Tag: baby

Latino traditions for babies

If you're a new mom, you may be facing issues you've never faced before, from changing diapers to keeping your baby's umbilical cord stump clean. All these new situations can sometimes make you feel insecure, especially if you're surrounded by abuelitas or other expert moms who are eager to give you all kinds of contradictory advice about childrearing.

Our culture has numerous traditions that go back many generations, concerning how to care for your baby and what to do when your baby gets sick. These popular beliefs were the pillars of childcare when there was no scientific explanation for certain illnesses. Traditional practices attributed illness to a blend of physical and spiritual causes.

ScienceDaily (Nov. 2, 2011) A woman goes into labor, and gives birth. The newborn is swaddled and placed to sleep in a nearby bassinet, or taken to the hospital nursery so that the mother can rest. Despite this common practice, new research published in Biological Psychiatry provides new evidence that separating infants from their mothers is stressful to the baby.

It is standard practice in a hospital setting, particularly among Western cultures, to separate mothers and their newborns. Separation is also common for babies under medical distress or premature babies, who may be placed in an incubator. In addition, the American Academy of Pediatrics specifically recommends against co-sleeping with an infant, due to its association with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS.

ScienceDaily (Sep. 13, 2011) A new Northwestern University study provides compelling evidence that human males are biologically wired to care for their offspring, conclusively showing for the first time that fatherhood lowers a man's testosterone levels.

The effect is consistent with what is observed in many other species in which males help take care of dependent offspring. Testosterone boosts behaviors and other traits that help a male compete for a mate. After they succeed and become fathers, "mating-related" activities may conflict with the responsibilities of fatherhood, making it advantageous for the body to reduce production of the hormone.

Baby Photography TutorialHow do you get your adorable baby to smile and say cheese, when she cant say anything at all yet? In this baby photography tutorial professional photographer Nigel Barker of Americas Next Top Model has a few simple ideas to help you capture every toothless grin.

Working parents have a lot to consider when it comes to leaving their child in the care of a nanny. Will the baby be safe? Will the nanny respect our child-rearing values?
How much is this going to cost us? But most aren't prepared for a, surprisingly, common concern with regard to the nanny -- will their baby prefer the nanny to them?

Whether you're looking for a popular baby name or one that's unique, it's helpful to see what other parents are choosing. Check out our list of the top baby names of 2009, and click on names to see baby name meanings, similar names, popularity over time, and more.

Note: To capture true popularity, the exclusive baby names list combines names that sound the same but have multiple spellings (like Aden, Aiden, and Ayden).
The data comes from hundreds of thousands of parents who shared their baby's name with us in 2009.

ScienceDaily (Dec. 19, 2009) Why does a human baby need a full year before it can start walking, while a newborn foal gets up on its legs almost directly after birth?
Scientist have assumed that human motor development is unique because our brain is unusually complex and because it is particularly challenging to walk on two legs.
But now a research group at Lund University in Sweden has shown that human babies in fact start walking at the same stage in brain development as most other walking mammals, from small rodents to elephants.

It is indeed daunting to realize that once a baby arrives, not only does your laundry chore doubles, but you need to make arrangements to shield off the tender skin of our baby from harsh clothes. Fabric softeners for baby clothing then becomes a necessity.

It may be reassuring to know it is not always necessary to use a baby detergent for your baby's clothes. Because a baby detergent does not always get rid of stains and odors on your baby's clothing as you'd like, it may be better you switch to some other detergent.

If you're planning to go back to work after your baby is born, child care is a major concern. Your childcare provider will be spending a lot of time with your child, so it is critical that you be comfortable with the environment and the style of care your child will be receiving. There are several alternatives, each with pros and cons. Spend some time evaluating each option, so that you can make the choice that best suits your needs.

Ten bright blocks are ready for baby to drop into the open bucket or through the shape-sorting lid. Baby will love filling the bucket with blocks, dumping them out, then starting over again. Great for eye-hand coordination and other early skills. Then baby can move on to sorting and stacking and learning about identifying and matching shapes. Includes plastic shape-sorting box with take-anywhere handle and ten colorful blocks.