Baby 1rst Year, What is important?!!!

What do you need to get your baby to his first birthday? Basically, he needs to be clothed and fed. He needs a place to sleep. He needs an easy way to get from one place to another and he needs a safe place to live. The care and guidance children receive during their first few years it is very important. This determines to a large extent, whether they will become loving, confident, competent young people and adults. To promote early development, parents need to know how infants grow and change. They need to know the importance of responding warmly and consistently to their baby’s need for comfort and support. Parents need to understand the value of encouraging their infants to explore, of providing good nutrition and of maintaining a child-safe environment. They also need reassurance that they are capable of being good parents.

Baby's First Year can bring fatigue, stress, anticipation, joy, bewilderment: sound familiar? These are all normal emotions you bounce through during your infant's first year of life. Although it is a wondrous time, it is also a time of uncertainty and anxiety. There is the onslaught from the relatives, the frenzy of setting up the baby's room, buying diapers, getting bedding and clothing, establishing feeding and sleeping schedules, finding time for yourself, and so much more to worry about. No need to be overwhelmed! Let Baby's First Year be your companion, to support and guide you, as you embark on this exciting journey of discovery and development with your baby.

Creating your own family special rituals now, and faithfully repeating them throughout your child's life, will provide your child with a sense of security, stability, belonging, connectedness, and pride in his family. What we refer as family rituals is " family reading, family sign along, family pumpkin picking in October, going to church on Sunday, family baby first scrap book, family tree book and other family activities that your children will enjoy, cherish and makes them feel good about themselves and family. Don't get hung up on creating the perfect rituals; instead, let them happen naturally based on what your family enjoys most.

Here are some useful tips to keep in mind:

• Bedtime: You want Baby in bed at eight o'clock or else he'll be a bear in the morning? Your mother wants to visit with the tyke while she's baby-sitting, so he'll get to bed when Grandma is ready to say goodnight to him — whether that's at nine o'clock or eleven-thirty.
• Medication: Your sister doesn't think that Baby looks sick, so she doesn't give him the antibiotic you left behind (along with specific dosing instructions). All medications most follow your doctor's or pediatrician indications all the time.
• Appropriate clothing: Your dad took Baby to the park in February without putting mittens on your child. He says it was warm enough to go without; you're checking for signs of frostbite.
• Bathtime: It's part of Baby's bedtime routine, but your parents thought that Baby looked clean enough and put him to bed without a thorough cleansing.
• Allowing pets near the child: Your aunt swears that her dog is harmless and allows the animal to sniff Baby while she holds your child.
• Hygiene issues: Your mother-in-law thinks the way you clean Baby's hands with a baby wipe before he eats is ridiculous. She lets you know that she never did that for her kids — and you know she doesn't do it for yours when he's visiting at her house without you.
• Assess: Is this issue important enough to argue over, or is it possible that you can overlook it completely — again and again?
• Plan: If it's something that isn't negotiable, think of the nicest way to tell the offender that this can't happen again.
• Lay off: You can — and should — check up on matters of importance. But after you're convinced that the issue has been resolved, there's no need for you to continue to remind your aunt to keep that dog away from Baby. She gets it.
• Find a new sitter: If things have gotten so out of control that what's happening is effectively a power struggle between you and the errant sitter, find someone else, no matter what the financial cost. Trusting the person who is caring for your child is worth every penny you shell out.

How can you keep your baby safe during this first year? Your toddler may put himself in unsafe situations as explore the world around him.

Following are ways to prevent accidents:

• Be sure to make and keep appointments with your child's caregivers for routine medical checkups and vaccinations.
• Put your baby on his back for sleeping.
• Keep all medicines, cleaning products and other household chemicals locked and out of reach. Have Syrup of Ipecac on hand for emergencies.
• Keep small objects that may cause choking away from your child. This includes food, such as hot-dogs, whole grapes, whole raw carrots, raw celery, peanuts, popcorn, chips or candy. Cut all foods into small size bites.
• Make sure your house is childproofed if you haven't already done so. Use childproof locks, safety gates, and window guards to prevent accidents and falls. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are also important.
• Keep matches, cigarette lighters, and guns locked and out of reach.
• Never leave your child home alone. Also, never leave your baby alone in the car. The temperature inside the car can change a lot. And, never leave your toddler alone near water.
• Never leave your baby alone up high like on a changing table, the couch, a chair, or the bed. Always keep a hand on your baby and never walk away when your baby is on a high place.
• Do not use walkers. They are dangerous and have caused serious injuries and even death when they fall down stairs.
• Continue to use approved car seats correctly. Put the car seat in the back seat of the car and face it forward. Never put your child in a front seat with a safety airbag. Many parents stop putting their child in an infant car seat too soon. Ask caregivers for the Care-Note on using car seats. Also ask for information on when your child no longer needs an infant car seat. Or, call the Department of Transportation for free information at 1 (800) 424-9393.
• To prevent choking, do not attach pacifiers or other objects to the crib or body with a string or cord. Keep small objects away from your baby. This includes toys or stuff animals that have small breakaway parts. Baby's can suffocate if they play with plastic bags. Never leave plastic bags or wrappings where your baby can reach them.
• Always keep your baby in a smoke-free area. Do not allow people to smoke around your baby.
• To prevent burns, do not hold your baby when smoking, drink hot liquids or when cooking. Do not heat formula or breast milk in the microwave. Your baby skin is also very sensitive to the sun. Keep your baby out of direct sunlight to prevent sunburn.
• Check the water temperature before putting your child in the tub. Have your water heater set to less than 120° F to lessen the chance of an accidental burning. Never leave your baby alone in the water. Do not leave your baby to answer the phone or doorbell. Either let it ring or wrap your baby in a towel and take your baby with you.
• Keep anyone with a cough, cold, or infectious disease (spreadable illness) away from your newborn.
• Call your pediatrician-caregivers if your baby seems sick. Fever, refusing to eat, vomiting (throwing up), or diarrhea (runny, watery BMs) are good reasons to call. Also call if your baby is more fussy or quieter than usual or looks jaundiced (yellow skin and eyes).
• And, call your baby's caregiver-pediatrician if you are worried or have questions about your baby's growth or development.

What this comes down to in the end is a matter of respect — for your parenting skills and for your position of authority as this child's parent. No one should blatantly flout your rules.