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In studies being conducted by UC Davis, breast milk sugars that cannot be digested are shown to play a vital role in your baby’s health.

This large part of breast milk has been debated for years as to its usefulness. Some have said it plays no role.

But now we are finding different. Since your baby is born with very little in an immune system, your baby needs help in maintaining health. These sugars come to the rescue.

The human body has no way of breaking down these complex sugars. As a result, scientists have been puzzled why they are there. Now they have zeroed in on their effect. These bacterium attract the bad guys. That is, viruses and other toxins that would normally be attracted to other bacteria are going for the breast milk sugars and excreted. These sugars act as a protective coating in the intestines.

This is just one more reason to breastfeed. When your baby breastfeeds, you are acting as a natural flusher of toxins. It’s not just a little. More than 20% of breast milk has these fighting sugars that promote good bacteria.

What more great things are yet to be discovered about breast milk?

Remember, breastfeeding is the best thing for your baby!

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Are you a new mother with no experience with babies? Don’t panic. Most is instinct and be sure and have good conversations with your pediatrician. Don’t think that you will be an expert or even need to be. You just need to get to know your baby. Here are some ways that you can tell if your newborn is coming along fine. *Remember: These are only guidelines and not medical advice. Be sure and get into a good relationship with your baby’s doctor and converse often!

You do need to know if your baby is being fed enough. You judge this by having your baby weighed and make sure it is gaining weight as appropriate. New babies will often lose some weight in the first few hours. But your baby’s doctor or nurse will know how well your baby is gaining weight. You can generally judge if they are eating good by counting the number of soiled diapers. If you are making about 8 to 10 changes a day, you are on track. Also, remember that your baby may experience periods of bigger and smaller growth.

Your baby was in your womb for 9 months and has gotten to know your voice. If your voice has a soothing effect on your baby, that’s good! Hearing you and being in warm skin to skin contact is valuable. Your baby should calm down quickly during this time, but remember babies cry for a variety of reasons. Overall, your voice and touch should calm him.

How active is your baby? Does it sleep all day with hardly any awake time? Your baby should be very alert a few times a day. This will develop eye control and stimulate their minds. Quietly alert is what you want to see, at least by age 1 month. Your baby will get more and more alert often.

Can you get your baby to react to sounds from different directions. Does your baby move or shift its eyes when you turn on music? Sounds that you might not like are probably more preferable to your baby. Like the vacuum cleaner! Your baby should give some reaction to sounds.

Does your baby make eye contact with you and strangers? Even smile while doing so? Even giggling or making cooing sounds. This is normal. Your baby is learning to socialize.

See if you can get your baby to follow the movements of a toy in your hand. Is there something moving, like a curtain in the wind, and your baby is content just to watch it? Bright colors are really good for stimulation.

You may not believe it, but soon your baby will be sleeping more at night. But don’t look for quick miracles. Generally by age 4 months, babies are sleeping longer at night. You can actually do a little control of that. Get your baby on a schedule. Talk with your doctor about this. Your baby should not be waking up at odd hours that are different each night.

By 1 month your baby should be able to hold its head up on its own. Certainly by 3 months they should have some control over head movements. Putting your baby on their stomachs can get them trying and learning more. They will practice rolling and sitting up.

Now remember, these are only guidelines. You need to take your baby to your clinic or doctor as often as your doctor suggests. Be sure and take the time to talk to your doctor about any concerns you have.

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The JAMA has reported that maybe some food allergies are non existent. That people are telling and convincing their doctors that they have food allergies, but after testing, not really.

For years, we have told mothers to not give certain foods to their babies until the appropriate age.

Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend delaying the introduction of foods that may be more allergic than others.

A recent Finnish study points to the delay as actually increasing an allergic risk. When eggs and other things were withheld, the children showed an increase sensitivity to these foods.

Bottom line, unless your child shows a real allergy or reaction to foods, go ahead and start them out.

When to wean your baby.

Get more information on when and how to introduce foods.

Summer is approaching, even now the weather and sun are heating up. Up to 40 infants die each year in cars left in the sun. In even 80 degree weather, a car left in the sun can reach dangerous heat levels inside in a matter of minutes. Don’t be one of those who have this tragedy happen to them.

Never leave your baby unattended in car for any reason. Sounds simple. But without thinking, rare cases show up where someone just “forgot.”

There are many reasons. People get into habits, then one day they drive the baby or child to daycare or shopping. Because they normally don’t have a baby in the car when they do this, they forget.

Some have even gone to work, forgetting the baby in the backseat because they don’t normally drop the child off.

Let’s look at some tips to avoid leaving your baby or toddler in a car.

If your child attends daycare, tell the care giver to call you or someone else on days your child does not show up.

Phone or email each morning to your partner, or friend, a small note that tells how the morning went and whether the baby was dropped off in the usual spot.

Whenever you have your baby or toddler in the carseat in back, put a needed item next to them that you know you will need. This can be a wallet, cell phone, purse, ANYTHING that you must get before leaving the car.

It sounds so simple. Not leaving your child in the car. But with our busy lives, sometimes, maybe, perhaps, you just have a brain freeze and leave your baby behind.

Don’t let this happen to you!

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The CPSC has recalled some baby slings.

This is a follow up post on baby sling safety.

