So you know what and how to feed your baby, how to change their diaper, and how to take care of them. But a baby’s needs go way beyond just the physical kind. Here’s how to take care of your baby on the emotional level, and to make sure they grow up both healthy and happy.

Face Watching

Just like most fully grown people, a baby can express different kinds of emotions through their cries and their facial expressions. A sensitive parent will be able to tell the difference between different types of crying and expressions, so keep an eye on their cute little face to read their emotions. Pay attention to how they express themselves and how they react to the world around them.

Independence

As your baby develops further, you'll have to allow them to learn how to self-soothe, or comfort themselves. The first place they’ll learn how to do this is during sleeping periods. Sometimes, your infant may cry in the middle of the night. At first, it’s normal to always check on them, but as they grow up, you’ll have to do that less and less. Provided that they are in a safe and secure environment (P.S. don't put anything in your baby's crib), you can just leave them alone. Other ways to teach them to self-soothe is by letting them pick up toys they dropped, or letting them get up on their own after falling. This will foster emotional independence in them; it teaches them that feeling bad is okay.

Playtime!

Another way to raise a happy baby is encouraging creativity and having fun! Let them play around with toys, like stacking blocks, simple puzzles, etc. The sense of creativity not only helps develop their brain, but also gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Photo from: https://cognikids.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/happy-baby-800x600.jpg

Anyone who has ever held an infant knows how small and fragile they look. Early on their necks are too weak to support their heads, and cry almost all the time. But babies are capable of more than just eating, pooping, and crying. Your little darling has a lot of hidden abilities that will be listed in this article.

Facial Reading

Your baby may not be capable of reading letters and numbers yet, but they make up for that through reading your facial expressions and body language. This is an amazing ability, considering that a baby is born with no knowledge about emotional and social cues. They learn through you and the faces you make, and they pick up on this quickly and begin to imitate.

Super Grip

If you reach your finger out to your baby, they will usually reach out and grab it, curling their fingers around yours. This is actually an evolutionary reflex that came from the time when infants would hold onto their parents while they travelled, and it’s called the palmar grasp. Babies are known to be able to support their entire body weight with this grip (WARNING: do not test this out, you can still injure your baby), something that only a handful of adults can do.

Eagle Eyes

Another ability babies have that adults don’t is their super keen eyesight. It’s well known that a person’s eyesight deteriorates as they grow older, so this shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Studies have shown that babies possess a certain hypersensitivity in their eyesight, which is why they always seem so fascinated by the world around them. So the next time your baby won’t stop looking so closely at their favorite stuffed bear, now you know why.

Interconnected Senses

Have you ever heard of synesthesia? It’s a condition that links certain senses together, like sight and smell. People with this condition can describe colors by their tastes, or textures by their sound. It’s rare in adults, but surprisingly common in infants. Scientists theorize that this is due to the high interconnectivity of the synapses in a baby’s brain, which lessen over time.

Supersonic Hearing

Have you ever seen a cat’s ears perk up when they hear a faint noise? Some animals are known for this kind of sensitive hearing, but did you know that your baby is capable of this too? Sensitive hearing is an evolutionary trait that keeps our ancestors safe and aware of their surroundings. But as we grow up, our brain learns to “prioritize” certain sounds and filter out unimportant noises.

Aqua Baby!

If you’ve ever tried taking your baby out to the pool, but are worried about them accidentally inhaling water, fret not! In the first six months of their life, babies are capable of holding their breath underwater and swimming around. This could be an evolutionary trait, but most scientists attribute this to the nine months babies spent floating around in the womb. Be careful, though. This reflex disappears after the first six months.

Healing Hands

Your baby’s been showing off superpowers before they were even born! As an infant is developing in the womb, they produce stem cells, which are cells capable of turning into specialized cells in the body. If a pregnant person is hurt, sometimes the baby will send stem cells to the injured part of the body to help heal them. Some pregnant women have been known to recover from heart attacks spontaneously because of this.

