1. WELL- BABY VISITS TO KEEP YOUR BABY WELL
Think of your baby's doctor as one of your partners in parenting -- someone you can trust to give sound medical advice and help you keep your infant healthy. At the heart of this partnership are well-baby visits. These are important because the first year is critical in terms of growth and development. Frequent checkups help the doctor make sure everything's all right and enable him or her to detect little problems before they turn into big ones.
• How often? Your baby's first checkup should take place before she leaves the hospital. After that, she should have a well-baby visit between 2 and 4 weeks, and again at 2, 4, 6, 9, and 12 months.
• What to expect. At each visit the doctor will check your baby's growth by measuring her height, weight, and head. He'll also examine all her body parts and ask about eating, sleeping, and general development. Finally, he may order blood, urine, or lead-screening tests.
• Which shots? Perhaps the single most important step you can take to ensure your baby's health is to have her immunized against dangerous diseases -- illnesses that can in some cases lead to serious complications, including brain injury, deafness, blindness, paralysis, and even death. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the following vaccinations during the first year (many vaccines require multiple doses, for example, at 2, 4, and 6 months): hepatitis B, DTaP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis or whooping cough), Haemophilus influenzae type b, polio, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), and chicken pox.
2. BEST FOODS FOR LITTLE TUMMIES.
Your baby will grow in leaps and bounds this year. Not only is she likely to triple her weight, but she'll go from a helpless newborn to a 1-year-old who's liable to be crawling, cruising, or even walking. But to accomplish these feats she needs a healthful diet. What does that entail?
• Breast is best. The best food during your baby's first 6 months is breast milk. In addition to providing the perfect balance of all the nutrients she needs, it has been shown to reduce the risk of many ailments, including ear infections, diarrhea, allergies, and SIDS. However, some women are not able to breastfeed, perhaps due to illness; others make a personal choice not to. If either are the case, it's important not to worry. While formula cannot duplicate all the benefits of breast milk, it does provide the basic nutrients your infant needs.
• Starting solids. Somewhere around the 6-month mark, your baby will be ready to add a little solid food to her diet. Most youngsters start with rice cereal, then move on to mashed fruits and vegetables, then meats. At this point, think of solids as a little snack between meals of breast milk and/or formula. As the weeks go by, gradually increase solids so that they become the bulk of your child's diet sometime after her first birthday.
• Finger foods. When your baby is around 8 months old, she may be ready for finger foods. Start by giving her small pieces of toasted bread, well-cooked pasta, and bits of banana. As your baby explores solid food, keep in mind that she's not likely to chew it well until she's 4 years old. To keep her from swallowing chunks that could get lodged in her airway, avoid giving her nuts, large pieces of meat or cheese, whole grapes, hard or sticky candy, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, raw carrots, and hot dogs.
3. SAFE- SLEEP STRATEGIES
Nothing matches the sight of your baby, fast asleep. Yet every parent who has watched over a sleeping baby has thought at least momentarily of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) -- when a child under 1 year of age dies suddenly and without explanation, usually while sleeping. Fortunately, the risk of it actually happening to your baby is low. What's more, you can reduce your little one's risk even further by doing the following:
• Put your baby to sleep on her back instead of her stomach. (This only applies when she's sleeping. Giving her some "tummy time" while she's awake is good for her development.)
• Make sure your youngster sleeps on a firm mattress rather than something soft or fluffy, such as a sheepskin, pillow, sofa cushion, or comforter.
• Keep your baby's crib free of pillows or stuffed animals.
• Keep your little one warm, but not too warm (the room temperature should be comfortable for you).
• Don't let anyone smoke around your child.
4. BABY- PROOFING BASICS
Making your home safe for your baby is an important part of parenting. To prevent accidents, look at the world through your child's eyes. What dangerous item might she reach? What forbidden cabinet or drawer could she open? Things to watch out for include:
• Choking hazards: anything smaller than 1 5/8 inches across, such as coins, pen caps, toys with small parts.
• Sharp objects: knives, scissors, toys with sharp edges.
• Breakable items: glass, pottery, toys that could break apart leaving small pieces or sharp edges.
• Potential poisons: medicines, vitamins, toiletries, alcoholic beverages, some houseplants, household cleansers.
• Strangling threats: any cord or string over 8 inches long, including drapery or window blind pulls.
• Suffocation hazards: plastic bags.
5. KEEPING GERMS AT BAY
Just as your mother told you, germs can lurk on almost everything you touch. They're easy for your baby to pick up -- or for you to come by and pass them on to your baby. What are the best ways to protect your child?
• Wash your hands often. This is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of germs. It's especially important before preparing food and after using the toilet or changing your youngster's diaper.
• Change diapers frequently to reduce the likelihood of leaks, diaper rash, and skin infections. Also, wipe girl babies from front to back to prevent infections from bacteria and yeast in stool.
• Ban bacteria from your home. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the most effective cleanser for getting rid of bacteria is a solution of 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) chlorine bleach mixed with 1 quart (1 liter) of water, or a comparable bleach or bleach-free cleaning product. The FDA specifically recommends using the cleanser on kitchen countertops, and the kitchen sink drain (where bits of food can get trapped) to prevent food poisoning. Other household surfaces, such as bathroom fixtures and counters, doorknobs, and highchairs, will also benefit from regular cleaning and disinfecting. And don't forget to wash towels and sponges in hot water once a week to prevent bacteria from growing on them.
• Take special care when handling raw meat, poultry, and seafood, which can harbor germs that cause food poisoning. When preparing them, rinse them thoroughly first, and always keep them separate from foods that are ready to eat, like fresh fruit, raw vegetables to be used in salad, or bread. After you're done handling them, wash your hands and any kitchen tools (cutting boards, knives, etc.) that have come in contact with them in hot, sudsy water before touching anything else. After washing cutting boards with soap and water, sanitize them in an automatic dishwasher or rinse with a solution of bleach and water. Disinfect non-food preparation surfaces with a disinfecting cleanser.
• Don't leave leftovers standing at room temperature for more than two hours. They need to be refrigerated as soon as possible to prevent bacteria from growing. You need to be even more careful when it comes to leftover baby food. Instead of feeding your youngster right out of the jar, use a clean spoon to dish out servings into a separate bowl and refrigerate the unused portion. That way leftovers don't mix with germs from your baby's spoon and saliva. As for bottles of expressed breast milk or formula, they are best finished at one "meal." However, anything left over can generally be used later the same day if you refrigerate it immediately.
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