Tips for Washing Your Baby
Posted on: August 22, 2011
This is something that many new parents dread. They are often afraid they will do something to hurt the baby when it comes time for his/her bath. The truth of the matter is washing your baby is quite simply as long as you follow some important safety steps and prepare everything ahead of time. Try to stay calm during bath time and realize that your baby is not a porcelain doll. Parents have been handling their babies since the beginning of time and you will be just fine giving your baby his/her bath. It is important that (provided there are two parents present) both parents participate in the first few baths together. This is a good way to support each other and to make sure that everything goes smoothly. The following tips and suggestions may help make bath time much more enjoyable for Mom, Dad and baby.
Purchase a Baby Bath
When you bath a tiny baby it is much easier if you have a small bathing chair that can easily rest in the sink or bathtub. While it is possible to bath a newborn without one, it is important to keep in mind that wet babies are very slippery. It tends to be a lot easier if they are sitting in a baby bath. Once your baby reaches 4 or 5 months old and can sit up easily on his/her own then you can graduate to a baby bathing ring. These rings have suction cups that help the ring stay in place.
Baby Bath Products
When shopping for products to bathe your baby with always look for items that are labeled hypo-allergenic and tearless. Use only the mildest of soaps and try to stay away from products that are full of fragrance and artificial coloring. The smell of baby products is so pleasing but not all babies will tolerate the chemicals that cause them to smell the way they do. If you must have something that smells nice always perform a spot test on your baby’s skin to be sure no reaction will develop. In the first few weeks though, it would be best to stick with the mildest products possible.
Always Come Prepared
Never attempt to bathe your baby until you are positive that everything you need is right there within your reach. This will eliminate you having to pull a wet and slippery baby out of the tub to go back for whatever it is you have forgotten. Consider buying a small plastic tote with handles to keep all of your baby’s bath products in. This way when you go in to give your baby a bath, all you will need is the baby, the towel and the small tote with the bath products in it.
Water Temperature
Your baby’s bath should never be at a temperature which could scald his or her sensitive skin. Remember that what feels nice to you may be too hot for your baby. Test the water with your rest or elbow to be sure that it is just comfortably warm but never hot. At some point in time you will want to child proof your hot water heater and set it for no higher than 120 degrees. Scalding accidents happen often and this is very sad as they could easily be avoided.
Number One Safety Rule
There is no possible way to emphasize enough just how important it is to never, under any circumstance leave your baby unattended in the bath. It does not matter if you just need to step out of the room for 20 seconds, it is too long. If you are ever in a situation that causes you to have to leave the room while you are bathing your baby, pick the baby up and take him/her with you. This could be the difference between life or death for your infant so it is important to take it very seriously. A baby could drown in a teaspoon of water. While we have probably all heard this expression we probably haven’t given it much thought. Even if you think your baby is in a safe baby bath there is no way to tell what may happen. Babies find new ways to surprise us everyday and you would never want to walk back into the bathroom to find that your baby has found a way to wiggle out of his/her bath and go under water.
Ignore the Outside World
When it comes time to bath your baby, forget the doorbell, cell phone, dog and everything else. If you have other children then make arrangements for them to play at the neighbor’s house or make sure someone else is with them when bath time comes along. Distractions can be fatal when you are doing something as important as bathing your baby. Make sure that everyone knows that during bath time you will not be disturbed. In addition, your baby needs these bonding moments with you and he/she needs to be able to associate a nice warm bath as a relaxing experience. You do not want a small accident in which your baby slips under water for a moment to instill a fear of water in him/her. Stay focused on the task at hand and things will go much better for you and your baby.
When babies are quite young it is fine to limit the amount of times you submerge them in water and opt for a sponge bath instead. As babies get older they will begin getting much dirtier but when they are just a couple of months old you will not need to do a full bath “ceremony” every single day. You may be able to get away with cleaning the baby up well a few times a day and bathing every other day. In addition, over bathing can dry your baby’s skin out so make sure you moisturize after each bath.
