New born babies, How to start breastfeeding: The first time you hold your newborn in the delivery room, put his lips to your breast. Your mature milk hasn't come in yet, but your breasts are producing a substance called colostrum that will help protect your baby from infection.
Try not to panic if your newborn seems to have trouble finding or staying on your nipple. Breastfeeding is an art that requires patience and lots of practice. No one will expect you to be an expert in the beginning, so don't hesitate to ask a nurse to show you what to do while you're in the hospital. (If you have a premature baby, you may not be able to nurse right away, but you should start pumping your milk. Your baby will receive this milk through a tube or a bottle until he's strong enough to nurse.)
Once you get started, remember that
new born babies, how often should you nurse?: last time he nursed. Once your baby becomes alert for longer periods, you can set frequently. The more you nurse, the more quickly your mature milk will come in and the more milk you'll produce. Nursing for ten to 15 minutes per breast eight to 12 times every 24 hours is pretty much on target. According to the latest guidlines from the Amarican Academy Pediarics (AAP), you should nurse your newborn whenever he shows signs of hunger, such as increased alertness or activity, mouthing, or rooting around for your nipple. Crying is a late sign of hunger — in other words, ideally you should start feeding your baby before he starts crying.
During the first few days, you may have to gently wake your baby to begin nursing, and he may fall asleep again in mid-feeding. To make sure your baby's eating often enough, wake him up if it's been four hours since the tle into a routine of feeding every one to three hours (less at night as he starts to sleep through).
Toddlers, whats your toddler doing?: By 23 months, your child can probably hum and sing and make three-word sentences like "Bird fly high." An artist, she can most likely copy circles and make line drawings. So encourage her with a big box of crayons and plenty of paper. And she's beginning to get a handle on opposites, like tall woman, short woman or big hamburger, little hamburger.
Toddlers, How is your life changing?: Does your child want a hug one minute and push you away the next? Don't take her vacillating needs for closeness and self-assertion personally. They're all part of growing up. (See what experts have to say on the topic.)
As her world view broadens, your toddler will take more of an interest in playing with other children. She might imitate how an older sibling plays soccer or follow after other kids as they play tag.
Preschoolers, your three year old now!: Been asked to set an extra place at dinner for an imaginary friend yet? As many as half of preschoolers have a pretend buddy. These phantoms don't mean your child is lonely or maladjusted. In fact, kids with imaginary friends are more likely to grow up to be creative, cooperative, sociable, independent, and happy.
An imaginary friend can be human or animal and usually comes with a name and distinct personality. Part confidant, part playmate, part protector, and part scapegoat, they help kids practice relationship building and let them be in control for a change. A pretend friend can be a child's way of handling an increasingly demanding, expanding world.
Watching your child's interactions with her imaginary friend can give you useful insights into her fears and stresses. If her imaginary playmate is afraid of monsters under the bed, then your daughter may be, too.
Although it's wise to be respectful of your child's imaginary friend, try not to get involved in the relationship. For example, avoid using imaginary friends as a way to manipulate your child ("Harvey ate his peas, why can't you?"). Instead, follow her lead. She knows deep down this is an imaginary creation, and it can be a bit alarming to her if you buy into it too readily. These extra members of the family usually disappear by age 7, as your child becomes immersed in the very real-life world of school.
Preschooler, your life now!: Having a 3-year-old can make you proud and completely nuts all at the same time. Because your child's verbal skills and physical abilities have expanded so much since her wobbly 2-year-old days, it's easy to fall into the trap of expecting more from her than she can always deliver. Progress is gradual. Although preschoolers sound and look capable of much more now, social and emotional maturity take time to develop — and that means lots of patience on your part. She still has faulty logic and a healthy ego. She thinks the world revolves around her — as it should at this age.
Big kid, your 6 year old now!: Now We Are Six is a book of children's poetry by A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh. The title alone makes it a fun book to have on your birthday child's shelf. But this kind of book illustrates some other interesting points about 6-year-olds:
- Sixes love poems because of the word play and repetition.
- They also enjoy nonsense words and onomatopoeia (words that sound like the thing they describe, such as "hiss" or "buzz").
- Kids this age are working to understand more about what "big people" do -- discoveries that make them feel both confident and confused. The poems reflect a child's increasingly complex world.
- Sixes have vivid imaginations. The characters in such poems include knights, teddy bears, and all kinds of fanciful creatures and situations. The familiar inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood are also here. Children this age cling to the comfortingly familiar as well as looking eagerly to new things.
- Six-year-olds still love being read to, even as they begin to master books all on their own.
