Eight Baby and Kid Sleep Tricks Your Doctor Will Never Tell You

Face it. Doctors are pretty lame with practical advice on stuff that should come naturally to babies. So here are a few tricks we’ve picked – none risky, we promise – that might help you get your baby to sleep or back on track sleep-wise.

1. Dads, take charge. This is one area where dads can really add some value. Sadly, it’s because we have nothing more to add than just being odd and different though. Send dad in to do the final diapering and reading and baby won’t get distracted by the thought of mommy milk or the comforting sensations of the mommy aura. This goes also, unfortunately, for midnight diaper changes when you’re weaning the baby off breastfeeding. Babies won’t think “food!” when they see daddy’s breast-less chest and dad has a better chance of getting baby back to sleep.

2. Pump up the volume. Don’t let your child get used to a completely quiet house, or you may be subject to a baby who wakes to every siren or dog bark. Usually, yes, babies sleep through anything, unless they are conditioned to complete silence. If you’re using complete silence as a tactic in the sleep wars, you may be doing more harm than good.

3. Be all business at night. While moms and dads often can’t resist a cuddle with the baby or even trying to get the baby to smile or laugh while changing and feeding, everyone will get back to sleep faster if you are calm and efficient in the semi-dark, getting the baby back in bed with as little distraction as possible. This way, baby knows that daytime is playtime and nighttime is “get back to sleep as soon as possible.”

4. Let the baby fall asleep on his own. Every doctor or sleep specialist will encourage strict routines to help the sleep ritual. What some won’t think of though is making sure you put your baby in bed when he or she is drowsy rather than completely asleep. Falling asleep on your own is an important development step for a baby, which you can help by getting your baby in bed when you sense he is getting drowsy.

5. Treat your baby like he or she has jet lag. Experts recommend that when adjusting to new time zones, you should spend daylight hours in bright sunlight and keep out all light at times you should be sleeping. The same goes for babies. Make sure his or her internal time clock knows it’s nighttime.

6. Turn down the baby monitor. If you’re so sleep-obsessed that you have to check on your baby every few minutes, you’re going to end up teaching the baby that every gurgle or whimper gets mom or dad’s attention. I am definitely not a “let them cry it out” dad, but I do know that giving in to the temptation to just peek in on them usually reset the timer on my efforts to get my kids to sleep.

7. Skip the diaper change? Yes, maybe, if you don’t smell #2 and you think the diaper isn’t really full. A full diaper change, complete with baby wipe hitting warm skin in the night air, will definitely wake up a sleeping baby. Wake up a baby for one last feeding before you go to bed. This might be the one trick that scores you some extra sleep. While it might be risky to wake up a baby for more stimulation, if you can accomplish the feeding to a half asleep baby, it might mean your baby remains full and satisfied all the way until morning. This means you get some much needed baby sleep of your own.

Video Games That Keep The Family Together

Survey: Videogames Are Not Detrimental to Kids’ Academics

A new study has shown that videogames have no adverse effects on the academic performance of kids. The research, done by the Michigan State University, reveals that video games do not affect children’s math skills and may have a positive effect on visual-spatial skills.

The study monitored the academic performance of students from 20 middle schools in Michigan. The researchers compared the usage of online and offline video games that the students played in correlation to their academic performance. It found that the videogames helped the kids learn visually by reacting and thinking in terms of images. The children were able to develop key skills that would come in handy in various fields such as engineering, technology and science.

Parents Perspective
Parents may have encountered the good and bad side of videogames. Many parents who allow their children to play educational videogames from a young age have known their kids to be more responsive to them than while simply watching television. For example, videogames are known to increase children’s reaction times in response to stimuli.

Another advantage for many parents is that videogames can be used to introduce children to computers, thereby giving kids a head start for the future.

