For many new parents certain times in their child’s development can be difficult. One of them is teething as it can make your baby very ill and also very cranky. Happy babies can become fussy and those that normally eat well can become very picky about it. As a new parent you may not realize what is wrong with your baby. They may have a high fever in addition to these other signs.
A baby can start to teeth at any point, but most do so about three months of age. Others don’t until about a year though so don’t worry about when it takes place. Some teeth will be harder for them to get in than others. You may see your baby smile and discover they have a new tooth coming in. If you think they may be teething you can feel the surface of the gums. You may see the tip of it poking through as well.
One of the most common signs of a baby teething is the drool. They will seem to soak their shirts in no time at all. You can give them small balls that dissolve in their mouth to help cut down on the amount of drool. Most doctors will tell you this is going to help the new teeth come in though. Place a bid on their shirt so it will soak up the drool. Change them as necessary to keep your baby comfortable.
You can place ointment on the gums to numb them and this will give your baby some temporary relieve. There are teething rings as well that you freeze and then let them chew on. Many babies will also chew on their toys, hands, and even their shoes while they are teething. Older babies may like to chew on a piece of beef jerky as well.
Do your very best to comfort your baby when they are teething. This includes giving them soft foods and medicine to relieve the pain. This is a part of parenting that can be difficult but you will get through it. Your child may end up very unhappy during the process so give them all the love and attention you can. They will likely be exhausted as well so let them sleep when they are comfortable enough to do so.
Showing posts with label babies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label babies. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Baby Proofing
One of the most important things a new parent can do to welcome their new child into their home is to do a thorough baby proofing to avoid any dangerous encounters with every day household items. Baby proofing is fairly inexpensive, but the benefits definitely outweigh any cost that may be incurred.
When I was a child, baby proofing seemed to include basically just picking things up off of the floor that were deemed dangerous. My parents don’t remember outlet covers or anything of the sort, and in fact my husband was given a slight shock from sticking something into a light socket at his grandparents’ house. His parents say that he never did that again, so they had nothing to worry about! Now baby proofing is a huge business, and you can purchase items from outlet covers to splash guards that attach to the stove top to prevent burns.
Essentials of baby proofing can be purchased at a very small cost. Realistically, if you are attentive or if your child is not interested in items that can harm them, then you can get by with minimal safety items. Outlet covers are very cheap and just about every household should have them. In a split second a baby can insert something into an outlet, such as the instance with my husband, and it is certainly something that has the potential to be deadly. In addition to the outlet covers, there should ideally be cupboard and/or drawer latches to protect children from getting into things like household cleaning items and silverware, especially knives. While it is a pain for parents to have to open the latches each time they desire to get into a cupboard, the benefits of keeping your children safe definitely outweigh that inconvenience.
Essentially, the outlet covers and cupboard latches are all that is really needed for a safe and baby proofed household. If you would like to go above and beyond the essentials, you can purchase items like door handle covers that don’t allow little hands to turn knobs to open doors. Also available are latches for toilets, which might be essential if you have a child like my friends’ that is fascinated with the toilet water. These can prevent accidental drowning, but most houses do not need them. There are a myriad of safety items available, but if you know which items your child need protected from you can save a lot of money by not purchasing things you will not really need. However, if you get peace of mind from having all the safety items then they are worth the cost ten fold.
When I was a child, baby proofing seemed to include basically just picking things up off of the floor that were deemed dangerous. My parents don’t remember outlet covers or anything of the sort, and in fact my husband was given a slight shock from sticking something into a light socket at his grandparents’ house. His parents say that he never did that again, so they had nothing to worry about! Now baby proofing is a huge business, and you can purchase items from outlet covers to splash guards that attach to the stove top to prevent burns.
Essentials of baby proofing can be purchased at a very small cost. Realistically, if you are attentive or if your child is not interested in items that can harm them, then you can get by with minimal safety items. Outlet covers are very cheap and just about every household should have them. In a split second a baby can insert something into an outlet, such as the instance with my husband, and it is certainly something that has the potential to be deadly. In addition to the outlet covers, there should ideally be cupboard and/or drawer latches to protect children from getting into things like household cleaning items and silverware, especially knives. While it is a pain for parents to have to open the latches each time they desire to get into a cupboard, the benefits of keeping your children safe definitely outweigh that inconvenience.
