Baby Care

Everything you need to know about Baby Care

2007-04-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Baby Development in the first six months
Your babies grow so quickly in the first 6 months. It's really quite amazing. Make sure it's grow normally both physic and mental. Compare weight and height of your baby with standard.
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Baby Health Care
Explain information and advice about Common Baby Illnesses, problem, infectious diseases, other health issues, immunization and their treatment. You also will find explanation about Cold, Cough, Croup, Diarrhea, Ear infections, Fever, Chicken pox, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Roseola, Whooping Cough, Scalp, Eyes, Ears, Nose, Mouth, Vomiting, Constipation, Natural Medicine and Immunization.
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Baby Skin Care
Explain information and advice about common baby’s skin problems and their treatment, such as:
Common Skin Rashes : Eczema, Nappy rash, Miliaria, Seborrhoeic dermatitis
Common Skin Blemishes : Milia, Dry skin, Cradle cap, Cheek rashes.
Common Skin Marks : Port wine stains, Strawberry marks, Stork bites, Mongolian blue spots
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Baby Massage
Explain information and advice about preparing, getting started, and how to massage a baby
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Baby Stuff
Do you confuse "what kind of baby stuff should i have for my baby"? In this page, you can find some baby stuff that we recommend
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Soothing & Sleeping
Explain information and advice about baby crying, why is he crying, soothe baby, when soothing fails, soothing equipment, baby sleep, sleeping trough, solving sleep problems, baby's bed, co-sleeping, SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
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Baby's Nappy
Explain information and advice about what kind of nappy, nappy needs, nappy change time, what's nappy rash, how to clear and prevent nappy rash.
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Baby Bath
Explain information and advice about baby bath, bath time, practical bathing guide, relaxation bath, alternative bath (topping and tailing), safety tips.
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Breastfeeding
Explain information and advice about breastfeeding, breast milk, breastfeeding problems and solutions, bottle feeding, baby formula, other issues.
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Baby Infectious Disease - Whooping Cough (Pertussis)

2007-03-28T19:38:00.001-07:00

Whooping cough's continued presence is partly due to the fact that immunization offers only 70-80 % protection, but is mostly because there is a rise in the number of families not immunizing against it. If your baby has been immunized and does get whooping cough, the illness is usually milder and less likely to cause complications.

Whooping cough starts with a runny nose and progress over a week to include a dry cough. The cough then develops into bouts of repeated coughing, sometimes followed by a 'whoop' or by vomiting.

Small babies tend not to 'whoop' but have difficulty breathing and 'blue' attacks. They are at great risk and usually need hospital care so they can have round the clock attention. Even a mild case lasts six weeks.

Baby Infectious Disease – Roseola

2007-03-28T19:37:00.001-07:00

An acute viral disease that is most often seen in baby between six and 24 months. The incubation period is about 10 days.

Roseola begins with a high fever for several days, but often there are no other obvious signs of illness. However, there may be slightly swollen glands at the back of the baby's head or neck. After a few days, the fever comes down and the baby breaks out in a fine, pink, slightly blotchy rash on his trunk. The rash usually fades within a couple of days. Treatment involves bringing the high fever down with paracetamol and, if necessary, tepid sponging.

Baby Infectious Disease - Rubella (German Measles)

2007-03-28T19:36:00.001-07:00

Immunization against this disease is included with the measles / mumps immunization at 12 months (may differ, depend on your state policy).

Rubella has an incubation period of 14 to 21 days. It is often difficult to diagnose in baby and is frequently confused with measles, roseola, an allergy or a viral rash.

The baby may have cold symptoms. The rash rapidly spreads over his arms and body. It appears as small, pink, separate dots unlike the measles rash that is red and blotchy. It only last three days. The most reliable sign of rubella is swollen glands at the back of the neck and behind the ears.

If a pregnant woman comes into contact with a child with rubella, she should consult her doctor to have her immunity to rubella checked. If the woman has good immunity to rubella, then there should be no risk to her baby.

Baby Infectious Disease – Mumps

2007-03-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

Mumps is now relatively uncommon, but is an unpleasant disease mainly affecting children between the age of five and 15. The infection affects the glands just below and in front of one or both ears, they become swollen and painful for six to seven days. The child can become feverish and lose his appetite.

Mumps is treated by rest, a soft diet and plenty of fluids. There is now a very effective vaccination against mumps included in your baby's usual immunization program.