On the flipside, there are disadvantages to videogames too. Children who play age-inappropriate games may have a bad experience and react negatively to them. Some studies have also demonstrated that first-person-shooter (FPS) and other similar games may increase childrens’ aggression levels and desensitize them to violence.

Tips to Help Pets and Toddlers Get Along with Each Other

There is one thing in common between pets and toddlers in your household – both of them crave your love and attention, and both of them require your utmost care. If a pet has been staying in the household much before an toddler has come to stay there, the pet may feel threatened and even jealous of the attention given to the new toddler. It may tend to attack the toddler when unattended.

In another case, household pets may mistake a toddler for a game or an intruder and attack them accidentally. Sometimes, household pets are unable to gauge the strength and limits of a toddler and may unknowingly hurt the toddler while playing with it.

Here are some tips to ensure your toddler and your household pet live in harmony:

* Do not neglect your pet – pay the pet as much (or almost) attention as you did before the toddler arrived

* Let the pet know that the toddler is its friend and not a rival – you may introduce the pet to the toddler and familiarize them in a friendly way

* Train the pet to get accustomed to the toddler’s ways by playing tapes of toddlers crying and other means so that the pet is not frightened when the toddler cries in reality

* Do not leave your toddler unattended with a pet around – the pet may unknowingly (or knowingly, if not properly trained) hurt the toddler or indulge in things that may not be good for the toddlers welfare

* Keep the pet hygienically clean so that the chances of the toddler contracting diseases from it remain minimal

Trimming your baby’s nails

Even when babies are young, their nails are quite sharp. This can easily lead to babies injuring either themselves or adults who are handling them. To avoid this, it is essential that you start trimming children’s nails from the time they are still young.
Do not attempt to cut your baby’s nails with scissors or anything else that is likely to cause injury. Instead, use clippers and scissors that are especially designed for children. They have rounded tips and prevent accidental injury from taking place.
Here are a few things to remember about trimming your baby’s nails:

• The ideal time to trim young children’s nails is right after a bath when their nails are softer.
• If your baby is fidgety and refuses to sit quietly, you may need someone to distract your baby’s attention. Another option is to encourage your baby to fall asleep.
• Hold your baby’s finger (or toe) firmly in your hand and push down on the part that is under the nail, to prevent accidentally cutting it.
• Take care to avoid cutting too deep.
• Trim the nail by following the natural curve on the fingertip. (While trimming the nails on your baby’s toes you may cut them in a straight line.)
• Gently smoothen any rough or sharp edges by using emery board.
• Avoid biting your baby’s nails in an attempt to trim them. This not only prevents a clean and even cut, but may also lead to your baby contracting an infection through your saliva.

If you find that you have either injured the skin or cut too deep, so that there is bleeding, hold a sterile cotton wad or gauze over the wound and press gently. Ensure that the bleeding has stopped, before you release the pressure. Do not wrap a bandage around the wound as it may present a risk of choking.

Dine Out with Your Baby

Just because you are a parent now does not mean you can’t occasionally dine out without feeling guilty about leaving the baby at home. The problem is that your baby, who may not find the prospect highly exciting, could end up feeling bored or neglected.
A little forethought and planning however can ensure that eating out will be as much fun for you as for your child. Here are some valuable tips to make dining out with your baby a pleasant experience for you:

• Keep your baby busy: Carry interesting toys or games to keep your baby engrossed in playing while you are at the eatery.
• Ensure you baby is comfortable and safe: You may carry your baby’s favorite chair to the eatery so your baby feels at home. Alternately, take some time to choose a suitable place in the restaurant—far away from kitchen odors and noise.
• Be ready for food-spills: Bring in your baby’s towels, diapers, and napkins to take care of those food-spills as soon as they may occur.
• Order your baby’s favorite food: Your baby needs to be equally attracted by the food on its platter, as you would be with yours.

Dine in a quiet and un-crowded eatery: Crowded restaurants will tend to make your baby restless and cranky.

