So, if you are under an impression that shoes with hard sole or tight shoes are good, rethink! Your baby’s feet need enough room to strengthen and develop. Therefore, soft sole shoes or socks are most recommended while you buy baby shoes. Following are the key points you should keep in mind while baby-shoe shopping:

• Flexible shoes: Your baby, unlike you, has weak feet muscles. He is learning to walk and stand, which means he will stumble and fall. Therefore, opt for shoes that are flexible or bendable. Bendable shoes provide space for your baby to walk and crawl effortlessly. Stiff shoes might cause injury to your baby’s feet.
• Light weight: As mentioned before, your baby has weak feet muscles and it will take time to strengthen and develop. Heavy weight shoes will lead to pains and aches in your baby’s feet. This will also affect the development of your baby’s feet. Buy light weight shoes for your baby to make him walk happily.
• Proper friction: Shoes decide how comfortable your walk can be. This applies to your baby-shoes also. Because walking is something new for your baby, he will run and walk fast. Therefore, buy shoes that are socks-like. This will help your child to move comfortably with minimum efforts.
• Flat shoes: It is advisable to buy flat shoes for your baby. Because your baby’s back and knee bones are developing, flat shoes will help avoid stress and exertion of back and knee tissues.

Above mentioned are basic tips to keep in mind, but irrespective of all these shoe-shopping guidelines, babies need maximum time to walk and crawl barefoot for fast development and walking. This will help him unforced walking easily and quickly.

Parents, especially first timers are often nervous and scared that they may do something wrong which will harm their baby. But often the most common dilemma faced by most parents is when people try to invade into their privacy. Many people feel that it is all right to visit the household of the new parents and see the new born. But this unannounced visit may not always be welcomed by the parents who may wish to spend the initial few weeks in privacy to help them bond as a family. Also the health of the new mother is not always fit, and she needs time to recoup. At this point of time she may not even feel up to the mark to socialize.  Many parents also fear that too many people around the baby is not harmful for the baby as the baby is more vulnerable to catching infections. People also do not think twice before touching, cuddling or kissing the new born baby. Although a new born baby is a delight to play with it is mandatory to take permission and check with the parents if they are comfortable with it. Rather it is better not to avoid touching the baby however tempted you may be, as you may make the new parents uncomfortable by asking them permission. They might be afraid to sound rude and may not stop you, but from within they may not be very happy about the idea.

Many people are quick to offer free advice and contradict the words of the pediatrician. This may confuse the parents and lead them to get tense and sow the seed of doubt in their minds.

Parents need to keep in mind that once the baby is born their first priority is their child. Socializing is secondary. So if they are not up to it, they should not hesitate to say so. They should ensure that a sanitizer is around the baby at all times, and ensure that there are specific timings set aside for people who come to see the baby. This will reduce the risk of being constantly exposed to strangers. Parents should not think twice before stopping a person from touching their baby even if it may offend the guests.

They should understand that this is not for long, after a couple of months the immunity of your child will be stronger and the mother’s health will also improve. There will be ample time to socialize and entertain visitors. Till then the parents can comfortably refuse to entertain anyone and ensure that persistent guests know that their first priority is their baby.

1. Avoid feeding your baby with juice. Rather opt for whole fruit. In case you want to give your baby liquid apart from milk, then water is the best choice.
2. If your baby wishes to have juice then ensure that you give it from a sippy cup as it will cause lesser damage to the teeth, than giving it from a bottle.
3. Never ever put your baby to sleep with a bottle of juice or milk. As this will give rise to many bacteria. These bacteria are very harmful for the teeth. When these bacteria react with milk, they form acid. This acid erodes the natural enamel of the teeth.
4. Never give the baby pacifiers which are dipped in sugar or any other sweet syrup. This also is detrimental to erode the teeth and cause decay.
5. Ensure that you clean the baby?s teeth regularly after every meal.
6. Never give the baby any form of aerated drinks. Not only does it decays the teeth but is also not good for the overall health of the child.
7. Regularly visit the dentist for a complete check up.

Dental care is of utmost importance to ensure that your baby has shining white and healthy teeth.

Techniques For Giving The Massage To The Baby

1. Collect all the things required for the massage. Make a check like of things like massage oil for the baby, tissues, a clean towel, massage towel or mat, clean diapers and spare clothes.
2. Remember to remove all accessories like rings, bracelets etc as this may hurt the baby while massaging.
3. Ensure that your nails are well cut as you may end up scratching the baby. This is essential because the skin of the baby is very soft and can be harmed easily.
4. Spread the massage mat or towel on the floor or a semi solid surface. Lay the baby on his back.
5. Take approximately a little oil on your palm. Ensure that you do not take too much oil. You can gradually add oil during the course of the massage.
6. Using light circular motion move your palm over the chest and stomach. Be careful not to use a lot of pressure.
7. Now stroke across the shoulders and with a downward movement rub across the hands and legs.
8. Rub across the back using upwards strokes.
9. Some babies may cry during the massage. But ensure that you soothe him or her by singing or talking to them to keep their mind diverted.
10. Once the massage is complete wrap the baby in a towel.
11. It is advised to cuddle the baby for a while as this will help to soothe him.
12. Ensure that there is adequate gap between the feeding times and massage time.
13. Abstain from the massage if the baby is not keeping well.
14. Synchronize the sleep time and the massage time as the child may get cranky if woken up from his sleep.
15. In case the baby has rashes or some scratch avoid that area as it may hurt while massaging.

