Parenting Blog

The life of newborn babies is mostly all about feeding and sleeping. After all, he/she is in the inertia of the long cozy sleep inside the mother’s body. Parents do need to know how much a newborn baby normally sleeps in 24 hours. 

While newborn babies do not follow a set routine for sleep, for most babies, the sleeping time is up to 18 hours daily (in 24 hours). But the sleep is often intermittent and the baby wakes every 2 to 3 hours to be fed. Also, most babies will sleep for 3 to 5 hours maximum at a stretch. Following are some common sleep patterns for newborn babies of varying ages: 

Up to 3 Months

Newborn babies, ranging in age from their natal day up to 3 months, usually take 16 to 18 hours of sleep daily. The sleep is divided into 2-3 hours sessions. Their sleep does not have to do much with night or day and they will sleep almost equally at day as they do at night. The day-night awareness appears in the baby at an age of around 6 to 8 weeks. By the age of 2 to 3 months, a sleep pattern is developed by the child. The parent can then anticipate when the child is going to sleep and how long the sleep is going to continue at a particular time. 

3 to 6 Months

The total daily sleep of the baby at this age is about 14 to 16 hours. It is usually 8 hours of sleep at night and 6 hours at day (divided in three stretches of 2 hours each). The child gets asleep more readily and does not wake in the absence of much disturbance. Some babies at this age may not wake at all during the night. However, most would wake once to be fed. By the age of 6 months, the daytime sleep drops to 2 naps, each lasting about 2 hours. 

6 to 12 Months

During the 6 months to one year, the total daily sleep of a baby is 12 to 14 hours. Most babies take a daily nap of about 2 to 3 hours each. A 6 month sold baby is able to sleep well through the night, without waking at all. But many kids do wake once. Before the baby’s first birthday, a long stretch of sleep (about 11 hours or more) is less likely to occur.

Parents have all the reason to get excited about the appearance of the first teeth in their child’s wee mouth. In most babies, the first teeth appear at an age of around six to nine months. The order in which teeth usually appear is: lower incisors, upper incisors, molars, and canines. All the 20 milk teeth usually arrive by the age of two and a half years. The appearance of first teeth is indicative of the fact that the child is now ready to move on to solid foods. While teething is not so much a cause of unease in some kids, in many others, it does cause pain and irritation that is annoying to the baby as well as his/her parents.

Some of the common signs of teething include:

* A reddened area of the baby’s gum (before or after the appearance of the first tooth)
* An inflamed look on one of the baby’s cheeks
* The child’s irritability and fretfulness

These sings do not represent teething alone but may be springing from other illnesses so parents must see a pediatrician for proper treatment of any pediatric disease. When the cause is confirmed to be teething, you can try a number of soothing strategies to alleviate the baby’s teething pain. Following are some tips for easing teething pain in children.

* Let the baby chew on a safe object like teething rings, refrigerated pieces of a carrot or an apple, or hard-baked bread. Don’t give him/her sticky foods like chocolate; the fear of choking is always there. For the same reason, do not leave your baby alone with food.
* Rub your baby’s gums with a clean finger, but not too hard. You may use a teething gel like Bonjela for the same purpose. If you are sure that the sings of unease are not caused by any illness but teething, you may use homeopathic chamomile granules available at health food stores.
* Give the baby enough amount of liquid, preferably cooled, boiled water, at regular intervals. A little amount of pure fruit juice may be added to the water.
* If the child is slightly feverish, showing discomfort, give him/her a dose of infant Paracetamol. If the fever persists, take him/her to a pediatrician to treat any possible infection.
* Start brushing the baby’s teeth regularly, twice a day, soon after their appearance. Use a soft baby toothbrush and a pleasant flavor of baby toothpaste. If the baby is reluctant to allow a toothbrush, start with your clean finger and later introduce the brush.

In case any of the following symptoms appear in the child, take him/her to a doctor for the possibility of infection, since these symptoms are not commonly caused by teething:

* High and persistent fever (especially one that lasts for more than a day)
* Earache
* Diarrhea (especially a persistent one)
* Difficulty in breathing or cough accompanied by fever

A toddler will learn more at age two than at any other time in their life. The childcare giver, be it Mom or someone else can influence and enhance that learning. Although you should try to spend as much time interacting with your little one by playing, reading, or any other form, sometimes it just isn’t possible. 

What do you or the childcare provider do when in this situation? Maybe there are other children to tend to, or you have a work assignment that you have to get finished. Some television is ok, but it is not recommended to let them watch too much TV. Childcare experts will tell you this slows their learning. However, there are plenty of toys and activities that can keep your little one interested and occupied for short periods of time.

Every Mom, Dad, or childcare provider needs a moment here and there for a variety of reasons.

Toddlers love putting things in and taking things out. It is a learning process for them at the same time. You can buy toys like a container that has open slots shaped to fit different pieces that they will fit through the holes. There are many different types of toys like this on the market that you can choose from.

On the other hand, the parent or childcare giver can simply make them with things you probably already have around the house. Try an empty, plastic peanut butter jar. These are perfect sized for little hands. Clean it out with soap and water, and let it dry. Next find some small items (not small enough to put in their mouth and choke on, though), that they can drop in and dump out.

