As the saying goes, “If you don’t have your health, then you don’t have anything.” This old chestnut applies to your baby as well. Not only do you need to keep her healthy, you need to keep her properly fed, rested, etc. But sometimes, despite your best efforts, your child will get sick. When this happens, you have only two choices: tell her to “man up,” or take her to the doctor. While there is nothing wrong with a little tough love, I am going to recommend a trip to the doctor’s office in this case, or at least until your baby understands what “man up” actually means. In that light, in this chapter, you’ll learn all about the criteria that you should keep in mind when finding the right doctor for your baby. If you have already gone through the process and selected your doctor, then way to go! If you haven’t done this yet for whatever reason (your child arrived early, you procrastinated), then soldier on. I will also attempt to provide you with information concerning the vaccination of your child. I will provide some guidance on the “where” and the “what” of a usual vaccine schedule, but you and Mom will be the ones who will have to decide the “if.”
I know what you are thinking. How are you going to help select a qualified physician for your newborn when you have not taken yourself to the doctor in years? Well, I’m here to help. Keeping your newborn healthy is kind of important after all, and in addition, the doctor you select for your child will probably be one of the most important nonfamily members in your child’s life. His experience, skill, and judgment will be key in smoothing out those rough times in your child’s life when she gets sick or injured. So how do you find a good doctor?
First you will have to define some initial criteria, such as finding a list of providers covered by your insurance and how far you are willing to drive to their office. Using a doctor outside of your health insurance plan would be really expensive, and if you utilized a doctor outside your insurance coverage, why the heck do you pay all that money for insurance anyway? So first, get that list of providers in your geographic area from your insurance company. Don’t worry about the ones that might not be there; ignorance is bliss. If there is a wonderful doctor your neighbor recommends, but they aren’t covered by your insurance, don’t sweat it. There are usually a number of quality providers out there and most insurance directories will have each doctor’s qualifications listed for you.
Second, if the option is there, you will have to decide whether you are going to see a family physician, who could treat all members of the family, or a pediatrician that specializes in children. In my humble opinion as a parent, I lean toward the pediatrician. They are on top of the ever-changing medical information as it pertains specifically to children. Many times, the medical community has modified their opinion on certain treatments for specific illnesses, and your doctor is your guide. He can help keep you informed on all the latest treatments for various ailments related to your child. I would recommend asking some questions before committing, an interview of sorts. Things you may want to ask include:
Physicians come in all flavors. Some are more diagnostic experts, where they look at the various symptoms, medical history, and general health of the patient to put together the puzzle of clues to form a diagnosis. Other doctors will be more generalists, experienced in a wide variety of common children’s illnesses. You will find out that each has his or her strengths and weaknesses.
It’s worth mentioning that you should not join a group where you absolutely love your primary doctor for your child, but loathe his associate in the office. Invariably you will find that your child’s doctor is at a conference, or on vacation, or has simply decided to work part-time going forward. Guess who will be seeing your child during those times? Correct! The doctor you decided that you do not like.
Now that we covered that little wrinkle in the doctor selection process, let’s move forward. Once you have fulfilled your criteria, the next question you will need to answer is: How does your child respond to the doctor? How does she react when the doctor is in the room? A lot of this will go to the doctor’s “bedside manner.” Does he relate well to your child? Is he kind and gentle? Is your child comfortable? Does she cry uncontrollably every time the doctor comes within three feet of her? As an infant, it will be a little more difficult to tell, but as your child gets older, it will become apparent pretty quickly if your child is responding positively. Some children simply don’t feel comfortable with certain doctors. Many parents have told me tales where their child simply seems to prefer a woman doctor over her male counterpart. You need to find someone that both you and your child trust because when the vomit hits the fan, you will need someone who you have great faith in telling you what needs to be done to make your child healthy again.
Although it will be painful, shop around if you have to. When your child is sick, you do not need the added stress and annoyance of knowing you have to go see the doctor you don’t even like.
