If you see that your toddler is gaining weight too fast, especially with a family history of obesity, it’s time to act. The longer your child remains fat, the greater the chance she’ll always be fat. Remember, during these years fat cells are multiplying and exercise habits are being established. It only takes small changes […]
The first time your baby holds her breath may scare you out of your wits, but these episodes are harmless – they never damage your baby in any way and are not related to epilepsy. The usual story is that of a baby who starts crying loudly and suddenly starts holding her breath. She may
I’ve heard a lot of “Old Wives’ Tales” about kids, and here are some: 1. “A child who is not toilet trained on time is emotionally insecure, or just nasty and stubborn.” Neither is true. There is no relationship between the time a child toilet trains and his emotional security or personality. 2. “Fever convulsions,
During the years that I have been practicing pediatrics, I’ve heard many “Old Wives’ Tales” about kids. I’d like to discuss some of these with you. 1. “The earlier a baby talks, the smarter she is.” Or, put another way, a baby who is a late talker is not too bright. This is not true.
Many parents are curious to find out if their baby is right or left handed. There is no way to know for sure for the first year or two, since most babies are ambidextrous and use both hands equally. Although some do favor using one hand over the other at an early age, by four
You can help relieve your baby’s discomfort from teething. First of all, let them chew on hard objects like rubber teething rings, hard rolls and teething pretzels. He’ll find great relief in this. Rubbing your baby’s gums with your finger or with one of the commercial teething preparations also helps. Never give your teething baby
The Nutrition Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that solid foods be started within four and six months of age, and I agree. Introducing solid foods too soon could cause problems such as vomiting, diarrhea, and even food allergies later on. There are a number of signs you can use to help you
Most pediatricians recommend that single grain cereals be started first, usually rice cereal. Baby cereals are excellent first solid foods because they are all iron fortified by law in the United States and are easily digested. Each new food should be introduced one at a time, starting with just one teaspoon the first day and
Infants should be breast fed or formula fed for the first year of life. They should not be started on regular whole milk until after their first birthday. My reasons for saying this are as follows: 1. Regular milk has much more salt and protein in it than either breast milk or infant formula, and
Breast milk is the ideal food for a baby from both the nutritional and psychological points of view. It also gives some protective immunities to the baby, and especially against some gastrointestinal infections. Therefore, I would strongly encourage all mothers to try to breast feeding. Those new mothers who choose not to, or can’t breast
