Parenting Blog

Your baby’s first steps are an exciting and important milestone, and though every child develops at a different rate, there are signs that can tell you when your baby is ready to walk. Anywhere from the ages of six to ten months, your baby may start to crawl. Not all babies will crawl in the conventional way, however, or never crawl at all. Some babies will scoot along or even roll on their bottom from side to side, and many will skip crawling altogether. Some babies are so easygoing that they simply aren’t in a hurry to get anywhere. Unless your baby can’t get around by the time she turns one, this is not a problem. You should childproof your home before your baby becomes mobile.

When a baby first learns to stand, the tricky part will probably be learning how to sit down again. She’ll fall many times, but you can help by practicing knee bending with her. Once your baby begins to stand and move along furniture, she’s almost ready to walk. With practice, she’ll learn to shift weight between her feet. She will let go of the furniture when she feels ready. This usually occurs between the ages of nine and fourteen months, but don’t be alarmed if your baby doesn’t take her first steps until she’s a bit older, and don’t try to force her to stand on her own, as this can be harmful to her developing bones and muscles. Babies aren’t built in a way that makes walking easy; their heads are disproportionately large for their bodies and balancing is tough. Some children don’t attempt to walk until the age of fifteen months. If you have concerns about your baby’s development, your doctor will help you determine if her progress is normal.

When your baby starts walking, letting her go barefoot makes balancing easier. To help her practice, hold a toy while sitting two or three feet away from her and have her walk to get the toy. Many babies will walk in funny ways when they start out; they might walk on their toes or with their feet turned out, but unless the pattern persists there is no cause for concern.

Walkers were once recommended to help your child build leg muscles before she begins to walk on her own, but experts now say that walkers might delay your baby’s development, since walkers don’t help build all the muscles necessary to begin walking. Cruising along furniture will help her build the correct muscle for taking her first independent steps.

Every new parent can expect to lose a lot of sleep caring for an infant. Though you want to cater to your baby’s every need, sometimes nightly walks around the living room will tire out your infant as much as you. A newborn needs around sixteen hours of sleep every day; by six months, he’ll be sleeping around thirteen hours. If you notice that your child is fussy, clinging to you, or inattentive during playtime, he may not be getting the sleep he needs, and that nighttime walk might be making it all the more difficult for him to fall asleep.

Every baby is unique and has special needs when it comes to sleeping, and many times parents find that following their instincts is more effective than going by advice from a book. If you spend hours each night walking your baby through the house or rocking her back to sleep, you may be surprised to discover that she is able to calm down in minutes when left to her own devices. It’s important to consider your baby’s personality when you are working to discover the best way to get her to sleep. Sometimes a baby will become so distressed during the night that parents find it a better option to rock them to sleep. In fact, some babies get so worked up that it’s not advisable to let them cry out, but others are actually losing more sleep when their parents go in to calm them. Many parents are afraid to let their babies cry out, and every parent understands how heart-wrenching it is to listen to your baby cry. Others may try to compensate for a lack of attention in their own childhoods by attending to their babies every time they wake. But there are many exhausted moms and dads who, after countless nights without sleep, discovered that their babies do just fine on their own.

If your baby is laid-back and easygoing during the day, chances are he will be able to calm himself down when he awakens at night; more high-strung, active babies might need some comfort from a parent. Every parenting book gives slightly different advice, and the fact is that none of these books was written especially for your family. You should consider your baby’s personality, his activity level during the day, and the amount of sleep you are able to get with your current schedule as you work to discover the method that works best for you.

Breastfeeding is the best option for your baby, and doctors agree that infants should be breastfed through the first year of their life. Many women, however, find it difficult to fit breastfeeding into their demanding lifestyles. It doesn’t help that many people’s opinion of women who breastfeed in public is less than positive. In a society that displays lewd images of sexuality everywhere in the media, the majority of people disapprove of an image of a woman feeding her child on television. Mothers should understand their rights so they are able to defend themselves against an unaccepting public.

Breastfeeding is, in legal terms, not considered a display of nudity or an indecent exposure, but even women who cover their bodies with blankets when breastfeeding are subject to unpleasant stares. Every state legally protects the right of mothers to feed their child in public. In fact, in some states, a business can be penalized for not allowing a woman to breastfeed in their facility. Though they have legal protection, many mothers refrain from breastfeeding in public because of rude comments from surrounding people. Residents of Kansas can carry a government-issued card outlining the legal rights of a breastfeeding mother, and the Parenting magazine website provides a similar card for mothers residing anywhere in the United States.