Baby Infectious Disease – Measles

2007-03-28T19:33:00.002-07:00

Immunization is started at 12 months (may differ, depend on your state policy), but a small number of baby do catch measles before they are immunized. If this happens, your baby will still need her immunization at 12 months.

The incubation period of measles is seven to 14 days. Measles first appear as a cold. The baby is miserable with a runny nose, watery eyes, a cough and a fever. Two days later spots appear on the neck, behind the ears and on her face.

Within hours the whole body is covered, the rash often joins together and becomes one red mass or a series of blotches. Give paracetamol to bring the fever down and encourage extra fluids. Although measles is an unusual illness now because of high vaccination rates, when it does occur it can sometimes be a very severe illness. If you think your baby may have measles, it is very important that your doctor checks him. In recent years there have been some scares about the possible dangers of measles vaccination, but careful studies have shown that the measles vaccination is not associated with any increase in the incidence of autism.

Baby Infectious Disease - Chicken Pox

2007-03-28T19:33:00.001-07:00

Chicken pox is preceded by a mild fever and a fussy baby for a day or two. The rash starts as small, raised pink spots that turn into blisters and then form crusts, usually on the baby's trunk.

The incubation period of chicken pox is 12 to 21 days, so there can be a three-week gap between one family member and another becoming infected. Treatment aims to relieve the itch and fever. Give paracetamol and warm to hot baths. Add some anti itch solution such as Pinetarsol to the bath water.

A vaccination is available, and is recommended at 18 months of age (may differ, depend on your state policy). If a pregnant woman comes in contact with chicken pox, she should consult her doctor to check that she has immunity.

Treating A Fever

2007-03-28T19:32:00.001-07:00

Treat a fever as follows:

give a normal dose for age of baby paracetamol.
while waiting for it to work, undress your baby down to his singlet and nappy. Keep him under a light sheet in a cool room.

Usually this is sufficient, but if he is still very hot after 30 minutes, sponge him with tepid - not cold - water, then pat him dry. Don't allow him to shiver as shivering sends the body temperature up.

If you feel uneasy and the cause for the fever is not obvious, don't wait too long. If your baby is under three months, take him to a doctor promptly.

Taking Your Baby's Temperature

2007-03-28T19:31:00.000-07:00

If your baby's temperature is above 37.5⁰ C with a thermometer under the arm or on the forehead, or above 37.8⁰ C with an infrared ear thermometer, then he has a fever. A hot or warm head does not necessarily indicate a fever and a baby's hands and feet usually remain cool even if a fever is present. The best method is to place the back of your hand on your baby's tummy. You will soon learn the difference between a warm, hot or a burning feel. Teething by itself does not cause fever above 37.8⁰ C.

Common Baby Illness – Fever

2007-03-28T19:30:00.002-07:00

Baby and toddler are more prone to fever than older children and adults. Fever is the body's natural defense against infection so a fever may accompany an illness such as a cold or gastroenteritis or could be present if your baby is suffering from an infectious disease like measles or chicken pox.

A baby's fever can also be caused by other things not related to an infection such as overdressing, being kept too long in a hot car, or out on a hot day, or following immunization. Baby who have been crying or is teething may feel warm, but usually don't have a true fever.

If your baby has frequent fevers it is worth seeing your doctor. Remember that a baby can have a serious infection or other illness without having a fever, so don't ignore symptoms of illness, even if your baby does not have a fever.

Common Baby Illness - Ear Infection

2007-03-28T19:30:00.001-07:00

Ear Infections problems in older baby and toddler are very common, but not in infants. The problems usually occur in the middle ear because at this age the Eustachian tube that connects the middle ear to the throat is narrow and easily blocked.

Virus infections may cause swelling of the lining of the throat hat blocks the Eustachian tube, preventing normal drainage of the middle ear and allowing secondary infection to grow behind the eardrum, where it causes pain. Older baby and toddler catch frequent virus infections (or 'colds), until they build up immunity, you will notice this when your child starts mixing with other children after six months of age.

A problem with ears is caused by either:

An acute infection from infected mucus. This is painful so the baby's behavior may change dramatically. Baby may have screaming attacks, whine more than usual or develop a sudden sleep problem. It’s always worth having your baby's ears checked when these things happen. Antibiotics and pain relievers may be given, but are not always needed.
a more chronic collection of mucus in the middle ear. This is called glue ear. Glue ear is generally not painful, but transient earaches occur especially at night, so a change in night sleep patterns may occur even when a baby is happy during the day. Treatment for glue ear ranges from none, to medication, to insertion of tubes depending on the frequency, the discomfort and the amount of hearing loss.

