- Everything for baby - Sugar Bee Baby

Posted on April 23, 2024 by Martha Underwood

Baby Parent Gift Ideas – Gadgets and Apps for Baby and Modern-day Parents

Being a parent these days can’t be that hard, considering there’s a wide range of products and apps that can make your parenting a whole lot easier. Modern technology has given us a chance to try out some of the valuable high-tech products that we didn’t know existed.

Listed below are a number of apps and gadgets that you might find useful while raising your children.

Each baby enjoys slow rocking movements before they fall asleep. Some parents use the strollers as an old-fashioned way of comforting their baby, by swaying them back and front. This can be tiring sometimes, and there’s no doubt your baby would start crying if you suddenly stop. MamaRoo infant seat offers you five different motions and the same number of speeds, which perfectly fits your baby’s needs.

The swing is Bluetooth enabled and all you have to do is to download the app to your phone to control the movements and the sounds. Also, the chair consists of a toy bar and a set of replacement mobile softballs for extra entertainment.

Keeping track of your baby’s growth and Activity Planning

Who needs an assistant when there are multiple apps that can help a caring new mom. Their job is to guide fresh parents and teach them everything they need to know regarding their baby’s needs at each development stage. This way, you get all the information and practical advice which make your parenting journey a lot easier. SproutBaby App

BabySparks helps parents and caregivers, support the early development of their young children. BabySparks smart adaptive technology learns each child’s development profile, identifies specific needs, and then provides parents and caregivers with a customized program to support those needs.

Find the right activities for each child’s individual needs, see previous days’ daily programs, and preview and plan ahead for the next day’s program.

Track children’s growth (weight, height, and head circumference) based on standards published by the World Health Organization. In addition, BabySparks’ library of hundreds of development and parenting articles will be searchable by categories or tags.

ParentPal™, a new holistic parenting app for families of children ages zero to five. The app, is a comprehensive parenting coach and resource providing a daily suggested plan for each child, a vast content repository of more than 2000 research-based activities, milestones and media, data trackers, and memory books — all in one easy-to-use app.

Keep it clean and practical

Are you tired of cleaning a dummy every time your baby drops it on the floor? If yes, then Doodle & Co Pop Pacifier will keep your children more germ free, as it automatically closes when dropped. The nipple that goes into your baby’s mouth pops back into its self-protective bubble and the pacifier remains clean. It comes in several different colors and it can also be used as a teething toy.

Soothing sounds before the nap

If your beautiful singing voice has lost its ability to put your baby to sleep, don’t be upset because there is a pretty effective solution. The Lullaby for babies app is a lifesaver, and it only takes a few seconds to be downloaded, plus it’s free.

Also, you don’t have to wait for the baby to fall asleep to use your phone again, because the songs can be played in the background. The playlist consists of ten songs, and you can also select the time duration to keep the sounds playing for as long as you prefer.

There are no written rules on how to be the best mom and dad, but there are certain products that are super convenient for you and your little ones. By using one of these, be sure that your life as a parent will become less stressful and carefree.

Baby Monitor

Parents spoke, and Owlet listened. After five years of product development and feedback from thousands of parents, today Owlet Baby Care is launching the third generation of its award-winning Smart Sock baby monitor. The new Smart Sock 3 tracks the information that really matters – baby’s heart rate and oxygen level – to let parents know when their baby needs them most.

Owlet’s completely redesigned Smart Sock 3 now fits smaller newborns and larger babies, from 5lbs to 30lbs, allowing parents to track tiny babies as soon as they come home from the hospital. The new Smart Sock 3 continues to track the baby’s heart rate and oxygen through gentle motion, with an improved tracking frequency of 97% during an 8-hour session. Enhanced wireless charging now delivers a fully charged Smart Sock in just 90 minutes, with a battery life of 16 hours. The Smart Sock 3 also has an improved Bluetooth range and allows parents to snooze Base Station notifications for more customized monitoring.

Posted on April 22, 2024 by Martha Underwood

Baby Speech Development – Identifying Language Development Problems

Parenting Toddlers

Lost for Words

As children are growing from being a toddler to childhood parents are usually very aware and concerned about their child’s development.

One of the most grieved about concern is the development of speech.

If you find that your child’s gurgles are not developing into “mama” and “dada” within a short period of time, this will cause anxiety for most.

