It’s common for fathers to bond with their babies after mothers
I have made a point of telling new fathers that it’s “normal” for moms to bond to babies before they do.
Limit visitors the first week you are home with your baby
While it helps to have friends or relatives assist you in taking care of the baby, what begins as a 5-minute visit can easily stretch to an hour or more.
How to make tummy time easier
Once parents start tummy time, lots of questions come up. How long should it last? How many times a day should we do it?
How to clean a newborn’s vagina
Cleaning this area often makes parents nervous. I recommend two things to make this easier.
Does it hurt to wash your baby’s soft spot?
The medical name for a baby’s soft spot is called the anterior fontanel. This is an opening between the bones of the skull.
How to take a rectal temperature in newborns
Once you take your baby home, you should take rectal temperatures if you’re concerned that the baby is sick or has a fever.
Does your baby’s head have a funny shape?
A baby’s head will take on an unusual shape if he spends more time sleeping with his head in one direction.
What is tummy time, and why is it important for infants?
Never leave the baby alone in this position, even for a second, or she may roll over and hurt herself.
How does a circumcision heal?
During the healing process, it’s common for the glans to develop small yellow patches.
What to do if your baby has lazy eye
If the baby’s eyes are constantly out of balance or wander after 6 months of age, see a pediatric ophthalmologist.
Getting your newborn to track an object
Newborn babies will look at their parents right after birth, but their eyes can’t do more than “fix” on objects for a few weeks. Between 1 and 2 months of age, babies will begin to follow objects during quiet, alert periods. It’s important to realize that this is...What to do if an infant rolls over in sleep
For over 20 years, pediatricians in the United States have recommended that infants sleep on their backs. One of the questions that parents frequently ask is what they should do if their baby starts rolling over before 6 months of age. Although babies occasionally...What are the white spots in a newborn’s mouth?
Parents often have questions about the things they see in their baby’s mouths. Here are the most common findings you may notice. Epstein’s Pearls. These are white spots on the roof of a baby’s mouth. They are usually the size of a sesame seeds. They disappear in a...What’s a hydrocele?
When I see boys for routine physicals, I always check their testicles for lumps or swelling. The most common problem I find in the first year of life is something called a hydrocele. A hydrocele is a collection of fluid around the testicle. Hydroceles have an...Caring for umbilical stumps
At the time of birth, a baby’s umbilical cord has a shiny, off-white color. Over the next few days, the cord will dry out and turn a dark brown or black color. As this happens, the cord will shrink and often looks like a scab on the baby’s abdomen. In the past, the...Can you wash a baby’s face with soap?
Many childrearing books tell you not to use soap on a baby’s face. One of the reasons for this is because soap may irritate a newborn’s sensitive facial skin. Another is that a newborn’s skin is slightly acidic, which helps prevent infection. Soap...Is baby powder safe?
It’s common for people to use baby powder after showering to keep dry, especially during the warmer months. Similarly, parents often use baby powder on their baby’s bottoms after diaper changes. I disagree with the latter use for two reasons. First,...Tips for How to Swaddle a Baby
Swaddling is a time-honored method to help babies calm down. It helps fussy babies relax during wakeful periods and makes it easier for most newborns to sleep. Infants respond to swaddling for two reasons: Newborns have a number in innate reflexes, including the Moro...Jaundice in newborns
It’s very common for newborns to become jaundiced by the second or third day of life. Jaundice is a medical condition that presents with yellowing of the skin or sclera (whites of the eyes). It is due to a build up of bilirubin in the baby’s system....Pacifiers in newborns
Infants have two types of sucking: nutritional and non-nutritional. The former is something they do when they are hungry. The latter is something they do to soothe themselves. When babies reach five or six months of age, they are developmentally able to suck their...Stuffy babies usually do not have colds
In the first few months of life, babies are obligate nose breathers. This means that they have to breathe through their noses. By the time babies are three to six months of age, they are able to breath through their mouths, but most still prefer nasal breathing....The blue rubber item you get after birth is not a nasal aspirator
After a baby is born, the nurses usually put a blue rubber aspirator in his bassinet. Parents commonly take this item home and use it to clean mucus from their baby’s nose. You should be aware that this device is not a nasal aspirator. Instead, the hospital nurses use...What To Do If Your Child Has Hiccups
Hiccups are caused by a sudden contraction of the diaphragm, which draws air rapidly into the esophagus. The characteristic squeak occurs because the epiglottis closes rapidly shutting off the influx of air. Young babies frequently get hiccups after a feeding. In most...
- Staying in touch with family if your child is hospitalized
One way to ease the pressure of communicating with loved ones is to choose a person from each side of the family to be your spokesperson. - How to Wean Babies from Bottles
Most pediatricians (me included) recommend weaning babies from formula at 12 months. I learned many years ago that this is also the ideal time to wean them from bottles. - What is Hand, Foot, Mouth Syndrome?
Hand, foot, mouth syndrome (HFM) is a common viral infection most often seen in young children. It’s most common during… Read more: What is Hand, Foot, Mouth Syndrome? - How to Put Drops in a Child’s Eyes
Instilling drops in a child’s eyes can be difficult because they’re often afraid it will hurt when the drops go… Read more: How to Put Drops in a Child’s Eyes - Be careful when buying over the counter medication
Non-prescription medicine is not regulated by the FDA and doesn’t have to work to be sold in the US. The… Read more: Be careful when buying over the counter medication - What’s a strawberry hemangioma?
Strawberry hemangiomas are a collection of tiny capillaries located on the skin. Most resolve without treatment by the time a child is 5 to 10 years. - What are the incubation periods of some common childhood illnesses?
There is a lag time between being exposed to an infection and coming down with the disease. This time frame is called the incubation period. - What’s in a teaspoon?
Nowadays, doctors and parents need to be more precise in the way they give medicine to kids. - Are febrile seizures dangerous?
Febrile seizures occur in 3 percent of children between 6 months and 5 years. The seizure is triggered by the rapid rise in temperature that accompanies an illness. - It’s common for fathers to bond with their babies after mothers
I have made a point of telling new fathers that it’s “normal” for moms to bond to babies before they do.