Doctors are concerned about this issue because studies have shown that women are breastfeeding their children for significantly less than the recommended year. This is partly because women have such demanding lifestyles. Countries like Sweden require businesses to offer a year of leave to both the mother and father when their baby is born; the United States offers only women a maximum of six weeks. After the six weeks, the company is legally free to hire someone else to take the woman’s place. The majority of American families depend on both parents’ incomes, and for single-parent or poverty-level families, it’s usually not possible for the mother to take even those six weeks. It then becomes difficult for women to pump their milk while working, as this is a time-consuming task and a private facility is not always available.

Many factors contribute to the fact that women are not able to breastfeed as long as they want to, and many changes would have to take place for our society to truly provide for the needs of mothers. Public disapproval of breastfeeding is just one of the many challenges new mothers must face, but if you understand your rights, you can easily counter the rudeness and do what’s best for you and your baby.

The huge number of safety products created to keep your home safe for young children can be overwhelming, but it is actually quite simple to turn your home into a baby-friendly environment. It is easy and inexpensive to install basic safety devices yourself, and these devices can prevent many accident and injuries.

First, you should ensure that your home has working smoke detectors on every floor. Check them once every month to ensure that they are functioning properly and that the batteries are charged. Every house should have a carbon monoxide detector, preferably on every floor but particularly near the bedrooms. If you live in an old house or a house with an uncarpeted basement, you should conduct a radon test. After cigarette smoking, radon, an odorless, colorless radioactive gas, is the leading cause of lung cancer. Old houses are at particular risk for radon, but this test is important for everyone. You can have this test professionally done or purchase a home testing kit and follow the instructions. It is very easy to do and will protect your health and save you money in the future.

You can install safety latches on every drawer and cupboard that is within your child’s reach. Bathroom and kitchen doors are especially important to latch shut, as they frequently contain poisonous products and sharp objects. If you have a crawling infant, you should keep bathroom and bedroom drawers closed. Doorknob covers or locks can make it more difficult for a child to enter a room. Latches are not 100% effective, since persistent babies may be able to get past them, but they are nonetheless an important safety precaution. To ensure safety, keep all potentially dangerous objects out of your baby’s reach or locked up. Older children in your house should understand how all latches and locks work and re-latch them every time.

Gates that screw into the wall should guard all stairs. Pressure gates work but are not always guaranteed. You can also use gates to bar the entrances to certain rooms. Some older gates may have bars wide enough for a baby to fit his head through, but newly purchased ones should meet safer standards.

Door stops and holders can prevent a child from shutting his fingers in a door. Corner and edge bumpers can lessen pain and prevent injury if your child falls on a piece of furniture. Outlet covers that are too large for a child to fit in his mouth should be used on all outlets. Safety netting should be used on all bars, balconies and windows. The screen in a window is not an effective safety device as a child can easily fall through it. You should, however, keep one window per room free of netting so that it can be used to escape in case of a fire.

Make sure everyone in your household understands how to work these safety devices. These simple steps go a long way toward keeping your baby safe.

You have read the precautions and followed the instructions carefully; but did you know that your child could still be subject to danger in his car seat? In fact, thousands of injuries are caused each year by accidents involving car seats when they are being used properly. To keep your child out of harm’s way, watch for these common threats to his or her safety.

First, you should always check to make sure the car seat’s arm is locked in place before you pick it up. Also, many accidents involving car seats are caused by falling or tipping, so avoid leaving car seats on tables or other surfaces above ground level. Do not put a car seat on an unstable surface like a couch or a bed. It is always safest when it’s not in a car to keep your car seat on the ground.

Have your child sit or stand inside the car when you are loading the car seat. Many injuries and even deaths happen when children are left unattended near cars or other vehicles. A parking lot is an especially dangerous place for a child. And of course, never leave a child alone in a car seat, even if the car is running with air conditioning or if you are just running in and out of a store. A young child is never safe in an unattended car.

Certain studies have shown that infants, when placed in car seats, experience breathing difficulties. This is because they cannot support their own heads, so oxygen flow is restricted. Although this restriction is usually not a serious threat to your baby’s health, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that until a baby can support his own head, he should spend as little time as possible in a car seat. You should keep an eye on infants, especially premature ones, to monitor his breathing in a car seat. A baby is especially at risk for restricted breathing when he sleeps in a car seat.

If your baby is wearing heavy clothing or a winter coat, you should take care to ensure that the strap of the car seat still fits snugly on your baby’s chest. A child who is under twelve months old and weighs less than twenty pounds should not ride in a forward-facing car seat, though the AAP insists that children continue to face the back of the car for as long as possible. Convertible car seats will enable a child weighing well over twenty pounds to ride facing the back of the car. Be sure to check your car seat’s weight requirements to keep your baby safe on road trips.