Time to Take Action

If your child is two years old and is still not talking or she says a few words but in comparison to her siblings and other children her age, she is way behind.

You will probably try to explain it away various excuses, hoping the child will catch up. Some children are early walkers some are early talkers, so you will tell yourself there is nothing to worry about. Unless there are other areas of slowness in the child’s development parents will hesitate to seek medical advice.

If slow language development is becoming a worry you should contact your family doctor.

Your doctor may refer you to a speech therapist. A speech therapist is a health professional trained to evaluate and treat people who have speech, language voice or swallowing disorders that will affect their ability to communicate.

Speech Therapy

The speech therapist will evaluate your child with a special speech and language test; this can also include a hearing test as hearing difficulties can affect speech. Depending on the results the therapist may suggest activities you and your child can do at home to improve speech and language development. This can include reading to the child more regularly, speaking in short clear sentences, making it easy for your child to imitate you.

Make sure you use correct pronunciation and grammar.

The therapist may also recommend group therapy or refer you to another professional for further evaluation such as an audiologist (hearing specialist) or development psychologist.

Speech development warning signs
About 10% of all children have some difficulty learning a language. Experts encourage parents to make sure that the child hearing is not impaired, also that his speech development falls within the normal range.

Learn some signs that could indicate speech issues in your baby.

If you notice that your baby doesn’t startle at loud sounds, this could be an indication of hearing problems, which in itself will affect speech also.
If your baby’s eyes don’t follow you around when your talking this could be another sign of hearing problems. A baby is naturally curious about speech and will generally follow you around the room with his eyes if you’re talking or singing.

A baby will begin to imitate sounds between 4 to 6 months.

If your child is not doing this, it could be he can’t hear any sounds to imitate. Get him checked out by your doctor.

The typical 18-month-old baby will have a vocabulary of about 50 words.

If your child were not uttering any words at this stage it would be considered unusual. Most children start using 2-word combinations by 18 to 22 months. If your child were not putting two words together by the age of two and a half, this would be a red flag for language delay.
In some cases, the problem has a social or environmental cause, such as the lack of communication and stimulation in the home. Parents can help develop their children’s environmental skills by doing various tasks such as:

Read books and sing songs to your child on a daily basis beginning in infancy.
Introduce a wide vocabulary by giving everything its specific name.
Speak directly and clearly to your child giving him time to respond.
Avoid finishing the child’s sentences.

Speech Facts

There is great variation in the onset of expressive language. Children generally understand (“receptive speech”) far more than they can articulate themselves (“expressive language”).
Girls general develop the ability to communicate earlier than boys. Language can develop smoothly and continuously, or in spurts and jumps. Because language development varies, it’s important not to compare your child’s language and speech development to other children’s language and speech development.
Speech and language problems can certainly create serious social, emotional and academic challenges for children, but the good news is that it is treatable. The help of a healthcare professional and the love and support of a family can ensure that your child will never be lost for words.

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Martha Underwood

Step by Step Planning a Baby Shower

Getting ready to throw a baby shower for your best friend, daughter, sister or even brother? We’ve got everything right here to help you get organized. We have checklists and guest lists ready to print out, even a free gift track to help with those post-party thanks you notes! Our only advice? Set aside four weeks for planning, sending invitations, and purchasing supplies.

What’s Expected?

Back in the day, baby showers were thrown by friends, not relatives…and men were never invited to partake in the festivities! However, times have changed, and many parents-to-be, family members and friends are throwing baby showers, and everyone’s invited! Baby showers are a celebration of life and family, and in fact, these days it’s not uncommon to have more than one baby shower, especially if the parents-to-be have a large family or several close friends.
So, to help you make sure you throw the best baby shower ever, we’ve put together this four-week baby shower planning guide. The next few sections will cover the following:

Week 1: Organizing the Shower
Weeks 2 & 3: Invitations and Entertainment
Week 4: Final Details
Day Of: Time to Celebrate!

Want a portable version of this guide? Print out our quick-and-easy !

Week 1: Organizing A Baby Shower

You’re throwing a baby shower! How exciting. There are several decisions you’ll need to make in the early stages of planning, so we’ll walk you through each one and provide a ton of tips and hints to help out. To get started, here is a sample schedule you can use for your baby shower:

Welcome the guests
Ice-breaker game or activity
Serve food
Another game or activity
Open gifts

Of course you can throw in some more games, mix things up, leave things out, it’s all up to you!