• Reserve early and pre-order the food: Avoid long waits to be seated and consider ordering the baby’s food immediately after sitting down.  Most restaurants will have simple pasta and butter and steamed veggie options for babies.   Don’t hesitate to ask.

Preparing Kids for the Challenges of the First Days of School

It’s hard to imagine what goes on in a little one’s mind when he goes to the big school, but you can help him overcome some fears by talking to him before hand.

For example, many kids at pre-school and even kindergarten level, are nervous about the bathroom. Reassure your child that he can ask to go any time. Some kids have accidents at school, and he should be aware that this type of thing can happen, and does happen to a lot of kids. If you have given him strict instructions on other people touching him in the bathroom, make sure he is aware of how changes in caregiving my change that policy, for example if a teacher has to wipe him. Some kids will time their bowel movements to avoid school time. Discuss this with your doctor if it becomes and issue.

Buy clothes for your child with easy closures. No child at this point wants to have to ask their teacher to help them button their pants. Just at the moment you are trying to teach them autonomy, don’t burden them suddenly with shoelaces that need to be tied by an adult.

School is an ideal time to teach about making friends. You don’t have to be a car salesman to know the value of walking right up to someone, pointing to something you have in common (your love of sand or the color of your tennis shoes) and introducing yourself. This is not a skill that comes easily, but kids can learn these skills to, especially if you show them how it works, by introducing yourself to other moms and dads.

Lunchtime might also be stressful, if your child has never had to eat on her own. Many kids get stressed at lunchtime because they don’t have the leisure to drag it out like they do at home. Make sure your child has items that are easy to manipulate on her own rather than complicated foods that need to be reheated and might be hard to eat.

Your child may be scared of other small details that don’t worry you at all. He might think the school nurse means lots of shots. Or the school bus looks like a big scary tunnel he might get lost in and never find his way back home. Explore and discuss things like this with your child by asking him about his likes and dislikes about the school.

With a very small amount of putting yourself in their shoes, you can easily take steps to ease into the transition to school.

10 Ways to tell if your baby has allergies, and not just a cold

Many of the symptoms of nasal allergies (also known as allergic rhinitis) are similar to those of cold symptoms—runny nose, watery eyes, cough, nasal congestion, sneezing. Many times parents are confused on whether their child has a long-term cold or allergies.
Allergies are different though. Here are ten things to look for:

• Is your baby sneezing a lot?
• Does he have a dry cough, not coughing anything up?
• Are his eyes, red, watery, and itchy?
• Is his skin breaking out, irritated, or have an itchy red rash?
• Is your baby’s nose always stuffy or running?
• Does it seem like your baby always has a cold? (Colds usually wind themselves down in a week to ten days; allergies don’t.)
• Does your baby breathe through his mouth?
• Is your baby constantly rubbing, or touching her nose?
• Does your baby have thin and clear mucous draining from her nose (or is it think and yellow or green?)?
• Does it look like he or she has a black eye (“allergic shiner”) where the skin is dark or purple under her eyes.

If your baby has more than one of these symptoms, there is fairly good chance your baby is allergic to something in his or her environment. The most common culprit is dust mites, but there are many other allergies. Since common allergies are linked to ear infections and possibly asthma, it’s a good idea to discuss these symptoms with your doctor and eventually with an allergist who can easily test for more specific allergens.

Adenovirus, what’s that?

Adenoviruses are viruses affecting both humans and animals and were initially isolated in human adenoids ( tonsils ) — hence the name. The infections caused by these viruses tend to cause illnesses mainly in your toddlers’ respiratory system. Children between the ages of 6 months and 2 years are most commonly susceptible to these infections.
The common cold is the most typical example of an upper respiratory tract infection. A pharyngoconjunctival fever involves sore throat, red eyes with fever. This is another commonly occurring adenoviral infection.
Other adenoviral infections may include:

• Sore throat
• Ear infections
• Tonsillitis
• Conjunctivitis

Your toddlers and the virus
Toddlers spend their time touching their mouths, noses and eyes throughout the day. They can often be observed running around with runny noses and afterwards, suffering from occasional fevers. The two causes are not unrelated—the one leads to the other. This is because viruses tend to survive on surfaces which your toddlers touch and easily enter their bodies through contamination.
Preventive measures:

• Make sure kids cover their noses when they sneeze and cough.
• Wash their hands before and after play and otherwise as frequently as possible.
• Wash the surfaces they come in contact with — avoid contamination.

