Top Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep Better

Top Tips to Help Your Baby Sleep Better

* A bedtime routine
* Put baby in bed while awake
* Rock your baby's bed
* A lot of eating in the evening
* Stuffed animal or blanket that smells MOM
* A light cotton cloth over the eyes
* Slowly shorten nighttime feeding length
* Introduce a pacifier
* A sleep bag
* GET DAD INVOLVED!

1. A bedtime routine

This may seem as a laugh when your child is newborn. And it is. But at around two months according to my experience, it is possible to get into a routine that makes your baby want to goto sleep at around the same time every night.
Depending on how much time you want to allocate to this, you could give your baby a bath and a massage or both before putting him to bed. Or you can sing lullaby or read a story.
With three kids to put to bed, my routine for our baby was merely to wash him (no bath), put on a new diaper and a pyjamas, put the lights out and put him to bed with his stuffed animal and pacifier. I swaddled his lower body and one arm untli he was a few months old. I might have to go in and give him his pacifier a few times before he falls asleep, but that I can handle while helping my other kids to get ready for bed.

You need to introduce a morning routine too, getting up at about the same time every day, to make this work smoothly.
Do you think your baby wakes up too early in the morning? Here's some advice.

Other than having some free time in the evening, there is another great advantage with having your child falling asleep in his bed - he will not become terrified waking up in the middle ofthe night! If your baby always falls asleep in your arms, he will start believing that this is his bed, everything else must be terribly wrong.

Would you go back to sleep if you found yourself on the floor instead of in your bed waking up in the middle of the night? Probably not. The same thing goes for a baby.

Travel Advices (Babies and Toddlers)

Travel Tips:

This travel advice was collected from the list. It's about travel with a variety of different aged babies and toddlers. There are tips for flying, driving, and camping. In each tip, the person speaking is the person who originally posted it. The speaker changes from tip to tip. The tips are listed in random order.

* I've rented car seats from car rental places and from rental places that rent baby equipment such as cribs, strollers, etc. Both are very easy to do but in my experience the baby rental places had better car seats. Another mom on the list also said that the car seat they rented from the car rental place this week is a really cheap one and she's not thrilled with it.

* My baby has been on 11 plane rides in 14 months. Small, interesting toys also get dropped a lot so keep that in mind. I've had better luck with interactive books such as the Touch and Feel books. At this age, I bet crayons or Baby Magna Doodle would be very good too. But honestly my baby's favorite in-flight entertainments are looking at the safety information card, flipping pages and eventually ripping apart the in-flight magazine, playing with his seat belt, the window screen thingy, the plane phone on the seat in front of him and to look between the seats at the people behind us.

* Bring a backpack diaper bag if you have one to have your hands free.

* On international flights, for some weird reason, you may NOT get your stroller at the door of the plane when you get off, even if you brought it to the door of the plane when you got on. It will be where the of the luggage comes, and you might have to wait for it. Stupid. So if you are travelling alone (which I don't think you are) be prepared to carry both baby and diaper/stuff bag for quite a distance... I couldn't, luckily someone helped me. In that case you might want to travel light. BUT it is great not to have to, to have plenty of 'stuff'; change of clothes (or two) for baby, change for you, toys, food, blanket, sweater, WATER for you (I didn't have this), cup for baby (bowl/spoon if you want), maybe snacks (there is usually enough food but I often crave fresh food, i.e. fruit when travelling). Depending on your comfort level you might want to bring a blanket big enough to cover yourself when nursing (mine wasn't really big enough and also my baby kept pulling it off). Easy change outfits for baby and easy nurse outfit for you of course.... Tylenol in case he has trouble with his ears when landing/ taking off. (I don't think my baby did, maybe only once).

How to Calm a Baby (Tips)

Checklist of what makes babies cry, and how to fix it:

* Baby is wet -- change diaper.
* Baby is hungry -- feed baby.
* Baby is hungry, but is too upset to nurse.
1. Something else is wrong. Fix that first, then try nursing again.
2. Put your small index finger in the baby's mouth, palm side up. Make sure your nail is trimmed short. It helps to wet the finger first. Rub the tip of your finger in the hollow in the top of the baby's mouth and your finger against baby's upper and lower lip. Once baby is calm, transfer to a real nipple. This is also a great way to temporarily placate a baby when food isn't available.
3. While you are trying to get the baby to latch on, put the palm of your hand on the baby's cheek.
4. While you are trying to get the baby to latch on, blow gently on the baby's face. This works really well on Hal -- he gets upset and hot and red from crying, and the hot face seems to keep him upset. He cools down when you blow gently on his face, and calms down enough to latch.
5. Let the baby grip the fingers of one hand (one of your fingers per baby hand). Your hands can't be wet or cold or this won't work.

