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.
Why newborns poop when they’re nursing
When a person’s stomach fills with food, it triggers a reflex that stimulates peristalsis.
Is it normal for newborns to grunt or strain when they poop?
Parents often assume that babies are constipated if they strain or cry when they poop.
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.
Do umbilical hernias need to be treated?
Umbilical hernias are caused by a weakness in the ring of muscles that surround the belly button.
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 type of shoes should you buy for a 1-year-old?
Parents often ask if babies need firm, high top shoes once they start to walk. This is especially true if they previously talked to a grandparent or a shoe salesman who recommended a “supportive shoe” so the baby learns to walk properly. Shoes accomplish four things...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,...Is it advisable to travel overseas with a 2-month-old?
This is a hard question to answer because there are so many places you could visit. That being said, pediatricians have a number of concerns about travelling abroad with young infants. It’s important to make sure your baby has had all of his standard immunizations...Is it okay for a baby to sleep in a car seat?
Car seats are designed to keep babies safe in the event of a motor vehicle accident. They are not meant to be a substitute crib. However, everyone knows that babies commonly fall asleep during car rides. This happens because the vibrations and sounds inside a motor...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....Weaning babies from formula and bottles
Babies are traditionally weaned from formula after their first birthday. Although you can wean them from bottles when they are older, transitioning them to cups at the same time you discontinue formula is preferable for two reasons. First, it’s better for a...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...Extra foreskin in circumcised infants
A common finding in male infants is a circumcised penis that has some extra foreskin—it is most noticeable on the underside of the penis. When babies are circumcised, the person doing the procedure has to be careful not to remove too much foreskin. As a result,...Make it easier for young children to use asthma inhalers
When children with asthma get to be two or three years of age, most doctors switch from nebulizers to handheld devices called metered dose inhalers (MDIs). There are two advantages to MDIs. First, they deliver inhaled medication faster than nebulizers. Instead of...Helping Babies with Tummy Time
There are a few tricks that you can do to make tummy-time easier for your baby.
Reuse Pull-Ups And Be Environmentally Conscious
Lots of kids continue to wet the bed at night even though they are successfully using the potty during the day. (Even at six years of age, 12% of kids wet the bed.) Most parents use Pull-Ups during this period of nighttime wetness to make the morning routine easier...Hidden penis in toddlers
It’s very common for the penis of an older infant or toddler to look smaller than it is. Parents (especially dads) worry that the child will have a small penis when he is older. Unless a child had an abnormally small penis at birth, this finding is usually due to...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...Band-Aids Can Be Choking Hazards
In most doctors’ offices, children get blood counts and lead tests at nine months and two years of age. After the finger poke is done, a lab technician will put a bandage on the child’s finger to stop the bleeding. Young children do not like finger pokes....
- 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. - Kids eating too many Halloween treats? Try this trick
Despite my confession, it used to drive me crazy to watch my kids gobble up pounds of candy every fall. My wife came up with a perfect solution to our dilemma. - 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. - Why newborns poop when they’re nursing
When a person’s stomach fills with food, it triggers a reflex that stimulates peristalsis.