The Moral Code

Babies have been shown to have a basic sense of right and wrong. In a study at Yale University Infant Cognition Center, infants preferred the nicer of two puppets, who looked identical apart from the color of their shirts. After the two puppets did good and bad actions respectively, the babies would avoid the bad puppet and favor the good one.

Have you learned anything new about your little superhero?

Photo from: https://a.dilcdn.com/bl/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/babyzone/2013/12/LOW-SuperheroBaby-3459x2594-ts-174387570.jpg

We mommies always go the extra mile to make sure that our babies are protected from the most serious to not-so illnesses. One of the most common illnesses experienced by baby, toddlers, and preschooler is “Hand, Foot and Mouth disease” Find out what is it, how it spreads, its symptoms and diagnosis, and they ways to prevent it.

What is Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease?
Hand foot and mouth disease is a disease caused by viruses under the ​Enterovirus group. ​Enteroviruses are a genus of positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses associated with several human and mammalian diseases. Enteroviruses are named by their transmission-route through the intestine. ​It is usually common for children but an adult may also get contaminated by the disease. Although it is mild, it is quite contagious and can easily spread. This particular disease is identified with sores in the mouth, hand, and feet. It usually last up to a week only.

How does Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease Spread?
Hand-foot-and-mouth disease can easily spread. A person may get infected when come in contact with an infected person's stool, saliva and fluid from blister. It can also spread when an infected person coughs and sneezes. Direct contact with areas that have been exposed with an infected person may also cause the disease. For example a mother changed her infected daughter's' diaper, her other child may have come into contact with the area where the mother changed the diaper, that child will most like get infected if the area was not cleaned and sanitized properly.

Symptoms of Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease
A baby infected with hand-foot-and-mouth disease may show symptoms such as high fever, loss of appetite, sore throat, sores in the body particularly in the hands, feet, and inside the mouth although the sores may extend in the buttocks and neck. An infant will get irritable when infected. It usually takes a week or less for an infected person to show sign of the disease.

How is Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease Diagnose?
A doctor can diagnose this disease with a simple physical examination. The doctor will most likely take a look of the sores or blister. They would also get a sample of the stool or take a throat swab.

How is Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease Treated?
Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease usually goes away after several days even without treatment. Although there are some home remedies that are use in treating the disease.
Drinking and eating cold thing such as ice cream, juice, and popsicles helps in reducing the soreness in the throat. Acidic and spicy food should be avoided at all cost. Sometimes a doctor may also prescribe over the counter medicine such as ointments for the sores and blisters, pain killers such as ibuprofen and the likes.

How is Hand-Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevented?
Proper hygiene is the key! This particular disease can easily avoided if we make hand washing a habit. We should always wash our hands with soap and water before and after contact of the toilet. If you are a mother of an infant, you should wash your hands after changing the diaper of your child. We should also properly clean and sanitize areas and objects that we usually come into contact. Avoid coming into contact with persons infected with the disease.
 

Gastroenteritis is more than just a stomach ache. There’s more to it than meets our eyes when we see our baby is trembling. Expect to see these things on your baby:

• diarrhoea means runny, watery poo
• children need to drink plenty of fluids if they have gastro
• give small amounts of fluid often
• gastro can cause dehydration, especially in babies and young children
• watch for signs of dehydration (such as dry lips, fewer wet nappies, sunken eyes, unusual sleepiness) and take your child to see a doctor urgently if you suspect it

Be very observant on how mild or severe her symptoms can get.

Gastroenteritis​ is actually called as “Stomach Flu” -- makes sense when we say that it’s more than just a stomach ache, right?,  is an inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract. There are a lot of viruses to be blamed why your baby gets this. Let’s name them: rotavirus, adenovirus, calicivirus, and astrovirus.

