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Autism and Mercury Fears

July 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

 

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 28: A woman stands ...

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It is natural for new mothers to worry about the health of their newborn child. First time parents especially have fears about what could happen to a child with such myriad possibilities looming. Parents today wonder if vaccinations could cause their child’s brain to delay, effected by autism or other similar developmental delays. The conventional wisdom is that it is too important to have your child vaccinated to protect them against a number of deadly diseases.

There is nothing conclusive about what causes autism but there seems a genetic component. Given the higher likelihood that a set of parents will have a second child with developmental delays suggests that it could be genes that figure autism. Environmental factors are also considered in areas where there are more people afflicted with autism than the norm. Deciding whether or not to vaccinate gains support from people who contend autism is genetic.

Small Pox and Polio sound like long-lost diseases but it’s not impossible a child could be exposed if not vaccinated. These vaccinations generally occur around the end of the first year and were never considered risky until the recent rise in rates of autism in not only the United States but also the world. Still, others think causes could be environmental. Processed foods and vegetables treated with chemicals could also be increase autism rates. It is difficult to know what causes autism until the science on the subject becomes more definitive. Only a parent can decide what is best for her child but always conduct a physician for advice.

Filed Under: Child Development, Medical Care Tagged With: ,

Breast Feeding Benefits

June 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A baby having milk from a bottle. 

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You may be well aware that breast feeding can be better for your baby but here are some of the benefits you may not have considered. Not only is it an excellent bonding experience, there are other benefits as well.

Health Benefits

There are many health benefits associated with a mother’s breast milk. For one thing, there is nothing on the market like it. There are plenty of formulas that do have similar attributes but natural milk is best if possible. There are antibodies in the mother’s milk that help your baby from a variety of illnesses and diseases. In fact, studies have shown that breast fed babies help the mothers too. Mothers who breast feed typically have lower rates of diabetes and breast cancer so not only are you helping your baby but you are helping yourself as well.

Cost Benefits

There is also the issue of cost. Breast milk is free while formulas can be very expensive.

Closeness and Bonding

One of the best benefits of breast feeding can be the bonding experience you develop with your baby. Even the baby’s father can grow closer to his baby by helping with bottle preparation and simply being near when the breast feeding is done.

Not every mother can breast feed due to a variety of reasons and that’s okay too. However, if you feel that breast feeding is right for you and your baby, you can certainly see the benefits of doing so. Breast feeding is universally accepted and you’ll love the benefits.

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Choosing a Daycare

June 6, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Millington, Tenn. (Jan. 14, 2005) - The Morale... 

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One of the hardest things you may experience as a new mother is letting someone else take care of your baby. While this may be necessary due to work or other reasons, it doesn’t make it any easier. Choosing a daycare provider can be easier to deal with if you know a few things to look for.

The first thing to consider when choosing a daycare provider is to make sure that you find out their child to staff ratio. You want to be sure your child is getting the attention they need and that cannot be done if there aren’t enough staff members. Most states will require a ratio guideline that has to be adhered to and you can find out what that is by contacting the Child Services department in your state.

You will also want to find out how discipline is handled. You will most certainly have your own ideas of how this is to be taken care of so you’ll want to know that the daycare provider is on board with what you will and will not allow. Find out the daycare’s policy and what they consider proper punishment, if any.

Last but not least, be sure that you are aware of how things are handled when it comes to illness, medicine dispensing and emergencies. All of these issues should be addressed so that you know exactly what the protocol is for each situtation.

While choosing a daycare may not be what you want to have to do, finding a daycare that shares your own beliefs can be easier if you find out the answer to these questions.

Filed Under: Child Development, Childhood Tagged With: , ,

Keeping your Baby’s Vaccinations Up-to-Date

May 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
This baby is one month old. 

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With all the busyness of life, it sometimes escapes us that our baby is behind on his vaccinations yet again. How do we keep on top of it?

  • Locate a printable schedule like this one. Know the months when certain shots should be administered.
  • Keep track of your baby’s shots. Check off the immunizations as they are administered. A “yellow card” can be obtained from your doctor.
  • Schedule your doctor visits at about the same time. Keeping visits on Tuesday mornings, for example, will free up your schedule for other things, and you can always be sure that your visit won’t be over-shadowed by something else, even when you don’t have your calendar with you.
  • Sometimes parents are afraid to give their baby shots because of possible after-effects. Asking questions before the dose is administered is always a good idea.
  • If your baby has a low-grade fever or cold, you don’t need to cancel your appointment. Keeping your appointments when scheduled will keep your immunization schedule in check.
  • Study up on the subject of vaccinations. If you have any doubts whether or not to vaccinate do some checking online. See for yourself what folks think, and how specific family health challenges have been known to make or break the expected vaccination journey.
  • Don’t be afraid to have vaccines administered to your baby even if he yells and seems to hate you for awhile. Getting a shot hurts and all babies will cry when a needle is inserted into their skin.

