As a new parent, you may be surprised to learn that your newborn, who seems to need you every minute of the day, actually sleeps about 16 hours or more! Newborns typically sleep for periods of 2–4 hours. Don’t expect yours to sleep through the night — the digestive system of babies is so small …
You’ll probably decide before you bring your baby home whether you’ll use cloth or disposable diapers. Whichever you use, your little one will dirty diapers about 10 times a day, or about 70 times a week. Before diapering your baby, make sure you have all supplies within reach so you won’t have to leave your …
Bonding, probably one of the most pleasurable parts of infant care, happens during the sensitive time in the first hours and days after birth when parents make a deep connection with their infant. Physical closeness can promote an emotional connection. For infants, the attachment contributes to their emotional growth, which also affects their development in …
You should give your baby a sponge bath until: the umbilical cord falls off and the navel heals completely (1–4 weeks) the circumcision heals (1–2 weeks) A bath two or three times a week in the first year is fine. More frequent bathing may be drying to the skin. Have these items ready before bathing …
• Iron During the first 6 months of life, infants use iron liver reserves build up during fetal life, as the iron content of breast milk is very low. Thus, at around 6 months, an exogenous source of iron from the diet is needed to meet the nutritional requirements. From 0 to 6 months of …
• Fats Fatty acids are the major constituent of many lipids, and those which are essential must be provided through the infant diet for a healthy growth, neurodevelopment, immune system, and gastrointestinal function. During the first months of life, especially polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFAs) requirements are increased, because of rapid growth and neurological development. Fat …
Sometimes CMPA is confused with lactose intolerance, but they are very different: lactose intolerance is the inability to digest the lactose sugar and does not involve the body’s immune system. However, the two share some signs and symptoms, such as stomach and gut problems (like wind and diarrhea). During infancy, lactose accounts for most of …
Food allergies occur when the body’s immune system (the body’s own defense mechanism) responds abnormally to certain foods. Usually, the immune system helps the body to fight off harmful things like pathogens. For people with food allergies, the immune system incorrectly identifies certain food components as harmful and produces an inappropriate response. This leads to …
Colic is when a baby cries for more than three hours a day and three times a week without a clear cause. A baby may cry inconsolably or scream, extend or pull up his or her legs, and pass gas. The baby’s stomach may be enlarged. Crying can happen anytime, although it often gets worse …
Some babies have a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD happens when the muscle at the opening of the stomach opens at the wrong times. This allows milk and food to come back up into the esophagus, the tube in the throat. Some symptoms of GERD include: • Severe spitting up or spitting up …
