Baby Care

Posts Tagged ‘children’

Those days are gone when women just stayed at home, engaged in farming, giving birth and raising children.

Now many of them go to work and not just because of our difficult times of earning a living, but also because the representatives of weak sex have the talent and the ability to make a career. And even after giving birth, women do not want to leave their profession and seek to quickly return to the workplace. How not to feel guilty for an “abandoned” baby?

All the women, who a few months after giving birth, return to work, feel a bit guilty for their children. It is absolutely clear: the child is still very small, and they fear that they deprive their child of their love and care. Therefore, before going to work, try to solve all the problems worrying you.

The kid loves you more than anybody

Mothers need to know that returning to work does not mean that you should stop breastfeeding your child: it is possible to transfer a child to the mixed-feeding or decant the milk and put it in the fridge.
It is understandable that you inhibit the very idea that perhaps you do not see how your baby will say its first words, but do not get upset because of this. Studies have shown that a child’s achievement becomes “real” only after demonstrating it to his mom and she will evaluate it and rejoice with him. So you will still be playing a primary role for your child’s. And it is precisely because of this inextricable link, you will always be the most beloved for him/her, despite the fact that he/she spends most of the day with grandma, nanny or kindergartener.
 
There is no need to get upset when after returning home from work your child will not talk to you. Your task is to explain the child why you working and that you will always come back to him/her and give him/her having all your free time. So gradually the child will get used to the fact that you are away for a part of the day.

Sometimes, working mothers feel that if they stay at home with their baby, he will develop faster. But this is a totally groundless fear.
In relation to children the most important is not quantity but quality of these relationships: it is important how close you are to your child, whether you understand each other etc. Therefore, if one day you come tired from work, and you cannot force a long time to play with your child and give him affection and attention, as usually, do not blame yourself. If your house has an atmosphere of love and if your child feels your care and understanding, he/she quickly forgets this little episode. 

If baby stays with people who he loves, he will get used quickly to your temporary absence, and in the future this experience will help him/her be more independent.

You can go to work, if your child …

Is already three months. He is sleeping and taking meals at about the same time, allows strange people to take him in their hands, and it is easy to placate.
Six months. He is sleeping, expresses displeasure when he/she does not like something, and smiles as he/she is pleased.
Nine months. He knows how to play alone; he/she holds a bottle and actively researches all he/she sees with his hands.
Year. He/she understands most of what you say to him, knows how to pronounce some words, and shows finger on things that you show him/her.

Child car seats are widely used by car owners all over the world, but unfortunately in some countries, they have very limited application.

Baby car seat is not a luxury but a requirement of the safe transportation of children in the car. Nowadays, it’s not difficult to find information on car seats for child. The range of children’s automobile seat is now so wide that every parent can choose for their child a model that satisfies all the security settings, the desires and needs.

What is a car seat?

Child car seats are divided into three groups. Each of them corresponds to a certain age and weight of the child.

The first group includes seats – cradle designed for children weighing up to 13 kg (approximately 15 months). This cradle is mounted by a 3-point belt against the direction of motion on the front passenger seat (if there are no airbags) or in the back seat. A newborn baby in this case is protected by separate system of belts.

Seats of the second group are designed for children weighing from 9 to 18 kg (approximately 8 months up to 4 years) and have a bowl shape. They are mounted in the direction of motion by the 3-point belt (some models with 2-point belts). A more reliable is fastening distributed worldwide by standard ISOFIX, which provide a rigid connection between the child seat and vehicle.

The third group includes seats for children weighing from 15 up to 36 kg (approximately 3 to 12 years). Even if the children have grown out of bowl seats (second team), the anatomy of child’s organism is still needed to provide support for the head and upper body. Therefore, the child is ideally protected by a 3-point seat belt at a higher level, drawing on the back.

Small children need the maximum care. In the first months of the infants’ life they still have very soft skeleton. Any sudden movements will have an unbearable burden on the infant.

As the children get older, they become active. Therefore, the second group provides seating space for games and the freedom of movement with the greatest possible security, as well as a comfortable position for comfortable and healthy sleep.

Starting from the age of three, children are growing just as in yeast. They grow out of clothes or shoes in only a few months. But you can not joke with security, especially during the unpredictable traffic. Therefore, the seat of the third group “grows” together with the child. For these purposes, many of them are adjustable to the height of the upper back or head.

Children, who already run, jump and swim, are extremely active in summer, and therefore they need much more energy from products that “charge” their batteries. In summer the most of the time children spend in the open air. It’s the season of hikes, long walks, sports and helping adults in the country. The baby wants to pick a bunch of greens, collect berry himself.

