Choosing Shoes
When you are buying your child shoes, always go to a reputable store where the staff has been trained to measure and fit children’s shoes. The salesperson should measure the length and the width of your child’s foot before trying any shoes. Once your child tries on a pair of shoes, the salesperson should press the joints of the foot to make sure that it is not restricted in any way, and that the fastenings hold the shoe firmly in place and don’t let your child’s foot slip around. Make sure your child stands up and walks around in the shoes to check that the toe doesn’t pinch and hurt when he’s walking and to double-check that there’s no slipping.
A sturdy, well-made pair of leather shoes is most suitable for general outdoor wear, especially once your child starts running and playing. You should, however, get a pair of rubber boots for wet or muddy conditions. Although leather shoes and sandals are solid and sensible and last well, there is nothing wrong with inexpensive canvas shoes or sneakers as long as you make sure that they fit properly. If your child suddenly becomes less steady on his feet it may be a sign that he is outgrowing his shoes. Well-fitting shoes are essential to ensure that your child has good feet in adult life. Don’t try to save money by buying second-hand shoes; they will have molded to the first owner’s feet.
Your Baby’s Health
It’s likely that even if you weren’t the sort of person who spent much time at the doctor’s office, you are there quite a lot now. If this is your first baby, and even if it’s your second or third, it’s easy to get worried about his health and to feel that you need a second opinion about anything that concerns you. Never worry about “bothering” your doctor or any other health professional about your baby’s health. Reassuring people is as much a doctor’s job as treating them, and any health worker would far rather put a parent’s mind at rest over a medical matter than see a sick child whose parents didn’t like to trouble them. Trust your instincts; if you’re worried about something, get it checked out.
Teething
After Sleeping, teething is the most notorious element of babyhood. Just like sleeping, everyone seems to assume that a child will have problems with cutting his first teeth. And just like sleeping, it’s true that while some babies do have problems, others don’t have any at all.
What is teething?
Teething, like colic, has become a catch-all word. Any bout of unexplained crying, any fretfulness or unsettled period, any sign of red cheeks or a slightly raised temperature, and “teething” is likely to be floated as a possible cause. Ask most parents, and they’ll swear that teething does go hand-in-hand with real physical discomfort and symptoms like these, but talk to a pediatrician, and you’ll hear that there’s no evidence to link the appearance of teeth with any ailment whatsoever.
Don’t be tempted to start using “teething gels” on your baby’s gums just because he seems unsettled. These contain drugs, and it may be that there’s no new tooth appearing at all.
When to expect the first tooth
Some babies are born with a “natal tooth,” which is usually removed because of the risk of choking. However, it is much more common for a baby’s first tooth to put in an appearance anywhere between 3 and 16 months.
Sometimes a tiny lump on your baby’s gum, which is occasionally bluish in color, heralds the appearance of a tooth - this is nothing to be concerned about.
Every baby is different
That’s a wide period of time within which your baby’s teeth may start to appear. Don’t listen to any old wives’ tales, such as that your baby’s intelligence is related to the age when his first tooth appears. Tooth growth is very individual - it can vary considerably between siblings, too. My eldest daughter was over a year old when her first tooth appeared, but her younger sisters both had their first teeth by the time they were 6 months of age. Interestingly, however, the pattern does seem to have had a bearing on second teeth: my eldest’s teeth have been very slow to come through.
Teething problems
Doctors are divided on whether any real pain accompanies the arrival of teeth in a baby’s mouth. Many concede that there may be some discomfort when a tooth is about to break through the gum, but most believe that the problem isn’t half as great as parents make out. If you think that your baby is experiencing discomfort because of an emerging tooth, rub his gums with a clean finger to help him to feel better.
If it’s not teething what is it?
The fact is that babies aren’t able to tell us what’s wrong, and because we’re usually so eager to find out what’s bothering them, we often make assumptions. That’s why we often think that our babies are having “teething problems.” But don’t forget that lots of things can make a baby of under 6 months feel out of sorts. The best way to deal with it, whatever the cause, is to give him lots of love.
Looking after milk teeth
You may be advised to brush your baby’s very first tooth and to go out immediately and buy a baby toothbrush and some “infant” toothpaste. If you want to, that’s fine - but brushing tiny teeth with your finger will be just as effective at keeping them clean. Creating the habit matters more at this stage than the actual process of cleaning them.
As your baby grows older, and likes to “help” brush his teeth himself - and coat his face in toothpaste at the same time, naturally - it can be a good idea to do his teeth in the bath.
What does matter, hugely, is what you’re giving your baby to eat. By this stage, your child will probably be able to make very clear to you that he likes (correction: loves) anything sweet. However happy he is to eat sugary desserts and chocolate candies, try to limit his intake of these sorts of foods. As well as getting him into bad habits, these sugary foods could be doing harm to his tiny emerging teeth. Even though these teeth will eventually come out and be replaced by “adult” teeth, they still have a lot of work to do before then!
From the age of 4 or 5 months a baby is able to start using a cup, instead of a bottle, for drinking. If you are giving him sugary drinks, such as diluted fruit juices, get him into the habit of using a cup. This is because research has shown that regular contact with a bottle nipple filled with juice can damage a baby’s teeth.
Don’t forget that, apart from milk, water is the best drink that you can give your baby.
What can my baby chew on?
Teething babies often like something to bite or chew on. Try a teething ring or a hard, unsweetened cracker. Teething toys that have been put into the freezer are not a good idea because they can harm the gum tissues and cause pain. If you want to cool one down a bit, put it into a mug of iced water for a few minutes before giving it to your baby.
