Parenting

Since babies learn a lot by looking, it is helpful for you to know about their eyes and vision. Vision specialists say it's normal for an infant's eyes to look crossed occasionally during the first 5 or 6 months of life. This can last up to 18 months of age.

Tooth decay in babies is serious. A baby can have painful toothaches and teeth may turn black and have to be pulled. If teeth are lost early, a baby can have problems with chewing and learning to talk. Permanent teeth may also be damaged as they develop.

By the time your child is 2 years old, she will have 20 teeth. If any of these teeth are decayed, your child may have what dentists call "nursing bottle mouth." Bacteria in baby's mouth reacts with sugar to make acid.

Shoes protect feet from rough or sharp surfaces. They don't help baby stand or walk. Until he starts walking in places that might hurt his feet, baby doesn't need to wear shoes.

Much of baby's first year is spent learning how to listen. Through listening your infant learns about the world, makes sounds, and learns to talk.

There's a sure way to prevent baby from getting a serious illness. It's called immunizations or baby shots. All children should receive their baby shots between the time they are born and before they become 2 years old.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, is the medical term used to describe the unexplained death of an infant. In the United States today, one in 500 infants dies of SIDS. It strikes families of all races, ethnic origins, and incomes.

Babies need fresh air and light, but too much sun can be harmful. Baby skin is delicate and burns easily. Researchers have recently found that severe sunburn in childhood can lead to a greater risk of the most deadly form of skin cancer later in life.

When your baby is small, bathe her in the kitchen sink or a special baby tub. But as she gets bigger, you may need to move her into the big bathtub.

Is your baby teething? Perhaps he's cranky. Maybe he drools a lot. While first teeth usually come in at 6 months of age, some babies get them as early as 3 months, while others don't get any teeth until they're one year old or older. Once she starts, baby will "teethe" for months.

As you get to know your baby you can probably tell when she isn't her usual self. No doctor wants to be called for every sniffle, but any doctor would rather have you call with a question than let a problem become serious.

There's no doubt about it--breast milk is the best food for babies. The whole first year, the only acceptable substitute for breast milk is iron-fortified infant formula.

Each year, babies die in car accidents. Many of these deaths can be prevented by making sure children use a car seat. Most states have laws requiring that children ride in a child car safety seat.

Crib accidents have seriously injured and even killed babies.

Many parents wonder what's best--cloth or disposable diapers. Will we ruin the environment if we use disposables or will we ruin our baby's skin if we use cloth? Who's right?

When baby starts to learn forward out of her infant seat, and you're afraid she'll tip over--it's time for a high chair.

Baby walkers have had so many safety problems some officials think they should be banned. Experts believe that up to 40 percent of babies using walkers will be hurt by them. Babies in walkers have fallen down stairs and been badly hurt or killed--even with safety gates on the stairs.

Many people use the terms "bonding" and "attachment" as if they were the same. Actually they mean quite different things.

Feeding your new baby may be a challenge to you as a new parent. When a tiny baby needs to eat every two or three hours, it's hard to believe you'll ever get sleep again! As she gets bigger, she won't need to be fed so often.

Crying is baby's way of asking for help. During the first few months, she can't control when she starts to cry. She cries only when in need and can't stop until those needs are met or until she's too tired to go on.

Becoming a parent is an exciting change in your life, but it will take time to feel comfortable in your important new role. Parents and babies learn together. Don't expect to know how to handle everything overnight.

All babies cry. Some cry loud and often enough to be called "colicky". No one knows exactly what causes colic. The baby screams and seems to have stomach pains, but is not seriously ill.

Sometimes parents think that if they go to their baby each time he cries, they are teaching him to cry even more to get attention. Babies don't work this way!

By now someone has probably told you that feeding your baby solid foods, like cereal, will help him sleep through the night. While you may want to try anything to get a whole night's sleep, solid foods probably aren't the answer.

Babies need to suck, and sometimes feeding isn't enough to meet their sucking needs. Extra sucking on a finger, thumb, fist, or pacifier can help baby calm down when she is upset.

Life with a new baby is hectic. Your needs seem to take a back seat to your baby's needs. But by the second month baby may be settling into a more predictable schedule. For many babies, night-time sleeping lengthens and feedings may be required every 4 hours.

Most of us think all babies love to be held, rocked, and cuddled, but some babies don't. If your baby is a non-cuddler, it doesn't mean he doesn't like you or you're a bad parent. It may be the way your baby's made, part of what makes him a unique little person.

If you are bottle feeding, don't prop the bottle up and leave your baby alone, and don't put baby to bed with a bottle of formula or juice. A baby left alone with a bottle could spit up and choke.

Babies love to be with people, and games are a good way to have fun and learn at the same time.