The energy consumption increases while appetite reduces due to heat. So, what to feed your little active baby, what products at what time and in what quantities are good for a child in summer?

Very often in the kindergarten or school, when teachers meet their pupils in the beginning of the school year, you will hear they say that children have grown up. And surprisingly, in summer children are growing more active, and therefore the children need the protein, which is the main “building” material of organisms, more than usual. It is very important to increase the proportion of sour-milk products during summer. This way the protein is in its most easily assimilated form. Cottage cheese, kefir, yoghurt should be given to the child 100-200 ml more than his/her normal age-norm. The best is to break the daily norm into 2-4 reception. Thus you first help your child’s stomach – because dairy bacteria contained in dairy products help to improve digestion, which is especially important in hot weather. Second, the baby will not have to drink a glass of kefir at once, especially if he/she is not fond of such drinks.

Daily portion of meat products are also recommended to increase in 10-30 g, depending on the age of the child. With regard to carbohydrates, the main suppliers in the children’s menu for the entire warm period should be berries, fruit and vegetables. Minimize the consumption of biscuits, rich bread, wheat bread and confectionery products, if the kid wants sweet – offer a cup of berries.

It’s necessary to include fresh vegetables in the diet – spices, radishes, sorrel and young nettle should be added to soups and salads. Also keep in mind the forest berries. Remember, that usually they are sweeter than the garden ones.

Giving advice is an ungrateful activity. Sometimes a good piece of advice may cost much more than a hundred of clever books. In this section we have tried to collect very useful advice to pregnant, who are in a practical condition. We hope that our advice and the recommendations to our readers will help to avoid common mistakes and gain confidence in the most difficult situations. Please note that we do not only give advice to pregnant, but take them from all who wish to share their experiences with prospective mothers.

1. All nine months only one thought will not leave you and also many relatives and friends alone: who will be born – a boy or a girl? Question: «And who are you waiting for? » (Interesting detail: when a woman is pregnant for the second or third time, they ask their elder children.) People traditionally make conclusions about sex of the baby: a) form of the belly – if it is round, it’s a girl, if it is sharp – a boy (the percentage of getting to the point, of course, is not hundred. Even ultrasound sometimes gives a wrong result!), b) Family «traditions» – a very strange premonition. One friend told me: «All the relatives of my husband have only boys, then, and we will have one…» I want to recall the lessons of biology in high school about the X-and Y-chromosome, but … Why argue with a pregnant? By the way, despite all the family «tradition», she has a charming girl, c) in case of changes in your appearance people say that girl takes the beauty from her mother. Or a boy, who knows? d) My husband, for example, believes that girls are born, when they have a very good dad.) Perhaps I have missed something. But my cheerful girlfriend helped to answer such questions: «Who are we waiting for? We are waiting for both a boy and a girl. We want both. And more … » This is wonderful, isn’t it?

2. Even if you’re really bad at Mathematics in this crucial period of life, I guarantee that at least 350 times your lover will tell you what NOT to do. You cannot sit putting leg on a leg (in this way you squeeze the head of the baby), wash the windows and hang laundry, greatly raise your hands (surrounded cord can happen), sit on a low sofa or stool (you press the baby with your weight). If for some historical reasons, your sewing machine with foot control have survived, your friends will categorically forbid running it (vibration can harm the child). As well as riding on the back of the bus or fly in an airplane … What all this says? I repeat: from the best intentions. And if there is an urgent trip on the 16th week of pregnancy, you will, of course, consult with your doctor before departure. All the above examples are acceptable (though with reservations). But why pregnant women cannot knit, tell me, please? Again umbilical cord will be crocked? Yeah baby will have much time to crock and unwind it! And here, for example, the Waldorf pedagogy urges pregnant to knit: the hand with the spokes are just opposite to the kid, he/she will receive mother’s energy, her concentration. The quiet, undulating movements contribute to harmonious development of the baby. There are «bearded» tips for pregnancy: eating for two, rest a lot, move slowly.
 
Yes, I forgot. You should, even have to look at everything beautiful: flowers, paintings, objects, sky. Then the baby will necessarily be born beautiful. Let’s keep looking at the sky …

3. Discussion of the size of the growing belly annoys many pregnant women. Especially if they give questions with such emphasis: «How? It’s already the seventh month? What a small tummy you have? Is everything all right? »Or« Listen, you have such a huge belly! How are you going to give birth? »I would be very happy for you, if others have enough sensitivity and wisdom, if noticing something like this, keep silence or speak more softly.