As a quick aside, there is one other key criteria I think is important when selecting a doctor for your child. I always ask if the doctor has any children of his own. Just like I advocate that your parenting book for men actually be written by a man, I like my pediatrician to have been through the fire himself. That way, he at least realizes when he is giving you unrealistic advice.
True or False: Babies double their weight in the first year of life.
False. The average baby will close to triple her birth weight in the first year. By the way, does this Onesie make me look fat?
Just as it is important to gauge your child’s reaction to the doctor, you will have to test him yourself. While asking some of the recommended questions listed above (plus any of your own), observe your potential doctor’s response. Does he seem hurried to get on to the next patient or annoyed you have an inquiring mind? If you are made to feel like your questions aren’t important or you get brushed off, it’s time to find someone else. You are the one paying the bills after all.
It is also important that you feel like the doctor is doing a thorough job. If you decide to spend quite a bit of time on WebMD, your doctor should admire your thirst for knowledge rather than be annoyed by your untrained forays into the world of medicine. If you have done extensive reading on a health topic and find that the doctor is presenting ideas that contradict what you have heard, then it is okay to ask questions. If the doctor does not want to discuss or dismisses your concerns, it’s time to either have an awkward conversation asking him if he is doing his job right (doctors just love this) or quietly move on to another provider. Quick example: I recently received an e-mail from my doctor saying no, the rumors were not true, he did not, in fact, have a substance abuse problem (true story). Luckily, this was my primary care physician and not my child’s. I didn’t really feel like digging for more information; I just called my insurance company and changed doctors. You really need to have a good comfort level and a lot of trust in these doctors. Most of the visits involve tests for ear infections or strep throat, but occasionally there will be something else going on, and you want a quality doctor who is going to know the difference between what is serious and what is not.
When you first get to the doctor’s office, you will proceed to the “Well” side of the waiting area. This will be easily determined as, on the “Sick” side, you will see kids with very visible sores and potentially vomit on the floor. I am joking here, but I always feel like a leper when I have to go on the “Sick” side, like a person who requires quarantine. Then the nice receptionist will take your insurance information, and you will be told to take your pants off and assigned a waiting area where you will wait for an extended period of time. Sorry, thinking about my upcoming physical …
You will have to check your e-mail and calendar quite a few times while waiting since you might be there for a while, but once you are called back from the waiting area to the patient area, your child will be measured and weighed. This is not like your doctor’s visits where the scales groan when they see you coming. This is to see if your child is getting proper nutrition and is progressing properly in terms of height and weight. You will see your child get ranked in terms of percentage. You will hear something like “60th percentile in height, 50 percent in weight.” This tells you where your child ranks versus infants of a similar age. So for our example, the “60th percentile in height” means that your child is taller than 59 percent of the other kids, and shorter than 40 percent of the kids. It’s the same idea for weight. In boys, these tests are an early indicator of whether they are going to be the lunch money stealer or stealee. Children will have peaks and valleys due to blips on the radar like a recent growth spurt. But eventually you will see an overall pattern emerge in where your child falls on the chart. Your doctor isn’t concerned about what specific range your child falls in, but rather that your child is seeing a healthy progression. Your doctor will monitor this information to look out for any unexpected hormone deficiency or genetic condition. A quick glance at you and your BRP will actually give you the best idea of how your child’s growth and appearance will turn out. This is because genetics is one of the major indicators of your child’s appearance.
Now, even though this is generally how your child’s appointments will go, there are a bunch of different tests and visits that you’ll have to focus on during your baby’s first year. And when you bring your bundle of joy into the office for the first time, there will be some standard procedures that will be followed. Right from the first checkup, your doctor has a lot to cover with you and your child. The doctor has so much to cover, in fact, that we are going to dedicate a whole section to it.
As with all things “Dude,” we will speak in generalities. Don’t be a stickler if your baby’s one-month appointment falls thirty-two days after his birth. It takes all of the fun out of taking your baby to the doctor, if there is any fun in it in the first place. Most health professionals recommend about six or seven doctor’s visits for your newborn during the first year. But this will be a time in your child’s development where change and growth are happening quickly. It’s important to keep donating toward your insurance deductible for the year so your doctor can monitor your child’s progress and keep him healthy.