Just a heads up: the following information is going to be medically inclined as this is something we really have to take seriously:

• Rotavirus is the most common cause of diarrhoeal disease among infants and young children. It is a genus of double-stranded RNA viruses in the family Reoviridae.
• Adenoviruses are medium-sized, nonenveloped viruses with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double stranded DNA genome.
• Calicivirus is a family of viruses, members of Class IV of the Baltimore scheme. They are positive-sense, single stranded RNA which is non-segmented.
• Astrovirus is a type of virus that was first discovered in 1975 using electron microscopes following an outbreak of diarrhoea in humans.

But gastroenteritis can also be caused by a potentially more serious bacterial infection, such as Salmonella, Shigella, Staphylococcus, Campylobacter, or E. coli. Still other cases are caused by parasites such as giardia.

• Salmonella is a bacterium that occurs mainly in the intestine, especially a serotype causing food poisoning food poisoning caused by infection with salmonella bacterium.
• Shigella is a genus of Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, non spore-forming, nonmotile, rod-shaped bacteria closely related to Salmonella.
• Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria. Under the microscope, they appear round, and form in grape-like clusters.
• Campylobacter is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. Campylobacter typically appear comma or s-shaped and motile.
• E. Coli or Escherichia coli is a Gram negative gammaproteobacteria commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.

Gastroenteritis is very contagious. From eating or drinking something contaminated, sharing utensils with someone who has any of those virus, to putting her hands on her mouth  even if they don’t look dirty, your baby is surely at risk! Remember that it’s possible to have the virus without showing symptoms. And even if things look clean, they may be covered with germs and bacteria, still.

So as soon as you see any signs of gastroenteritis on your baby, give your pediatrician a call right there and then. Do not wait till you find a blood on her stool.

If you notice that your newborn baby has been losing his hair on the top of his head, the side and back or going bald, just stay calm!  ​Do not freak out because hair loss in newborn is not something you should worry about (that much)!  
 
Babies often lose their hair during the first six months. This kind of hair loss is called telogen effluvium (when some stress causes hair roots to be pushed prematurely into the resting state.) Wondering why it happens? Here: Hair has a growth stage and a resting stage. The growth stage lasts about three years, and the resting stage lasts about three months. During the resting stage, the hair remains in the follicle until the new hair starts coming in. During the resting phase, a drop-off in hormone levels after birth, stress, fever, can cause a large number of hairs to stop growing all at once. The shedding begins when the next growth stage starts up about three months later. Same thing happens with new moms for the same reason.  Observe how your baby sits and sleeps as it can be a factor why your baby has bald patches. Alternate the way your baby sleeps if you notice that the bald spot is the result of your baby spending too much time in the same position. But overall speaking, if the hair loss is related to change in hormone levels, then you can’t do something about it. All you can do is to wait for the new hair locks to grow.  If breakage caused your baby's hair loss, you'll just have to treat his hair and scalp tenderly for a while until it grows back. Here are the things you can do: - Do not wash your baby’s hair everyday. And whenever you shampoo her hair, make it quick as she don’t really need it often times.  - Massage your baby’s scalp gently. Put in mind that the hair follicles might get stress when you do too-brisk scalp massage -- thus results to more hair loss and breakage.  - Avoid tight hair comb as it might snag on tangles and pull baby hair. Comb her hair with soft-bristle brush instead. - Although, colorful hairband and pretty ponytails look really adorable on your baby girl’s head, better not to put them often as it may damage her locks.  

 
If there’s a severe hair loss and your mommy instinct tells you that something’s wrong especially if it is beyond 6 months already, then go ahead and call the doctor real quick.  Your baby might be experiencing alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is a type of ​hair loss that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks ​hair follicles​ , which is where hair​ growth begins. You might be referred to a dermatologist for further evaluation. (Some children simply outgrow alopecia areata without treatment. Others — usually older children — receive medication to stimulate hair growth.

Your baby’s tooth buds started developing under his gums even while she was inside your womb. Teething is the process of breaking off the gums to make way to milk teeth or primary teeth. ​Teething usually begins around 6 months of age. But it is normal for teething to start at any time between 3 months and 12 months of age. By the time your child is about 3 years old, he or she will have all 20 primary ​teeth​.   Teething is not as easy as it looks. It’s  dreadful time for your baby. It takes a long and painful process. She’s going to need the TLC you give but with extra.  
 