You probably haven't thought about discipline for your baby. After all, your baby is only 3 months old! But there are some things about discipline you may want to start thinking about.

Your baby probably spends less time crying and sleeping now, so she has more time to learn about herself and the world. Baby has just found that she has hands and feet she can move, and she loves to watch them.

Does baby sit well with support? Hold his head up without wobbling? Put things into his mouth and chew on them? These are some signs that a 4 to 6 month-old baby is ready to start eating solid foods. However, we recommend that you wait another month or two to start solid foods, until baby is a half-year old.

Every sound your baby makes is a step toward true speech. Learning to talk is a process with many steps. Each child reaches these steps on her own time schedule.

Early on, baby plays with her hands and feet and learns about her body. Baby learns about others this way. Baby may grab for your hair or pat your face as a way of learning who you are.

At 4 months old baby is starting to tell people apart, and knows his mom and dad. He will smile more at real people than at pictures of faces. Baby might also have favorite toys. Baby can probably roll from side to side, and might even be able to go from her tummy to her back. Watch out; your little athlete could roll off a counter or changing table.

Baby is starting to get into things and may get hold of something you don't want him to have. Since everything he picks up goes into his mouth, it's time to think about safety.

Breast milk or iron-fortified formula is still your baby's main food. But you can now start adding some semi-solid foods to baby's diet.

As your baby reaches 5 and 6 months, watch how he reacts when things disappear from view. Does baby lean over to look for things he dropped? Does baby put a toy down and go right back to it later?

Now that you've had a few months to get to know your baby, you're probably noticing she has a personality all her own. The part of personality your baby was born with is called temperament.

Baby has lots of energy! Baby seems to be moving all day when she isn't asleep. Many 5-month-olds can move around by rolling or wriggling. You'll need extra patience to keep up with her.

Babies this age cannot obey or disobey parents. Their minds are not developed enough for them to know right from wrong. However, they may do things that are unsafe or that you think are wrong. For the next year or so, we need to help baby learn how to behave. Discipline really means teaching, not punishing.

Food habits are usually formed during childhood. If a variety of foods are offered in the early years, children will learn to eat a variety of foods throughout life. Babies copy their parents, brothers, and sisters. If baby sees her family eating healthy foods, she probably will too.

Teething often begins during the sixth month. Baby may drool more than usual and be uncomfortable and fussy. Cold teething rings and teething biscuits can soothe sore gums.

When baby is pulling leaves off your favorite plant one by one or smearing cereal in his hair, it's hard to stay calm. Keep these things in mind: If tempting things like plants or wastebaskets are left in baby's reach, she will explore them. The easiest way to stay calm and to keep baby out of trouble is to put things where she can't get to them.

Between 7 and 9 months you can add strained or pureed meats, poultry, and fish to your baby's daily diet if your doctor recommends them. You can either buy the foods or prepare them at home.

Has your child learned to blow air? Does baby use his tongue on the roof of his mouth to make clicking sounds? These are 2 important tricks for learning to speak. If you make a game out of blowing air and clicking your tongue, your child will try to imitate you.

Baby's ability to sit is getting better as his lower back gets stronger. Baby may be able to keep busy for a while playing with toys on the floor. Your baby is ready to get moving! Soon you'll see him pushing up on hands and knees and creeping along the floor.

Around 8 months, many babies show fear or wariness of people they don't know well. As baby can move around more, he can become separated from you. This can be scary, so baby clings to you more and avoids strangers. Baby is becoming aware of people he does and doesn't know.

Now that your baby is 8 months old and may have some teeth, you can give her some table foods that are mashed with a fork in addition to pureed foods. Mashed foods are a little thicker and coarser than pureed foods.

Many 8 month-old children have trouble settling down to sleep. They're so excited about sitting, creeping, crawling and exploring that they don't want to go to bed! Parents need time to themselves. Don't feel guilty about wanting to enjoy some peace and quiet, or some time with your partner. Baby's bedtime is your decision.

Have you noticed that your baby understands more of what you say? When you say, "look at the ball," baby listens, then looks around until he finds it. Baby is beginning to grasp whole ideas, and is linking his eyesight and hearing together.

Does your baby hold most foods while eating? Drink from a cup with a little help? Hold and lick the spoon after it is dipped into food? These are the first steps in learning how to eat by one's self. If baby always grabs for the spoon, you can make meals easier by using two spoons - one for you and one for him. While baby practices, you can feed him a few spoonfuls.

First, prevent situations where baby might do something you don't like. Move that canning jar to a higher shelf. Put a gate on the stairwell. If baby does something wrong, think of ways you could keep it from happening again. Create a trouble-free environment!