One way your pediatrician will work to keep your baby healthy is by keeping him up to date on his vaccines. As you may know, vaccines are traditionally shots administered by injection to give your child immunity to a specific disease or virus. Most of the vaccines are given in a form that is a dead or inactive form of the strain you are being vaccinated for, and cannot infect you. The main exception to this is the nasal spray version, which may contain a weakened form of a virus (this is not given to infants). There are many stories concerning the risks of vaccines, but on a macro level, your child is 100 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to have a severe allergic reaction to a vaccine. That being said, the choice is yours. Personally, we weighed the pros and cons and decided to vaccinate all of our children. Here is an overview of the most common vaccines:
If you are not sure where you stand on the issue of having your child vaccinated, there are resources available to help you make an informed decision. Call the CDC at 1-800-232-4636 for more detailed information. The vaccines that will be given to your child during his first-year appointments are charted out in the following sections.
Now that you have done a lot of research, interviewed a ton of medical professionals, and finally selected a doctor, it is time to actually go see her. If your doctor is very popular, you may call for your baby’s first appointment and receive an appointment time weeks to months away. This is okay and happens frequently. When you finally make it in, depending on how long it has been since your child’s birth, he may get a round of vaccines (see following table). If this is the case, then expect your child to be sore and cranky for at least twenty-four hours. In addition, the doctor has to check on where the umbilical cord was connected to your child and see how the area is healing. The small portion of the cord left should fall off about one to two weeks after birth. Hopefully you have taken care of the area to prevent any complications such as infection. A check on the status of your child’s eyesight and ear function will also be performed. Your doctor will ask questions about your child’s frequency of urination and the appearance and frequency of bowel movements. No need to keep an Excel spreadsheet entitled “Baby’s BM”; a general feel for consistency will do just fine.
The doctor will then look to see how your child’s physical development is coming along. Doctors tend to obsessively weigh and measure children. This is mostly to check on how their growth is progressing, and partially because they need something to justify the costs. When he is weighed, the nurse will most likely require that your child strip down to his diaper. If you want to see how your baby should be shaping up month-by-month, check out the length and weight info in the next section.
Your doctor will need to know if your baby is eating formula or breastfeeding. If your baby is breastfeeding, your doctor may suggest vitamin D drops (formula has vitamin D in it). Feel free to discuss any concerns you have about your child, even including strategies to help your child sleep better during the night. And just a note: when they tell you to put your infant to bed “tired but awake,” they usually forget to mention “annoyed and loudly crying” will be what comes next (read more about this in Chapter 4). Deciding how to handle this is a decision that you’ll have to make with your BRP. If your child is breastfeeding, it will seem to you like the way to solve this sleeping issue will be to have Mom get up and breastfeed your child back to sleep six times a night. While this solution will leave you and the baby taken care of, Mom will suffer. So come up with a solution where both of you take on the responsibility, and both of you suffer equally. You can negotiate from there based on your individual work schedules.
One-Month Vaccines
Vaccine |
Dose Number |
Additional Information |
HepB |
dose 2 of 3 |
If you decided from the start to vaccinate your child, then they received their first dose of HepB at the hospital after birth. Here at the one-month visit, they usually receive the 2nd of three doses (if not, then they should at the two-month visit). |
For this doctor’s visit, there will be just a few changes. The length/weight measurement will be repeated, and if your child is developing any symptoms of a flat spot on his head, now is the time to do something about it. The doctor will also check your child visually and address any possible issues such as cradle cap or severe diaper rash.