4. Think well before you tell your relatives or husband such «secrets», as a meat waiver, ski walks, swimming in the pool and (Oh, God!) cold pouring three times a day, or visiting the sauna. But there are mothers, so-called potential grandmothers, who even perceive a hostile reception for daily walks of pregnant daughter.

5. Unfortunately, regular visits to antenatal clinics annoy most pregnant women. Environmental conditions, stresses and previous «sores» do not allow communicating with a kid, nature, and beloved husband all nine months. From time to time you will have to give tests, surveys and other less interesting things. If you absolutely can’t bear such things consider the alternative versions – personal physician, observation in a specialized center, etc. This will cost more, but you will stay calm. And one more thing. Stay calm and quite. You carry your own child. Decisions are made only by you! (You’d better consult with your husband. Fortunately he is not pregnant.

80% of hard-core smokers grow up in families where there are one or two smoking parents. A kid from this family from the very first days of life is accustomed to tobacco smoke. He/she sees tobacco smoke as a signal that the parents are somewhere nearby. In the future bright cigarette packs, lighters, ashtrays become favorite toys of children.

According to statistics, every third 13-14 years old teenager has already tried smoking cigarettes. Over the past century, cigarettes have claimed the lives of more than 60 million people, that is, as long as all wars combined. In humans, there is no inherent requirement of smoking. What makes the young smoker cope with a natural aversion to tobacco and cigarette again and again?

Approximately 10-12 year-old child develops a positive attitude to smoking, if parents from a young age “code” him/her to smoking. Today, few people think that the tobacco companies fund cartoons with steep smokers and thus coding children to smoking in the first years of life. And child tries to smoke a cigarette himself/herself, considering it just an interesting game. Even if parents try to convince children not to smoke, because it is harmful, he/she does not believe, because the parents are smokers themselves – encoding was still in the cradle when smoking Dad (or Mom) took the baby in his/her hands. Tobacco smoke was a signal that parents were near.

Smoking parents, especially, do harm to their child. Milk of smoking nursing mother gets an unpleasant taste, and children sometimes refuse it, these moms often do not have enough breast milk. The child of such parent becomes a potential smoker. Children whose mothers smoke during pregnancy often suffer from epilepsy, are behind their peers in cognitive development and prone to allergic and cardiovascular diseases.

Smoking of pupils slows their physical and mental development.
Obviously, it is important to understand the full power of the devastating impact of tobacco on health and do not touch cigarettes.

Sun bath is a great way to recuperate and gain vitality, both for adults and children. In the opinion of dermatologists, you just should not abuse your stay in the sun and protect your skin using special creams taking into account the special needs of each family member.

For Future Mothers

Future mothers should be especially careful. The skin under the influence of pregnancy hormones becomes extremely sensitive to ultraviolet; therefore, a tan will be uneven. On feet, which have already become heavier from slow blood circulation, sun provokes local inflammation, in terms of redness and edema. Also, sunrays can aggravate the situation with the stretch, making more vulnerable the elastic fibers of skin. Therefore, from the very beginning of pregnancy future mothers should apply sun screen – sunscreen with a protection index of 60 to 20 SPF – in all areas which are at the risk of hyper pigmentation: face, chest, and abdomen. For the remaining parts of the body protection also should be increased – from 10 to 15 SPF and nourishing creams.

The simplest means of avoiding overheating and the overdose of ultra-violet rays is staying in the shade during hot afternoon hours. Do not lie in the sun – immobility contributes to varicosity and dries skin. To have a golden skin without any risk to health, just walk under the mild and generous tanning rays of the morning sun and sunset. If you want to enhance the effect in some areas, such as face and legs, use auto tans. They are suitable for application by moisturizing the structure and have color like natural tanning. After tripling use of auto tans with the reflective particles skin becomes glow and have a beautiful tone, as if you have spent on the beach a week, and happily escaped burns.