* Baby is cold (or part of baby is cold) -- blanket, hold next to your skin.
* Baby is hot - cool off room.
* Baby's folds are itchy (red, irritated) -- wash them out.
* Baby's clothes are itchy/uncomfortable -- change the clothes.
* Baby is damp and clammy -- baby powder (Hal's big on this one).
* Baby is tired -- hold next to skin, and rock, sing to sleep. Or nurse to sleep. Or hold baby so that her head is on your throat and hum softly. Going "hmmmmm" for a few seconds with every breath works best for us, but some people can count slowly (works better if your voice is deep) or do other rhythmic voice things.

Cute Babies Video (Amazing Commercial)

HOPE YOU LIKE IT GUYZ, IT'S SUCH A FUNNY COMMERCIAL...Great babies out here!

Cute Baby Quotes

Cute baby quotes are the best of all quotes because it makes the readers to enjoy the feel of happiness of the mothers. Baby quotes are the special gift and it can decorate the joy of motherhood in the world. These quotes are available in many website which can be downloadable at free of cost. In most of the cases mother will like to enjoy the happiness of the children by motivating their thoughts and skills. The baby quotes are also used to decorate the children room along with the other objects to freshen the mood of the children. The baby quotes along with the picture of the child in the room will give different meaning to express the feeling. It will bring the instant smile for the mother while seeing the quotes in the room. The happiness of the women can be expressed in a number of ways but the becoming mother to a baby is the most wonderful thing in the world.

Cute baby quotes that are made into scrapbook are framed as memories in both mother and children. This is the most attractive gift to the children in which it also shows the love and affection towards these quotes.

Here as sample qoutes for your little ones:

A baby has a special way of adding joy in every single day.
-- Author Unknown

A baby is an inestimable blessing and bother.
-- Mark Twain

A baby is born with a need to be loved - and never outgrows it.
-- Frank A. Clark

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on.
-- Carl Sandburg

A baby usually wakes up in the wee-wee hours of the morning.
-- Anonymous

A conscience is like a baby. It has to go to sleep before you can.
-- Author Unknown

A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities.
-- Eda J. Le Shan

A baby is sunshine and moonbeams and more brightening your world as never before.
-- Author Unknown

A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for.
-- Anonymous

A perfect example of minority rule is a baby in the house.
-- Milwaukee Journal

A sweet new blossom of humanity.
-- Author Unknown

Babies are a link between angels and man.
-- Author Unknown

Babies are always more trouble than you thought - and more wonderful.
-- Charles Osgood

Babies are bits of stardust, blown from the hand of God.
-- Barretto

Babies are such a nice way to start people.
-- Don Herrold

Babies control and bring up their families as much as they are controlled by them; in fact ... the family brings up baby by being brought up by him.
-- Erik H. Erikson

Babies need social interactions with loving adults who talk with them, listen to their babblings, name objects for them, and give them opportunities to explore their worlds.
-- Sandra Scarr

Babies touch the world with love.
-- Author Unknown

Child rearing myth #1: Labor ends when the baby is born.
-- Anonymous

Children are a handful sometimes, A heartfull all the time...
-- Author Unknown

Don't forget that compared to a grownup person every baby is a genius.
-- May Sarton

Every baby needs a lap.
-- Henry Robin

Families with babies and families without are so sorry for each other.
-- Ed Howe

Flowers are words which even a baby can understand.
-- Arthur C. Coxe

Having a baby is like falling in love again, both with your husband and your child.
-- Tina Brown

Having a child is surely the most beautifully irrational act that two people in love can commit.
-- Bill Cosby

I believe that each personality is complete at conception and comes in the soul of every child.
-- Taylor Hartman

I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.
-- Eleanor Roosevelt

If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.
-- Vincent van Gogh

If your baby is "beautiful and perfect, never cries or fusses, sleeps on schedule and burps on demand, an angel all the time," you're the grandma."
-- Theresa Bloomingdale