Two-Month Vaccines
| Vaccine | Dose Number | Additional |
| RV | dose 1 of 3 | There are two versions of this vaccine: Rotateq and Rotarix. Please discuss which one is right for your child with your child’s pediatrician. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) states that the vaccination is 85–95 percent effective in preventing Rotavirus in children. |
| DTaP | dose 1 of 5 | The CDC recommends that adults receive this every ten years. Are you up to date? |
| Hib | dose 1 of 4 | Hib bacteria (Haemophilus influenzae type b) can cause infections in the throat or lungs that make breathing difficult. Luckily, diseases caused by Hib are vaccine preventable. |
| PCV | dose 1 of 4 | Common reactions to this vaccine include swelling and tenderness at the vaccinated area for one in three of those vaccinated. One in three also run a low grade fever. In the rare case that your child has a severe reaction (high fever, confusion, etc.) contact your doctor immediately. |
| IPV | dose 1 of 4 | This vaccine usually will cause soreness at the site of the vaccination. There is a low chance of serious side effects. If your child experiences any reactions that seem out of the ordinary or extreme, call your doctor immediately. |
By now you are seeing a pattern. The doctor will want to make sure all of the basics are on schedule. This means more length, weight, eyesight, and hearing tests and questions concerning your child’s sleep schedule and bathroom habits. Hopefully these things are all well and good. As parents who are probably doing a good job hovering over your baby, you will most likely notice if something is amiss. You’ll also receive more advice concerning either constipation or diarrhea, and treatment for any (hopefully) minor health issues that your baby may have (colds, etc.). At both of these appointments, your child will get another round of vaccines, most likely DTaP, Hib, polio, and rotavirus.
Four- and Six-Month Vaccines
Vaccine |
Dose Number |
When Given |
Additional |
RV |
doses 2 and 3 of 3 |
Given at both the 4- and 6-month appts. |
|
DTaP |
doses 2 and 3 of 5 |
Given at both the 4- and 6-month appts. |
This schedule can seem confusing because if the 4th dose is administered after age four, then no fifth dose is needed. Your healthcare provider will help you, but you should keep track of this. |
Hib |
doses 2 and 3 of 4 |
Given at both the 4- and 6-month appts. |
|
PCV |
doses 2 and 3 of 4 |
Given at both the 4- and 6-month appts. |
|
IPV |
doses 2 and 3 of 4 |
Given at both the 4- and 6-month appts. |
This can be administered between six and eighteen months of age. The fourth dose is administered between 4–6 years of age. |
HepB |
dose 3 of 3 |
Given at the 6-month appt. |
This last dose can be administered between months 6 and 18. Please consult your doctor. |
Influenza |
Given at the 6-month appt. |
If your child is between 6 months old and 8 years of age, then the CDC recommends that this vaccine be administered in two doses at least four weeks apart. After the first time, it is recommended annually, and will be a single dose. |
Do vaccines cause autism?
No. Autism is on the rise, and symptoms often begin around the time period in a child’s life when he receives vaccines. The group Autism Speaks has released a statement supporting vaccination.
These appointments have many similarities, so I’ve grouped them together. In addition to establishing a growth pattern, your child will possibly be finishing up a last round of vaccines depending on which type and when the cycle began. Your doctor will want to discuss and test eyesight and hearing to assure normal development. Most babies this age will sleep around 10–12 hours at night and take a nap for a couple hours during the daytime. Your child should be eating some solids at this age, and may possibly sprout some teeth. Surely, your kid’s first steak is not far away! Your child should be pulling up, potentially standing, and walking. If not, don’t hire a “mobility coach” just yet. The majority of children end up developing along the same arc, but they may hit certain milestones at different times. One of the huge and fun milestones you may be ready for is the start of your child talking. An exciting “Mama” or “Dada” may slip out as soon as six months, and this will gradually build to two-to-three-word sentences around 18–24 months. These are averages, so please don’t panic if your child is a few weeks off these times. Just make sure you get equal coaching time to give “Dada” an equal chance of being the first word.