Putting Together the Guest List

Traditionally you would invite only women to a baby shower, from both sides of the family, the mom-to-be’s girlfriends, and of course, the mom-to-be. Times have changed however, and potential invitees could be the dad-to-be, grandpa-to-be, and anyone else!

The real question is, what kind of baby shower do you want to throw? Is it women only? Will the parents-to-be have another baby shower for family only? If so, you might consider hosting a friends-only baby shower. Another popular trend is to host a co-ed couples baby shower.

Whether or not to invite children is another matter for consideration. If the baby-to-be already has a brother or sister, then inviting other kids might be a great way to get them involved in celebrating their new sibling.

Depending on how old the older siblings are, they might be able to lead the other kids in activities. Seven is about the right age. This way, they’ll feel as though they are included in hosting responsibilities. Or, you might even consider hiring a babysitter for the event.

Picking a Location

Once you have a general idea of the number of guests, start compiling venue options. Traditionally, baby showers have taken place in the home of the hostess. However, it’s also good to broaden your scope. Consider a restaurant, a park picnic, a reception hall, or even a day at the spa with a catered lunch!

Week 2 & 3: Invitations & Entertainment

Now that the guest list is in place and you know where you’re going to host the baby shower, it’s time to pick a theme and get the invitations out!

Baby Shower Themes

Themes serve as inspiration for decorations and games, invitations, favors and even the food. to see one of our favorite resources for Baby Shower Themes. There are about 50 different baby shower theme ideas to help get you started. Themes can be as simple as a color scheme like blue and white if you know the parents-to-be are having a boy, or pink and white for a girl.

A theme also makes shopping for supplies a breeze! For example, if you are using a Rubber Duckies theme, you’ll pick the invitations with the ducks, duck decorations, a baby bath centerpiece filled with water and floating rubber ducks, small rubber duck favors, and yellow foods. Fun right?

Baby Shower Games

Baby Shower games are typically done with groups of people who may not know each other very well, so they serve to break-the-ice and set the mood for your shower. If you are thowing a theme baby shower, games can revolve around the theme. Pick about 3 games for a 2-hour shower. Here are some of our favorites. For more ideas, be sure to check out .

Invitations

How’s that guest list looking? Now is the time to finalize the guest list to allow enough time to mail the invitations, and to allow the guests time to clear their schedules and find that perfect gift. Invitations to any baby shower are the guests’ first clue as to the style and/or theme of the baby shower.

You can even design and print your own invitations, using the Invitation Generator that comes with this . Using that tool, you simply pick the front cover and enter the details, print it out on 8 1/2″ x 11″ paper, fold into quarters and send! The benefit of making your own invitations is that you have unlimited printouts! Make a mistake on one, no problem, just print out another!

Let’s Go Shopping!

There are two rounds of shopping. First we’ll pick up invitations, party favors and decorations. In our second round, closer to the actual baby shower, we’ll pick up food and beverages.

Need ideas for baby shower favors? One of our favorites are tealights personalized with the date of the baby shower. These cute, brushed aluminum 24-hour tea lights can be personalized in black, gold or silver ink.

Another fun idea is to give out personalized bud vases. Both of these items make great keepsakes without breaking the bank. You should also pick up some items to use as prizes for the winners of your Baby Shower games. Gifts such as frames, compact mirrors, or small jewelry boxes work well as prizes.

Just Name It!

Buy 12 jars of baby food in pairs of like colors – for example, a jar of green beans and a jar of peas, a jar of applesauce and a jar of pears, and a jar of carrots and a jar of squash. With a permanent marker, number the lids of the jars 1 through 12. Then remove the labels, marking the jar number on the back of the corresponding label (hide the labels to use as an answer key).

Have the guests examine the jars by sight only – no tasting or smelling! – and guess what each one is. They can write their answers down on a piece of paper. The person with the most correct answers wins. After the game is over, tape the labels back on the jars and give the baby food to the mom-to-be. Just another one of those fun baby shower games!

Menu and Beverages

Start thinking about what you are going to serve. You don’t need to finalize everything, but you do want to havea n idea. Need suggestions? Finger foods set around the room work great and will encourage guests to mingle.

Use food to carry on the theme. If your guest of honor has a favorite color, or if the shower theme revolves around a color, choose foods with the same color.

