1. Panicking over anything and everything - Is he having too many bowel movements or too few? Is she spitting up too much? Is she getting enough to eat or too little? New York City psychoanalyst Leon Hoffman, MD says, "This worry gets in the way of being spontaneous and enjoying your infant's first year of life. Babies are far more resilient than we give them credit for."
2. Not letting your baby cry it out - "Babies are designed to cry,” says pediatric nurse Jennifer Walker, RN. "They can be perfectly diapered and fed and still cry like you are pulling an arm off." For the most part, crying is just part of being a baby. But if your infant is inconsolable for an hour and crying is associated with fever, rash, or persistent vomiting, call your pediatrician as soon as possible.
3. Waking baby up to breastfeed - "Breastfed babies can -- and should -- sleep through the night,” says Walker. "It is possible and beneficial for breastfed babies -- and their moms -- to sleep through the night."
4. Confusing spit up and vomit - Walker says, "The difference [between spit up and vomit] is frequency, not forcefulness. Spit up can absolutely fly across the room." Vomiting, however, is all about frequency. "If your baby is vomiting with a gastrointestinal virus,” she says, “it will come every 30 or 45 minutes regardless of feeding."
5. Not sweating a fever in a newborn - "Any fever over 100.4 rectally in the first three months of a baby's life is an emergency,” Walker says. The one exception is a fever that develops within 24 hours after an infant's first set of immunizations.
6. Not properly installing the car seat - “Once you have chosen the right seat,” Walker says, "go to your local fire station or Babies-R-Us or another chain store to make sure you have installed it correctly.” Or go to get help putting it in. "Your infant's life,” she says, “may depend on it."
7. Neglecting oral care - "Many new parents don’t think about their newborns teeth or oral health until it is too late," says Saul Pressner, a New York City-based dentist. Your baby is never too young for you to start encouraging good oral health habits. Pressner offers tips to help new parents know how to do that:
• Don't give your infant milk in bed once teeth have erupted.
• Use a wet gauze to wipe down your baby’s gums, he says. And start using a tooth brush when the baby turns 1.
• It’s also important to make sure your child is getting enough fluoride. Fluoride is found naturally in water and aids in cavity prevention. Some towns have fluoridated water through the taps. "If yours doesn’t,” Says Pressner, “ask your dentist about supplements."
8. Ignoring your marriage - "Staying connected within the marriage when you first have a child is really important and can be overlooked," says John C. Friel, PhD. Friel is a licensed psychologist. "Any weakness in that relationship will get magnified by having a child,” he says. “And while you have to focus a lot on the new baby, you must somehow maintain a sense of being a couple."
9. Fighting too much (or too little) in front of your baby - "Even a 3-month old will pick up vibes," Friel says. "Look at the intensity and frequency of your fights," he says. "Snapping every now and then is a normal part of living with another person. And when people start to suppress too much, it's just as bad as going to the other extreme."
10. Trusting unreliable sources for parenting help - Walker advises that you be careful about where you get your information. She says, "WebMD.com, the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Academy of Pediatrics are reputable and useful when making decisions about general medical care and immunizations."
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1 comments:
i never let my kid cry it out. I hugged him all the time. still do.
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