Twelve-Month Vaccines
Vaccine |
Dose Number |
When Given |
Additional |
Hib |
dose 4 of 4 |
Given at the 12-month appt. |
This dose can be administered anywhere between 12–18 months, according to the CDC. |
PCV |
dose 4 of 4 |
Given at the 12-month appt. |
This final dose of PCV can also be given between 12–18 months. |
MMR |
dose 1 of 2 |
Given at the 12-month appt. |
This is your child’s first MMR. It is recommended between 12 and 18 months of age. The second dose is administered between 4 and 6 years of age. |
Varicella |
dose 1 of 2 |
Given at the 12-month appt. |
As with several of the vaccines at this time, it is given between 12–18 months. The second dose is administered between 4 and 6 years of age. |
HepA |
dose 1 of 1 |
Given at the 12-month appt. |
Potential mild side effects include soreness at the site of the vaccination, and headache. Severe reactions can include high fever, weakness, or breathing difficulty; immediately contact your doctor if these symptoms occur. |
Note: There are really not any vaccines scheduled for the nine-month appointment unless you and your doctor decided to wait to administer one of the vaccines scheduled at six months (HepB, IPV, or Influenza).
But just what constitutes fast? As we discussed in “Playing the Percentages,” your child’s height and weight will be put to the test when he is measured and weighed at his checkups at the doctor’s office. The important thing to remember is that your baby’s growth is not a contest, more of an indication of health. Your baby will usually grow in spurts, and you may notice his appetite increase around the times he is experiencing his growth spurt. There is really not a magic number for length or weight at any certain age; it’s only important that your child keeps going at a steady pace. You should eventually see a pattern emerge as your child gravitates toward his target percentage.
Now, America, at its heart, is a bottom-line type of country, so I’m sure you’re saying, “Enough hemming and hawing, dammit! What are the averages?” Well, let me tease you just a little longer with a couple “rules of thumb,” averages, or guidelines that generally hold true. Babies will on average gain right around two pounds per month for the first few months. A baby can and often will double his birth weight by four to five months, and quadruple his birth weight by age two. It is pretty accurate, and helps iron out the starts and stops in growth and weight gain that are so closely scrutinized in these early months. Okay, right now there are many attorneys, CPAs, and other “type A” personalities who are ready to pull their hair out. So let us reveal some of the concrete averages that these bottom-liners are so thirsty for:
Sex |
Length |
Weight |
|
For age 3–6 months: |
Boys |
25.5 inches |
16 lbs |
Girls |
24.5 inches |
14.5 lbs |
|
For age 6–9 months: |
Boys |
27.5 inches |
19.75 lbs |
Girls |
26.75 inches |
18.5 lbs |
|
For age 9–12 months: |
Boys |
29.75 inches |
22.5 lbs |
Girls |
28.75 inches |
20.5 lbs |
Before you strap Junior to the stretching rack or sneak him protein shakes to beef up his stats for the scouting combine, you should know that genetics (height and weight of parents, relatives, etc.) are considered the largest influence on physical appearance, including height and weight. When two short parents have a tall child, there is often height “in the genes,” meaning you can find other tall relatives somewhere in the family tree. Then again, scientists readily admit that genetics is only one of the factors that determines the final physical characteristics of people.
The important thing here is to use this chart as a guideline, and treat your child as an individual. Up until around 2000, the data on these height and weight charts were from back in 1977 and based on a limited survey of babies born in Yellow Springs, Ohio. This study was only conducted using bottle-fed Caucasian children from the 1920s to the mid-1970s. Although this sounds like something I made up, it is true. Doctors finally received more updated charts around the turn of the century. What the trends are showing is that babies are bigger in general, and kids are growing taller than in the past. The thought is that this is mainly due to the more advanced pregnancy knowledge we have obtained, the wider availability of nutritious foods, and advancements in what we now know about nutrition and the body.
