The advent of the “Back to Sleep” program in 1994 recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has greatly decreased the incidence of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) by teaching parents to always place babies on their backs while they sleep. This has been a life-saving program. It has actually decreased the cases of SIDS by more than 50%! But parents were misinterpreting and believing that they could no longer lay infants on their tummy even while awake. So in 1996 the AAP came out with another recommendation that infants get daily, supervised playtime on their stomachs. Thus, the term Tummy Time was created. Why Tummy Time? We have even complicated the matter by having so many “devices” for...
Most new mothers have concerns about their baby’s bowel habits. In fact, it is probably the question asked the most in pediatricians offices. I frequently get frantic calls from new mothers whose baby has not had a bowel movement for 24 hours. So, let’s talk baby poop!! Newborn Poop- A Sticky Subject Newborns have bowel movements that vary in behavior. The first few days, they are cleansing their colon of a black, tarry looking, sticky substance called meconium. This is very normal. This is the substance that fills their intestines while they are in the womb. This dark, sticky baby poop is hard to clean up and does not rub off easily. After the first couple of days, you...
Every mother has felt that sense of dread after taking her baby’s temperature and realizing “uh oh, my baby has a fever”. Let’s talk about fevers in infants and children and what you should do. First Things First – Measure Your Baby’s Temperature First, make sure you have a thermometer in the house. This can be a plain digital thermometer or a fancier temporal or tympanic thermometer. A digital thermometer can be used rectally or axillary (under the arm). They are accurate and easy to use. Do not use a tympanic (ear) thermometer on a baby under 1-yr old. They have proven to be inaccurate and accuracy counts in a small baby. Temporal (scanning the forehead) thermometers have been found to be...
As much as we all love to create a clean and safe place to play for our little ones, the nature of babies and children does not always lend itself to a clean play space. Drool, food, spit up and other bodily functions can create quite the temporary mess. Not to mention those nasty germs from a cold or the flu. Cleaning your play mat becomes very important to keep your little ones safe. Never fear though, you can easily clean your play mat safely and easily. Here are a few ways that I personally have used over time. We still have very young grandchildren (currently 4 and 1) and have play mats literally all over our house. We use...
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