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Ear infections are extremely common within babies and are usually caused by either bacteria or a virus. If your baby tugs, pulls and grabs at his ear and appears distressed, the chances are he has an ear infection.
Whilst it is one of the most common types of illness among infants there are certain steps parents can take to help prevent ear infections in infants.
Breastfeed exclusively for six months
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration in the US, conducted a recent study which concluded that babies who are breastfed exclusively for six months are less likely to pick up an ear infection than babies who are formula fed or even mixed fed. Breast milk contains antibodies that help to develop a child’s immune system, making them more able to fight infection.
Do not expose your baby to tobacco smoke
Whilst breast milk builds a baby’s immune system, tobacco smoke suppresses it, making it more difficult for an infant to fight infection and more likely to contract an ear infection. Try and keep your baby away from to tobacco smoke at all times.
Keep up to date with baby’s vaccines
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It’s a tough job looking after and bringing up a baby, every mum will tell you that. Help with the baby is more than appreciated if you are a parent, whether it is in the form of grandparents, friends or even machines.
Being well and truly immersed in the digital era where smartphones and apps are at the core, help with the baby can now be found in the pressing of a few buttons.
Check out three great apps for Mums, designed with babies in mind.
My Home – First Words Flashcards by Smart Baby Apps
If you want some help teaching your little one to talk, then My Home – First Words Flashcards could help make your task significantly easier. With over 200 brightly-coloured and well-designed picture flashcards covering ten different categories, the My Home – First Words Flashcards app is proving to be a popular choice among mums who are teaching their babies to say their first words.
My Home – First Words Flashcards by Smart Baby Apps costs $2.99 and can be downloaded at earlyapps.com.
BabySleep: Lullabies to make your baby sleep by Isayonline Services
Download this app onto your iPhone and it will play a string of soothing and gentle lullabies to help your baby nod off to sleep. Accompanying the music is a star show that mesmerises babies and also helps them to fall asleep.
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Sharing is a skill that every child has to learn, a skill that many toddlers can find difficult to grasp. This is because to a toddler, the whole world is about her.
This doesn’t mean that she is spoilt, selfish and is going to grow up a self-centred brat, but that she is simply too young to appreciate the feelings of others. This said, children can learn extremely quickly, and it is important that we teach a toddler to share as earlier on as possible.
Below are six parenting tips to teach a toddler to share:
* Explain to your toddler why it is important to share
* Teach by example and as soon as your baby reaches the age where she begins to appreciate toys, show her how important sharing is by showing that you are willing to share your things.
* If your toddler does have a tantrum or yell when she is asked to share try to refrain from shouting yourself. Shouting at young children rarely has a positive effect, often makes the situation worse and will set a bad example to your toddler.
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It is easy for parents to not realise that their children have head lice, and by the time they do actually notice, the lice and well and truly infested on a child’s head.
Head lice amongst schoolchildren and pre-school children are extremely common, and unfortunately recurring attacks are likely to occur if not all the children in a group where the breakout has occurred have their hair treated for head lice.
If left untreated what usually starts as just one or two lice, quickly multiple into many lice. Therefore treating your child’s head for lice early on is essential to limit the chances of the lice multiplying and spreading.
To kill the lice early on, it is essential that you know what head lice symptoms to look for that could mean that your child has head lice. Below is a list of signs to look out for that could mean the dreaded head lice have found their way to your family.
Itching
Head lice feed from sucking blood from the scalp, which results in an itching of the skin. Noticing that your child is scratching his head frequently is one of the most common tell-tale signs of head lice.
Itching behind the ears and on the back of the neck
Of course a child scratching his scalp may be caused by other conditions such as eczema or dandruff.
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The winter months can often mean that babies, toddlers and children are struck down by a string of coughs, colds and other illnesses.
Low iron levels in children is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in babies and children, and unfortunately, because iron helps give the immune system a boost, those babies and children with insufficient iron supplies, are more prone to colds and other illnesses.
Babies are born with approximately a six month store of iron and after this point their iron levels begin to get low.
This is one of the reasons that health experts recommend that mothers breastfeed exclusively until their baby is six months old, as after this time, the baby will require solids to help top up the amount of iron in their bodies.
Whilst it is important that babies over six months old consume a healthy supply of iron, whatever your child’s age, it is never too late to start giving them some iron-rich meals, particularly during the winter when germs and illnesses are rife.
If you are unsure which foods are a good source of iron then below are some of the best iron-rich food sources you may want to give to your baby or toddler to beat low iron levels in children.
* Eggs, particularly when cooked until both the yolk and white is solid
* Dark, green, leafy vegetables such as spinach, broccoli and peas
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