These are the teething signs that you need to watch  out for:  
 
1. red and swollen gums 2. red, flushed cheeks or face 3. heavy drooling 4. gum-rubbing, biting or sucking 5. rubbing her ear on the same side as an erupting tooth 6. sleepless at night and wakeful during the day 7. not feeding as well 8. irritable and unsettled
 
 
If you may notice, there are so many possible signs, and if your little one gets to experience all these, then you can imagine how distressing that could get. Actually, teething for babies is as painful as when wisdom tooth is sprouting. Awww!
 
Of course your mother instinct is thinking of ways to soothe your baby’s painful gums. We understand that so we went ahead and researched about these things:  
 
Give your baby a massage by gently rubbing your child's gums with a clean finger or a wet gauze pad. It helps break down the gum tissues and numb the pain temporarily.  
 
Give your baby drool-ready toys. Make sure teething rings are sterilized. Put them in the fridge for a while before giving it to your baby.  If your baby is more than six months old, you could also let your baby chew on cool, soft foods such as banana and cucumber.  
 
 
 
You may also be inclined to use topical teething gels as it usually contain a local anaesthetic and an antiseptic, which work together to ease pain and prevent infection. However, if your baby's younger than four months, check with your doctor before using teething gels or other remedies. Your pedia will recommend the right gel for your baby like sugar-free gels.  Note: Only apply the right amount, use the instruction in the pack as a reference.  
 
If you are wondering if your baby can take infant paracetamol or infant ibuprofen, the answer is yes. Don't give both together unless advised by a doctor. Check the dosage information on the packet or ask your doctor or pharmacist if you're unsure how much to give your baby.  
 
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest you take your baby to his first dental exam by age 1. Through this, you can get expert advice regarding your baby’s teething process and how to take care of his primary teeth to avoid further cavities.  
 
And if all else fails, go with the extra cuddling! :)

Alright. To begin with, let’s be clear about one thing: colic is not a disease. Colic is present in healthy babies, even. Colic most often shows up when a baby is 2 or 3 weeks old. Those who have colic are no different from those who don’t have.

Let’s go on.

We know that all babies cry and that the levels of crying differ from one another. When a baby cries for about three hours or more on three more days a week, then she is colicky. Colic is an uncontrollable crying of baby. You may notice that the crying is louder and higher pitched than the normal crying.

You could just imagine how distressing these instances could get for both parents and baby. Such a tough thing to keep your calm. Sometimes you might give in and break down (and that’s understandable, too). But hey, that doesn’t means you’re a bad mommy!

Lots of parents have been wondering about what really is the cause of colic. Some experts believe that it is a physical release for sensitive babies. When babies can no longer handle stimulation like sights, sounds or sensation, it caused them to get agitated and cry, cry cry. Some experts believe colic is the result of an allergy to milk protein (or lactose intolerance) in formula-fed babies. Much more rarely, colic may be a reaction to specific foods in Mom's diet in breastfed babies. Either way, these allergies or sensitivity can cause tummy pain that may set off colicky behavior. Others believe that it is caused by a gassy tummy. Albeit, experts say that it is not the cause, however, it could be the consequence of prolonged crying -- allowing air to be swallowed in.

Babies normally cry when they're wet, hungry, frightened, or tired. (That’s normal!)

However, a baby with colic cries excessively, often at the same time of day. It happens usually in the late afternoon or evening when everyone just want to take a nap or good night sleep. You may notice that your colicky baby clenches his fingers, arches his back, becomes flushed, and alternately extends or pulls up his legs and passes gas as he cries. He may sometimes feel better after passing gas or having a bowel movement.

Colic tends to peak around 6 weeks, and then improves significantly between 3 and 4 months. By 4 months of age, 80 to 90 percent of infants are over colic. The remaining small percentage might take another month. Know that colic can get better on its own and you may just have to wait for the fussiness to improve on its own at 4 months or so.

