Why Are Babies Cute?

Why are babies cute? Well, isn’t that a funny question? The question might come up in a few people’s minds, or it could be asked innocently by a child. It still remains a very interesting and subjective thought. Why are babies cute? It all has to do with genetics, both direct from the parents and long drawn from grandparents. Babies are the final deal from the genetic deck of cards. It’s always surprising when a child has a trait that neither of the parents has. “But why does Turk have freckles? My wife and I don’t have them!” Very interesting but have you ever thought about recessive genes? They’re less likely to show up than dominant genes, but they do make an appearance. Those freckles, or ephelides as they are scientifically called, that little baby Turk has could go all the way back in your family line, and contrary to popular association, anyone and everyone can have freckles. Genetics, which can be hard to explain in ‘basic’ terms, has so much to do with a baby’s development – not just theirs but our own development as well. Aside from genetics, which are interesting on their own, what else makes a baby cute? It’s the big eyes. Usually, when something is considered to be cute, it has something to do with the magnitude of the eyes. Baby animals, such as puppies, kittens, ducklings and chicks, have been known to make many coo at their cute factor. Have you noticed that they all have big eyes? Not only that, the way that a baby’s eyes shine and radiate innocence might have something to do with this as well. Babies know nothing of the world around them. That tender youthfulness is considered to be adorable. Watching a baby crawl around and play can [...]

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Why do Babies Scream?

The birth of a baby is a joyous occasion. You have waited nine months for the arrival of your little bundle of joy. The nursery is decorated and the car seat is in the vehicle ready to take your baby home. Happiness exudes you because you cannot wait to take your child home from the hospital. Once you arrive home, you settle your baby into its new surroundings as this is the beginning of your life with your new baby. All is well until, your baby starts crying. Nothing seems to calm your infant. So, why does your baby scream? Babies scream because they cannot tell you what they want or how they feel. There are several reasons as to why your child is crying. There are always good reasons why babies scream Hunger is one reason why your child may be crying. That is why you need to pay attention to your child’s eating behavior. Take mental notes or write them down if needed. Some babies do not feel like eating at certain times. One baby may want to eat every 2 hours and another child may want to eat every 4 hours. This relates to how much you are feeding your child. How many ounces did the child have to eat? If you feed your child four ounces and it cries afterwards, this is a sign your child may still be hungry. Also, if your child cries way before the next time to eat, this is a sign the child did not get enough to eat. If you are unsure if your child is hungry, test out whether your baby is hungry or not by offering your baby some milk. If your child refuses, he is not hungry. What is another reason your child may be crying if [...]

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Why Do Babies Play?

Babies are visual, physical, verbal beings and they have to be stimulated by their environment. By putting colorful toys in front of them their visual and physical requirements are met and they reply with joy and take the toy with amusement. If you use a picture book about shapes or you recite the words in the book or sing the ABCs their visual, verbal, and physical requirements are met because they are moving, learning English or any other language, looking at the shapes, grasping the object clapping their hands in excitement because they are having fun. When babies are having fun you as their caregiver are having fun because you are interacting, teaching, and reflecting on your own experiences or if your parents never did this for you, you feel even more apt to move your child’s learning in a great direction. When the babies are occupied it frees you up to clean the house, check emails, make a phone call etc., it may seem like you are not paying attention to your child however letting them be free to play enables independence and imagination because they create their own worlds and ways of doing things. Playing allows for creativity, cognition and better hand and eye coordination. With creativity they can twist their perception around, upside down and they learn how to comprehend things in their own way. For cognition they remember with repetitiveness and are able to articulate with sound, utterances, hearing effectively and signaling to you that they understand and comprehend what is in front of them. It helps you to charter their growth and make sure that they do not fall into what is every parent’s nightmare – Autism. With hand and eye coordination they are able to grasp objects and learn through sight what an object [...]

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Can You Afford to Have a Baby?