When Do Children Lose Baby Teeth?
Posted on: August 2, 2011
Baby teeth fall out is another stage in a child’s life that means that they are on the next level of their maturity. When teeth fall, it gives way to another tooth which is commonly called permanent. The age in which children lose their teeth vary depending on a circumstance. There is a normal time for everything and teeth maturation is among those. According to experts, most kids start losing their baby teeth or milk teeth when they reach the age of 5 & 6 years. On the other hand, some may experience that when they reach the age of 8. There are kids who start losing their teeth at the age of 4. There are many factors that influence that age at which a kid starts to lose his baby teeth.
According to a doctor in Boston, kids who get their permanent teeth later in life are more advantageous than those who get their teeth at an earlier time. This is more advantageous for their overall health according to him. This is because the longer their teeth remain below the gum line, the harder they get. This will help them become resistant to cavities when they grow up. The process of teeth fall is very simple. The roots of a child’s milk teeth dissolve easily. When this happens, they loosen and eventually fall out to make room for permanent teeth. The process can start from the bottom of 2 teeth in the front of the mouth followed by the 2 teeth above those. You don’t have to worry because usually these teeth fall out without any help from a dentist. It may happen anytime when they eat or while they are playing.
According to a doctor, the child will be able to wiggle his teeth while it’s still in his mouth, so it will eventually fall easily. However, you should never force it out of the mouth because the roots are not yet dissolved that’s why it’s not yet falling. It might lead to infection if you force it to fall out without the help of a dentist. When the right age comes to your child to lose his teeth and still he hasn’t experienced it, you should be aware because there might be a problem with his gums. It should be corrected if there’s any trouble. You should bring him to the dentist so they can conduct X-rays and check up to see what’s underneath or what causes the delay.
You should encourage your child to always see a dentist. You should be a role model so that they will not be scared of dentists. It is a must for every child to check on his dentist twice a year especially if there are any traces of permanent teeth inside the mouth. If there’s any problem they can find a solution accordingly, this way there will be no worsening of the situation. It is best to always see your dentist if you think there are concerns regarding your child’s teeth that need attention.
Wean Baby From Night Feedings
Posted on: July 11, 2011
No matter how much you love your baby, waking up each night several times in order to feed him/her can become very tiring. If you have a young baby who is still waking several times then there is a very good chance that you are overtired and ready for the night time feedings to stop. You are not alone and there are a lot of parents out there feeling the same way you are at this very moment. Every baby is different and there is simply no way to tell when your baby will decided to sleep all the way through the night without waking up to eat but there are a few things you may be able to do to help speed up the process. Remember, above all to have patience with your baby and know that he/she will eventually sleep through the night.
Weaning Is a Gradual Process
Weaning is not something you do in one or two days. It usually takes a good while to wean your baby from night time feedings. You can begin the process by offering smaller portions of formula or a few minutes less on each breast if you are breast feeding. Another good suggestion is not to automatically feed your baby the first time he or she wakes up during the night. Try cradling your baby in your arms or rocking him/her gently back to sleep without offering a bottle. You may also choose to give an ounce of water in a bottle until he or she falls back to sleep. What you are trying to accomplish is slowly breaking your baby’s natural habit of eating during the night. If you have been feeding twice throughout the night, then try doing the above with just one of the feedings at first. You do not want to force your baby to wean off nighttime feedings. The goal is not to cause your baby any discomfort. If your baby will not fall back to sleep using the above method then he/she is probably genuinely hungry and it may not be the right time for weaning.
Feed More During the Day
Some babies form the habit of eating more during the night than during the day. This is one reason that your baby may not be sleeping through the night. Try taking several small breaks throughout the day to offer your baby bottles or your breast. If your baby eats more during the day then he/she is less apt to become hungry during the night. If your baby still will not eat as much as you would like him/her to during the day then try making sure the last feeding of the evening, before putting him/her to bed is the largest of the day. If he/she goes to sleep with a full tummy then perhaps he/she will wait a bit longer to awaken for a feeding. Unfortunately, when you are first starting to wean your baby there may be times when you will have to withhold feedings for a bit longer in order to develop a schedule. Make sure your baby is hungry when you feed him or her. If you have been feeding every 3 hours then you may want to offer a bit more at each feeding and then start to try and stretch the time to every 4 hours. This is another effective method of beginning to wean your baby from nighttime feedings.