Considering vaccinations
Vaccinations introduce a substance into the body that will trigger the production of antibodies and help the body fight a disease if its later contracted. Whether to have your baby vaccinated is one of the first and, in many ways, one of the hardest dilemmas you’ll face about your child’s welfare. Like every parent, you only want to do what’s best for your child - but there are so many claims as to the rights and wrongs of vaccinations that it can seem difficult to know who to believe.
Should we vaccinate our baby?
Vaccination does carry risks, as any doctor will tell you. Most doctors argue that these dangers are tiny, but they’re talking I about the risks that they believe or know to be there.
Leaving a child unvaccinated carries real dangers too; many argue that the risks that your child faces if she contracts the diseases concerned are far greater than any perceived danger from the vaccine is likely to be.
Do your research
Find out as much as you can about immunization. Read about it. Talk to your partner. Talk to other parents. Talk to your pediatrician and your obstetrician. Listen to what all of them have to say, and you’ll soon find yourself coming down on one side of the fence or the other.
Don’t let apathy or sheer worry about vaccinations prevent you from researching the subject and making an informed choice based on what you’ve found out.
Early vaccinations
Vaccination schedules change as new vaccines (or combinations of old vaccines) are developed, but most American pediatricians recommend that a baby should be vaccinated at 2 months of age against Hepatitis B, Hib, DTaP (diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis combined), IPV (polio), and prevnar (to protect against pneumococcus, a bacteria that can cause meningitis and blood infections). Some doctors may even give the first Hepatitis B vaccine in the first few days of a baby’s life. These vaccines are then repeated at 4 and 6 months old. Sometimes they are staggered so that the baby doesn’t get so many shots at one visit, and some immunizations may be given as two vaccines in one shot. Then, at 12 to 15 months, babies receive MMR and Varivax (chickenpox) vaccines. Babies are not routinely immunized against Meningitis C.
Using medicines
If your baby has a fever of course you are going to be worried and concerned, and you’ll want to do everything that you can to bring his temperature down. The temptation to give a baby medicine if he appears fretful or irritable is often great because, after all, he can’t tell you if something’s hurting - and you don’t want to think that he might be suffering. As a result, liquid acetaminophen (Tylenol) has become the children’s cure-all in many a family household.
It’s important not to become too reliant on the use of drugs in young children. Pain relievers may cover up the symptoms of something that your baby is suffering from, but they won’t eliminate the problem.
Children’s medicine
Don’t automatically go to the medicine cabinet. Liquid acetaminophen can be a great help in bringing down a temperature in a child with a fever - but if you’re using it just to treat a general feeling that there’s something a bit wrong with your baby, hold off.
Avoid giving medicine in the hope that it will “help him to sleep” because he’s been crying a lot during the afternoon, or because he’s pulling his legs up to his tummy and you’re a bit worried he might have a stomach ache. If he does have an upset tummy, acetaminophen may irritate his stomach further. Always remember that medicines are designed to treat specific ailments and they should be used sparingly.
All about antibiotics
Antibiotics have been much prescribed in the western world, but now concern surrounds their use. The problem is that if antibiotics are used too freely, bacteria can build up resistance to the drug and then these medicines lose their effectiveness.
This, in turn, means that if a person is re-infected with the bacteria, stronger antibiotics will have to be given, and, sometimes, these can be given only intravenously in a hospital. In a wider context, there’s also a fear that super-bacteria may be produced that will eventually withstand all antibiotics, putting potentially everyone at risk.
Seeking medical advice
It’s 2 o’ Clock in the morning, and your baby seems very unwell. You’re faced with a dilemma: should you, or should you not, call your doctor?
Calling a doctor
It’s a problem every parent faces at some point, and when you’re a new parent and this is your first child, the question seems all the more difficult. The more children you have, and the more contact you’ve had with young babies, the more experienced you are likely to be at a correct, instinctive diagnosis.
But equally, it’s vital never to ignore the voice in your head which says “my baby really is ill, and he does need medical help.” Never hesitate if you feel this way; any parent would rather feel a bit silly to be told it’s nothing than to regret not calling for medical help sooner.
Assessing your baby’s well-being
If your baby is unwell but is generally happy and behaving normally, for example, he is feeding and he is producing wet and sometimes dirty diapers, there is probably nothing too much to worry about. It’s when your baby’s behavior changes, however, that the alarm bells should start ringing.
The condition of a young baby can change incredibly quickly. That’s why doctors are always very cautious if they’ve got any cause for concern. Equally, and happily, a baby who seems very ill can seem much better within an hour or two.
All about cot death
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), is something that all parents fear, but instances of it are relatively rare. In fact, since a public-awareness campaign in the 1990s, the number of cases has fallen significantly. SIDS is not an illness. It cannot be diagnosed in a living baby, and there are numerous theories about what causes it. However, we do know that some babies are potentially at greater risk, including: premature babies; infants of mothers who have had apnoea or stopped-breathing incidents; infants of mothers who have had little or no antenatal care; infants of parents who smoke; and siblings of a previous SIDS baby. But even in these groups, the risk of SIDS is still as low as 1 per cent.
It’s also important to ensure that your baby sleeps on his back, unless a doctor instructs otherwise for medical reasons. However, a contrary medical opinion recommends that your baby should sleep on his side, so that there is no risk of choking on his own vomit. Either way, it is important that your baby does not sleep on his tummy. Keep pillows and large soft toys out of your baby’s cot, and don’t put your baby to sleep on soft surfaces, such as a sofa or cushion. Make sure that your baby doesn’t overheat in his crib.