Baby's medical care begins immediately - Your baby will receive medical
care within minutes after being born and again at the first office visit.
Your chosen pediatrician will guide you through the health care of your baby.
Bathing a baby: Stay focused on safety - Follow a few tried-and-true techniques
for keeping baby comfortable and safe in the simple baths she needs just
two or three times a week. Never leave your baby alone in the bath.
Chickenpox vaccine: Yes or no? - Vaccination can prevent most children
from getting chickenpox.
Child coughing? Be alert for croup - Parents dread croup, a common childhood
illness in which young children may have difficulty breathing. Call the
doctor right away if you suspect croup.
Childhood illnesses: The ears have it - Ear infections are a very common
illness among young children, especially babies.
Childhood viruses can cause problems - If you have been exposed to a childhood
virus such as chickenpox, rubella or fifth disease and you don't know
if you have been vaccinated or are immune, call the doctor right away.
Childproofing your home: Plan ahead to keep baby safe - There are many
practical things you can do to make your home safe and ready for your
baby. Although the list of things to do seems long, they're all important.
Colic: This, too, shall pass - You know your baby has colic when he cries
for a few hours, for several days a week.
Don't wait: Vaccinate your newborn - To keep your child safe from disease,
follow the recommended immunization schedule.
Every baby has a soft spot (or two) - Many parents worry about the soft
spot at the top of baby's skull. Actually these soft spots helped ease
your baby through birth and are helping his/her newborn brain grow while
protecting his/her head.
Fever: Know when to call the doctor - If your baby is one month or younger
and develops a rectal temperature of 100.4 F or more, call the doctor.
From asthma to eczema, allergies take many forms - In the United States
over 35 million adults and children have allergy-related problems, according
to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
How to care for the umbilical cord - Umbilical cord care is easy. Keep
the area clean and dry.
Infants can suffer constipation - If your baby is having fewer stools,
the consistency is hard and dry, and the baby has pain, constipation may
be the culprit.
Jaundice is a common condition in newborns - More than half of all normal,
healthy babies develop some jaundice in the first days of life.
Learn how to take baby's temperature - Children under the age of 4 need
to have their temperature taken rectally. Use a digital or traditional
mercury thermometer designed for this purpose.
Milk and other food allergies can affect babies - Food allergies are not
common, but you should take measures to identify and prevent them when you can.
Newborns breathe differently - Because of the fear of SIDS, parents can
worry excessively about a newborn's breathing. Newborns simply have very
characteristic breathing patterns.
Pacifiers comfort babies and are unlikely to cause problems - Experts say
offering a pacifier to a baby has no harmful effects. However, pacifiers
given early interfere with breastfeeding and are related to early weaning.
Preventing SIDS: Put baby to sleep on his back - Although the cause of
SIDS remains unknown, research indicates that all healthy babies under
1 year of age should be placed on their back to sleep instead of on their
stomach to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Skin conditions often ease as baby grows - Although some skin conditions
can spell trouble for years, children usually outgrow a host of skin problems,
from cradle cap to prickly heat rash.
Tests and procedures help keep baby healthy - Newborn babies are given
an Apgar score within minutes of birth to assess their overall adjustment
to life outside the womb. A number of other procedures are done to protect
baby from eye infection and disease.