Add a Little Rice Cereal
Most doctors do not want you to feed your baby solid food until he/she is at least 6 months of age, some doctors even say one year! Some people think that the doctors who recommend waiting even 6 months to introduce solid foods have never had children themselves. Ask any grandmother and you can almost bet that she will tell you to add cereal to the baby’s bottle by the time he/she is about 10 to 12 weeks old. Why would they tell you to do that? Because they have raised their fair share of babies and have been kept up too many nights to count! Adding cereal does not mean feeding your baby a bowl of cereal. It means adding a tablespoon or so of cereal to about 3 ounces of formula or breast milk. This will not quite be the same as feeding solid food but it will thicken the formula up a little bit and help fill the tummy better. In addition, cereal will not digest as quickly as formula or breast milk so the baby is bound to stay full for a longer period of time. If you do introduce cereal then pay attention to how your baby is tolerating it. If your baby does not seem to be having any issues with constipation, diarrhea or gas then he/she is handling the cereal fine. Keep in mind that rice cereal is the most gentle and should be the only cereal fed initially. Oatmeal can constipate a young baby and should not be given until at least 6 to 9 months of age.
Some parents are bold enough to allow 10 minutes to pass before going in to the baby when he/she awakens at night. Surprisingly enough this does often work. Many times your baby may wake up from a dream or because of a slight noise he or she heard. This is why running to your baby with a bottle right away may not be the best idea. If 10 minutes goes by and your baby is still crying then you will want to go right in. But do not go right in and feed. You will first want to be sure the baby’s diaper is not wet and that he/she is just not craving a bit of attention. Once you have checked all of these things, if the baby does not stop crying then it is safe to assume he/she is in fact hungry.
Baby Solid Food Guide
Posted on: June 20, 2011
- In: Babies | For Parents | Pediatrics
- Leave a Comment
It seems like you just brought your new baby home from the hospital and now it is already time to start considering solid foods. Chances are you have already been coached on what to feed or what not to feed in the very beginning but there are still bound to be many things you are unprepared for or have questions about. If you are a new parent then this will be your first encounter with offering a baby solid foods. You are probably a little bit nervous and apprehensive but this is perfectly normal. Many parents fear that their baby will choke or become ill as a result of eating solid foods and so they put it off for as long as possible. If your baby is between the ages of 4 and 6 months he/she is probably quite ready to begin eating solid foods.
My Baby Is so Hungry!
This is the first sign that it is time for solid foods. Babies go through growth spurts that do cause them to want to eat more frequently but if you notice that your baby has an insatiable appetite then you may want to consider offering something more than formula or breast milk. The best part of this is that your baby will probably start sleeping through the night once he/she begins eating solid foods and for many moms that is a welcome change. Start with something really simple like just a bit of rice cereal mixed with formula or breast milk. Please avoid giving your baby oatmeal right off the bat as this can and almost always will cause constipation. Rice cereal seems to be the best choice in first cereal for baby. It is usually best to start by offering a very small amount of cereal mixed with formula or breast milk in your baby’s bottle. You will need to enlarge the hole in the nipple slightly to allow the cereal to pass. Make sure your baby is sitting upright when you feed him/her to avoid choking.
Other Signs Your Baby Is Ready for Solid Foods
Once your baby becomes able to hold his/her head up and show a good amount of control then it is probably the right time to start him/her on solid foods. In addition, if your baby seems to be just a bit too interested in your hamburger then he/she is probably ready for something besides the liquid diet he or she has been eating. Your baby may seem cranky more than usual and this could very well be from hunger. Formula or breast milk digests pretty fast so if your baby is still hungry after drinking a bottle then you might want to offer something else. Always check with your baby’s doctor before beginning solid foods to see if there is anything he/she prefers as a first food.
