The post Video: Why tummy time is important for your baby’s development appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Your little one also starts to develop postural control, which is the basis for all movements as your baby gets bigger.
Occupational Therapist, Paula Barnard explains why tummy time is so important for your baby’s development in this Pampers YouTube video. She also shares her tips on how to get your baby used to tummy time so that it is something that he enjoys.
Helpful advice and tips from the Pampers® Institute are available at www.Pampers.co.za and on www.youtube.com/PampersZA Receive emails with information tailored to your baby’s age by subscribing at www.Pampers.co.za/registration and connect with us at www.facebook.com/PampersSA
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]]>The post Video:Why sleep is important for your baby appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Parenting expert and Pampers Institute Member, Sister Lilian, chats about why sleep is so important for your baby’s brain development in this Pampers YouTube video.
Watch the video for more things you probably didn’t know about your baby and sleep.
Helpful advice and tips from the Pampers® Institute are available at www.Pampers.co.za and on www.youtube.com/PampersZA Receive emails with information tailored to your baby’s age by subscribing at www.Pampers.co.za/registration and connect with us at www.facebook.com/PampersSA
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]]>The post Weeks 5 to 8: Your baby at two months old appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>At two months old, your baby will also be awake more often in the day, which is a perfect time for you to start playing with your baby, which will assist in her development.
Have the camera ready! Your baby will flash her first non-gassy smile between four and six weeks of age. From that first smile, your baby will likely smile each time you engage with her. Some moms even believe that babies return each smile that they are given, so be sure to smile at your baby as you talk to her.
This week your baby will start to;
This is an important week for your baby. She will visit her paediatrician for her six week check up and will also receive her first set of vaccinations. At your baby’s check up, expect the paediatrician to listen to her heart and lungs, in addition to evaluating her overall well-being. A few milestone checks will also be done to make sure that your baby is developing on track.
Your six week old baby;
This week your baby might make her biggest discovery yet: her hands. You will probably catch her playing with her hands and fingers as she has realised that those fingers actually belong to her.
She may also;
Your baby continues to grow and develop. Are you keeping a journal to log your baby’s weight and milestones? If not, you should think about doing so. It will one day be nice to look back at the adventures of your baby’s first few months.
At eight weeks your baby;
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]]>The post How to unblock and clean your baby’s stuffy nose appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>This is very uncomfortable for them, especially because they are unable to blow their noses – most children are only able to do this from the age of about four.
In healthy babies and toddlers, mucous moisturises and cleans the nasal membrane, but when illness occurs or when there are environmental irritants that cause allergies, such as pollen, pollution or smoke, the mucous production in the nose increases and often becomes thicker, resulting in a stuffy nose.
There are a number of ways to clear a blocked nose…
Saline solution is safe to use on babies and toddlers. Tilt back the baby’s head so that the nostrils are easily accessible and the baby is comfortable. Gently administer a drop into each nostril. Wait a minute or two for the solution to flow into the nasal passages. The baby may sneeze or cough out the mucous. If the baby doesn’t, use a nasal aspirator to draw out the mucous, which should be looser due to the saline solution. Keep tissues handy.
An aspirator is a wonderful tool for clearing a snotty nose. Ensure that the aspirator is clean and dry and that you have washed your hands before using it. Place the tip at the opening of the nostril and gently clear the mucous. Do the same in the other nostril. Use tissues to clear away the mucous. Wash the aspirator immediately after use.
For babies aged one month to a year, topical nasal decongestants offer relief. Due to the fact that they are administered at the area of discomfort, and not ingested, topical nasal decongestants have minimal side effects and risks. They open the airways to help the child breathe and often also reduce swelling and limit the production of mucous, keeping the nose clearer for longer.
A paediatrician or a doctor should be consulted before administering a topical nasal decongestant. Also, don’t use the same bottle on multiple children as this can pass germs on from one child to the other. Ensure that you use the correct decongestant strength and dosage for the child’s age.
A humidifier will help moisten the air, especially in areas of the country that are usually dry, and help the child breathe easier.
For more information consult your Health Care Practitioner.
About the Author: Iliadin offers a range of saline products suitable for babies, toddlers, children and adults. Products include Iliadin® Saline Metered Spray and Iliadin® Saline Drops. Available at pharmacies nationwide.
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]]>The post Coming to terms with postnatal depression appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>It’s a time of hope and happiness, but also of fatigue and feeling overwhelmed. Depression and anxiety are common during pregnancy, and may affect as many as 40 per cent of pregnant women in South Africa.
“You are your baby’s most important person, so take care of yourself,” says the chairperson of the Post Natal Depression Support Association (PNDSA), Dr Bavanisha Vythilingum, who is also a specialist psychiatrist in a private practice.
