Baby Care

The short answer is:  whenever you want.  The truth is, it is never too early, and it is never too late.  (Okay, well, if you are signing to your son while you are chaperoning his prom, that might be a little weird, but in general, it’s never too late!)

Many moms want to get a head start, and while a newborn won’t necessarily know what you are doing, it still doesn’t hurt.  It might even help your baby’s brain develop, and it sure gives mom the practice.

So here’s the long answer:  Most experts recommend starting to teach your baby to sign when she is six months old.  But as you know, each baby is his own creature,...

Breast milk is the ideal food for your baby because it is the most complete and only nutrition source needed for babies up to 6 months of age. Breast-feeding also reduces a child’s risk of developing many types of infections, eczema and asthma, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Breast-feeding could help you to recover from the stresses of pregnancy, labor, and delivery and it also lowers your risk of breast cancer.

Hormones in a woman’s body prepare her for and trigger the production of breast milk. Toward the end of pregnancy and during the first few days after delivery, glands in the breast produce colostrum. When the body releases prolactin, a hormone that stimulates milk production,...

One of the biggest talking points among new parents is how much their babies sleep. While certain newborns will live up to the old adage of ‘sleeping like a baby’ and sleep through the night pretty much straight away, others will take a bit longer to settle into a routine and might decide that it’s much more fun to be nocturnal.

Sleep is something that we often take for granted before we have children, but suddenly, when we find ourselves deprived of it on a daily basis, it’s all we can think or talk about! Here is a brief guide to how much sleep a baby needs for the first three years of life.

Newborns

Of...

Studies show that younger and older mums do the job of parenting just as well as each other but there are benefits and disadvantages to being an older mum or starting your family at a younger age.

The main advantage youth brings is that you are likely to be fitter and less at risk of pregnancy complications – but of course that all comes down to your physical health. A younger mum who is overweight, eats a poor diet and takes little exercise likely won’t be as healthy as an older mum who takes better care of herself. Your general health and attitude also follows through into how you cope as a mum.

Your pregnancy as a younger mum-to-be

Your baby has sensitive skin therefore the clothes of your baby must be cleaned properly and must be well taken care of. Here are some tips that you can use when it comes to taking care of your baby’s clothes.

Most mothers would wash their baby’s clothes in special detergents to help lessen the risk of skin allergies to take place. However, there are some babies who do not show any reactions when it comes to using common detergents. It is suggested though that for children from birth up to two years of age, their clothes should be washed in dye free detergent since this is less likely to trigger any allergic reactions when it comes to your baby.

It is also advised to avoid the use of fabric...

Although babies born in the warmer summer months are less likely to get coughs and sniffles in their first few weeks of life, special care needs to be taken in other areas to ensure that your baby is healthy and comfortable.

TOO HOT?

Newborn babies can’t tell you if they are too hot or cold, but there are ways to check. Place your hand across your baby’s back underneath their clothes, or on the back of their neck. They should feel warm, not hot or cold. Feeling a baby’s hands and feet is not an accurate way of telling whether they are cold or hot, as a baby’s hands and feet are usually slightly cooler than the rest of his or her body.

CLOTHING

As...

Your child’s feet will continue to develop right up until their mid to late teens. Newborn babies’ feet don’t even have the full complement of bones they will have in later life (26), and the arch of the foot won’t develop until around the age of 2. It is essential that you ensure that their feet get the right support and protection throughout childhood to enable them to grow and develop in a healthy way.

Choosing footwear

New babies: Until your baby starts to crawl and move around, experts recommend bare feet to ensure healthy development. Socks and booties are fine for protecting against the cold when you are outside, but make sure that...

Although it is unlikely that anyone is going to advocate extreme sports holidays or long haul flights as a way of relaxing during your pregnancy, getting away from it all can be a great idea. If your partner can accompany you, even better, as this will give you both the opportunity to enjoy time as a couple, before your new arrival makes his or her entrance. If you are still working, perhaps it is necessary to travel for business, and therefore you may not have a choice about leaving town. Whatever the reason, here are gurgle’s top tips for pregnant travellers to help make your trip as stress free and enjoyable as you can.

• Manage long journeys. Avoiding long-distance...
  
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If you’re like most other new parents you’ll likely have little choice about whether or not you return to work after your baby is born. Figures show that more than 25 percent of mums and 90 percent of dads with babies younger than 12 months of age work. And the first weeks after you return to work can be traumatic as you cope with the emotional fallout of leaving your baby in someone else’s care and with the exhaustion of disturbed nights – after all, your baby doesn’t know you need to get up for work in the morning!

You’ll feel guilty about these things, more so if you love your job and don’t want to give it up. So how can you best ease the transition and get the...

An ectopic pregnancy occurs when the fertilized egg doesn’t progress along the fallopian tube to the uterus to implant there (ectopic actually means ‘out of place’). In an ectopic pregnancy, the egg implants outside the uterus – usually in the fallopian tube (around 95 percent of ectopics implant in the fallopian tube, although ectopic pregnancies also can occur in the ovary, cervix, or abdominal cavity) and develops there.

Ectopic pregnancy is rare but if it occurs it can be fatal because the fallopian tube is unable to stretch to accommodate the developing baby and may eventually rupture, causing heavy bleeding. Thankfully, very few ectopic pregnancies progress this far nowadays...