If the baby remains wet . . . → Read More: Babies amazing ability to get dirty]]> One job that many new mothers probably don’t enjoy so much is feeding their babies. It can be a long and messy process and many different liquids and food can be spilled. Another important part of taking care of babies is making sure that their underwear and nappies are changed regularly enough.

If the baby remains wet for too long it is possible they could catch an infection or get a cold. This regular changing can be a great challenge for mothers as they often are not sure how often they should be changing their childs clothes.

Babies do have a certain ability to get dirty, whether from eating or play, therefore it is very important to change their clothing on a regular basis. It is also important to check their nappies and replace these even more regularly. Babies don’t just need to be cleaned when having their nappy changed however, and it is also important that every time they eat they are cleaned up as well.

Too much exposure of a baby to water can mean that they get a cold, so if you are feeding your baby then using a bib can be a great way to reduce some of the exposure. It is also essential when feeding a baby it gets used to the sensation of a spoon in its mouth.

At first, the baby will find the sensation unpleasant and can even fight against the spoon. Babies have to be fed and so they must get used to the sensation. At first, some mess is certainly going to be created as the baby tries to push away the food, but soon this will subside.

It is also important that a baby remains hygienic after a meal. Babies have a lot of fat around their neck and it is possible that food might get tucked into these folds of fat. It is  vital that after the baby has finished you check these areas for food and wipe them clean. If food or is left in there and it dries then a severe amount of discomfort can occur for the baby as well as emitting an unpleasant smell.

Furthermore, you also risk that the baby will catch a fungal or bacterial infection and even small insects might be attracted to the food. This can cause even greater discomfort as these insects might bite the baby, or at the very least they will cause a significant amount of itching.

In order to keep the neck area clean, as well as wiping it after meals, it is important that mothers change the clothing that the baby wears regularly. Food can often spill onto the clothes around the neck area and this can introduce food to the baby’s neck. A baby bib can be another way to keep the clothing around the baby’s neck clean so you don’t have to replace their clothing after each and every meal.

Although fashion is probably not a parent’s primary concern when buying a swimming costume for their . . . → Read More: Swimwear for babies and toddlers]]> As more and more families head off to sunnier climates for their annual holiday, or take advantage of some exercise down at their local swimming pool, so the choice of swimwear for babies and toddlers in stores and online has increased.

Although fashion is probably not a parent’s primary concern when buying a swimming costume for their young child, many of the best-selling outfits have been designed to be fun and functional, using brightly-coloured material, cute pictures and patterns and even characters from popular kids’ TV shows and films.

Before selecting the colour, however, it is more important to ensure that the swimwear you buy is suitable for your infant – and for the comfort of other people in the pool. For younger babies, Mum and Dad will have to make sure they buy a swimsuit with a built-in nappy. Many pools are so aware of the consequences of unpleasant leaks that they may even insist little ones are wearing this kind of bathing suit.

Even the tiniest babies can enjoy splashing around in the water but be aware that they feel the cold very quickly. Baby snugs not only have a built-in nappy but are built of a waterproof fabric keeping your little one warm and dry beneath their suit. If you are taking the family swimming, keep towels or towelling robes by the side of the pool so that you can wrap children up in the warm as soon as they get out of the water.

Toddlers and infants up to the age of four can be kept even warmer if parents invest in the one or two-piece wet suits that are becoming common sights on beaches and in swimming pools. As well as keeping kids as warm and dry as possible while they are on the water, they can also wear toilet training pants beneath the snug fitting bottom and the knee-length shorts and short-sleeves can also offer extra protection from the sun if you are away on a family holiday somewhere warm.

Herpes simplex, the virus that is known to cause cold sores, cannot . . . → Read More: Pregnant women and the herpes virus]]> It is necessary for pregnant women to be concerned about the herpes virus. It is rare for cold sores to be a problem for new mothers, but it can be a very serious problem. For this reason, it is necessary that you know the risks.

Herpes simplex, the virus that is known to cause cold sores, cannot be passed to an unborn child genetically. The virus can only be spread by direct contact with the infection.