Common Baby Illness – Diarrhea

2007-03-28T19:28:00.002-07:00

Diarrhea means there are a lot of loose, watery bowel motions that are often mucusy, very smelly and a different colour to a baby's usual stools. Sudden diarrhea is usually caused by a viral infection in the gut (gastroenteritis). It's uncommon for exclusively breastfeed babies to get gastroenteritis during the first three months after birth, so don't confuse the normal loose green/yellow motions that young breastfeed baby pass with diarrhea.

It's also unusual for bottle fed baby to get gastroenteritis in the first three months as long as the water supply is reliable and the correct procedures are used to ensure safe bottle-feeding.

Medication is not a part of treatment for most cases of infectious of diarrhea. Antibiotics are only used occasionally for a specific, diagnosed bacterial infection. Medications such as adults take to stop the vomiting or diarrhea are dangerous for baby and should never be given.

The correct treatment for diarrhea is oral rehydration with fluids that contain some sugar and some salt - for example, diluted (non diet) fruit cordials. This is best achieved by giving frequent small amounts of fluids for 24 hours. However, if you are breastfeeding, you should continue with just breastfeeding, offering your baby extra breastfeeds too. For older baby who are eating food, a balanced diet should be recommenced as soon as possible, but continue to give only small amounts for a few days.

Most children respond well to reintroducing their normal diet early on in the course of gastroenteritis - although they may vomit after eating, or have some further diarrhea. However, their intestines are likely to recover more quickly if their normal diet can be reintroduced sooner.

Rarely, baby develops a temporary lactose intolerance following gastroenteritis that means their watery diarrhea comes back once full strength formula or milk is reintroduced. When this happens a lactose-free formula is required for two to three weeks until the bowel recovers. Breastfeed baby tolerate breast milk well and don't need lactose free formula.

Manu baby respond to these measures, but unfortunately there are times when the correct advice is not given or parents and health professionals underestimate the severity of the illness. If in doubt, take your baby to the nearest emergency department of a major hospital.

Common Baby Illness – Croup

2007-03-28T19:28:00.001-07:00

Croup involves narrowing of the voice box and windpipe and is more common in toddler than in baby. It usually follows a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract that affects the voice box. The baby's cough sounds like a baby seal barking. The cough is accompanied by a 'crowing' noise as he breathes in.

A baby with croup may feel a little better if breathing warm, moist air. This can be done with vaporizers or by steaming up the bathroom. if the baby doesn't respond well to this and has difficulty breathing, go straight to your doctor or to a hospital emergency department.

Common Baby Illness – Cough

2007-03-28T19:27:00.000-07:00

When coughing is associated with wheezing, a high fever, breathlessness or sleepless nights, you need to see your doctor. It is dangerous to give a cough suppressant to a baby or young child. Worrying coughs should always be investigated.

Common Baby Illness – Cold

2007-03-28T19:24:00.000-07:00

Cold is the common illnesses in most baby. It’s caused by a virus. It's sometimes difficult to tell whether a baby actually has a cold or just has the normal baby snuffles.
A baby with a cold looks miserable and sounds 'wet'. Mucus flows from his nose. The mucus may slip down the back of his throat and make him cough. A baby finds it difficult to breathe and has trouble eating and sleeping.
There's no cure for a cold nor any medicine that makes the cold get better any quicker. You may give your baby some paracetamol to help reduce fever and discomfort. But remember that paracetamol is not a treatment for the cold itself. Some other medications may be dangerous so check with your doctor before using any. Mucus symptoms such as noisy breathing and a blocked nose can persist for six to eight weeks after the cold has gone, as babies take a lot longer to clear their bodies of mucus than adults do.
See your doctor if your baby loses interest in food, becomes floppy, develops a fever that won't come down, has difficulty breathing or develops blue lips.