It is not a slight thing when those so fresh from God love us.
-- Dickens

It is the nature of babies to be in bliss.
-- Deepak Chopra

It was the tiniest thing I ever decided to put my whole life into.
-- Terri Guillemets

Loving a baby is a circular business, a kind of feedback loop. The more you give the more you get and the more you get the more you feel like giving.
-- Penelope Leach

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
-- Elizabeth Stone

No one likes change but babies in diapers.
-- Barbara Johnson

People often ask me, "What's the difference between couplehood and babyhood?" In a word? Moisture. Everything in my life is now more moist. Between your spittle, your diapers, your spit-up and drool, you got your baby food, your wipes, your formula, your leaky bottles, sweaty baby backs, and numerous other untraceable sources--all creating an ever-present moistness in my life, which heretofore was mainly dry.
-- Paul Reiser

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one.
-- Leo J. Burke

Take a sprinkling of fairy dust,
An angel's single feather,
Also a dash of love and care,
Then mix them both together.
Add a sentiment or two,
A thoughtful wish or line,
A touch of stardust, a sunshine ray...
Its a recipe, for a Baby Girl truly fine.
-- Author Unknown

Ten fingers,
Ten toes
She's laughter and teardrops
So small and brand new
And amazingly angelic
She's sent to bless you
She's one special Baby
The best of life's treasure
And will grant and bless you
Many hours of great pleasure.
-- Author Unknown

Ten tiny little fingers that always want to play,
That never stop exploring the wonder of today.
Ten tiny little fingers that from the very start,
Will reach out for tomorrow yet always hold your heart.
-- Author Unknown

The smile that flickers on baby's lips when he sleeps- does anybody know where it was borne? Yes, there is a rumor that a young pale beam of a crescent moon touched the edge of a vanishing autumn cloud, and there the smile was first born . . .
-- Rabindranath Tagore

What good mothers and fathers instinctively feel like doing for their babies is usually best after all.
-- Benjamin Spock

When the first baby laughed for the first time, the laugh broke into a thousand pieces and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies. And now when every new baby is born its first laugh becomes a fairy. So there ought to be.
-- James Matthew Barrie

How to prepare for bringing home a second baby

You are now becoming a mom for the second time, this might be a little scary because you are now remembering the lack of sleep. Plus you have an older child to take care of too. How do you prepare you , your husband and the first child for the newborn? Your family life will change considerably in the gap between the first and second child and the sooner you recognize that fact the easier it is for you.

More Responsibilities
With two kids comes more responsibilities, especially if the first child is still very young. Managing two children can be a rigorous task no matter how good you are with kids. Dealing with a second child is generally more demanding that dealing with your first, because with the first it was just want child. Your attention, time, energy were only focus on one person, now it is two.

So make sure you are ready for fluctuating eating and sleeping routines at least for the first eight weeks after your babys birth.

Taking care of "you"
You need all your energy, because after giving birth you become exhausted, especially if you have had a cesarean delivery or a traumatic childbirth. If in th efirst few weeks when you are at home, during the day try to get the baby on a schedule to take naps. Take naps with the baby, and if the second child is there too consider making that child take naps as well. There are nap times when you will be up, so during that time do your little chores, and also relax and take care of yourself.

Dealing with First Child
The arrival of a new baby is a big change for the first chil, which might deals the child experiencing plethora of emotions during this time. You have to pay close attention to the first child expecially if he/she is still young, look out for changes , such as withdrawal, not wanting to potty train or the child might start sucking his/her thumb. You now have to share your attention and assure the first child that mommy loves him/her.

Daddy also need to play an important role and share the responsibilities with mommy to care for both children. When mommy is tending to newborn , daddy is tending to first born and vica versa

When the first born is a little older there tends to be more trouble, as he/she is an attention seeker. Prepare yourself for intense sessions of mischief, unusual tantrums. You prevent this behavior talk to the child before the birth of his sibling. Also let the child help with the newborn, this help to create a sense of "belonging". Let the first child play and hold the baby , spend time with him/her, cuddle and in general fall in love with the little one. All this will help him/her get used to the new member in the family.
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How To Bathe Your Newborn Baby
When you give birth to your baby, the job of becoming a mom begins. Some newbie mothers are extremely scared to bathe their babies at first, as the task is not that easy. It takes skills and patience, but eventually it comes naturally.