And if your baby has other symptoms – like fever, vomiting, or bloody stools – call his doctor immediately as the symptoms are not due to colic.

SOURCE:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_colic-what-is-it_77.bc

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/what-is-colic#1

Worried about the pink rashes that appear on your child’s neck, face, arms, and legs? They might be suffering from the so-called Sixth Disease or baby measles which is characterized by a high fever followed by a pink-red raised or flat rash. Know all the symptoms and signs, causes, and how to prevent it for your child’s health.

Did you know that Rubeola, also known as ​measles, is a fatal disease that is caused by a virus—paramyxovirus? It is a highly contagious respiratory infection that spreads from person to person through the air when the infected person sneezed or coughed.

Symptoms
The first symptoms of being infected by this virus are usually hacking cough, extreme runny nose, high fever and red eyes. After two to four days of having these symptoms, the child may develop spots within the mouth called ​Koplik's spots which looks like little grains of white sand surrounded by a red ring and are usually found inside the cheek toward the back of the mouth (opposite the first and second upper molars). A couple of days after, a measles rash appears on your child’s face and neck down to his back and trunk, then to his arms and hands, and finally to his legs and feetcoinciding with a high fever of 104℉ or 40℃. The rash will slowly go away after a few days as it turns into a brownish color leaving the skin dry and flaky.

Who are at Risk?
The most at risk for getting measles are young children who are unvaccinated and poorly nourished, especially those who aren’t getting vitamin A. Since measles is highly contagious and spreads into the air when people breathe in or have direct contact with virus-infected fluid, those who have crowded living conditions can also put people at high risk because of measles.

Prevention
Routing measles vaccination for children is a must. Have them vaccinated according to the immunization schedule prescribed by your doctor. It is said that measles protection is part of the ​measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine (MMRV) that is given when the child is at 12 to 15 months old and get vaccinated again when they’re 4 to 6 years old. Immunization schedules should always be followed in order to provide protection for your child.

Treatment
Having baby measles has no specific medical treatment but there are some tips for to keep the fever, that’s one of the symptoms under controlled:

• Open all the windows and switch on the fan to cool down the temperature of the room.
• Wrap a cool linen cloths around your baby’s legs and arms and change it after a couple of  minutes
• Place a face flannel with ice blocks on your baby’s neck or forehead.
• Bath your baby in warm water—not cold.
• Be sure to increase your baby’s liquid intake like water and juice to prevent dehydration
• Give your child a proper dose of medicine.

Always be smart, aware and protected! Let your doctor give you the best prescription for your child’s safety.

When you see milk curds like inside the cheeks, on the roof of the mouth, on the gums, or on your baby’s tongue -- that could be a common harmless yeast infection called, thrush! Oral thrush is very common type of newborn ailments, it’s actually the second top next to common colds. Many babies get thrush in the mouth in the first few weeks or months of birth.

Yeast is present and normal part of everyone’s digestive system. Yeast organisms are part of the germs (including bacteria) that are normally found on various parts of the body and which ordinarily cause no symptoms.  It is usually kept in check by the immune system and other types of germs that also normally live in the mouth.
But when there’s an imbalance, infections set in. Due to hormonal change after birth, overgrowth of yeast may develop.

Most infants come in contact with yeast as they travel down the birth canal. Some moms and babies pass the infection back and forth. Your baby can pass thrush on to you if you're breastfeeding, resulting in a painful yeast infection on your nipples that will need a doctor's treatment. And you can trigger a case of thrush in your baby if you're breastfeeding and you develop a yeast infection on your nipples from taking antibiotics. On the other hand, some moms remain uninfected even while breastfeeding babies who have thrush — and some breastfed babies are not affected by their mother's yeast infection. Oral thrush infections can also happen if there are course of treatments with antibiotics. This is because antibiotics kills the levels of good bacteria in a baby's mouth, which allows fungus levels to increase.