BABY GROWTH - Baby's Height Standard

2007-03-28T01:08:00.000-07:00

Source : NCHS (National Center of Health Statistic) USA

Man

age	height (cm)
(month)	less	normal	more
0	≤ 48	48 - 52.	> 52
1	≤ 52.5	52.5 - 56	> 56
2	≤ 56.5	56.5 - 60	> 60
3	≤ 59.5	59.5 - 63	> 63
4	≤ 62	62 - 65.5	> 65.5
5	≤ 64.5	64.5 - 68	> 68
6	≤ 66	66 - 69.5	> 69.5
7	≤ 67.5	67.5 - 71	> 71
8	≤ 69	69 - 72.5	> 72.5
9	≤70.5	70.5 - 74	> 74

Woman

age	height (cm)
(month)	less	normal	more
0	≤ 48	48 - 51.	> 51
1	≤ 52	52. - 55	> 55
2	≤ 55	55 - 58.5	> 58.5
3	≤ 57.5	57.5 - 61.5	> 61.5
4	≤ 60	60 - 63.5	> 63.5
5	≤ 62.5	62.5 - 66	> 66
6	≤ 64	64 - 68.5	> 68.5
7	≤ 65.5	65.5 - 69.5	> 69.5
8	≤ 66.5	66.5 - 71	> 71
9	≤ 67.5	67.5 - 72.5	> 72.5

BABY GROWTH - Baby's Weight Standard

2007-03-28T01:04:00.000-07:00

Source : NCHS (National Center of Health Statistic) USA

Man

age (month)	weight (kg)
age (month)	less	normal	more
0	≤ 3	3 - 3.7	> 3.7
1	≤ 3.8	3.8 - 4.7	> 4.7
2	≤ 4.6	4.6 - 5.7	> 5.7
3	≤ 5.3	5.3 - 6.5	> 6.5
4	≤6	6 - 7.3	> 7.3
5	≤ 6.7	6.7 - 8	> 8
6	≤ 7.2	7.2 - 8.5	> 8.5
7	≤ 7.7	7.7 - 9	> 9
8	≤ 8.2	8.2 - 9.5	> 9.5
9	≤ 8.5	8.5 - 9.9	> 9.9

Woman

age	weight (kg)
(month)	less	normal	more
0	≤<>	2.9 - 3.5	> 3.5
1	≤ 3.6	3.6 - 4.3	> 4.3
2	≤ 4.3	4.3 - 5.1	> 5.1
3	≤ 4.9	4.9 - 5.9	> 5.9
4	≤ 5.5	5.5 - 6.6	> 6.6
5	≤ 6.1	6.1 - 7.2	> 7.2
6	≤ 6.6	6.6 - 7.8	> 7.8
7	≤ 7	7 - 8.3	> 8.3
8	≤ 7.5	7.5 - 8.8	> 8.8
9	≤ 7.9	7.9 - 9.2	> 9.2

BABY GROWTH – Mouthing

2007-03-28T01:03:00.000-07:00

Now your baby can grasp, your baby is likely to put everything into his mouth, to explore the size, shape, weight and texture of objects.
The drive to mouth objects is a primitive reflex that takes off at about four months, when the nerve endings in the mouth are more sensitive than those in the fingers. Your baby will use mouthing for months to come.
Your baby will start babbling around now - that is, making lots of different consonant and vowel sounds - and may become fascinated by a particular sound such as " ba ba ba".
First words, only a baby’s immediate family often understands these. If your baby uses the same sound with the same meaning consistently and you understand it, this is the start of speech. After the first word, parents may have to wait several weeks for any more - first words tend to emerge at a rate of maybe one to three month.

BABY GROWTH - Six Months

2007-03-28T00:59:00.000-07:00

Physical development
Your baby may put more weight on his forearms when on his front and push himself rights up, arching his back and raising his head. Your baby may also reach out for toys from this position, even if his balance fails him.
His finger skills are developing as your baby learns to manipulate objects better – your baby will transfer an object from one hand to another, and drop one thing to pick up another.

Mental development
Your baby's growing independence reveals itself very definitely as your baby demonstrates clear likes and dislikes. Your baby may take the initiative more in his relationship with you, starting "conversations" and holding out his arms to you. Your baby is also able to entertain himself for longer, by looking at new objects or by talking to himself.
Most babies enjoy talking to themselves. You may hear your baby repeating sound patterns in a singsong voice, and practicing different sounds. If your baby is babbling in a singsong voice, that's a good indication that he is hearing okay, as babies who are deaf don't tend to do this.

BABY GROWTH - Five Month

2007-03-28T00:56:00.000-07:00

Physical development
At five months, your baby is well on the way to discovering how much his body can do for him. You may be struck by his strength and trunk control as he starts to master rolling. Your baby can sit propped up for longer and may even try, briefly, to sit alone. Reaching and grasping are likely to progress too.
As your baby's hand skills develop, his hand eye coordination becomes sharper. Your baby can now swipe and grasp successfully at mobiles and activity gyms and, if your baby manages to get a good grip, will try to pull himself forward and up.