Below are few steps to help you to give your baby a perfect warm and relaxing bathe.

Arrange all items
Arrange all the accessories, such as towel, wash cloth, changing mat, diapers, clean clothes, bath sponge, for the bath.

Right temperature
Determining the temperature of the water is very important, it cannot be too cold or too hot it has to be "just right". To make sure the temperature of the water is warm enough for the baby, you need to fill the tub with cold water, and then mix with hot water.

To test the water dip your elbow in the water, as the elbow-skin is quite sensitive.

Prepare baby
Undress the baby and wrap baby in a soft towel, then place baby bath sponge (this is one of the safe way to bathe the baby, so he/she does not slip from your hand). Try the bath sponge until you are comfortable enough to hold the baby in your hands.

Bathing Baby
Start running water with your hand gently over the baby’s head. In the first few weeks try to avoid shampooing the baby hair, as the chemical of shampoo might damage the baby scalp.

If have place the baby on the bath sponge just continue to put the water over the baby's body. The sponge will absorb the water, so do worry about any mess.

If you are not using a bath sponge, then lower the baby with care into the water by putting his/her neck in your elbows crook and your hand while holding one of his/her legs back.

Next continue scooping up water with you hand and sprinkle it on your baby's body. Do not run the baby's body as this is not necessary at this age, as newborn baby does not accumulate that much dirt.

Try to avoid long bathe as the baby might catch a cold. Pat and dry the baby with a clean cotton towel, then lotion baby with baby oil mix with lotion. Next dress your baby in comfortable clothing.

My niece cute photos

My beautiful nieces photos ..........are they cute?....take a look on it.




I''m hiding....there you are!



















OMG! why she is crying? Do you know why?





















Screaming....














Here is my Christmas gift from my auntie.














My mother is calling, i gonna answer it.
















I'm having fun. Let's play....














Just a simple greeting from me.















I'm just sleepy....















Come on let's eat...see, we're having fun.















Why are you looking at me? heheheheh















I'm with my friend...just playing...i will be a doctor soon.














Do i look funny?
Hmmmmmm...













Smile...smile...smile...

Cute Babies Pic...Take a look!

Have fun looking those beautiful cute babies , and enjoy.

Why do babies cry?

Babies cry for the same reason adults talk to communicate. Crying is the only way for infants to tell us when something is wrong. But while the baby may know whats wrong, its often more difficult for new parents to decipher the meaning of their babys cries. As your baby grows, you will learn to recognize and differentiate among her various cries.

Newborns sometimes cry up to four hours a day, and each cry can send a different message.

*I have gas
Gas is very common in infants, affecting more than half of all newborns. Gas bubbles can cause discomfort, making baby cry. Many infants with gas will also pull their legs up, lying in a curled position to help relieve their discomfort. Infants' MYLICON Drops can provide safe, effective relief for your baby by gently breaking up the gas bubbles.

* I'm in pain
Generally unmistakably loud and sudden, with long high-pitched shrieks followed by a pause and then a wail. If you are unable to find a minor cause, you should call your healthcare provider immediately if this type of crying persists and the baby is inconsolable.

* I'm lonely or bored
Often your babys coos will turn to a wail if she doesnt get the attention she wants or needs. Rest assured that no amount of love, cuddling, hugging, and caring will spoil your baby in the first six months, so go ahead and pick her up.

* Im tired or uncomfortable
If your babys cries are whiny, nasal, and continuous, chances are shes overtired, about to have a bowel movement, too warm, too cold, or otherwise uncomfortable.

* I just need to cry
If your baby is "good" all day, sometimes she just needs to release energy by crying. This usually occurs at the end of the day, or the "witching hour."

* Im cranky
Some babies are just fussy by nature. Irritable crying varies in duration and occurs randomly, without an apparent cause.

More on: www.mylicon.com

What Are Babies Thinking Before They Start Talking?

Babies as young as five months old make distinctions about categories of events that their parents do not, revealing new information about how language develops in humans. The research by Sue Hespos, assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, and Elizabeth Spelke, professor of psychology at Harvard University, was published in the July 22 issue of Nature in the article Conceptual precursors to language.