Keeping your baby’s vaccinations up to date may not be an easy task, but it sure eases your life when the process is implemented and up-to-date.

 

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Best Kept Secrets in Infant Care

May 22, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Poopy bath 

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What can you do to help your baby remain healthy? What are the tricks of the trade that won’t cost you a royal mint? What do babies really need when it comes to every day care?

Get the answers, here.

  1. Teething might not be first on your “what should I do list” but it’s a good idea to be prepared. Try bagels, teething biscuits, or a cool bottle of water when your baby begins teething.
  2. Try lemon to remove spit-up stains. Fill a pot of water on the stove and boil a couple of slices of lemon with it. Once the water comes to a boil, turn off the heat and place the baby clothes in the pan. Soak for at least an hour. Launder as usual. If you’re experiencing a nice summer day, hang up your baby’s clothes to dry—the sun is a natural bleach.
  3. If your baby has colic, try playing soft music or switching the formula you use. Make sure you’re not over feeding your baby by keeping to a regular schedule. If you’re breastfeeding take stock of what you’ve been eating; spicy food contributes significantly to colic in babies.
  4. Want to save money on diapers? Ask for them when folks want to know what you can use. Focus on store brands, they’re usually cheaper, and don’t hesitate to look for diaper sales, coupons or rebate offers.

Grandmothers may not have the most up to date information on whether or not you should sanitize baby bottles, but they may give you some grandmotherly advice that you can use. Listen, you just might learn something.

 

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What to Tell Your Teen Kids When They Move Out

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
青少年 

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The day has come, your teen is moving out. What can you do to prepare them—and you—for the necessary transition?

These ideas should help.

  • Have one last “at home” talk. Speak with your teen about the responsibilities incurred with moving out. Sure, they may fight you a bit on this one, but be assured, they will thank you later. Make sure you let them know of your love for them; and your confidence that they can do this on their own.
  • If your teen is moving in with a roommate, discuss the pros and cons of such an arrangement. Sure, rent is that much cheaper, but will your son or daughter be able to get along with their chosen roommate? Suggest that they work up a contract that entails the duties and responsibilities of each party and what will happen if either party doesn’t follow through.
  • Know that you’ll be excited for your teen’s freedom, and the reverse will certainly be true. What you may not expect is to shed a few tears upon their departure. And don’t be surprised if a few weeks down the road you don’t receive a “lonely” call from them.
  • Keep the lines of communication open. Once your teen’s moved out, don’t force your opinions or place guilt on choices your teen has made that you don’t agree with. They’re on their own now. If they don’t ask for advice, don’t give it.

When your teen moves out, it’s quite natural to feel a mixture of joy and pain. Change is rarely easy, but if you follow the helps above, the shift will be that much easier to take.

 

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: , ,

Keeping Computers Safe, Keeping Children Safe

February 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Tom and Marsha have a son in the second grade and a daughter that is three years old. Tom recently got a raise at his job and he and Marsha are considering replacing their computer. Shortly after Tom and Marsha were married, they received a hand-me-down computer from Marsha’s parents. Now that Tom is making more money, they feel that they can afford a new computer. They want their computer to last.

First, they should install an antivirus and a spyware software program. These programs keep track of suspicious websites and block them from installing viruses or spyware. They also monitor links clicked on in an e-mail message or software downloaded from what might be a disreputable source. It deletes the virus or quarantines it so that it cannot damage your computer. Installing a PC antivirus software program will keep Tom and Marsha’s computer safe from viruses.

Tom and Marsha’s also want to keep their computer safe from their children! A registry cleaner like PC Tools Registry Software will enhance the computer’s performance, in addition to using antivirus software. Tom and Marsha should also help their children go to appropriate sites. There are sites on the Internet that are designed especially for young users. When Tom and Marsha’s children enter those types of sites, they are in a safe and controlled environment. They can only access the sites that have been approved. There are 2 million kid-friendly sites that have been checked and approved by experts. Children can play games, learn, and have a good time. They will not stumble upon pornography nor will they come in contact with online predators. Using systems like this (antivirus software, registry cleaners, and basic ground rules on computer use) give Tom and Marsha the peace of mind that their children will have safe experiences while using the computer, especially when they go online.