You can use the same container, and put a few different twists on it.

One, try gluing the lid on or ensuring in another way that the lid can not be removed. Before attaching the lid add in some small items that will create a nice rattling, or shaking sound. Pennies and dried beans are some good examples of what you can use. This will provide a new, interesting object that they can shake for noise and see the contents shaking all around.

Another easy thing for the childcare giver to do is use it for snacks. Depending on the age of your little one, the snacks will vary. Grapes are a great finger snack that is cool to the touch. These should be ok for two years old, but probably not a one year old. Just ensure you are in the same room in the small chance they do choke on it. You can put a few graham cracker pieces in it. A graham cracker usually breaks into four equal sections, and is the perfect size to fit into your peanut butter jar.

The next time you need a few moments to yourself try one of these simple, cheap ideas. Better yet, offer these ideas to the person you have appointed as the childcare provider. They will thank you for it!

There is not a universal answer as to when you should move your precious little one out of the crib into their own bed. Only you will know when you feel is the right time. Most little ones make this transition between 18 months and three years old. However, there are quite a few circumstances that may be pushing you in that direction.

One may be that there is a new baby on the way who will be needing to use the crib. If this is the case try not to kick your toddler out of the crib too suddenly. You don’t want them to feel that they are being set aside or forced out of the way for their new brother or sister. Gradually work on the transition and allow plenty of time to do so. This means don’t wait until Mom is in labor to do it! Give yourself at least a few months so your toddler will have time to adjust and won’t feel second best to the new baby.

If they are beginning to climb out of their crib, it may be time to start mapping out your plans for their transition. Safety can become an important factor at this stage. If the rails on the crib are meeting up mid-way to high on their chest, they should be moving to their own bed more than likely. Climbing out becomes increasingly easier and will increase the risk of injury at this point.

If your little toddler is potty training or has already been basically potty trained, it only makes sense for them to be sleeping in a bed. They will need the freedom to get in and out of bed when they need to so they can go use the potty.

Once you have decided that it is time for the big occasion, remember that you will need to have a big pool of understanding. There are several ways to try to get your little one excited about the change.

Talk about the big change well in advance of actually implementing it. Try to get a sense of excitement built up around the occasion. If your little one has a favorite cartoon or such, you may try sprucing up the new bed with sheets and pillows of that character. Take your toddler shopping with you and let them see all of the wonderful, new choices they have now that they will be sleeping in a real bed. Let them help you pick out what will go on the bed.

If you can, you may want to place the bed in the exact same place that the crib was at. This will allow your little one to keep a feeling of security. They will be in the same surroundings, and have the same views.

You can even try just using a mattress on the floor. Toddler beds normally have the same size mattress so you can even begin the transition by using the crib mattress on the floor. Once they are accustomed to this, and then transfer the mattress into a toddler bed frame.

The transition out of the crib is a milestone and can be a delightful experience. Just make sure that your toddler is ready and carry around lots of patience and understanding in your pocket!

One of the most common ailments of babies today is the infamous ear infection. In fact, the National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) says that three out of four children will suffer from one by the time they are three years old.

It is worrisome when you think there may be something wrong with you baby because they can’t tell you directly. However, there are normally small signs that something is wrong. If your baby is not eating, or doesn’t seem to be sleeping as well as they normally do it should draw your attention. With an ear infection there is commonly a fever, but not always.

Your baby may pull at their ears when they have an ear infection. However, since some babies pull on their ears anyways (out of fascination, boredom?), it does not necessarily mean there is an infection.

There can be a foul smell coming from the ear in some cases. There isn’t a specific method to determining if they have an ear infection, though, without seeing your doctor.

There are a few things you can do to try preventing, or at least reduce the risk of your little one getting an ear infection. From the start, the best thing is to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months if at all possible. Research has shown again and again that breastfed babies will suffer from a significantly less number of ear infections than those who are not.

Of course, being around a multitude of people day in, day out, and in close quarters always runs a small risk. Whatever is in the air, and anything they come into contact with is a potential threat. Therefore, the more time they spend in daycare, the more time they spend exposed to possible risks.

It’s almost common sense, but another way of greatly reducing the risk of ear infection in your baby is to not smoke around them. Likewise, don’t let them spend time around smokers. The secondhand smoke is a great risk to them for causing ear infections, among many other things.

Keep your baby up to date on their vaccines. Some of the illnesses that are prevented through these can also cause an ear infection. Ensuring they do not get one of these will be that much more risk that you have removed.

An ear infection does not seem like that big of a deal, and normally it is a simple thing to treat. However, you should know that in rare cases they can be very dangerous. A sever infection can rupture the eardrum. Although they normally heal very quickly and easily, you should follow you’re your doctor’s orders closely.

Repeated ear infections can lead to a loss in hearing, and scarring inside the ear.

Ear infections are probably going to be something you will deal with at one point of time with your baby. They can be painful for your little one, so pay attention to their cues. If you start to notice any of the little signs, call and make an appointment with your doctor for a check up. If it is an ear infection, it will likely be over with soon. You and your little one will be back to laughing, snuggling, and playing all day long before you know it.