Its been shown in previous studies that adults actually categorize things differently based on what language they speak, Hespos said. So, if language is influencing adults thought, one of our questions was, whats going on with preverbal infants? Do children think before they speak?

Language capitalizes on a pre-existing system of I live in a 3-D world, I know how objects behave and interact, she continued. This pre-existing ability suggests that children do think before they speak.

Previous research has found that infants are sensitive to the acoustic variations that signal meanings in all the worlds languages that adults can no longer hear, even those variations that their own language does not use and that the adults around them no longer hear. For instance, an adult native-English speaker will not hear all of the sounds of Korean and vice versa. Infants hear these subtleties but lose this awareness as their language skills develop over the first year of life.

The languages of the world vary both in the sounds they require speakers to distinguish and in the meanings they require speakers to convey, and these differences influence what speakers of a language readily hear and think about, Spelke said. Our research asked how these differences arise: Does the experience of learning to speak English or Korean make you aware of the categories your language honors?

The example they used to explore this question was differences between how different languages describe space. For example, the distinction between a tight fit versus a loose fit is marked in Korean but not in English. A cap on a pen would be a tight fit relationship, while a pen on a table would be a loose fit relationship. English does not mark this distinction in the same way, instead emphasizing the containment versus support relationship, for example: the coffee is in the mug or the mug is on the table.

Hespos and Spelke tested whether five-month-old infants from native English-speaking homes noticed whether objects fit tightly or loosely. The tests were based on infants tendency to look at events that they find to be novel. Infants were shown an object being placed inside a container that fit either tightly or loosely until the time they looked at the object being placed inside the container decreased. They were then shown new tight and loose fit relationships. The researchers found that the babies looked at the objects longer when there was a change between tight or loose fit, illustrating that they were detecting the Korean concept.

Hespos and Spelke also conducted the experiment with adults to confirm that English-speaking adults do not spontaneously make the tight versus loose fit distinction.

Adults ignore tight fit versus loose fit and pay attention to in versus on, Hespos said. Adults were glossing over the distinction that the babies were actually detecting. These findings suggest that humans possess a rich set of concepts before we learn language, Spelke added.

Learning a particular language may lead us to favor some of these concepts over others, but the concepts already existed before we put them into words.

Hespos is a member of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development and the Vanderbilt Vision Research Center. Spelke is co-director of Harvards Mind/Brain/Behavior Initiative. The research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Adapted from materials provided by http://www.sciencedaily.com

ALL ABOUT BABIES

Contents

* What are babies like?
* What your baby can do
* What can baby see, hear, taste and feel?
* Baby's teeth
* Looking after the penis
* Reminders

These days many parents have not had a lot of experience with babies until their first baby comes along. If you are one of these parents you will probably find you have many questions about this new person who has come into your life and who is so small and helpless.

It can be overwhelming and scary when you realise your baby is so dependent on you for everything, especially if you feel you don't know a lot about babies. Understanding what babies are like may help to make it easier to care for your baby.

What are babies like?
Cradle cap

* Cradle cap is a yellowish, patchy, greasy, scaly and crusty skin rash that occurs on the scalp of recently born babies.
* You can put on olive oil or or other vegetable oil, or baby oil to soften the scales one evening and wash the oil off the next day.
* Gently lift off the softened scales with a soft brush (such as a soft toothbrash) fine-toothed comb or fingernail.
* If some of the scales are still sticking to the surface of the scalp, use the oil again the next night. Do not use much pressure to scrape off the scales as this could damage the underlying skin.
* If it does not improve see your doctor.
* Have a look at the topic 'Cradle cap' for more information.

Crying

* Many babies cry for up to 3 hours, or sometimes more, a day in the early weeks.
* Most babies like being held and comforted, but some babies still cry when they are being held.
* See 'Crying baby' and 'Colic in babies' and 'Babies - day and night patterns in the early months' for more information.

Fontanelles

* The 'soft spots' (fontanelles) on top of a baby's head are there so the baby's bones can move a little, so that baby can more easily fit through the birth passage when he is being born.
* These spots will usually close over before the baby is 18 months old (often before 12 months).
* The skin over the soft spots is strong and you cannot hurt babies by gently washing or brushing their heads.
* Sometimes a fontanelle swells when the baby is crying and goes flat when the crying stops.