The time of day can also help you decide on what to serve. For a mid-morning baby shower, you could serve coffee and tea with pastries. Or for the afternoon, you can grill up some lunch with cake and punch for dessert, or go lighter with finger foods soch as mini-sandwiches. Later afternoon could include chips and dip or vegetables and hummus. Want more ideas? There are over 100 baby shower recipes included with the .

Week 4: Final Details

It’s almost time! You’ve organized, planned, shopped, and now there are just a few days left to the big event!

Finalize Menu and Go Shopping

Now is the time to finalize what you are going to serve at the baby shower. Write down all the ingredients, beverages, and place setting needs that you might have and let’s hit the grocery store. Now’s also the time to take inventory on what you might be missing. Need any extra film or decorations that may have been left out on the first round of shopping?

Confirm Reservations

If you have reservations for a baby shower venue, call and re-confirm. Ensure that the venue has enough chairs, tables and dishes, and that you’ll be let in early enough to set up any decorations.

Extras

Here are some other ideas that you might want to take care of in this last week before the baby shower:

Designate a photographer and/or videographer to capture the event for the parents-to-be
Set out disposable cameras at the baby shower so guests can snap impromptou shots
Take a photo of each guest with the parents-to-be as they leave the baby shower, and include the photo with each thank you note
Create a gift tracker and designate a gift recorder so you know who to send a thank you card to (one is included free in the )
Have a small back pillow and footstool for the mother-to-be so she can be comfortable

Day Of: Time to Celebrate!

There are always a few loose ends to tie up on the day of. Best thing to do is make a list. And don’t forget to put picking up any balloons or last minute decorations to that list. A tip for food, set the food around the room in different spots. Put the chips on one side of the room and the beverages on another. This will encourage your guests to mingle.

Scrambled Word	Actual Word	Scrambled Word	Actual Word
Sitbenas	Bassinet	Peidar	Diaper
Searance	Cesarean	Kirgonc Hicar	Rocking Chair
Akeblnt	Blanket	Yabb Gnisw	Baby Swing
Treesbidganef	Breastfeeding	Licoc	Colic
Tolbet	Bottle	Rupb	Burp
Raragice	Carriage	Webnonr	Newborn

Baby Shower Games For Your Special Baby Shower

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Martha Underwood

Baby Shower Favors Ideas – Hip, Chic and Fun!

Baby Shower Favors Ideas

Baby shower parties are festive occasions that are celebrated when expecting a baby or when the baby is already born. We all know that at a party you give a gift and you get a little gift too, at a baby shower it is traditional that the host gives a little favor to every guest.

A baby show favor need not be expensive, it’s the thoughtfulness that counts. Everybody likes to be appreciated, that is why you should give a small favor to each of your guests.

Here are some ideas for baby shower favors

Choc Lollipops
Bubble Gum Cigars
Candy bars with wrappers you print
A little box of chocolates with a note that says – “You are so sweet for coming to my baby shower”
One Fall shower had mini pumpkins as favors! Very unique.
Make or buy fortune cookies with little personalized messages, you could use this to announce the gender of your baby
Decorated cookies.
Small mason jars filled with dry cookie mix or other treats see gifts in a jar
Small candles
Small bottle of lotion
A little vase with dried flowers in it.
Candy- rock candy, chocolate, or lollipops in blue or pink
Buy a big box of hershey bars and make my own labels for them baby shower gift tags,write thanks for coming to my shower.
Bath and Body Items
Notepads
Pictures
Gift Certificates
Coupons
Gift Baskets
Designer Candles
Baby Bottles with Candy
Baby socks or booties filled with candy
Baby theme cookie cutters
Wrapped cookies
Potpourri filled organza bags w/ a ribbon
A nice booklet and on it to write a few words of appreciation, such as “thank you for being there for me” or ” I love you and I appreciate you love and support” or go for the simpler one- ” thank you for coming to my baby shower”.

Getting Ready for the New Baby

The grand finale of your baby shower should be giving your guests little favors. It doesn’t have to be fancy and expensive, it just has to reflect your feelings and gratitude that your guests came to share with you one of the happiest occasions of your life.

Please share your ideas for Baby Shower Favors

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Geraldine Jensen

The Personality Traits Of A Taurus Baby – Babies-Toddler

The Personality Traits Of A Taurus Baby

Your Taurus Baby
April 20 – May 20
Taurus babies are usually quiet and calm. They are pleasant characters, sometimes a little shy, and they dislike being the center of attention but respond well to affection, showing a great deal of affection in return. Although outbursts are rare, a Taurus baby dislikes being opposed and can be stubborn about getting her own way. A young Taurus will work steadily at a task.