With the state of the economy the way that it is today, having a child really needs to be a very conscious decision, with many factors that need to be considered. The first and perhaps most obvious is financial. Can you financially afford to have a child? Medical costs, general care and feeding of a child as well as putting money away for your child’s future must be considered. Are you going to be able to provide for the day to day needs of a child? The second and maybe something that is the most important is the family dynamic. Many people are tired of searching for that elusive “soulmate” and choose to have a child through adoption or through a sperm donor. Many gay couples are also having children in this way. The costs of such an alternative can be rather high. Also, if you are a single person that has chosen this route, you will be supporting a child on one income alone. This will require the services of a babysitter, a nanny or a quality child care provider. You will not only be the sole provider for this child you will also be the sole support and family for this child. Another aspect to consider is child care. Will you have a babysitter? A nanny? A quality child care center? None of these come cheaply. You are going to want someone with experience, someone safe, someone properly trained to care for your child. This all comes at an expense. Even when your child enters into school, you will need to pay for after school care. What if, after considering all of this, you still want to have a child? What are the guarantees that your child will be born healthy? Medical complications, diseases and illnesses are a [...]

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How to Dress Your Baby

Many people today are first time parents to a baby. There are going to be several learning experiences that will come about along the course of time. So why not get a little help to increase your knowledge to make for a happy parenting journey. One aspect of parenting that parents deal with, and can be quite nerve wracking for some, is dressing a child. Parents that already have children need pointers sometimes also because not all children are alike. Where does one begin, should we start with putting the clothes on your child; or with the kind of clothes you are going to put on your child? Before dressing your child, you should consider the type of fabric you are putting on your baby. Pick fabrics that are lightweight and can breathe. Some fabrics do not allow air through or dry easily. Letting wet clothes stay on a child may cause a rash. Cotton is a good choice because it dries faster and absorbs moisture away from your child’s body. How keen are you on cute clothes? An article of clothing may appear as a ten on the cuteness scale, but what will be your child’s level of comfort? Clothing should not cause discomfort to a baby no matter how cute. Do not pick clothes that are bulky. The seams of the clothes should be smooth. If a top has a collar, choose ones that lay flat. Remember, a comfortable baby equals a happy baby. This also pertains to the parents. A happy baby equals happy parents and more sleep for you and your child. Let us move on to the actual dressing of your baby. Choose clothing that is easy to put on and take off. When you are putting the top on always support the head. Furthermore, [...]

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Why Should You Talk To Your Baby?

Talking to your child is important for a number of reasons. You should talk to your baby in a moderate to soft tone. The volume of your voice is important. Be sure to speak at a moderate to low level. Be careful not to yell or speak too loudly as this can frighten a baby who is unable to comprehend what that means. Yelling or speaking loudly around them can make them startle and induce anxiety and fear.  Some children will begin crying if around someone yelling or speaking loudly. Particularly be careful to not do this if the child is already upset as that is the farthest thing from soothing and will only serve to further upset the child rather than calm them. Also, be careful to speak in a moderate to soft tone when they are tired, cranking or trying to nap. Not doing so will further exacerbate matters. Use the Right Voice Tones to Talk to Your Baby Another important thing to take into consideration when speaking around a baby is the tone of your voice. If you speak to the child in the right tone it will likely prove to be a positive experience for all involved. You should talk to your baby in soothing, calm tones. It needs to be light and positive. If you speak in a harsh or sharp tone it can be frightening and anxiety provoking to the child. The child doesn’t fully understand about tone or inflections but can sense that it is a negative thing and in turn will typically react negatively. Babies also respond well if you speak in a higher tone of voice known as “baby talk” or “mommy-ease”. It is somewhat of a sing-songy manner in which to speak. Some people instinctually do this around small children [...]

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Baby Health Advice For New Moms

You waited long nine months for this moment. You have taken prenatal vitamins, you have eaten healthy (and sometimes maybe not-so-healthy when the powerful pregnancy cravings beckoned you), and you have gone to boundless measures to make sure your baby, in utero, is safe and comfortable. You have read every baby book, baby website, and baby magazine article about pregnancy, babies, and parenting. Now, three quarters of a year later your bundle of joy has arrived, and you may be wondering – “now what?”. The first piece of advice is – every new mom is overwhelmed with anxiety and concern for their baby’s health as soon as they enter the world, open their eyes and breathe for the first time. You are not alone. During pregnancy, you have been making decisions on whether to breastfeed or bottle feed, on what type of diaper to use, and perhaps various other choices, but don’t be disappointed if after the little one is born, your plans change. Perhaps you were adamant about breastfeeding, but after failed attempts to produce milk, you switch to formula. Maybe you wanted to “go green” and only use cloth diapers, but after a pile-up of dirty diapers and a crying, wet baby, you gave in and bought some Pampers. You are the mother, do not stress about the little things. If your baby is getting fed, is clothed, and dry, then he/she will be happy, and tell yourself that motherhood is something you can prepare for; but there will be some things you cannot comprehend until you have experience. Approximately a week from birth, your baby will have his/her first doctor’s appointment at the pediatrician’s office. It may be a doctor you found through strenuous research and online reviews, a doctor recommended by your obstetrician or a friend, [...]