In addition to all the issues that your baby’s pediatrician will check for during the monthly visits — including how your baby is progressing along the weight chart — there may be other mild health concerns brewing as well. There could be some cradle cap, which can manifest itself as dry skin on the head that almost looks like dandruff, and usually (hopefully) goes away after about six months. You also need to keep that diaper fresh, or some diaper rash will develop. And if you are thinking that Junior has kind of a flat head, but shucks, he’s just too cute to say anything, go ahead and speak up. Your baby could develop flat head syndrome (doctor-types call it plagiocephaly) from consistently putting pressure on one spot of your child’s still hardening skull. Since the early 1990s, when doctors began recommending placing children on their back to sleep to reduce the chance of SIDS, the cases of flat head syndrome has increased almost by a factor of five. This health issue has lots of different scenarios and, in truth, is best left for your doctor to tackle. The main long-term problem with this is, well, your child will have a misshapen head! Diligence matters on this one, as the younger your child is when this condition is discovered, the easier it can be to correct due to the flexibility in your child’s still-soft head.
Now there is another health issue that arises with some newborns as soon as couple of weeks after birth. If you’ve spotted red bumps on your precious child, there’s a good chance that he could have, wait for it, “bacne.” By “bacne,” I am not referring to the gross version of back acne that’s usually found on men; rather I am speaking to “baby acne.” Yes, babies do in fact get acne, often on their cheeks, forehead, or even, yes, on their back. I bring it up here to have the ability to write the word “bacne” several times, and actually for a legitimate reason. Acne on your child that looks more like a rash or is more scaly than pimply may point to other conditions such as eczema or the aforementioned cradle cap. With parental experience you will start to have the superhuman ability to identify each of these, so don’t worry if it sounds confusing.
These are some of the most common and easily fixed health problems your baby may face. There are more serious conditions and illnesses that you may encounter, and you should know a little about each to be ready if they should occur.
Hopefully in these early months, you will be limited to nothing more severe than skin rashes, constipation, or dehydration. These are all fairly common and treatment is quick and painless. However, if your baby has colic, I feel for you and your already ruined sleep schedule. Good luck! But as far as fighting the common illnesses like colds that babies frequently catch, here are a few tips to help keep Junior relatively germ-free:
Invariably, despite your best efforts, your child will get sick. It is simply a fact of life. The hope is that she only has to deal with the less serious illnesses that are out there. When these garden-variety ones strike, it pays to know a little about them to know when you are up against something common, or something more nefarious. Here are a few of the semi-common illnesses your child may experience — even though you’ve probably never heard of them before:
Thankfully, advances in medicine have made many of the health concerns for young children a thing of the past. Conditions like scarlet fever, whooping cough, and others are either avoided with a vaccine or are easily treatable with antibiotics.
Little bodies like those belonging to our babies are sometimes not running quite up to the factory specs. That is to say, sometimes there are minor problems they experience once they come off the assembly line. Colic, unfortunately, is one of those problems. In a game of “Would you rather …” parents of colicky babies choose the hot fireplace poker inserted into their eye every time over having to go through their child having colic again.
So what is colic? Colic is a condition in your child’s digestive track that causes long bouts of uncontrolled crying. It usually presents itself within the first three weeks of your child’s life and, unfortunately, its cause or causes remain shrouded in mystery. Sound a little vague? Well, to add to the frustration of this illness, there is really not a single consistent cause of colic, just educated theories. The best theories are that there is a problem in the child’s digestive system that doesn’t allow for normal digestion. This causes bloating, gas pains, and intestinal pains in your child. In turn, he cries. A lot. These periods of crying often interfere with the baby’s sleep schedule, causing further distress and more crying. This doesn’t make things easy on you either, and neither you, your BRP, nor your baby’s favorite blanket has the power to console him.
There is some evidence that overstimulation of a colicky child will possibly agitate the condition, as will overfeeding or any number of other causes. As we noted, there really is not a single defined cause, but doctors know it when they see it. The only saving grace to the condition is that your child’s body will usually take matters into its own hands and heal itself. Most children will outgrow the condition by three to four months of age. So find that super kind grandparent who is a glutton for punishment, and take a night to yourselves.
Who is better at changing diapers, men or women?
Men! A study showed that men clocked in a faster average time to change their child’s diaper. So whether it’s our large, rippling muscles that allow for this, or our pretending we are part of a NASCAR pit crew, it is one area we can claim victory in the battle of the sexes. The bad news is that our reward is changing all of the diapers.