Your Baby Has No Table Manners
Make sure you are prepared for quite a mess when solid foods are first introduced and by all means have a camera ready. Your baby will do everything from blow raspberries with his/her food to outright spitting it at you so be prepared for anything. Make sure you have all the proper gear such as bibs and baby towels handy. You may also want to do the feedings in an area that is not carpeted and the floor is going to be yet another landing spot for whatever you are feeding your baby. Some parents opt to take baby out onto the patio or porch when feeding if the weather permits it. This makes clean up a lot easier!
Baby’s Can Be Picky
You will also want to be ready for your baby to rebel. If you have a picky eater on your hands then this is going to become evident very quickly. For example, some babies cannot stand any of the meat or vegetable variations of baby food and will only eat the fruit. Obviously, this is unhealthy and unacceptable. You will have to be crafty and find ways to trick your baby into eating a well balanced diet. Granted there may be some things you will never be able to get past your baby but you might try feeding one bite of fruit and then slipping in a random bite of lamb or chicken. You can also spoon a small amount of something your baby doesn’t like and then dip the spoon in fruit and try feeding like this. The key is not to give up. Be consistent in offering your baby all of the foods he/she does not seem to enjoy as much. You may get lucky and wind up with a baby who will eat anything you offer or you may wind up with the world’s pickiest eater.
After the First Teeth
As soon as your baby cuts teeth then you can start giving him/her small finger foods like cherios or even baby biscuits. Babies love to gnaw on baby biscuits but remember these will also be quite messy so take care. Eventually you can begin to eliminate jarred baby food in favor of things like mac and cheese and other soft foods that your baby can pick up and eat. Remember that even though babies lack all of the coordination needed to feed themselves they love trying. Do not discourage your baby from trying to feed him/herself. Rather, find a place that you are comfortable allowing this. Again, placing the high chair on the patio or porch and sitting with your baby is a great idea. If that is not an option then you can place the high chair in the middle of the kitchen floor. This will make clean up a bit easier.
Stay away from feeding your baby a lot of foods that are known to cause gas such as broccoli, brussel sprouts and cabbage. You will also want to be careful about the foods that you eat because some of them may be too spicy for your baby. You may have a toddler who begs for whatever you are eating but if it is a Jamaican meat patty, don’t give in! Eventually feeding your baby solid foods will become easier and over time your baby’s eating habits will develop nicely as long as you continue to be diligent in offering a nice variety of foods.
Helping Your Child Learn to Read
Posted on: June 7, 2011
- In: Babies | children | For Parents | how to | Pediatrics | reading
- 1 Comment
One of the most important things you can do for your child is to prepare him or her for reading. There are millions of people walking around today that cannot read or write their native language and for them life is very hard. Statistics show that many high school graduates are actually illiterate. How these kids get through their whole school career without anyone noticing they cannot read is beyond me but unfortunately, it does happen. When you see a situation like this you cannot help but put the brunt of the blame on the parents. After all, isn’t it our job to know whether or not our children can read? While there are some learning disabilities such as dyslexia that may hinder kids from reading well, there are even more cases of pure negligence and laziness. There is no excuse for a parent to allow his/her child to slide by without knowing how to read. The good news is you can help your child from a very early age to ensure that he/she never has to struggle through a life of illiteracy.
It Is Never Too Early to Begin
There is nothing written in stone that tells us that we must wait until our child reaches kindergarten to begin learning to read. I had a grandmother who worked with me diligently and by the time I was 4 years old I was ready to read to her each morning from the newspaper, and I did everyday. She started by singing the alphabet song to me with each and every diaper change from the day I came home from the hospital. By the time I could talk I was able to sing my ABC’s. From there we started working on the sounds of each letter and how they could be used. I learned all of my vowels and how they could be pronounced in long or short form. I learned what syllables were and about the letters that are sometimes silent when they sit next to another letter. After awhile, I was able to start linking the letters together and sounding them out. We used flash cards and memory games and she dedicated at least an hour every day to teaching me how to read, spell and write. When I reached kindergarten I was already on a 3rd grade reading level. This is not to say that all parents should have their children reading this well by the time they start school but it is important to understand that base knowledge is going to start at home.