Researchers who have studied young children report that curiosity is important for success in school. A child interested in the world around her and given freedom to explore, will observe and learn.

Talking to your baby makes a difference. Research shows that when you imitate and respond to your baby's sounds, it helps him understand language.

Researchers find that men and women play differently with babies. Men are more likely to play rough. Some women would say that men are too wild!

Researchers find that babies who hear, "No," and, "Don't," all the time seem to be less intelligent than other babies. Babies and children need to explore and experiment to learn.

Many babies begin crawling during the 9th month. It's exciting for babies to move around on their own, but it is scary, too!

Baby's first steps are cause for celebration. But the process of learning to walk started months ago as baby was gaining control over his legs and arms. About 25 percent of babies take their first steps by 11 months of age; others wait until 15 or 16 months.

Anything your baby likes to play with is a toy. Look around your home. You probably have lots of safe objects to use as toys.

Does your baby ever tease you on purpose? Has she ever headed straight for a wastebasket, making sure you notice? Does baby reach for your glasses, almost waiting to hear, "no, no"? Your child is testing her emotions and yours. She is experimenting to see just where the limits are.

Is your baby saying any real words yet? A child just learning to talk often uses one word to mean several different things. Real words are words that mean only one thing.

How do you want your child to feel about himself? Do you want her to grow up thinking she is a good person, able to handle things in life? Do you want him to get along with others and to share his feelings? The way a person feels about herself is called "self-esteem." High self-esteem means feeling good about yourself.

Babies get frustrated and mad sometimes when they can't do what they want to do. Sometimes, getting stuck halfway up the stairs or not getting a cookie can trigger a temper tantrum.

If your baby is very active, you may notice a slowing down of weight gain. That occurs because your baby is using more calories for her constant activity.

Some parents think they must set special times aside to play with baby or teach him new things. That's fine, but sometimes you don't have time in big blocks. Children are happy with lots of little bits of your time and attention. They learn to amuse themselves, with your help.

At the age of 11 months standing and cruising around the room by holding onto furniture keeps your little one very busy. Baby may even take a few steps on her own. Some babies like standing so much they refuse to sit down! This will wear off eventually.

One-year-olds enjoy playing by themselves or beside other children. They aren't yet able to play with other children. They are possessive of their toys and cannot yet share with others.

When children approach one year of age their appetites usually decrease and their growth rate slows. They are very interested in the world around them and not as interested in food. Children this age are exploring their independence. Sometimes they refuse food to assert themselves.

Parents will notice many changes as their child reaches one year of age. The rapid growth experienced in the first year of life starts to slow down. He may start to eat less but will tend to eat more frequently throughout the day. She is getting better at feeding herself, although spills are still very common. Generally one-year-olds can drink from a cup with help.

Encourage your two-year-old to run, jump, and climb out of doors. Sing simple songs with her. Sing and act out songs with simple movements or finger plays. Play pat-a-cake. Children this age enjoy hearing simple short stories, especially about themselves or other two-year-olds.

By age two, your toddler should be well on his way to eating an adult diet, although it should be one that is fairly free of salt, sugar, and excess fats. He should be getting foods from all the food pyramid groups, but don't count on your toddler eating what you would consider a square meal at every sitting.

The two-year-old is developing language skills and can combine three or more words in a sentence. She is able to express her feelings and wishes, and still has a limited attention span. He can memorize short rhymes and join in simple songs. The two-year-old likes to make choices even though she has difficulty doing so.

The three-year-old loves to listen to stories. Set aside a time each day when you and your child can relax and read together. Read with enthusiasm, changing your voice to show different feelings. Stop and talk about the pictures. Ask and answer questions.

Three-year-olds think they are quite grown-up. They are certainly becoming more skillful at eating and using utensils. When they are really hungry, parents may find they forget about using a fork or spoon and go back to eating with their fingers.

Three-year-olds think they are quite grown-up. They are certainly becoming more skillful at eating and using utensils. When they are really hungry, parents may find they forget about using a fork or spoon and go back to eating with their fingers.

The four-year-old is often a big help around the house and likes to try out different "roles". Encourage dramatic play by providing props and clothing. Keep an assortment of items that will spark his imagination.

The four-year-old becomes much more vocal with a vocabulary of 4,000 to 6,000 words and usually speaks in five- to six-word sentences. Children of this age like to sing simple songs and can remember and repeat finger plays and rhymes. They tell stories and speak clearly enough to be understood by non-family members. They can express emotions through facial gestures and like to copy behaviors of older children and adults.

The five-year-old is full of questions and loves to explore new things. Field trips to various sites in the community are a lot of fun with this age group. Spend time talking about what you see and understanding the new things you have learned.

Five-year-olds are quite mature. They enjoy dramatic play with other children and cooperate well with others.