In simpler times, like say, the 1980s, we didn’t seem to know a lot about the world around us. Sane-minded people still smoked; corporations cared about their employees; and nobody thought much about the growing cloud of black smog that appeared above large metropolitan areas. Likewise, we didn’t seem to know a whole lot about what babies could actually see and hear. We just kind of took it all in stride. In today’s world of “no stone unturned” and a definitive answer to every question in less than three seconds, much more has been learned. But when it comes to vision and hearing problems, outward symptoms are subtle. We will cover the most common indicators of a hearing or vision issue with your child.
Gone are the days when doctors and parents alike thought babies could only see clearly seven to ten inches in front of their faces. Today we know that a baby’s eyes exit the womb ready for action, with all of the parts working and the ability to focus on objects of any distance. But for the first two months or so, your child is still perfecting her focusing talents, so her vision might not be as crystal clear as that of an adult.
True or False: Sitting too close to the TV or computer screen will damage your child’s eyesight.
False. Although too much TV isn’t great for learning, it doesn’t damage children’s eyes.
Brain development also plays a role in your baby’s eyesight. Although a baby’s eye is working close to perfectly, and all the equipment is there, the portion of her brain that translates the image is not quite developed enough yet. A couple of studies have been done and in effect, a newborn might have something comparable to 20/120 vision. By four months old, this has improved to something in the neighborhood of 20/60 vision, and by eight months of age, we have gotten to 20/30, very close to regular adult vision.
As for other common questions that you may have, here are the highlights. Yes, babies as young as two weeks of age can distinguish between colors, although at that young age subtle shades of the same color may cause some difficulty. No, there does not seem to be any one color that is “right” to use in your child’s room (or playroom); they are interested and stimulated by them all. Finally, a little research shows that your baby probably recognizes your face somewhere around three months of age, but recognizes the sound of your voice much earlier.
The most outward signs you may keep, um, a lookout for include:
Keep your eyes peeled for these symptoms, and read up on more at www.childrenseyefoundation.org.
As for your child’s hearing, there are some similarities to the way your child’s vision works. Babies hear fairly well, but not perfectly due to the fluid from the birth process that remains in your child’s middle ear, which is perfectly normal. Also preventing your child from hearing you sneak in and check on her in the middle of the night is the fact that parts of the ear are not fully developed at birth. It is due to these factors that babies respond best to higher-pitched and silly “baby talk.” So put your manly pride to the side, get in front of the mirror, and practice those ridiculous antics that both infants and those around you will find so amusing.
You may not have noticed it in all of the chaos, but most hospitals test babies’ hearing before they leave the hospital.
The most outward sign of a hearing issue is if your infant does not respond to sudden loud sounds that occur close to them. Also, if they do not respond to your voice unless you speak quite loudly, they may have a hearing issue. Please mention this to your doctor at your appointment, or even set an additional checkup for this issue if you are very concerned. Despite the myth, most hearing problems are not caused by a earwax buildup in your child’s ear. But, that doesn’t mean you can allow your child to become unwashed. Which brings us to the topic of …
Babies do not seem like they would require much hygienic upkeep. They do not have much hair, don’t sweat, and don’t have any teeth. But, since they get food and slobber on everything, they still have to be bathed. You are helping give your little slugger or ballerina a bath, aren’t you? You can put his little tub in the kitchen sink, and wash him right after you take care of the dishes. Just remember not to throw the baby out with the bathwater … sorry, it had to be said; I wanted to think of a scenario where that saying actually applied. If you are a semi-successful individual, I think you understand the basics, but it doesn’t hurt to review. His care routine looks a lot like yours, only without the razor, Rogaine, and excessive hair gel. So what are the major hygiene issues that infants face? Let’s get down and dirty with a list of baby hygiene issues:
As you’ve probably noticed, there is a lot of care and maintenance happening with your child. All the while, you need to train yourself to notice what is “normal” and what signs may indicate an issue that requires more investigation. Don’t worry; it gets easier with time.