If therefore you have an active herpes outbreak, or a cold sore, close to the birth canal, then it will be necessary for the baby to be delivered by caesarean rather than a natural delivery. This is to protect the child from coming into direct contact with the Herpes simplex virus.

If you contract the virus during pregnancy, then this is the time of highest risk. Patients who contract the virus a long time prior to getting pregnant, then the risk of infecting the child is very low. If you do catch the virus, then it is imperative that you talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Neonatal herpes can prove to be fatal to a baby.

An amazing fact is that of all the newborn babies that do contract the herpes simplex virus, just over 5% get the virus because they have been kissed by an adult who currently has a cold sore. This sad fact makes obvious the fact that it is incredibly important to be very careful about who is close to your baby.

If you have any concerns about cold sores and pregnancy, then the best route to take is to talk to your doctor. If you are pregnant and have an active outbreak of the herpes simplex virus, or you contracted the virus years ago, then talk to your doctor.

There are . . . → Read More: Babies born prematurely numbers have risen dramatically]]> The latest statistics from the World Health Organisation indicate that the number of babies born prematurely since 1990 has risen dramatically in the UK, the US and in Scandinavian countries. This means that roughly 10 per cent of babies born each year are born prematurely. In the USA, this accounts for 500,000 babies every year.

There are a number of possible reasons for this, primarily the health problems of the mother. The result is a decrease in survival rates. Perhaps because of this, there is a fear about how to care for and nurture a premature baby, so that you can touch and caress your child without risking hurting it.

Kangaroo Mother Care is one of the best methods to care for your premature infant. The important point is the large amount of skin-on-skin contact between the parent and the child. With the parent sitting comfortably, ideally on a reclined chair, the baby is placed on the parent’s bare chest. This allows for regulation of the child’s temperature, as the parent’s temperature will change to accommodate the baby’s needs.

Research has shown that Kangaroo Mother Care has a number of benefits for both the parent and the child. The infant’s body temperature is regulated, along with breathing and pulse rate, so stability is ensured. The baby also shows an increase in weight gain, and their immune system is able to develop quicker.

The baby is a lot calmer than it would otherwise be, most likely because it is able to spend quiet time listening to the heartbeat and breathing of the parent; a very soothing experience. If they are with their mother, they are also able to latch on in order to breastfeed when they wish. There is no downside to the infant in this method of caring.

There are also benefits for the parent. The biggest benefit is the enhanced bonding, as the time spent with skin-to-skin contact with the infant is very rewarding. The child gets to know the voices of its parents, and will react to the sound of them. In addition, breastfeeding mothers will experience an increase in milk volume.

The sight of the baby looking out from its blanket to look at the parent’s face is one of the most natural and most rewarding experiences that you can have as a parent. It is certain to trigger the maternal or paternal processes in your body, and help you to feel close to your new-born child. There is no downside  to the parent with this method of caring.

It is safe to start with Kangaroo Mother Care as soon as the baby is born and the methods have been demonstrated. The use of Kangaroo Mother Care will give you confidence in handling your child, even if there are medical tubes attached. Different hospital policies will impose slightly different practices, such as covers or ventilators, as deemed necessary for the wellbeing of both the parent and the child.

All babies want to be in close contact with their parents, and to know that they are loved. One of the simplest and easiest ways of doing this is through Kangaroo Mother Care. It was devised in 1979 in Colombian, South America. Since then, it has spread through the world including Europe, USA, Australia, India and Africa.

Many Mums and Dads treat sleeplessness in babies as a normal part of being a parent, while infants who sleep a lot are often thought of as perfect children, but research . . . → Read More: Children with sleep problems were babies with sleep problems]]> A new study has found that children who have problems sleeping, such as nightmares and bed wetting, often had bedtime issues when they were babies too.

Many Mums and Dads treat sleeplessness in babies as a normal part of being a parent, while infants who sleep a lot are often thought of as perfect children, but research from the Ohio-based  Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre indicates that very young children with unusual sleep patterns are more likely to suffer with more serious conditions as they get older.

The study involved over 200 families and looked into the sleeping patterns of a group of infants from when they were six months old until their third birthday. Experts found that toddlers who had shown signs of unusual sleeping behaviour as newborns were more likely to suffer problems such as bed-wetting and nightmares later on.