A Large Portion of Reading Is Memorization
After we have been reading for some time we actually do so by memorizing what each word looks like. It is no longer a matter of sounding the word out. We see the word and we know what it is because we have read it and written it so many times. This is why memorizing words and what they look like is so important when teaching children to read. This does not mean you do not have to teach your children phonetics and how to sound a word out but it does mean that you can help them greatly by helping them to identify words by memory. Flash cards using pictures and words are great tools to help children learn new words. For example, you may want to use flash cards that show animals and the corresponding word. You will also want to do the same for body parts and all sorts of other things in the world. After doing this for some time your child will be able to look at a tree or another object and tell you how it is spelled. Repetition is very important when children are learning to read.
Get Your Children Interested in Reading by Reading to Them
Another thing my grandmother always did with me was read. Each and every night she read to me until I feel asleep. She picked the most interesting books and I can remember being so eager to find out what happens next. To this day I still remember her reading “The Trumpet of the Swan” to me and how I wished the story would go on forever. By doing this she taught me that opening a book could take me to a wonderful new world and that in those pages I would find adventure beyond my wildest dreams. This inspired me to want to read myself as it was very frustrating when she was unable to read to me because I could not get the story without her help. If you have young children read to them. It doesn’t take much out of your day to sit down and read your kids a story and you will be doing them a great service in doing so.
Teach Children to Comprehend What They Read
A huge part of reading is comprehension and just because your child may be able to read a sentence to you does not necessarily mean he/she has understood what was read. If a child does not comprehend the material he/she is reading it will become very boring to him/her. Try asking your child after each paragraph what he or she has understood from what was read. If you find that he/she is lacking in reading comprehension then you should tell him/her to go over it and read it to her/himself one more time. Do this until he/she picks up on what was read. Once your child learns how to comprehend what is being read it will open up a whole new world for him/her.
Always keep up on what is going on with your child’s school life and academics. It is easy for a working parent to allow some things to slip through the cracks but being aware of the areas your children are struggling in and doing something about it will help your child achieve success.
How to Teach a Child to Walk
Posted on: June 2, 2011
- In: Babies | For Parents | Newborns | Pediatrics | Uncategorized
- Leave a Comment
One of the most exciting milestones a baby reaches is the very first step he or she takes. Parents all over the world have video tapes and pictures of the big day when their precious little babies took his/her very first steps. Some babies begin walking as early as 9 months old while others do not take that first step until 14 months old. Either way parents should not feel disappointed if they do not get an early walker. Everything will happen in its own time. In the meanwhile there are some things parents can do to help prepare and encourage their babies to walk. However, it is important to understand that you cannot push a baby to do something before he/she is ready to do it. Try not to be in a hurry when it comes to your child and the milestones he or she reaches. Remember that your baby will only be a baby once and so you should savor every moment of that time.
Help Your Baby Strengthen His/Her Legs
As soon as your baby is able to put any weight on his or her legs, usually right around five or six months of age, you should provide him/her with some sort of a walker or bouncy chair that will enable him or her to start building up the muscles in his/her legs. In addition, you can hold your baby’s hands and allow him or her to stand upright and even walk around the room with your help. The more time your baby spends exercising his/her legs, the sooner he/she will begin trying to take steps independently. One thing to keep in mind while you are helping your baby strengthen his or her legs is that you should never force your baby to walk or stand if he or she does not want to. This can instill fear in your baby that could further prevent him or her from walking.