When raising a Taurus it is best not to try to force your child to do something. The danger is that your child will turn stubborn and Taureans can hold their ground for a long time. It is best to avoid harsh commands, instead of loving hugs will melt any resistance.

Young Taureans can charm all adults, especially those of the opposite sex. Shows of physical affection toward your child are essential, but take care, not to smother her. Taurus children are sensitive to their surroundings and they will thrive in harmonious settings of both color and sound. Soft sounds and shades of pink and blue will be calming to your baby.

Both music and art will interest a Taurus child so you should encourage listening to melodious music, drawing, and coloring. Once a Taurus has learned something it will not be forgotten. It is important to encourage a Taurus child to express themselves through words, music or art because there will be a tendency to hide true feelings.

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Martha Underwood

Ways to reduce baby’s risk of SIDS and other sleep-related causes of infant death.

Parents, grandparents, family members, child care providers, health care providers, and others — are encouraged to learn about the updated recommendations for safe infant sleep.

US Federal agencies and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) provided this list of actions for safe sleep for infants younger than 1 year of age.

The main ways recommended for reducing the risk of SIDS remains the same:

Place babies completely on their backs to sleep for all sleep times, naps and at night. ( most important)
Breastfeeding for at least 6 months,
Using a pacifier,
Having the baby sleep in or near the parent’s bedroom ( but bed-sharing shows and increases SIDS deaths),
Swaddling has been shown to have no impact on SIDS and can be dangerous if done when the infant begins to turn over.

Other important ways to keep baby safe during sleep include:

place baby to sleep on a firm sleep surface, such as a mattress in a crib that meets the safety standards of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Another advises the removal of blankets, soft objects, toys, crib bumpers, and loose bedding from the sleep area.
Couches and armchairs can be very dangerous places for babies this is especially true if adults fall asleep as they feed, comfort, or bond with baby while on these surfaces.

Parents and other caregivers should be aware of how tired they are when feeding, comforting, or bonding with the baby while on these surfaces to avoid falling asleep in such situations.

How to reduce SIDS and other sleep-related infant deaths:

1. Back to sleep for every sleep.

a. Preterm infants should be placed supine as soon as possible.

b. “Skin-to-skin care is recommended for all mothers and newborns, regardless of feeding or delivery method, immediately following birth (as soon as the mother is medically stable, awake, and able to respond to her newborn), and to continue for at least an hour.”

2. Use a firm sleep surface.

Place infants on a firm sleep surface (eg, mattress in a safety-approved crib) covered by a fitted sheet with no other bedding or soft objects to reduce the risk of SIDS and suffocation.

3. It is recommended that infants sleep in the parents’ room, close to the parents’ bed, but on a separate surface designed for infants, ideally for the first year of life, but at least for the first 6 months.

There are specific circumstances that, in case-control studies and case series, have been shown to substantially increase the risk of SIDS or unintentional injury or death while bed-sharing and these should be avoided at all times:

1. Bed-sharing has an increased risk of SIDS. If parents choose to feed their infants younger than 4 months in bed, they should be especially vigilant to not fall asleep.

4.. Keep soft objects and loose bedding away from the infant’s sleep area to reduce the risk of SIDS, suffocation, entrapment, and strangulation.

5. Consider offering a pacifier at nap time and bedtime.

Studies have shown a protective effect of pacifiers on the incidence of SIDS. The protective effect of the pacifier is observed even if the pacifier falls out of the infant’s mouth.

6. Avoid overheating and head covering in infants.

Although studies have shown an increased risk of SIDS with overheating, The definition of overheating in these studies varies. Therefore, it is difficult to provide specific room temperature guidelines to avoid overheating.

In general, infants should be dressed appropriately for the environment, with no greater than 1 layer more than an adult would wear to be comfortable in that environment.
Parents and caregivers should evaluate the infant for signs of overheating, such as sweating or the infant’s chest feeling hot to the touch.

Things parents and caretakers can do to protect babies from SIDS

7. Breastfeeding is recommended.

Breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of SIDS. Unless contraindicated, mothers should breastfeed exclusively or feed with expressed milk (ie, not offer any formula or other nonhuman milk-based supplements) for 6 months,
Breastfeeding has been shown to be more protective against SIDS than no breastfeeding.

