Parenting: Baby Care Basics

Baby Care
Infants are completely reliant on the care of their parents for their survival and health. They have no degree of independence and are thus at the mercy of their caregivers. The realization of this fa ...
Feeding
Feeding: Breast and Bottle Feeding transcends being a nutritional activity. It provides the first real bonding experience between a mother and child. The baby's feelings of security, love, and trust f ...
Breastfeeding
Breast milk is perfectly designed to meet the baby's nutritional needs. Mother Nature has even been so thoughtful as to allow the composition of breast milk to change throughout infancy in order to be ...
Bottle Feeding
Some woman are unable to breastfeed their children. They may be unable to produce milk or have a health condition which prevents them from feeding. In either case, advances in infant formula have made ...
Crying
Infants cry, on average, between one and five hours per day. Crying tends to peak at about six weeks of age and then decreases gradually. Crying is important to the baby - it is his first and only met ...
Dressing and Clothing
Many new parents tend to overdress their child. Essentially, the mother should dress the baby in the same manner she would dress herself to be comfortable in a given climate, or situation. The mother ...
Diapering
The baby should have his first bowel movement within 24 hours of birth. This first stool, called the meconium, will be tar like - sticky and black. The appearance of successive bowel movements will qu ...
Bathing
Very young babies do not get all that dirty, so they do not need to be bathed frequently. Bath time can be an enjoyable play time for both the baby and his caregiver. Many infants enjoy being in water ...
Holding and Handling Infants
While many parents are reluctant to handle their newborn because they appear so fragile, they are in fact very resilient providing they are handled and supported in the correct manner. The following s ...
Infant Safety Precautions
Statistics reveal that in the United States more babies die each year from accidents than from all illnesses combined. Knowing that many of these accidents are preventable makes this fact all that mor ...
Sleep
The baby's sleep patterns will play a large role in how the mother and her family adjust to having a new member. Sleep patterns will change often and without warning during the baby's first year of li ...