Genitals and breasts

* Babies are often born with large genitals and breasts and sometimes 'milk' even comes from the breasts.
* This swelling is due to the mother's hormones, it is normal, (even for boys) and it does not last long.
* Don't try to squeeze any milk out of the breasts, as too much pressure can sometimes cause an infection. Expressing the milk could also mean that the breasts go on making it for longer (similar to mothers expressing milk when breast feeding).
* If the breasts become larger, firm and tender, and your baby seems unwell, there could be an infection, and you would need to take your baby to your doctor. But this does not happen often.

Head shape

* Babies' heads can sometimes be uneven in shape after the birth or because of the way they sleep.
* This is called plagiocephaly. See the topic 'Baby's head shape'.

Hernia

* Your baby's umbilicus (belly button) may take several days to heal fully, and many babies have umbilical hernias.
* An umbilical hernia is a lump underneath their belly button (umbilicus).
o It may swell if the baby is crying.
o This is a small gap in the 'tummy' muscles and will nearly always go away in time.
o It does not need treatment and does not cause health problems.
o See the topic 'Umbilical care and umbilical hernia'.
* Sometimes small hernias develop in the groin (called inguinal hernias). A small lump can be felt, especially when the baby is crying. These are much serious, and you need to have your baby checked by a doctor as soon as possible.

Hiccups

* Lots of babies have hiccups after feeds. This is normal. See 'Hiccups'.

Jaundice

* Many babies have jaundice (yellow skin and eyes) during the first week or so after birth.
* See the topic 'Jaundice in babies'.

Nails

Many young babies get a small infection next to a finger nail or toe nail (called paronychia).

* Usually this clears away without treatment (or with using a little waterbased antiseptic cream or lotion) but sometimes an infection can spread into the skin of the finger or toe around the nail and there can be swelling and redness of the skin. If this happens you need to have it checked by your doctor as your baby may need an antibiotic.

Poo (bowel actions)

* Very young breastfed babies usually do several 'poos' a day.
* Even if baby seems to be pushing hard, the poo is usually very soft. After a few weeks some breastfed babies only have a poo every few days and it will still be soft. All this is normal.
* Bottle fed babies might have firmer poos.
* See the topic 'Poos, wees and nappies'.
* If the poos seem very hard, try a teaspoon of brown sugar in a little boiled water between feeds (once or twice). Don't keep doing this after the poos are soft again. See the topic 'Constipation' for more information.

Reflexes

* Babies do some things 'automatically' without knowing they are doing them. These are called reflexes.
* For example, if something is put in their mouths they suck on it (sucking reflex), and if something is put in their hands they hold on tight (grasp reflex). If they are startled or upset they fling their arms out and throw their heads back (startle reflex).

Spilling

* Some babies spill some milk after feeds.
* If they are growing well and happy this is nothing to worry about.
* If your baby is bringing up milk in big spurts much of the time you need to see your doctor. (See the topic 'Reflux' for more information.)
* If your baby is not putting on weight or is miserable a lot of the time, talk to your doctor or child health nurse.

Spots

* Most babies have spots on their faces and often on parts of the body in the first few weeks.
* They are called milia, and can look like acne - red spots with white centres. They are not acne and they do not need any treatment.
* They seem to be a reaction to the skin being exposed to air rather than to fluid in the womb (uterus) before birth.
* Sometimes the spots come when the baby gets hot or has been lying on that side. If they go away within an hour or so they are probably this kind of spot.
* See the topic 'Birthmarks' for more information.

Sticky eyes

* Some babies have asticky eye due to a blocked tear duct (usually only one side, but it may be on both sides.
* Ask your doctor how to manage this. It is not serious. See the topic 'Your baby's eyes'.
* Sometimes a baby may have conjunctivitis, an infection of the surface of the eyes and eyelids. Have a look at the topic 'Conjunctivitis'.

Urine

* A little light pink or orange stain from urine on the nappy is not uncommon and is nothing to worry about.
o It is caused by a reaction between chemicals in the baby's urine (urates) and chemicals in the fibres of the nappy.
o It is more likely in boys because their stream of wee (urine) is more likely to be all in the same place on the nappy (diaper).
* If it is red or leaves a brown stain, that is, if it looks at all like blood or your baby seems unwell and is not feeding normally you need to have it checked by a doctor.
o See 'Urinary tract infections in young children' for more information.
* Sometimes there can be small "crystals" on the inner surface of a disposable nappy. These come from the inside of the nappy, not from the baby.
* See 'Poos, wees and nappies'.