For Children
Children’s skin need the most robust protection, because their skin is still thin, devoid of the natural protective barrier and can not resist the aggressive external environment, especially the sun. Injuries caused by the sun in childhood can have unfortunate consequences, as it is shown that the risk of skin cancer is directly related to the number of sunburn received up to 15 years. Without any doubts, the sun is necessary for child’s development: ultra-violet rays B synthesize vitamin D, responsible for the retention of calcium in the body, but for the normal growth of the child every day about half an hour under sun rays is enough. Always lubricate the child’s body, even if the baby is sitting under an umbrella. Use only special children’s creams, as they are created on a special formula and do not cause allergies. Do not take to the beach children between 11am to 4pm- this is the most dangerous time, when the heat and ultraviolet rays are most intense. Try to keep the child in the shade: the sun at body temperature rises very quickly and can get a crumb of heat stroke, since mechanisms for thermoregulation have not been developed yet. Do not let your child walk on the beach without a T-shirt and panama and if he/she gets wet, quickly change her/his cloths: wet cloth transmits ultraviolet. Offer your child something to drink, without waiting until he/she asks to drink himself/herself. Dehydration is the primary hazard after sunstroke.

Ultraviolet is dangerous for children’s eyes – their broad and less pigmented eyes miss rays up to the retina, so while purchasing sunglasses take good ones with filters.

Many women have some pains in back during pregnancy; they can feel the tension or numbness in various parts of the body. Gentle massage can help them ease this state. In addition, it will help you to alleviate the state of insomnia, back pain, edema, headache, and other possible ailments during pregnancy.

Before birth:
Pain in the back very often appears during pregnancy (as well as during breastfeeding). To facilitate such a pain you should do massage of back, neck, legs and feet, massage stomach with very soft movements. Many pregnant women have difficulties in circulation of fluids, this condition can be corrected with the help of general body massage that will stimulate and improve the movement of blood. Feet massage will help to relax, relieve the pain in legs and reduce swelling. During this massage, avoid areas with veins varicose (if there is any). 

Those women who have problems with sleep, relaxing effects of massage will help them calm down and relax. Some pregnant women say that the soft abdominal massage helps to ensure that the child calms down and falls asleep too.
Massage relaxes and soothes, and helps to alleviate the unpleasant physical sensations, as well as enables your partner or children to help you and take part in your pregnancy.
Consult a doctor before you begin a massage. If the doctor does not recommend a stomach and back massage, you can conduct face, neck, feet and hands massage, this massage will help the body to relax very well.

When and how to massage:
While some schools of massage do not recommend holding it in the first three months of pregnancy, many women think that a light massage throughout pregnancy is very useful. When you massage a pregnant woman, all movements should be very soft and accurate, especially in the abdomen and waist. Do not use a strong press and strikes.
You can add a few drops of aromatic oils in your massage oil.
During massage it is recommended to use the following aromatic oils: Mandarin, ylang-ylang, Geranium, lemon, sandalwood, tea tree.
Aromatic oils, which are not recommended: anise, arnica, basil, mint, cypress, fennel, jasmine, juniper and marjoram.

Allergic diseases which are caused by exposure to allergens of the environment are bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, hay fever, allergic hives and giant hives, atopic dermatitis, anaphylactic shock, serum sickness, exogenous allergic alveolitis, allergic contact dermatitis. Allergens can be different in different age groups, also changes the manifestation of allergy. Children have so-called atopic march, which is typical for the transition of various forms of allergies from one to another. If children are exposed with skin manifestations (atopic dermatitis), growing up, they will have allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma.

Allergic Hives and Giant Hives
Allergic hives is characterized by itchy rashes all over body, reminiscent of gnat’s bites or reactions to “burn” nettle. Blisters occur quickly and also quickly pass. This is the reaction of skin vessels. Allergic hives is often manifested by food and drug allergy. It may be accompanied by Giant Hives – a disease during which lips, cheeks and ears rapidly swell.
Mechanisms of the development of acute hives and giant hives are often the same. It should be noted that in many cases, hives can be non-allergic and can be a symptom of other diseases.

High fever, allergic rhinitis
In the period of flowering of plants kids swell, inflame, have running eyes, gummy nose, and nasal voice. They constantly sneeze; there is a profuse watery nasal flow allocation. Sometimes it’s difficult to breathe.

Atopic dermatitis
During this disease itchy rash appears on the skin face, torso, and limbs. The child becomes troublesome, whimsical. Without adequate treatment the rash stays long. The skin becomes dry and rough. Significant role in the development of atopic dermatitis has played a food allergy, and infection. This disease makes suffer the whole organism.
Recently, in the overall structure of allergic diseases atopic dermatitis is dominant.

Allergy to medicines
Drug allergy is related to side effects of drugs. Any drug may serve as an allergen. The most common allergic reactions are in antibiotics penicillin row, sulfanilamide, local anesthetics (Novocain), multivitamins.