Provide Push Toys
Once your baby has mastered the walker and is literally zooming around your living room then it will be time to move him or her to the next step. There are many toys which are intended for early walkers and these toys work by allowing your baby to push them along while walking behind. For beginners it is recommended that you start with a toy that does not have wheels. Once you are confident that your baby is strong enough and ready then you can introduce push toys with wheels. One of the most popular toys that parents buy to help their babies learn to walk independently is a small buggy that looks almost like a shopping cart. Babies seem to enjoy these as they push them along, stopping to pick up various toys and put them in the basket as they go. Usually by the time your baby is confident enough to walk along pushing one of these carts he or she will be very close to walking on his or her own.
Give Praise for a Job Well Done
Any time your baby does anything creative or spectacular is very important that you praise him or her immediately. Babies seem to be born with an inherent desire to please mom and dad and receiving praises, claps and shouts of encouragement never fails to put a big smile on baby’s face. In addition, if your baby knows that he or she has just done something to please you, he or she is bound to try and replicate what he or she has just done. Some parents find that if they stand on the other side of the room and offer encouragement that their babies will attempt to walk to them. Remember that you must act like this is one big party.
Why Do Some Babies Take Longer to Walk Than Others?
There are many reasons that a baby may take longer to start walking. Each child is an individual and will do things at his or her own pace. Sometimes an overweight baby will have trouble taking steps or will just be too lazy to do so. If a baby was born prematurely then he or she may also have trouble reaching milestones at the same rate as other children who were born at full-term. If your child has not reached 15 months of age then there is no reason to be concerned if he or she will not walk independently. This is especially true if he or she will walk while pushing something or leaning on something. You do not have to be concerned that his or her legs did not work properly. Sometimes babies are just frightened to let go and take that first step. This is why your encouragement and support will be all the more necessary. If you have real concerns about your baby not walking them the best thing to do is consult with your pediatrician to be sure that everything is physically alright with your child.
Sometimes your baby will surprise you and begin walking out of the blue. Other times you will watch helplessly as your baby crawls around, refusing to walk no matter what you try. While there are some things you can do to help encourage your baby to walk, the truth of the matter is that your baby will walk when he or she is ready and not a moment sooner. Take heart in knowing that eventually your child will walk and once he or she starts, chances are there will be no stopping him or her! If you have a late boomer when it comes to walking count your blessings and be thankful for every moment that you do not spend running around on the heels of your toddler keeping him or her out of everything under the sun.
Stimulating Your Newborn’s Senses
Posted on: May 27, 2011
- In: Babies | For Parents | Newborns | Pediatrics
- Leave a Comment
Stimulating your newborn’s senses has been proven to help improve motor function, awareness, and even intelligence. There are many theories on how sensory development can be stimulated into action and their overall effect but there is no doubt that loving parental interaction that involves all 5 of the senses can be beneficial to the bonding process as well a neuron activity in the brain.
When you opt to intentionally stimulate your newborn’s senses you do want to ovoid overstimulation. Just like music can sound pleasant to your ears, music that is blared at top volume can be overwhelming and have the opposite effect. Remember that stimulation is very much like encouragement. You offer the stimulation in a pleasant manner and pay attention to negative reactions.
The more aware of your baby’s reactions you are the more you will understand how your newborn’s senses can be stimulated. Not all babies are born alike. You will have some that thrive on the sound of music floating into the room and others that are only interested in tuning out the world. Paying attention to what you’re doing and how he is reacting is the best way to understand the stimulation process for your particular child.
A Lost Sense
If you are intentionally stimulating your newborn’s sense and you suspect that one sense is not functioning, do not panic. First and foremost, it is not uncommon for some senses to finish developing after birth. For various reasons a child’s hearing or sight may not have fully developed but yet everything remains normal. Within the first few weeks there is an obvious change in development and the child grows up without a lost sense. Many parents don’t even realize that their newborns can’t hear or see and development proceeds as it would in the womb.
Children that do not naturally gain their senses can be helped through sensory stimulation during these early weeks. They can learn to get in tune with their remaining senses at a faster rate when parents interact with them on an intentional but loving level. Naturally, if you suspect that your newborn does not have all of his or her senses it is prudent to let the pediatrician know.
