How to play with a newborn.

There are three main ways to stimulate your newborn. First, accept that adult company is the best entertainment for him and find different ways of providing it. Park his bassinet or bouncy seat near the hub of household activity, for instance, and encourage everyone to stop by for quick "chats."
Second, understand that being carried provides the perfect vantage point for your wakeful newborn. The rhythm of your movements is as good as a massage or a dance, and the panorama of life that he sees and hears as you stroll through your garden or up the street is as interesting as any movie. So find a sling or a strap-on baby carrier that's comfortable for you and that has good head support for your newborn
Finally, give your new baby lots of different things to look at. One simple way to do this is to move his crib or baby seat from one interesting spot to another. At first, he won't be able to see anything more than a foot away from him in great detail, but he'll nevertheless enjoy the delicate play of shadows your window blinds project onto a nearby wall, a bright curtain gently fluttering in the breeze, and the varied shapes and colors of a big houseplant or an outdoor tree or bush.

Babies like patterns, colors, movement provide them withese and see them stare and gaze all day long.

Credit: Penelope Leach, child psychologist

Babies and omega 3 fatty acids

"Omega 3 fatty acids are important for the baby's developing eyes and brain," says Dr. Sheila Innis, head of the nutrition and metabolism program at the Child & Family Research Institute at BC Children's Hospital, and professor, department of pediatrics, University of British Columbia.

"During pregnancy and breastfeeding, fat consumed by the mum is transferred to the developing baby and breastfed infant, and this fat is important for the baby's developing organs. Researchers found that the women who ate lots of meat and little fish were deficient in omega-3 fatty acids, and their babies didn't do as well on eye tests as babies from mothers who weren't deficient. The results were noticeable as early as two months of age. After the babies were born, researchers did vision tests to evaluate the infants' ability to distinguish lines of different widths. It's an innovative way of evaluating neurological maturity in babies who are unable to talk. Since the eyes are connected to the brain, they reflect the brain's development.
For better health, it's important for pregnant and nursing mums -- and all of us -- to eat a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, eggs, and fish while minimizing consumption of processed and prepared foods.

Credit:sciencedaily.com

Jaundice and newborns

If you are anxious that your newborn is a bit yellow or the doctors cite Jaundice, do not stress out.
"Jaundice refers literally to the yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes of babies who have high bilirubin levels in their blood. Bilirubin is a yellow pigmented chemical that is released from red blood cells.
Newborns have a higher red blood cell mass than older babies. So as those red blood cells break down, they release the bilirubin and there is more bilirubin in the blood. Newborns also have an immature liver, and the bilirubin is processed in a complex manner, but it requires the liver. So the combination of the increased red blood cell mass and the immaturity of the liver means that more is being produced and less is being excreted.
Breastfeeding jaundice is the result of the fact that mothers who exclusively breastfeed their babies do typically have a little less volume of milk to offer in the first few days as their volume of milk supply is building. These babies are slightly dehydrated and they take in slightly fewer calories than a formula-fed baby.
Phototherapy:
The way that works is it takes advantage of the fact that the bilirubin makes its way out of the blood and into the baby's skin. When the skin is exposed to a particular wavelength of light that is in the blue range of the spectrum, it transforms the bilirubin into another chemical that is harmless and easier for the baby to excrete. The phototherapy tends to be only needed for a couple of days and babies usually go home without any long-term medical concerns.
the babies get cool shades protecting their eyes.
Getting jaundice is no biggie as most babies do get it. One thing that helps is exposing the baby to natural sunlight as much as possible in the first couple of days. Remember billirubin levels are looked at using an index which factors in the babies age and weight.

Credit: cnn/health

Glass bottles are coming back!!

Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a manmade chemical used in polycarbonate plastic, the material used to make most baby bottles and other shatterproof plastic food containers. Americans are widely exposed to BPA, but opinions on its safety are mixed.

The Food and drug adminstration says current uses with food are safe. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says animal testing has shown that BPA has hormone-like effects on the reproductive system. The CDC says more study is needed to see if it could be harming people.

Some pediatricians advise families to use alternatives to polycarbonate bottles to be on the safe side.

"I can't assure parents that it's safe, and I would not use that for my own babies," said Dr. Alan Greene, a pediatrician and author of "Raising Baby Green." "There are a number of BPA free bottles, and I also love glass bottles."

As parents turn to glass, manufacturers are responding with new versions of the old-fashioned favorite.

Babies "R" Us had a dramatic increase in glass bottle sales in the spring of 2007 and current sales are more than five times what they were a year ago, the company said, without releasing figures.

Credit: By LISA A. FLAM, Associated Press Writer, Yahoo news.

Growth charts

0-36 months:
boys: length and weight
boys: head circumference
girls: length and weight
girls: head circumference

2-20 years:
boys: weight and stature
boys: bmi
girls: weight and stature
girls: bmi

Changing diapers- fun?

Might not be for you, but the baby can have fun this way.
Put up a collage of faces cut from old parenting magazines or flyers that various companies start sending you once they find out that you are having a baby. Get a $4.00 wood poster frame at Ikea and make a collage of all the faces that you can fill it with. (the bigger the faces the better- babies love faces) put it up on the wall so the baby on the changing table will be facing the collage.
Sanav loves his diaper changing time. Never made a sound even when the cold wipes were being used.