Treatments
It is important to remember that antibiotics are not useful in this situation. Although there is no cure for common cold, there are ways of making your toddlers comfortable and relieving them of their symptoms with the help of the following techniques.

• Moisturizing nasal drops
• Decongestants
• Cough suppressants
• Giving them plenty of fluids to drink

Taking Your Baby for First Shots

Babies usually make their first visit to the hospital by the age of two months. Even if your baby appears healthy, it is important for you to make an appointment for a routine checkup. Visits to the doctor are also necessary to protect the babies from several infectious diseases by using vaccine suitable for their age.
By the age of two months, children are typically given vaccines for the following:

• DPT / POLIO / HIB or (Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Polio, Haemophilus Influenzae type B)
• Hepatitis B
• MMR or (Measles, Mumps, Rubella)
• Varicella
• Pneumococcal conjugate

In addition, some babies may receive Vitamin K shots to protect them from rare bleeding disorders.
Some important tips for parents:

• Ask the doctor or health professional for more information on the disease prevention, schedules, and the mandatory vaccines.
• Regular vaccinations suitable for your baby’s age are important. Stick to the schedule prescribed by your doctor.
• Do not miss a dose. Even if you start late or miss a dose, speak to the doctor about the right time to administer a vaccine.
• After immunization, babies may experience redness, soreness, fever, or swelling at the injection site, which is no cause for worry. Keeping a cool cloth on the affected site will help to reduce the reaction.
• In rare cases, some children tend to develop allergic reactions such as high fever or loss of consciousness. Consult your doctor immediately.
• Contact your doctor, if your child develops a fever. Your doctor may prescribe medication to make the child feel comfortable.

Eating Unnatural or Inedible Substances – Harmful for your Child or not

Pica is an eating disorder relating to the consumption of non-nutritive substances. It’s common for children to put all sorts of things, from clay and dirt, to crayons, in their mouths. Usually, all it takes is a basic amount of parental supervision and instruction to keep the growing child from consuming unsuitable substances.
 
However, sometimes children develop an abnormal appetite for things such as dirt, paper, sand, rust, hair, baking soda, glue, wood-chips, and even cigarette butts. This pattern of compulsively eating non-food substances is known as pica. 25 to 30 percent of infants are diagnosed with pica disorders.
 
If you observe your child growing at a normal developmental pace, chances are that pica is just another habit for your child rather than a full blown disorder, but you should still be on the lookout for what your child is eating.
 
Whereas pica has no specific causes to which it can be attributed, it may be linked to any of the following:

• Developmental deficiencies
• Malnutrition
• Parental neglect
• Mental health disorders like autism
• Cultural habits

Lead poisoning and iron-deficiency anemia in children can result from pica disorders.
 
Preventions

• Keep infants under supervision when they are playing at beaches or in their favorite sandbox.
• Teach your children the difference between acceptable and non-acceptable foods.
• Keep household chemicals, drugs, and medications out of their reach.
• Give your children an organic based nutrition diet.
• Look out for signs of nervousness or boredom in your child.
• Check for nutritional deficits in your child’s body with your pediatrician.

A doctor can play an important role in handling pica.

• A pediatrician can diagnose zinc deficiency and other symptoms in your child.
• A doctor can administer behavioral therapy in case of pica disorders to help wean the child off harmful substances.

Useful Article: Child Development