However, among babies whose sleep patterns were in a more normal range, it was very rare to see these kinds of problems develop as they got older. In fact, fewer than ten per cent of the children showed signs of developing new sleep issues between the six-monthly observational periods.

Parents are being encouraged not to suffer in silence if their baby seems to have problems settling for the night or staying asleep, or even if the child appears to sleep too much, as dealing with the problem while the infant is young is better than dealing with the consequences in later years.

Not only is a good night’s sleep essential for the health of both the child and the parents, but the ability to sleep through the night in their own bed is an important part of the child’s social development. Mums and Dads should speak to their family doctor or paediatrician if they are concerned in any way about their baby’s sleep patterns, avoiding sleepless nights in the future.

Abnormal blood flow

In a 2001 study published by ultrasound in healthy children there were suggestions that a reduction of blood supply . . . → Read More: Sudden infant death syndrome causes]]> The actual cause of SIDS remains unknown.  A variety of mechanisms are controversial. There are over two hundred theories.  A possible multi-factorial appears with a combination of external factors (such as an infection) and internal factors.

Abnormal blood flow

In a 2001 study published by ultrasound in healthy children there were suggestions that a reduction of blood supply to the brain stem is a cause of sudden infant death syndrome.  14,300 babies with ultrasound measurements performed in various lying positions and the blood vessel from the spine to the brain was examined.

In studies of brains of suddenly deceased infants, morphological and biochemical abnormalities in serotonin-producing nerve cells were found the raphe nuclei.  Experiments with transgenic mice, was where a certain serotonin receptor (5-HT1A) was over expressed this receptor often occurred in sporadic bradycardia and hypothermia.

This regulation of the autonomic nervous system often led to death of these animals, so that disruption of the serotonin homeostasis is discussed as a possible cause of sudden infant death syndrome.

A cause of sudden infant death is the pathogen Clostridium botulinum for example, in contaminated honey.  C botulinum is a crippling poison which causes the symptoms of botulism.  According to this theory the dose, which is present in honey, is completely harmless for adults.

However, the intestinal flora in an infant is not yet mature, and offers the bacteria an environment for growth and toxin formation.  The toxin enters the bloodstream, and an effect is respiratory paralysis.  In fact, it could be detected in 211 cot death deceased children in a series of autopsy cases of C. botulinum at 4.3%.   A German research group succeeded in the detection of botulinum toxin in 9 of 75 autopsy cases (including 57 who died of sudden infant death syndrome).

At the end of the 19th century Bartolomeo Gosio was running an investigation of sudden infant death syndrome and discovered that the arsenic fungi in the decomposition of wallpaper.  He discovered the colors contained arsenic, a life-threatening gas release, identified in 1932 by Frederick Challenger as trimethylarsine.

In 1990 A. Richardson published that he could demonstrate the fungus Arsenic being present also in all the mattresses of 45 deceased babies.  Affected were sleeping places where heat and humidity favored the fungal development.   He suspected the fungus in the mattress,  flame retardants, plasticizers and toxic gases could SIDS.

The English Department of Health in 1994 appointed a group of experts to disprove the agent and wrote in her report (Limerick Report) of May 1998 the mistakes Richardson made.

Even Warnock could not demonstrate in 1995 the fungus.  Richardson in June 1998, gave a comprehensive opinion on the Limerick report, in which he stated inter alia that: – unlike in the Limerick Report – the experiments were not performed to their specifications.

This opinion was not forwarded to the research team and otherwise ignored.   Since publication of the Limerick-reports, therefore, the theory of toxic gases is also at international level, refuted.  It was in 2002 that a Scottish study changed anything that suggested an association between used mattresses and sudden infant death syndrome.

Vaccination

A possible association of sudden infant death with vaccinations, especially the sixfold vaccination were discussed. Following the introduction of vaccines sixfold in autumn 2000 in Europe, five children had died within 24 hours of vaccination suddenly and unexplained.

Until that time in Europe there were about 3 million children vaccinated.  The incidents were investigated both by the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute and by the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency.  A causal relationship between vaccination and the death of the children had not been substantiated.