You may think a baby sling is a good way for you to bond with your baby. And it is. But if your baby is under 4 months old, you really need to be very cautious. Make sure your baby’s nose and mouth are not pressed up against you or the fabric. Having your baby’s head fall down on it’s chest is dangerous as well.

Before you use or buy a sling, talk things over with your doctor. Your doctor will tell you weather your baby is weak or strong, and whether a sling should be used.

Your baby’s face should be visible to at all times. If you look down, the complete face should show. Nothing should be covered by the fabric of the sling.

Talk about positions with your doctor. If you are breastfeeding with the sling, be sure and reposition your baby’s head so that it is facing up and nothing is covering the face.

>>Backup power supply in a disaster.

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The rough weather season is coming up. Rain, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, even normal summer blackouts can zap your electricity source.

This can have health care repurcussions.

First and foremost is your food supply. Your refrigerator is where you store a lot of perishable food items. You may even have frozen breast milk, formula, or other baby food that can spoil.

You might also need to keep medications cold.

Remember, when the power goes out, caring for your baby becomes a challenge. You need lights, fans for cooling, and heaters for keeping warm. You need to think about things like this especially if you live in an area prone to harsh weather that can knock out your power.

Most people don’t think about this until it’s too late. Then 2 to 3 days without power begins to get dangerous.

Think of the things that use electricity. Your computer, your garage door, your alarms, many things you don’t think about until they don’t work.

Candles and oil lamps can be dangerous. You certainly would not want to risk burning your baby.

Not just babies are at risk. If you have medical devices that use electricity that you rely on, you could be in peril of the power goes out.

The best you can do for you, your baby, and your family, is to be prepared. Have a plan. Have flashlights in strategic places. Follow the weather. If you know a tornado, flood, hurricane or other disruption can affect your electricity, you need to take action to limit the effect.

A backup electricity power supply is the best solution.

If you live in an area where the power goes down a lot, you need a standby by generator that will come on automatically. Even if you don’t live in such an area, and you rely on a lot of electric appliances, you should consider this as well. Stand alone generators will power more of your house than a portable generator. A portable generator is an option as well. It will be enough to power needed appliances like some lights and especially a refrigerator.

Always get a qualified electrician to hook the system up. You must use the generator properly.

>>Learn more about back up power supplies from generators.

After about 2 months, it will be easier to care for your baby. The first few weeks can be rough. It also is hard to understand everything your baby wants and does. Believe it or not your baby will sleep longer eventually.

Speaking of sleep, you can get more sleep at night from your baby if you make him more active during the day. Find some fun activities that you can do with your baby to exercise him and you at the same time.

But don’t expect a baby to sleep through the night. It is actually normal and healthy for your baby to wake up. Remember, they need to eat and have their diapers changed!

Newborns are more likely to wake up easily after falling asleep. You may have noticed then when your baby falls asleep and you try and move them. If you wait about a half hour to move your baby or put them down, they may be in a deeper sleep.

There are many reasons why your baby cries. Not just because they are hungry. They may be tired, have a dirty diaper, needs some quiet time. Make your baby as comfortable as possible, at all times. Try and keep your baby from crying, rather than stop crying.

Many babies will continue to cry no matter what you do. Your baby may need to just be calmed by you doing something over and over. Like rocking, singing song, putting the baby close to you. Keep the same thing going.

The journal Pediatrics has just announced the results of an analysis they have done on some benefits of breastfeeding.

The journal reports that if 90% of American women breastfed their babies, then up to 900 babies would be saved from death. This benefit of breastfeeding results from doing it for at least the first six months.

Since health care costs are in the news, breastfeeding also saves money. No money for formula. Also, because this study also reiterates that common childhood diseases are less likely in breastfed babies, the cost of treating those diseases would disappear.

The Pediatric journal also calculated that the cost of not breastfeeding is upwards of $13 billion a year.

So, if you are a pregnant mother, mostly healthy, there really is no reason for you to no breastfeed.

Many women think it is too hard or too complicated. Or, just takes too much time. But breastfeeding is natural. Women have been doing it since the beginning of time. What ever did we do without formula? Formula has not been around forever.

If more families did a calculation on the cost of formula for six months, the cost would seem staggering. Did you know that diaper changes are easier too? How much do you think diapers are going to cost?

The number one reason to breastfeed is that breast milk is the BEST food you could ever give your baby.

Why would you want to do anything less?

>Read how to prepare to breastfeed if you are wavering.

>Read the Top 10 reasons to breastfeed.

>>More breastfeeding articles.
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>>How to be a teacher and get a teaching job.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission warned mothers about using baby slings. These are over the shoulder slings. Three babies have suffocated.

The baby slings in question are from the company Infantino under the brands of SlingRider and Wendy Bellissimo. Some slings were already recalled and people are told not to use them anymore.

If you turn your sling back in, you can receive a free replacement product.

Babies have weak neck muscles and cannot put themselves into a better breathing position of they get forced against the mother’s body.

If you use a baby sling, you really need to be careful how your baby’s face and head are at all times.

These particular slings caused the baby to curl up in a position that made it even harder to control the face.

These slings were sold at stores like walmart and target.

You can call Infantino at (866) 860-1361 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.infantino.com.

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