Bronchial asthma
Bronchial asthma is a disease in which allergic reactions occur on the mucous membrane of bronchi. The initial manifestations of asthma is a dry troublesome cough, whistle noisy breathing. With progression of the disease appears breathlessness, attacks of suffocation. The primary role in the development of asthma plays everyday epidermal allergens. The most severe manifestation of bronchial asthma is asthmatic status, which may even lead to death.

“Your child does not eat sweets? But in this way you are depriving him (her) from childhood!”, – exclaims a friend, and even a stranger learning that you exclude from the diet of the child artificial sweets. Here, under the artificial sweets we mean those that are made on basis of natural products, but with the addition of various sugars. For example, chocolate – children’s favorite delicacy, prepared on the basis of cocoa beans and sugar, which in turn is extracted from either sugar cane or from beets.

When saying natural sweets, we will mean those which have a sweet taste from nature, without additional sweetening. For example, fruits and berries, and honey. So what is childhood, without sugar, wrapped in colored paper? This is a fantastic performance, shown by mother or the child to a grateful audience – relatives and friends. Childhood is a Dad’s strong hand on which the child hangs like a small monkey, holding with hands and feet.

So, what is candy? Candy is a common joy, and when the child does not know its taste, a piece of sugar in wrappers for him/her is absolutely nothing. Chocolate, candies, pasta, marshmallows are all artificial sweets, their taste reinforced repeatedly, in contrast to the natural sweetness, such as fruit.

When child grows enough to reach a table or to sit around it with parents, he/she is certainly interested in, what is in color wrappers. But here is an example: adults use alcohol at table; however, they don’t even think that they can “treat” the child with it. The same happens with candy – you can simply explain child that it’s “adult food”. Kid is constantly faced with different restrictions in life, and life will not become a tragedy adding one more ban in his/her list.

Another thing is when the child begins to get acquainted with the “image” of chocolates. Advertising, “good” relatives and acquaintances, socializing with peers who brag in front of each other about eaten supplies of chocolate and marmalade this is when it would be difficult to simply ignore the existence of “pieces of sugar in the colored wrappers”. But by this time the child will already be old enough, and a bit of candy will not harm him/her.

Your child is about two years old, and he/she has already mastered many new skills. He/she already knows how to walk confidently, sometimes even to walk to the playground ahead of you, and easy to jump. He pulls a toy, often breaks them, desiring to know how they work, goes upstairs himself/herself – almost like an adult.

He almost reaches the peaks of excellence in the penetration of the cabinets, night stands, and miscellaneous boxes. For him/her there are no obstacles on the path to the goal – even if you hide something away he/she will take a chair and climb up. And even at the end of the day, when you fall down from fatigue and are ready to debris on the sofa with your favorite magazine, your child is still active. Sometimes you even regret that he/she has no magical “On/Off” button.

Constant activity of your child does not simply enhance his/her muscles (although this is a great workout!). For example, walking, running, and the conquest of different heights contribute to the development of spatial orientation, improving the coordination of movements and learn to maintain balance. At the same time, the child learns more about the causes and consequences, learns to deal with a variety of tasks, such as how many soft toys will fit in the basket of linen, so that he/she can raise and move to another place – and what will happen if the basket falls.

Rather Picasso than Rembrandt

This critical period of development of your baby continues to refine motor skills. At the age of 19 – 21 months a child can build towers from 6 – 8 blocks and loves to drive a felt-tip pen on paper. At this age children get more pleasure from the process of drawing.
Shortly after the baby celebrates its biennium, the drawings become more diverse – in addition to the usual direct lines in them appear curves, corners, curls, and other complex shapes. These major changes indicate that your child tries to portray an image of something related to reality and the surrounding objects and people. Only a three-year-old child learns to draw simple, more or less plausible picture of the meaning of which can be guessed. Most often, the children paint the surrounding people, trees and homes. This is one of the most important physical and intellectual achievements of a small child.

Aggressive behavior
Spending time with a child of that age is a pleasure. He has curiosity and enthusiasm in everything – from cardboard boxes to examining counters in the store. Then one day, absolutely without any reason your child bites the hand of the elder brother or the neighbor’s kid.
Welcome to the world of growing children, the people who do not recognize any laws and regulations, who are disobedient, and frankly cruel.

At the age of 19 – 21 months, the children fight, bite, scratch, and from innocent angels become devils. However, they do it without wanting to harm somebody, just to give you a nuisance. There is another age experiment for children with aggressive behavior. At this age, the child wonders what would happen if he/she pulls your hair or poke finger in the eye. Children are still too small to remember the consequences of their actions, so they often repeat aggressive actions every day – if the response to such behavior is negative – especially if you react to it rapidly.