ONE MONTH OUTLINE Here is a brief look at what your One Month Virtual Office Checkup includes: Growth Features of the physical exam How to avoid a flat head Nutrition: Breastfeeding issues DHA Nighttime feedings Growth spurts Bottlefeeding Formula allergies Introducing the bottle Bowel movements Urine stream Thrush Circumcision healing Parenting and behavior: Sleep issues […]
6 Steps for Toddler Toilet Training
Toddler Toilet Training to get to Diaper Free Day Step One: Be Sure Baby is Ready Watch your baby, not the calendar, for the following toddler toilet training signs: Imitates your toileting Verbally communicates other sensations, such as hunger Understands simple requests, such as “go get ball” Begins to pull diapers off when wet or […]
Touch Benefits
Touch stimulates growth-promoting substances Healthcare providers have long known that babies who are touched a lot grow better, and now there is research to back up this observation. There seems to be a biological connection between stroking, massaging, and grooming infants and their growth. Touch stimulates growth-promoting hormones and increases the enzymes that make the […]
Learning the Right Touch
Massage is a touch you do with your baby, not to your baby. It’s an interaction, not a task. You learn which strokes your baby enjoys and, as if dancing, go with the flow of your baby’s body language. While it is nearly impossible to rub your baby the wrong way, here’s how to learn […]
Spitting Up
1. Why babies spit up. Babies spit up because they are just being babies. They gulp milk and air, and the air settles beneath the milk in the stomach. When baby’s stomach contracts, like an air gun, the stomach shoots some milk back up the esophagus, and you have sour, curdled milk on your shoulder. […]
What Mother and Baby Attachment Means
The Intimate Mother and Baby Attachment Attachment is, in a nutshell, perhaps the most important term in parenting. The close mother and baby attachment that attachment parenting produces is an amazing experience for both that allows mom to become completely in tune with baby’s needs. Baby Becomes a Part of You Mother and baby attachment […]
Milk Allergies
I worry about allergies. We have a lot of allergies in our family and I’m concerned that my child may develop milk allergies. How common are these and how do I recognize them? Milk allergies are over-diagnosed by the general population and under-diagnosed by doctors. The real incidence of milk allergies lies somewhere between the […]
Food Allergies While Breastfeeding
Research shows mixed results about whether maternal food restrictions during breastfeeding will lessen the risk of food allergies in babies. In fact, a study presented at the 1996 meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology showed a surprising result: The children of breastfeeding mothers who withheld allergenic foods from their diet later […]
Soy Formulas?
Even though around 25 percent of formula-fed American babies take some form of soy formula, we recommend that parents begin their baby on a standard cow’s milk-based formula unless advised otherwise by their doctor. Soy formulas became popular as an alternative formula in infants who are allergic to cow’s milk. Some babies are less allergic […]
How Much and How Often to Feed
A Parent’s Guide: How Often to Feed Your Baby This is a very common question we get from parents in our office: How often to feed your baby. The feeding routine may change as your baby grows. The amount and frequency of feedings will also change as the months go by. Below are general guidelines that we recommend: Between […]
The Effects of Excessive Crying
Is Excessive Crying Harmful? Science tells us that when babies cry alone and unattended, they experience panic and anxiety. When trying to understand if excessive crying is harmful for babies, think about the fact that their bodies and brains are flooded with adrenaline and cortisol stress hormones and when developing brain tissue is exposed to […]
Nursery Care Versus Rooming-in
When considering rooming-in vs. nursery care, we encourage most mothers and babies to enjoy rooming-in. Full rooming-in allows you to exercise your mothering instincts when the hormones in your body are programmed for it. In our experience, and that of others who study newborns, mothers and babies who fully practice rooming-in vs. nursery care enjoy […]