Mental development
This month your baby may show a mental leap that accompanies his growing hand dexterity. As your baby becomes better at holding objects, his powers of concentration grow. Social awareness increases and his relationship with you is firmly established. Your baby can now understand and remember a routine better and may start protesting at strangers.
Your baby begins to observe cause and effect - for example, your baby may begin to understand that a ball moves when rolled. You're likely to notice the same mechanism at work when your baby cries deliberately to get a response from you.

BABY GROWTH - Four Months

2007-03-28T00:48:00.000-07:00

Physical development
Your baby has now gained almost total head control. At the beginning of this month he may still wobble when pulled to sitting, but should outgrow this in a few weeks.
Your baby now kicks with more coordination, discovering he can use his legs to make things happen, such as making a mobile move.
As his grapping skills have also become more refined, your baby may pull at a cot gym and try to pull himself to a sitting position, but it's still hard work, and for now he may prefer to observe the world from the comfort of your lap.

Mental development
Mental and motor development go hand in hand this month - as your baby starts learning more about the world, so he tries to do more. Increased curiosity and understanding go with better reaching skills - your baby loves looking around, but this may no longer be enough, and he now wants to reach out and touch everything. Your baby is much more responsive and vocal, too, and will keep you entertained in "conversations" for ages.
As your baby's awareness grows, he shows increased enjoyment of games, such as splashing in the bath, or making faces with an older child. Your baby may also spend more time examining objects, such as rattles, developing his concentration.

BABY GROWTH - Three Months

2007-03-28T00:44:00.000-07:00

Physical development
Better head and neck control plus the discovery of his hands mean your baby can now take much more interest in his environment.
At this stage, his neck and back muscles are surprisingly strong and, with improving head control, he can raise his head and chest when lying on his back. Your baby may have realized that sitting is on the horizon and may struggle to sit up, lifting his head up when on his back. He loves being held sitting but needs support. Sitting independently is a few months away.

Mental development
Your baby has a more settled relationship with you and, as his communication powers grow, may start using his wiles to achieve certain things, for example, wriggling around or making noise in order to get picked up.
Your baby may start cooing when he's on his own, and especially when he's happy. Make the most of it, as cooing doesn't tend carry on much beyond four months.

BABY GROWTH - Two Months

2007-03-28T00:29:00.000-07:00

Physical development
Your baby is growing in strength, stretching out his limbs and generally tuning in to the world around him.
After a few weeks your baby's head control is progressing, he may now be able to lift his head from the floor a few seconds when lying on his front, and may hold his head up when supported, but not for long.
Your baby is beginning to uncurl from the fetal position of the first mouth. You may notice that he lies straighter when asleep, and is slightly easier to bathe because he holds himself better due to his stronger neck muscles.

Mental development
Your baby is learning rapidly about the world around him and his sense of recognition and curiosity are growing stronger by the day.
This month often marks a breakthrough in your baby as many now reward their parents with those first smiles. Your baby may start cooing and making some vowel sounds, squeals or other noises when you speak to him. He may also amuse you by pulling faces.

BABY GROWTH - One Month

2007-03-28T00:24:00.000-07:00

Physical development
Within days of birth your baby's motor skills take off as he starts to gain control of his head. Your baby may move his head from one side to another when placed on his front, or bob it against you when you hold him.
By the end of this first month, your baby may be able to lift his head off the floor for a few second. You may not think this seems like a huge advance, but it is.

Mental development
Research has proved that babies of only two or three days old will copy adults’ facial expressions. You can check this by sticking your tongue out at your baby, because he may well respond by copying you.

Baby's Skin Care - Eczema

2007-03-12T02:21:00.000-07:00

Eczema

Eczema or atopic dermatitis is adry skin condition which affects some babies to varying degrees. It usually doesn't appear until after three months of age, so don't confuse eczema with the normal flaky skin most babies have for up to two months after birth. Eczema is more likely to occur when condition such as asthma and hay fever run in families, although about one baby in five who han eczema has no family history of allergies. Most babies and toddlers outgrow their eczema before the age of five years.

Tratment involves using a combination of moisturisers and cortisone creams. It is advisable to consult a skin specialist for moderate to severe eczema. Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months seems to delay the onset of eczema and may reduce its severity.