8. Avoid smoke exposure during pregnancy and after birth.

9. Avoid alcohol and illicit drug use during pregnancy and after birth.

10. Pregnant women should obtain regular prenatal care.

Pregnant women should follow guidelines for frequency of prenatal visits.

11. Infants should be immunized in accordance with recommendations of the AAP and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There is no evidence that there is a causal relationship between immunizations and SIDS. Indeed, recent evidence suggests that vaccination may have a protective effect against SIDS.

12. Avoid the use of commercial devices that are inconsistent with safe sleep recommendations.

Be particularly wary of devices that claim to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Examples include, but are not limited to, wedges and positioners and other devices placed in the adult bed for the purpose of positioning or separating the infant from others in the bed.

13. Do not use home cardiorespiratory monitors as a strategy to reduce the risk of SIDS.

The use of cardiorespiratory monitors has not been documented to decrease the incidence of SIDS.

14. Supervised, awake tummy time is recommended to facilitate development and to minimize the development of positional plagiocephaly.

15. There is no evidence to recommend swaddling as a strategy to reduce the risk of SIDS.

Swaddling, or wrapping the infant in a light blanket, is often used as a strategy to calm the infant and encourage the use of the supine position.

There is a high risk of death if a swaddled infant is placed in or rolls to the prone position If infants are swaddled, they should always be placed on the back. Swaddling should be snug around the chest but allow for ample room at the hips and knees to avoid exacerbation of hip dysplasia.

When an infant exhibits signs of attempting to roll, swaddling should no longer be used. There is no evidence with regard to SIDS risk related to the arms swaddled in or out. These decisions about swaddling should be made on an individual basis, depending on the physiologic needs of the infant.

For more information and to see full report go to https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/10/20/peds.2016-2938

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Geraldine Jensen

The Personality Traits of A Baby Born During The Sign Of Cancer

The Personality Traits of A Baby Born During The Sign Of Cancer

Your Cancer Baby..
June 21 – July 22
A Cancer child can be independent from a young age, often playing alone for hours and inventing invisible playmates. Cancer babies are fascinated by colors and pictures, and they love the different tastes of delicious foods and drinks. Cancer children need to be hugged and loved and they thrive when encouraged. A Cancer baby will change moods frequently and will withdraw themselves if they suffer any kind of rejection. Young Cancer children are quite capable of using tears to get what they want and Cancer babies have a reputation for crying a lot.
However, Cancerians are delightful and fascinating children whose changing moods are shown on their faces. They are imaginative and will thrive when given a lot of warmth and attention. Your Cancer child will be easy to manage and discipline and will be well-mannered. Most Cancerians prefer to be the leader rather than to follow.
When raising a Cancer child you will need to give constant reassurance when she is fearful, which is likely to be often. These children are very sensitive to emotional hurts and rejections and will need your support to ensure that they do not feel unloved. The danger is that they may withdraw into themselves for self-protection.
You should encourage your child to express emotions in poetry, painting, music, acting or any other creative activity. Parents will need to find a compromise between being too firm and spoiling your child.
Cancerians are unlikely to complain when they are ill. Typical illnesses involve the upper digestive track – the stomach.
****************************************************************
Author: Tony and Katy Luck who run a website about raising .

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Martha Underwood

Child Development: Baby 7-12 Months Old

Child Development – Ages and Stages 7 Months – 12 Months. Babies develop at their own pace, so it’s impossible to tell exactly when your child will learn a given skill. The developmental steps listed below will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect, but don’t be alarmed if your own baby’s development takes a slightly different course.

Child development by the end of 7 Months

Social and Emotional

Enjoys social play
Watches self in mirror images
Responds to other adult’s expressions of emotion and appears joyful often

Cognitive

Finds partially hidden object
Explores with hands and mouth
Tries to get objects that are out of reach

Movement

Rolls front to back and visa versa
Sits with, and then without, support on hands
Supports body weight on legs
Reaches with one hand
Transfers object from hand to hand
Uses hand to rake objects

Vision

Develops full-color vision
Distance vision matures
Tracks moving objects improves

Language

Responds to own name
Begins to respond to “no”
Can tell emotions by tone of voice
Responds to sound by making sounds
Uses voice to express joy and displeasure
Babbles chains of sounds

Developmental Health Watch
Alert your child’s doctor or nurse if your child displays any
of the following signs of possible developmental delay for
this age range.