“There is no shame in experiencing depression during pregnancy – acknowledging how you are feeling and seeking help to ensure your emotional well-being is one of the greatest gifts you can give your child.”
Most new moms have ‘the blues’ shortly after birth. For a few days, you may feel anxious, tearful, tired and irritable. This is normal and should clear up in about two weeks. If you are so blue that you cannot care for your child or yourself, have thoughts of hurting either yourself or the baby and are sad for more than two weeks, you could have postnatal depression and should seek help as soon as possible.
Postnatal depression can develop slowly and at any time during the first year of your baby’s life. If left untreated, it can escalate and affect your interaction with your baby.
About the Author: Dr Noluthando Nematswerani is a Discovery Health Clinical Specialist. For more information on Discovery, visit www.discovery.co.za. You can also visit Discovery’s YouTube channel DiscoverySA for Medical Miracle stories.
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]]>The post What to expect during the newborn phase appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>What followed, can only be described as a whirlwind of change. Throw in a couple of mommy-fails, thousands of photographs, some smiles and squeals and bam, she’s three months old. My newborn is now a squishy little human being who reacts when I sing “Old MacDonald”.
Now, I’m only twelve weeks into the mommy game, so I wouldn’t consider myself an expert. But after observing Emmy (in a non-scientific way of course) and countless Google searches during middle-of-the-night feeds, I have come to a few conclusions regarding the newborn weeks.
Here’s what I have learned so far…
You will receive advice from every woman with whom you make eye contact. Smile, nod and bank the advice for a day where you have nothing to do but think of all the advice you have received.
Instead of following every piece of advice you receive, rather follow your gut. Get to know your baby and what works for him or her. Trust your instincts – it’s automatically built into you to know what your baby wants and how he or she wants it.
Slightly dramatic, but true. I received a medical kit at my baby shower. Thinking I would only use it when Emmy got sick, I packed it away. Until one night, when Emmy would not stop screaming.
Desperate to stop the crying, I clambered through the kit looking for anything and everything that had a crying baby on it. After playing a round of eeny-meeny-miny-mo, I chose drops that Emmy now gets in every bottle. I’m still not sure whether it was the drops that worked or whether Emmy just passed out from exhaustion, but as long as she drinks a bottle, she will get the drops.
You need a medical kit. Even if you don’t know what half of the stuff treats. At two am in the morning, you won’t care and anything with a crying baby on the bottle will do.
Whether you breastfeed or not, are highly strung or calm or give your baby a pacifier or not… you will be judged. This is something that I still struggle with. But, I’m slowly learning that as long as Emmy is happy, then being judged doesn’t matter. Do the best you can, as long as it’s good enough for your baby, you are doing just fine.
In our first few days at home, any time Emmy made a sound, I would stick the pacifier in her mouth. Until I came across an article that explained how a baby cries as a means of communication (their only means of communicating at this age). Since reading that, I don’t try to silence Emmy’s cries with a pacifier. I allow her to communicate with me and I allow myself the time to decode her cry. By doing this, I have got to know that different cries signal the different needs that she has. I am able to respond to her cry far quicker, if I know what she is asking me to do.
Up until a few weeks ago, I didn’t know that this was a real thing. I thought Emmy’s fake crying was just part of her drama queen persona. Until I came across information that suggests that babies use a fake cry to bond with their parents or caregivers. There’s a study that supports this notion and defines fake crying as a cry that comes out of nowhere, one moment your baby is happy, but as soon as you direct your attention elsewhere, he or she will start crying. Only to stop once you redirect your attention back to them.
Emmy loves doing this. Especially with me. Instead of seeing it as manipulation (which by definition, it could very well be), I see it as her communicating that she is in need of attention.
Watch out for it.
The next person who tells me that, will win my housework lottery. They will also blowdry my hair, do my grocery shopping and entertain my dogs. All those ladies who tell you to ‘rest before the baby gets here’ were not joking.
The amount of sleep that you will learn to function on is ridiculous. I’m talking anything from as little as two hours in a 24 hour period. Yes. Sleep while you can.
Multitasking will take on a whole new meaning. Babies don’t understand that their mommies needs to cook, brush their teeth and eat. As such, you will learn to do everything with one hand. You will also learn to do some things with your nose and mouth.
When Emmy was born, the love I felt for her was natural and instinctual. Just like I expected. What I didn’t expect though, was for the love to grow to the point where it consumes me.
The love you feel for your baby will be the biggest love you have ever experienced. They will be the last thing you think about when you go to sleep at night and the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning.
When you are not attending to your baby’s needs, you will spend your time marvelling at the little miracle that you have created. I have 3 500 photos on my cell phone to prove this.
There is no love, like the love of a parent (I say parent and not mom, because dads are also consumed by this love).Your whole world will revolve around the little being that has thrown your life upside down in a whirlwind of chaos. And you know what, there’s nothing better.
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