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Should you use Baby Swings, Bouncers and Gliders?

Like so many issues in parenting babies (and children in general), there’s a great deal of disagreement about whether you should use baby swings, baby bouncers or bouncy seats and baby gliders. As the parent of three children, spaced a bit in age, I’ve heard just about every argument on every side, and been through some general changes in “expert” advice, and I’ve developed quite a few thoughts on the issue. My short answer first – yes, yes, yes! You should use anything that keeps your baby happy, doesn’t harm them and keeps you sane! For the most part, the various places you can put your baby down and keep them happy in are sanity-savers during that first year. Like almost everything else, they can be overused, and there are those that would disagree they should be used at all, but in general, I must give them a big thumbs up. Let’s talk about baby swings first. The big thing to keep in mind with swings is that they have a VERY limited period of time during which they are useful. It’s not safe to put babies in them over a certain weight limit or a certain age, and you should carefully review the rules on your own swing to see what that limit is. But during the short time that they are able to be used, I barely know a parent who didn’t call them a lifesaver. This goes double if you have a colicky baby, of which I was lucky enough to have two. There are times when you simply, no matter how good a mother or father you are, must put down that baby – to eat, to attend to basic body cleanliness needs, to give some attention to an older child – and if you have [...]

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A Healthy Toddler is a Happy Toddler

I’ve raised three toddlers into childhood, and I can say heartily that a healthy toddler is a happy toddler. To know this for sure, look at the inverse – a sick toddler is a sad toddler!  Nothing is much harder on a parent, or on a toddler, than being sick. It’s extra hard because the toddler has no idea why they don’t feel good. They are too young to understand illness, or germs, or vomiting, or earaches or any of that!  They only understand that they feel awful, and that Mama or Daddy can’t instantly make them feel better. It’s a sad situation! Keeping toddlers healthy can be very tough. They love to put anything and everything in their mouths, only a little less than they did as babies, and they freely kiss others with colds! They also have little immunity. Every virus is new to them. So, at some point, they are going to get sick. When they do get sick, getting them well fast is hugely important to getting them happy again, and to keeping the household sane! Doctors don’t always want to see you for every little sniffle, so sometimes it’s a tough call. Does that earache need to be seen right away? Have they been coughing for too long? Is the fever just something that will blow over, or is it an emergency? And of course, the doctor’s office with a sick child is ironically not a place you’d love to be. But when they are really sick, and need care, you bundle them up and go, and almost hope they have something that can be medicated, to get them better soon. One of the worst things you can hear is “It will blow over in a week or two”.  When you have a howling sick [...]

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What Baby Toys are Suitable for a Newborn?

Babies love toys, and playtime is crucial for your baby’s development. In the beginning, your child’s toys should be safe, stimulating, and appropriate for their age. The following are some tips on how to choose age appropriate baby toys for your newborn. Baby toys – the early months In the first few months of your baby’s life, they are not able to grasp objects easily, so the majority of their toys should be something that is interesting for them to look at, or listen to. Bright colors and high contrast are easiest for your baby to see at this stage, which is why so many baby toys made are often stark black and white with a bright color such as red thrown in. Mobiles are very often the first toy that will captivate your baby. They move, make music, and are usually brightly colored. Many varieties exist, and you can even make one yourself or with the help of an older child. Soft books are a wonderful tactile experience for your baby. They most often utilize bright colors and different textures to stimulate your baby’s growing sense of sight and touch. Wrist rattles baby toys provide endless enjoyment. He or she will love making noises on her own. Handheld rattles are also fun for baby, but expect it to be dropped a lot! Baby toys with music – hours of fun for your babies Anything that plays music will captivate your baby. Experiment with playing her different kinds of music and observe her reactions. Try to avoid playing anything too fast or noisy in the first 4 months. Music is a wonderful way to entertain and soothe your baby, and choosing baby toys that play various lullabies or other soft music will delight your child for months to come. Wind [...]

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