Essentially, the outlet covers and cupboard latches are all that is really needed for a safe and baby proofed household. If you would like to go above and beyond the essentials, you can purchase items like door handle covers that don’t allow little hands to turn knobs to open doors. Also available are latches for toilets, which might be essential if you have a child like my friends’ that is fascinated with the toilet water. These can prevent accidental drowning, but most houses do not need them. There are a myriad of safety items available, but if you know which items your child need protected from you can save a lot of money by not purchasing things you will not really need. However, if you get peace of mind from having all the safety items then they are worth the cost ten fold.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Pottie Training
There are many experts on every topic imaginable. There are people who are experts in finances, outer space, science, mathematics and computers. The one field seems to have the most out spoken experts is the field of human psychology in general and child rearing in particular. It seems that everyone feels that they are an expert on how people should raise their children. How a person was parented seems to be a leading defense in our criminal system and many psychologists have people in therapy for years discussing their childhood. So often experts refer back to potty training to explain why someone behaves the way they do.
I have been in the human services field for many years. I become outraged when I hear so called experts make blanket statements about how potty training and other child rearing techniques are to blame for a person’s actions. I have worked with children that have been severely abused and neglected by their parents, and yet they are able to move on with their lives and become happy productive citizens. I think that the experts that go on talk shows and write books, like to give people excuses for their poor behavior. They also simplify major mental health issues and the actions that can result from the illness, by blaming the parents of the individuals. It is ludicrous to believe that potty training techniques that are done are going to cause a person to become a criminal. To me this is irresponsible and damaging for the people that listen to these experts. There are many excellent therapist and psychologists that make real differences in the lives of those they treat. Their time is so filled with appointments that they do not have the time to go on talk shows. The famous experts tend to be attention seekers that want to be celebrities and they use basic knowledge in psychology to make a name for themselves.
Anyone that has been involved in good growth producing therapy knows that the best way to move on with their lives is to make a plan with obtainable goals and to move forward. They may need to process things that happened to them as children, but they are taught not to dwell in the past. I have never seen anyone become a well adjusted adult if they are clinging to the memories of their potty training. Most adults do not even have any recollection of the potty training techniques that were used by their parents.
Many new parents find themselves afraid to parent their children because they feel they will scar them for life. If they use the simple techniques of correcting undesirable behavior and present consistent guidance, their children will have the desired behaviors. You do not need to listen to the experts to have a well adjusted child; you need to listen to your child.
I have been in the human services field for many years. I become outraged when I hear so called experts make blanket statements about how potty training and other child rearing techniques are to blame for a person’s actions. I have worked with children that have been severely abused and neglected by their parents, and yet they are able to move on with their lives and become happy productive citizens. I think that the experts that go on talk shows and write books, like to give people excuses for their poor behavior. They also simplify major mental health issues and the actions that can result from the illness, by blaming the parents of the individuals. It is ludicrous to believe that potty training techniques that are done are going to cause a person to become a criminal. To me this is irresponsible and damaging for the people that listen to these experts. There are many excellent therapist and psychologists that make real differences in the lives of those they treat. Their time is so filled with appointments that they do not have the time to go on talk shows. The famous experts tend to be attention seekers that want to be celebrities and they use basic knowledge in psychology to make a name for themselves.
Anyone that has been involved in good growth producing therapy knows that the best way to move on with their lives is to make a plan with obtainable goals and to move forward. They may need to process things that happened to them as children, but they are taught not to dwell in the past. I have never seen anyone become a well adjusted adult if they are clinging to the memories of their potty training. Most adults do not even have any recollection of the potty training techniques that were used by their parents.
Many new parents find themselves afraid to parent their children because they feel they will scar them for life. If they use the simple techniques of correcting undesirable behavior and present consistent guidance, their children will have the desired behaviors. You do not need to listen to the experts to have a well adjusted child; you need to listen to your child.
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