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Below is a list of tips that have appeared on Your Baby Today home page since the program began. Tips are updated on this page on a weekly basis.
- Before you buy new baby clothes, check the label to make sure they are flame retardant.
- Buy a car seat in advance. Most hospitals won't let you leave with a new baby unless you can prove you own one.
- If you're using cloth diapers, you'll need to stock up with at least 3 dozen diapers and three pairs of plastic pants.
- To prevent diaper rash, buy disposable diapers that don't let plastic touch your baby's skin.
- In the kitchen, make sure you keep the baby's highchair at least two feet away from the stove and countertops.
- Play verbal games with your baby. Smack your lips and make silly noises to encourage her to imitate your sounds.
- When you baby starts to babble, echo the sounds he makes to develop his language skills.
- Babies love to play peek-a-boo. Look for ways to bring this game into your daily routine: hide behind a diaper at the changing table or a towel at bath time. Even your own hands work like magic.
- Appeal to your baby's developing senses. Experiment with toys and household objects, like tin foil, that have interesting sounds and textures.
- Newborns can't see colors at first, so look for toys with black and white contrast. They also like shiny objects and mirrors.
- Baby powder can irritate an infant's lungs and cause breathing problems. Use ointment to prevent diaper rash.
- Insect repellents, even the natural formulas, can be bad for your baby's health. Instead, cover up your child with long-sleeves and pants. Only use small amounts of repellent on the other exposed areas.
- Don't take your baby out of the car seat to breastfeed, even for a few minutes, while taking a car trip. Take the time to pull over and prevent any accidents before they happen.
- If your newborn develops cradle cap, rub some baby oil onto her head before shampooing to loosen the dry skin flakes.
- Before you bring your newborn home from the hospital, make sure the baby is screened for hearing loss. Early detection can prevent language problems later.
- If your infant is slouching in the car seat, stuff some diapers or rolled blankets along the sides and between the baby's legs for a snug fit.
- It's a good idea to buy duplicates of your child's favorite stuffed animal or blanket. That way, you can avoid tantrums when you need to repair or wash it.
- Don't let your baby fall asleep with a pacifier because she may wake up and start crying if it falls out.
- If you're having trouble getting pregnant, try waiting a few months. Studies have shown men tend to have higher sperm counts in the fall.
- Read to your children even when they are too young to understand the words, or old enough to read by themselves. That special time between parent and child is especially effective at bedtime. It also helps develop a love of reading and warm memories that will be long remembered.
- To reduce resentment of a new baby, an older sibling should be given the privileges of being more established in the family, even if it's only a 15-minute later bedtime, a special storytime, or an activity that the new baby is too young to participate in.
- Talk in complete sentences early on to your infant. They will respond to your tone of voice and eventually understand what you're saying.
- Praise for good actions is more effective than punishment for wrong doing. Constantly yelling at and telling your children what they shouldn't do soon becomes ineffective. They stop listening to you!
- Ignoring is the best cure for tantrums in children. Follow up with loving attention when they stop screaming.
- Never use a heating pad for an infant or young child.
- For earaches in children, put a few drops of warm - not hot! - cooking oil in ear.
- Always give children lots of fluids when they have a fever.
- Take your regular vitamins, including folic acid, while trying to become pregnant.
- Let older children help care for your new baby, even if it takes longer, so they can bond with their new sibling.
- Keep a small plastic bag with wipes and a spare diaper in your purse so you can be prepared for emergencies without lugging the entire diaper bag.
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