the more the baby
is encouraged to look at things, the higher
he will score on intelligence tests at age
4. Move your baby to different rooms and
place him on different levels such as the
floor, chair and the bed. Encourage your
baby to look at a number of objects in each
room, and talk to him about what he can
see.
31 Fun with
Colors
Put a brightly colored sock on one foot
so that he can see it when he kicks his
legs. Once he is used to seeing the colored
sock on one foot, change it to the other
foot. You can also put the sock on his hand
so that he can bring his hand closer to
his face and really concentrate on the color.
Use a different colored sock the next day;
this way you gradually introduce baby to
a range of colors.
32 Shake,
Rattle and Roll
By about 3 months of age, she will show
an interest in sounds, including the sounds
of your footsteps. Try filling several small
plastic containers with different objects
such as dry beans, marbles and lentils.
Fasten the lid securely with tape so that
baby cannot open it. Encourage her to shake
and roll each container; she will gradually
learn to discriminate between the different
sounds.
33 Toys from
the Cupboard
Everyday household articles can give your
child hours of entertainment. At about nine
months up, try playing with these household
toys. Banging pan with a wooden spoon makes
a noise as good as any drum. For water play,
all you need is a dishpan with some water,
some plastic cups and a big spoon. A drawer
or cupboard that is safe for baby to empty
is absolutely absorbing. Using your imagination
and encouraging your child to explore everyday
items around him will help him learn to
use his imagination too.
34 Laughing
Games
Do silly things together and see what appeals
to her sense of humor. Build up a tower
and knock it down, making silly noises as
it falls. Cover your face with a cloth or
your hands and encourage your baby to pull
it off, saying peek-a-boo as your eyes appear.
35 Talk,
talk, talking to your Baby
Your baby learns language by listening to
you and others talk. Teach her word recognition
by saying the words before carrying out
the action. For example, say, "I am going
to pick you up' and hold out your arms to
her. Your baby will soon learn to associate
the words with the act and understand the
meaning.
36 Feely
Things
As your baby grows older, between 9 and
12 months, he will love having his own box
of things. Make sure the items are safe
and include different textures so that he
gets to explore the difference between rough
and smooth. Select things like squares of
velvet, silk, a piece of sponge, a rubber
ball, cardboard book. Add new items every
now and then so that your baby gets a surprise
the next time he explores his feely things.
37 Everyday
Noises
Teaching your baby about everyday noises
is an important step towards building language
skills. Name the object (the telephone,
doorbell or television) and whenever possible
point to it so she associates the noise
with the name of its source. Outside, encourage
your baby to identify sounds like birds,
airplanes, cars, and buses by pointing to
them and telling her their names.
38 Hide and
Seek
As your baby grows older, he will begin
to understand that things still exist even
when he can't see them. Show him an object
and then hide it under a cover and ask him
to find it. If he doesn't understand the
idea, pretend to help him find it.
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