Touch
Because a baby’s sense of smell, hearing, sight, and taste are under developed touch is the most important sense to a newborn. Everything that they feel will have an impact on their development. This is why it is important to always consider factors like temperature, softness, and the potential for irritation before something touches your newborn.
Touching their hands, feet, legs, and arms in smooth motions can help increase the rate at which they become aware of their own extremities. Simple things like kisses on the bottoms of the feet and gentle infant massages on the legs can help improve the external awareness.
One of the most common things a baby feels internally is discomfort after eating. Developing a touch based ritual that involves gentle tummy massage can be helpful on so many levels.
In the first two months most experts believe that it is not productive to introduce your baby to new sensations through their own fingertips. A few experts think that it’s possible to trigger a neuron response that heightens the awareness of touch, but the nerve endings are not fine tuned enough to tell subtle differences in texture. For instance, if you place your fingertips in a bowl of rice and place your other hand in a bowl of tapioca pudding you will notice a textural difference. Your baby won’t.
It will be a few months before textural changes that are not of sharp contrast will be taken into account. Textures of sharp contrast are not necessarily going to appropriate for your newborn’s touch senses, as cold, hot, rough and such elements have the potential to cause discomfort or injury.
Hearing
Hearing is a developing sense in a newborn. Stimulating the hearing can be as simple as just talking to your new baby in pitches that are most conducive to helping him adjust to life. Most of us will naturally talk to a new baby with sweet, soothing sounds. This is because these are the sounds that babies are most inclined toward and the instinct is within us to do so.
You can also stimulate your baby’s hearing with music. Keep it quiet and soft and avoid music that is going to have a heavy drum beat or electric guitar. There are specific CDs created to help you stimulate the hearing. These CDs are often based on scientific research for developing different parts of the brain as well as offering sounds that are comforting to a new baby.
Sight
Sight stimulation is a little more complex. You certainly aren’t going to hold up flashcards for a baby that can’t focus on them yet. Yet there are some sights that can be stimulating for the brain and others that can be soothing. It is believed that if a baby is exposed to the color red through intervals of 6 to 12 hour periods for the first 7 days of life that you can increase his IQ by at least 15 points. No one is really sure if this is true or not, but this is the intention behind the crib mobiles that are black, white, and red.
Let your baby see your face when you talk to him. Allow stimulation of sight to be pleasant. Do not put things in your baby’s face in an attempt to stimulate sight as this can easily produce overstimulation and really won’t do any good. The object that you might have on hand may or may not seem interesting to your newborn. You really can’t tell exactly what a newborn can truly see. Over time it’s perfectly acceptable to show him around and tell him about things that you hope for. If he isn’t focusing on the visual he is still listening to your voice and the two of you are still bonding.
Taste
Taste is not a sense that you can stimulate in a newborn. His diet is intentionally created by nature or the nearest replica of nature to allow him the most digestible diet. Offering your newborn new tastes will be detrimental.
Often you can see the results of certain foods getting into his system when a mother is nursing. If she had Mexican the night before it’s not unusual to have a very cranky baby. This is why certain dietary restrictions are suggested, but it has nothing to do with his sense of taste.
Smell
It is not yet clearly understood exactly how much baby’s can smell. There are certainly scientifically based speculations about the potential for smell. Yet there are no real conclusions that can be taken as absolute fact. It is still advisable that you avoid strong smells. Using potent air fresheners or incense sticks is not recommended during the first months of a new baby’s life. The most important smell to stimulate for your baby is simply the smell of his family.
When a baby is nursing or held he potentially can register the smell of his family members, which in turn can create a sense of comfort and ease. The smell of the mother is thought to be particularly important for triggering reflexes that encourage suckling.
Regardless of whether or not a newborn can truly smell or if it’s creative conjecture, being close to your baby helps increase the potential for bonding and stimulates a connection that helps improve his likelihood for health and happiness.
