 When
is my baby ready to.....? Part 2
As babies still don't come with instructions parents naturally have
zillions of questions born out of curiousity or concern. At babyworld
we know exactly how you feel. In the second part of a new series we
aim to answer your top questions about babies and make parenting that
little bit easier for you!
When is my baby ready to…
go
to Part 3 for more baby Q&A
…stop sucking his thumb/dummy?
Professor L. MacDonald, a dentist at the University of Manitoba, Canada, says "Thumb-sucking or finger-sucking is a habit that occurs with many infants. Your child will usually give it up naturally by the age of four."
Speech therapist Nadine Arditti believes that it's okay to resort to a dummy - providing you use it selectively and sensibly. "See the dummy as a short-term life-saver, not a long-term habit or solution. Wean your baby off his dummy as soon as possible, certainly by 10 to 12 months."
And Health Visitor Debbie Honer, says "I always suggest that if a baby needs
a dummy, then give them one, but only give it when necessary and take
it away at around six months of age. Babies have no long-term memory before
this age and will quickly forget that they have ever had a dummy."
Prof MacDonald, Dentist, Nadine Arditti, Speech Therapist , Debbie
Honer, Health Visitor
…roll?
Babies learn to roll months before they can crawl. Some babies begin
to roll from back to side during the third month, and most can roll over
by the sixth month. However, some babies who are not so physically adventurous
do not seem to roll at all.
Dr Jo Lee
…remember things?
Your baby's first sign of 'memory' shows at birth when he can recognise your voice or, if you are breastfeeding, your smell.
By 9 months he can remember more specific things such as where his room is.
Between 14 and 18 months you baby will develop long-lasting, conscious memory (often what adults refer to as their 'earliest memory').
Judith A. Hudson, a child development expert and co-editor of Knowing and Remembering
in Young Children, says "Your baby's recognition memory - the ability
to identify people and objects he has seen before after a delay or time
apart - will increase dramatically during his first year."
Judith A Hudson, child development expert
…eat honey?
The Food Standards Agency say, "Don't give honey to your baby until he or she is a year old. This is because, very occasionally, honey can contain a type of bacteria that can produce toxins in a baby's intestines. This can cause serious illness (infant botulism). After a baby is a year old, the intestine has matured and the bacteria can't grow."
The British Honey Importers and Packers Association has advised its members to say on honey labels that honey should not be given to babies under 12 months.
Food Standards Agency
…have dairy products?
Dr Rebecca Unger is a paediatrician specialising in nutrition. She says,
"Although cow's milk isn't recommended until your baby is one year old,
it's okay for him to eat small quantities of dairy, such as yogurt and
cheese from 6 months old."
Dr Rebecca Unger, Paediatrician
…go in a babywalker or bouncer?
Baby walkers have been discouraged by health visitors, paediatricians and physiotherapists for many years. They do not help your baby to walk, as many parents believe. In fact, they can slow the whole process down.
Baby bouncers on the other hand are fine. They can help to strengthen neck and back muscles and in most cases babies do not spend too long in them at any one time. Your baby can go in a bouncer once he is able to support his head satisfactorily, usually at about 4 months old.
Debbie Honer, Health Visitor
…use Karvol or decongestant creams?
Using Karvol is not recommended in babies less than three months of age. Strong aromatic decongestants can be an irritant to delicate mucous membranes.
Babies have such narrow nasal passages that they easily suffer with blocked noses when they have a cold. Usually the blocked nose clears gradually when they feed and if this is the case then it is best to avoid using anything at all. If feeding is a real problem because of a blocked nose, then saline (salt water) nose drops are safe to use and can be helpful.
Dr Jo Lee
…develop his natural eye colour?
Most Caucasian babies are born with dark blue or slate-coloured eyes; most black and Oriental infants with dark, usually brown, eyes. The eye colour of white babies may go through a number of changes before becoming set somewhere between three and six months, or even later. Since pigmentation of the iris may continue increasing during the entire first year, the depth of colour may not be clear until around the baby's first birthday.
…have their photo taken using flash photography?
Most babies have flash photos taken of them in their early weeks. While it may make them blink, there is no evidence to suggest that this might be harmful in any way.
Dr Jo Lee
…for their soft spot to close?
The small soft spot on your baby's head is what we call the fontanelle. All children have these and they are present until around the age of two years, maybe longer if your child was premature.
At birth there are usually two open soft spots, both on top of the head, one at the back and one at the front. The soft spot at the back of the head closes quite quickly, but the one at the front can stay open for a while.
Parents are often concerned about the soft spot and see it as a weakness in the skull but it actually makes your baby's head much more flexible than an adult's and so it is much stronger.
Debbie Honer, Health Visitor
Where to next?
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