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Trying to Get Enough Sleep

February 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Newborn baby

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Once you bring that new baby home from the hospital, you find that your whole world changes. All of a sudden, that baby is making demands upon your time, your attention, and your energy. Nor can you tell that baby, “not now” like you can other people. Babies only know “right now” and expect everything they want at the moment they want it.

Unfortunately, those moments aren’t always when it is convenient for us. In fact, all too often, it seems like those moments are at the worst possible time for us. Take the middle of the night for example. Pretty much everybody knows that newborn babies don’t sleep all the way through the night. That’s such a big deal, that most couples are thrilled when their baby manages to sleep all through the night for the first time. We look at it as a major step in getting some normality back into our lives.

But, what about before that time comes where the baby actually makes it through the night, without waking us up? How can we manage that time, without pulling all our hair out or turning into zombies?

The reality is that most mothers of newborns don’t get enough sleep. They try and make it thought the night with the minimal number of interruptions, then get up in the morning and go through the whole day as if they had slept through the night. Let’s figure the math on this. You start out with your basic eight-hours-of-sleep night, then you subtract the time it takes to get the baby, change their diaper, feed the baby, and then try and get back to sleep yourself. That’s probably 45 minutes to an hour. Oh… and what if the baby gets up twice in the night? Now you’re losing somewhere between an hour and a half and two hours. Your eight hours of sleep just turned into six. No wonder you’re tired.

Just as babies need naps, mommies do to. In fact, I’d have to say that mommies need naps more than the baby does.

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Stimulating Your Baby’s Awareness

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Babies can be fun; it’s fun to watch them learn and explore. It’s fun to be part of the process of discovery. It’s fun and exciting to be there when they hit those milestones of development.

As parents, we have a lot to do with how our children grow and develop. While insuring a proper diet will help their bodies grow, insuring good stimulation for their brains is just as important. From the time your baby first opens its eyes, to the time it graduates from college, you need to be helping it learn about the world around it.

Babies learn by using their senses. They learn to move by feeling their body and experimenting with it, trying to copy what they see others do. They learn to talk by hearing the people around them talk and trying to mimic them. They learn what the world is like by seeing, touching and even tasting everything they can.

The first level of learning for a baby is by seeing, before they even know how to control their bodies. When they first open their eyes, a tape recorder turns on, working to remember everything seen through those new eyes. A computer turns on and works to analyze the images coming through those eyes, looking to find meaning in those images.

Interestingly enough, the first thing that a baby recognizes by seeing are human faces. It doesn’t matter whose face, whether it is in color or black & white, or even if it’s a very good rendition, they recognize it as a face. Shortly after that, they become attracted to colors, especially bright colors. That’s why so many things made for babies are bright colors; it helps stimulate them.

These visual stimulants are important for a baby’s developing awareness. It helps them learn to focus their eyes, and start recognizing things around them. Even from that first time that they open their eyes, they need this stimulation. Build them an environment that stimulates their mind, it’ll be worth it.

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Your Diet Affects Your Breast Milk

February 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Women who are pregnant are always advised by their doctors to eat a healthy diet, not to smoke, and to stay away from alcohol. As part of that admonition, the doctor always explains how the things that you eat and drink can and will affect the baby.

Giving birth to that baby doesn’t mean you can suddenly go on a binge though. If you’re going to breast feed, you still need to watch your diet, avoid alcohol and be especially careful about any over the counter or prescription drugs that you take. Many of these things can end up directly in your breast milk and affect your baby.

You have to realize that your body is working to produce the entire nutritional necessity of your baby. Not only that, but it is adding antibodies and other health factors to the milk it is producing. All of this is important to your baby’s proper growth and development.

If you are lacking in some type of nutrient in your diet, your baby will end up lacking that nutrient as well. Take calcium for example. Calcium is necessary for the growth of bones. If you aren’t taking in enough calcium, how can your breast milk have it for your baby? While that baby was growing in you, it would literally take calcium from your system, if necessary from your bones, in order to have what it needs. But now that the baby is born, it only receives what you give it in your milk.

I realize that most women want to lose the weight they gained from the baby, but you have to be careful about that. A balanced diet is essential to insure that you are giving all the necessary nutrients to your baby. That doesn’t mean you can’t lose weight, just that you have to be careful how you are doing it. Cut out carbohydrates and sugars from your diet, but don’t cut out proteins, vitamins, fruits and vegetables, both you and your baby need them.

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