Seems very stiff, with tight muscles
Seems very floppy, like a rag doll
Head still flops back when body is pulled to a sitting position
Reaches with one hand only
Refuses to cuddle
Shows no affection for the person who cares for him or her
Doesn’t seem to enjoy being around people
One or both eyes consistently turn in or out
Persistent tearing, eye drainage, or sensitivity to light
Does not respond to sounds around him or her
Has difficulty getting objects to mouth
Does not turn head to locate sounds by 4 months
Does not roll over in either direction (front to back or back to front) by 5 months
Seems impossible to comfort at night after 5 months
Does not smile on his or her own by 5 months
Cannot sit with help by 6 months
Does not laugh or make squealing sounds by 6 months
Does not actively reach for objects by 6 to 7 months
Does not follow objects with both eyes at near (1 foot) and far (6 feet) ranges by 7 months
Does not bear weight on legs by 7 months
Does not try to attract attention through actions by 7 months
Does not babble by 8 months
Shows no interest in games of peek-a-boo by 8 months

Child development by the end of 12 months

Social and Emotional

Shy or anxious with strangers
Cries when mother or father leaves
Enjoys imitating people in his play
Shows specific preferences for certain people and toys
Tests parental responses to his actions during feedings
Tests parental responses to his behavior
May be fearful in some situations
Prefers mother and/or regular caregiver over all others
Repeats sounds or gestures for attention
Finger-feeds himself
Extends arm or leg to help when being dressed

Cognitive

Explores objects in many different ways (shaking, banging, throwing, dropping)
Finds hidden objects easily
Looks at correct picture when the image is named
Imitates gestures
Begins to use objects correctly (drinking from cup, brushing hair, dialing phone, listening to receiver)

Language

Pays increasing attention to speech
Responds to simple verbal requests
Responds to “no”
Uses simple gestures, such as shaking head for “no”
Babbles with inflection (changes in tone)
Says “dada” and “mama”
Uses exclamations, such as “Oh-oh!”
Tries to imitate words

Movement

Reaches sitting position without assistance
Crawls forward on belly
Assumes hands-and-knees position
Creeps on hands and knees
Gets from sitting to crawling or prone (lying on stomach) position
Pulls self up to stand
Walks holding on to furniture
Stands momentarily without support
May walk two or three steps without support

Hand and Finger Skills

Uses pincer grasp
Bangs two objects together
Puts objects into a container
Takes objects out of a container
Lets objects go voluntarily
Pokes with index finger
Tries to imitate scribbling

Developmental Health Watch
Alert your child’s doctor or nurse if your child displays any
of the following signs of possible developmental delay for
this age range.

Does not crawl
Drags one side of the body while crawling (for over one month)
Cannot stand when supported
Does not search for objects that are hidden while he or she watches
Says no single words (“mama” or “dada”)
Does not learn to use gestures, such as waving or shaking head
Does not point to objects or pictures

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Geraldine Jensen

The Character Traits of the Typical Libran Baby – Babies-Toddler

The Character Traits of the Typical Libran Baby

Your Libra Baby..

September 23 – October 22
Libras can be really beautiful babies. Personality-wise, your Libra baby will not like to be hurried and will hate having to choose between two things.

Kind Hearted and Learned

Libra children often seem older than their years and unexpectedly knowledgeable. Libras thrive when treated fairly and will obey rules that are seen to be fair. They treat others well and are kind-hearted.

Parents will need to guard against the Libra child’s ability to wheedle almost anything out of adults, especially given their fondness for sweets. Your Libra child will quickly learn to argue with total conviction and will be adept at making their needs and wants known. You will need to guard against giving in to well-reasoned demands too often in case you spoil your child.

Harmony and Balance

Libras thrive in a harmonious environment and it is essential to give them lots of attention and affection. Whilst enjoying company, Libras can pursue interests on their own and are naturally private. Your child will respect the privacy of others and will keep confidences.

Your Libra child will be thoughtful and enjoy learning from books. A young Libra should not be fussed over too much or spoilt, but will rarely need to be strongly disciplined.

The typical Libra child will recover quickly from any ailments.

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Barbara L. Barbara L. Behrmann, Ph.D.

My Experience Breastfeeding the Joys and Challenges

My Breastfeeding Joys, Secrets and Challenges of Nursing Baby

By Barbara L. Behrmann, Ph.D.