Vaginal blood loss

* Some female babies have a small vaginal blood loss a few days after birth. This loss is due to the change in hormone levels after birth causing a brief menstrual 'period'. This bleeding stops after a day or two. There will not be any more vaginal blood loss until the girl reaches puberty and starts to have periods.

What can your baby do?

Remember that every baby is different. While babies usually follow similar patterns with their development, your baby might do things faster or slower or differently from other babies and this is usually fine. If your baby is doing things much more slowly or not doing some things at all, it is a good idea to check with your doctor to make sure that all is going well.

Here are some of the things your baby will probably be able to do.

* By six or seven weeks (or earlier) he can smile at you when you smile at him.
* By two months he can hold up his head when you are holding him upright and lift his head up if he is lying on his tummy. By this time many babies are already 'talking' - making some noises, then listening to you make noises back, then making some more!
* By three months he will enjoy hitting toys that make a noise and he can hold a rattle for a short time.
* By four months he may be able to roll from his front to his back, but it may be another couple of months, or more, before he can roll from his back to his front.
* By seven months he will be sitting up and might be starting to crawl.
* By nine months many babies can pull themselves up to stand. Some babies take longer. It takes another two or three months or so before he can stand without holding onto something and then a few more weeks before he can actually walk.
* By twelve months babies will talk to you in their own language, and expect you to understand. They may say one or two clear words - probably one of them will be "No!". They can understand some words. Your baby will be able to hold something with his thumb and forefinger and play little games like wave goodbye and 'pat-a-cake'.

There are many topics on this site about normal child development. You could start looking at the topic 'Child development 0 to 3 months'.

What can baby see, hear, taste and feel?

* Although babies can see when they are born they cannot yet see as clearly as older people.
* Newborn babies can hear lots of different sounds but they can't yet hear as well as they will by the end of the first year.
* Gentle, caring touch is very important so babies feel loved and cared for. They are sensitive to touch from the time they are born and can feel pain.
* Babies can tell different tastes such as salty, sweet, sour and bitter tastes. They do not need salt or sugar on their foods when they start eating solids and they learn to like the tastes they are given.
* Babies can smell from the time they are born and sometimes turn their heads away or 'make a face' if there is a smell or taste they don't like.
* For more information see the topic About babies - their senses.

Baby's teeth

* Some babies have little white lumps like tiny pearls in their mouth, especially on the gums. These are normal and go away when the baby grows.
* Babies usually start to get their teeth at about 6 months and usually have all their baby teeth by the time they are three. These teeth need to be looked after and brushed.
* Avoid giving bottles of juice or milk at bedtime. The sugars in these drinks stay in the mouth and can cause decay.
* Some don't have any until they are a year old and occasionally a baby is born with a tooth. See the topic 'Teeth - development and teething'.

Looking after the penis

* For most male babies and many young boys the foreskin is attached to the glans (tip of the penis).
* Forcing it away from the glans may cause damage to the tip of the penis or the foreskin - so it is best not to force back an infant's foreskin. The foreskin will become looser as your baby gets older.
* Like every other part of the body the tip of the penis and underneath the foreskin should be cleaned regularly once foreskin moves easily.
* Boys should learn how to wash their penis and scrotum (balls), as they are taught to wash other parts of their body.
* Don't use soap when washing foreskins because it can irritate the skin.
* When the foreskin moves back more easily, and boys should be encouraged to wash under the foreskin every time they bath or shower,

The white stuff (smegma) under the foreskin is natural and does not cause health problems - it simply needs to be washed away regularly.

Few baby boys are being circumcised these days. Have a look at the topic 'Circumcision' if you want help with making a decision about this.

Reminders

* Every baby is different even in the same family.
* The best way to get to know what babies are like is to watch and learn from your own baby.
* Babies grow and learn faster than they will at any other stage of life, so what they do will be continually changing.
* Take time to enjoy the new things your baby is learning and doing.
* If you have questions, ask for information. Most other parents have exactly the same question.
* Ask for help if you have any worries about your baby. This shows you are interested in learning about your baby and that you care.

source: http://www.cyh.com/