It’s not easy to pinpoint what causes thrush. Some babies get oral thrush because of prolonged sucking in bottles and pacifiers, while some are not. Thrush can be very irritating but it is treatable.
If you think your baby may have thrush in the mouth, one needs to go to a doctor or health nurse to be sure, and to get advice about the treatment. The treatment may be drops or a gel which needs to be spread around the inside of the mouth, not just put on the tongue. If the baby is breastfeeding, the mother's nipples may need to be treated at the same time as the baby to prevent the infection passing back and forth.
In many cases, oral thrush in infants can disappear within two weeks and may need no treatment other than watching the progress of the mouth lesions. Because oral thrush may affect feedings, the pediatrician should still be notified if symptoms appear in an infant.

Please let us know your thoughts and experiences about oral thrush by commenting below. We would be happy to hear from you!

Sources:
Thrush in Babies. http://www.babycenter.com/0_thrush-in-babies_92.bc

Oral Thrushes in Babies. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/179069.php

Oral Thrush in Babies: http://patient.info/health/oral-thrush-in-babies

Ear infections are one of the most commonly diagnosed illnesses in children along with common colds and oral thrush. About half of babies have at least one ear infection by the time they turn 1 year old, and most have had at least one ear infection by their third birthday.

An ear infection can be caused by bacteria or a virus. It happens when fluid builds up in the area behind your baby's eardrum and then becomes infected.
Let's venture inside the middle ear to see how germs and tiny ears make such frequent contact. Normally any fluid that enters this area leaves pretty quickly through the eustachian tube, which connects the middle ear to the back of the nose and throat. But if the eustachian tube is blocked – as often happens during colds, sinus infections, even allergies – the fluid gets trapped in the middle ear. Anatomy is a contributing factor as well. A child's eustachian tubes are shorter, less angled, and floppier than an adult's, which means that both fluid and germs are more likely to get trapped in the middle ear. In addition, a child's immune system is still developing, so she has a tougher time than an adult in fighting off viruses and bacteria.
Germs like to grow in dark, warm, wet places, so a fluid-filled middle ear is the perfect breeding ground. As the infection gets worse, the inflammation in and behind the eardrum also tends to worsen, making the condition more painful.

The common symptoms of an ear infection include:

• Your baby pulls, grabs, or tugs at his ears. This could be a sign he's in pain. (Babies do pull on their ears for all kinds of reasons or for no reason at all. So if your baby seems otherwise fine, he probably doesn't have an ear infection.)
• Diarrhea or vomiting. The bug that causes the ear infection can also affect the gastrointestinal tract.
• Reduced appetite. Ear infections can cause gastrointestinal upset. They can also make it painful for your baby to swallow and chew. You may notice your baby pull away from the breast or bottle after he takes the first few sips.
• Yellow or whitish fluid draining from the ear. This doesn't happen to most babies, but it's a sure sign of infection. It also signals that a small hole has developed in the eardrum. (Don't worry – this will heal once the infection is treated.)
• Unpleasant smell. You may detect a foul odor coming from your child's ear.
• Difficulty sleeping. Lying down can make an ear infection more painful.

Your child's hearing depends on the proper vibration of the eardrum and the structures of the middle. Repeated infections can damage the eardrum, while repeated fluid accumulation dampens the vibrations, both of which interfere with hearing. That's why it's imperative to take ear infections seriously, especially when your baby is learning to talk. Periodic hearing loss can lead to speech delays or even language problems that can affect her school performance later.
Using a pacifier may increase the risk of middle ear infections in babies and young children. In one study, the incidence of ear infections was 33 percent lower in babies who didn't use pacifiers.

Please let us know your thoughts and experiences about baby’s ear infection by commenting below. We would be happy to hear from you!

Sources:
How to Tell If It's an Ear Infection
http://www.parents.com/baby/health/ear-infection/how-to-tell-if-its-an-ear-infection/
Ear infections. http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a83/ear-infections
Must-Read Guide to Babies and Ear Infections
http://www.parenting.com/article/guide-to-babies-and-ear-infections