I never had any doubt about how I was going to feed my babies. Of course I was going to nurse them! What I don’t know is where my initial determination and enthusiasm came from.

Being a Newbie

Neither my mother nor my grandmother nursed and it wasn’t as if I had grown up seeing women breastfeed. In fact, I can’t recall a single instance during my childhood in which I saw a woman put a baby to her breast.

Why?

Most of what I knew about breastfeeding wasn’t as relevant to me personally, as it was politically. In college I had read about the causes of malnutrition in the developing world and the insidious efforts of multinational corporations to convince women that formula was superior to breastmilk.

So even though I would have access to clean water, refrigeration and money to pay for formula, I wanted nothing to do with formula. Moreover, I thought of my body’s ability to bear and nourish children as a great source of power and pride.

Why would I let some company rob me of that or convince me that my milk was inferior? Nursing was actually the one aspect of having a newborn that I was most looking forward to. I would put my baby to my breast and voila! She would nurse.

Popular Culture

Moreover, I was prepared to nurse my child wherever and whenever necessary. I believed strongly – and still do – that breastfeeding needed to become more visible and would only become the cultural norm when nursing mothers come out of the nursery.
Now, years later after having nursed two children, I realize how incomplete my understanding of breastfeeding was. My first epiphany was that nursing does not always happen easily. My initiation into motherhood was built around a baby who adamantly rejected my breast for almost six, grueling weeks.

Overcoming Challenges

It involved a brief but scary bout of newborn dehydration, supplementing my incipient milk supply with a soy-based formula, (causing me to become less dogmatic) and expressing my milk every three hours around the clock with an electric pump.
I spent many days in tears, wondering if I would ever be able to nurse her at all. With the help of a supportive family and a dedicated and smart lactation consultant, my daughter finally began to nurse.
At first we could only do so in one position requiring no less than four pillows. But gradually my daughter and I learned together and we became more confident, carefree and flexible. I’ll never forget the night I awoke to discover her latched on to my breast, eyes closed, cheeks gently moving in and out. Bliss.

No Right Way to Feel About Breastfeeding

The second thing I learned is that there is no single or correct way to nurse and there is no “right” way to feel about nursing. Moreover, what works for one baby does not always work for another. Nursing my firstborn (after our rocky start) was calming and relaxing for her, regardless of where we were.
But my second was a rather aggressive nurser and easily distracted, making nursing in public difficult. I discovered that sometimes nursing in private really was necessary, political statement be damned! Today I remain as personally and politically committed to nursing as ever, but my beliefs are tempered with the realization that each woman’s experience is her own.

Nutrition and Connection

Perhaps the most important thing I learned, though, is that breastfeeding is not simply a matter of providing nutritional and immunological benefits to one’s child and it encompasses many things that are difficult, if not impossible, to learn in a “how-to” book.

I had to discover on my own that nursing can really be about how we mother our children. My daughters nursed not only when they were hungry, but also for comfort. They nursed when they were hurt, tired, frustrated or cranky. And they nursed for the pure joy and delight it gave them to be enveloped by my body, to feel my skin against theirs.
For my first daughter, in particular, nursing was the center from which she gained the security and confidence to explore her world. And although I once had vowed never to nurse a child who could ask for it in words, I could find no reason to force her to wean from something she so dearly loved. And for the most part, that I did to.

How Long?

It was only during my second pregnancy, when nursing became too physically painful, that I had to wean her completely. Several more years of nursing later, I was ready to burn my nursing bras and reclaim my body as my own.

But I love that I was able to provide my children with something that gave them not just optimum nutrition, but supreme satisfaction. I love that I was able to watch every ounce of tension in their bodies drain away after five sucks at my breast.

And I sometimes miss the humor that often accompanies a nursing toddler, the way they once enjoyed a snack of cookies and milk, the mantras they would chant in honor of my breasts. I miss the kind of intimacy that we shared, a connection that started out so primal, so basic and turned into a love affair unlike any other.

My experiences have strengthened my resolve to work toward creating a culture in which breastfeeding is the norm. But I also realize that each woman must feed her children based on the unique circumstances of her life.

Nursing in a formula-feeding culture isn’t always easy – it sometimes requires strength, determination, and tenacity – not qualities typically used to describe nursing mothers. But for me, the journey was well worth it!