By following a healthy massage routine you ensure that your child enjoys better health and a good immunity system.

Research shows that many students who excelled in school and had better attention spans had been exposed to reading at an early age. They also have a more developed vocabulary as compared to the other children who are deprived of reading skills in their formative months. It is ideal to begin as early as two to three months. Initially the mother may begin by reading to the baby for approximately ten minutes daily. This is because babies do not have very long attention spans. Be sure to read loudly and articulately pronounce every word. Ensure that you are expressive so that your baby can grasp the emotion. Initially your baby will not respond. But gradually he will begin to understand and react to some words. While selecting a book ensure that it is well illustrated and eye catching. Encourage the baby to touch the book. It is advisable to buy hard bound books as they last longer. By the time the child becomes five to six months old he or she begins to identify images and may be able to point out to objects he recognizes. Therefore a book with illustrations will catch his fancy more than a book with no pictures in it.

Don’t read for longer durations. Initially begin with ten minutes of reading every day. Increase it to twice a day. After a few weeks you may increase to more than twice a day. Also you can gradually increase the duration of reading.

Select books which have illustrations. Caution should be taken regarding what you read to your child. A book full of violence and bloodshed is best left out.

Read the same book again and again. Repetition helps as the baby gradually identifies and relates to the story. Even though your baby is still a long way to read by himself, yet his mind gets developed in such a manner that he will relate your words with the pages and anticipate the next words although he may not be able to express it as yet.

After a while the child will try to turn the pages of the book himself. Allow him to do so, even if he ends up tearing the book. Assist him so that he ultimately learns to turn the pages.

The effort the mother will take to make her ward into a voracious reader will surely be helpful to the baby and this is the best gift anyone can ever give their children.

A new born baby does not know the difference between daytime and nighttime. Hunger pangs and errant feed times also disturb the infant’s sleep. They also wake up due to discomfort when they wet themselves.

As much as a woman may enjoy the bliss of motherhood, errant sleeping patterns act as a deterrent to the mother.

Early sleep training helps a lot in this situation. New mothers often wonder what the ideal age to initiate sleep training is. Research has shown that be six to eight weeks, babies begin to tell the difference between day and night. Therefore this is the ideal time to establish a sleep routine and instill sleep habits.

In this stage the baby’s vision improves considerably and the baby can observe colours and other changes. The baby also starts to recognize and react to the mother’s voice. Once the mother observes these developments then she should immediately initiate a healthy sleep pattern in her bundle of joy.

Ensure that you have a specific time to put the baby to sleep. Even on days when he/she is in a wakeful state, avoid playing and entertaining. Rather coo her to sleep or sing soothing lullabies to bring him/her into a restful state. Also if the baby has overslept, try to wake him/ her up at a specific interval. Time the gap between naps. Ensure that the mother rests when the baby rests, so that she too gets her share of rejuvenation.

This routine will take time to establish but once it is successfully implemented it will help the new parents in a great way. Often babies will wake up once or twice for their regular feeds. Try to regulate this timing too by having a fixed feeding schedule. This will speed her body clock and make the baby adapt to routine faster. By the age of six months most babies will begin to sleep though the night

The habits inculcated in the baby in her formative months will be the core of her habits and will be imbibed within him/her for life.

Drinking and breastfeeding leads to the weakening of the liver in infants. Whatever a mother eats and drinks has a direct impact on the constitution of the breast milk. When a feeding mother consumes alcohol it enters the bloodstream. From the bloodstream a certain portion is found to be present in the breast milk. The baby’s constitution is not fully developed and has to be taken care of. Unlike adults, an infant’s liver is not very strong and hence it is not capable of processing alcohol.

Independent research has shown results that often infants who consume breast milk which has a certain portion of alcohol tend to develop erratic sleeping and waking patterns with very short intervals between each cycle.

Extensive research and case studies have also highlighted that it was found that children who have been introduced to alcohol through breast feeding lacked in gross motor development and have shown to have temper tantrums.

For mothers who have a strong craving to hit the bar of for those for whom it becomes mandatory as part of their social obligations need not panic. Here is a ray of hope.

If you wish to consume alcohol, it is permitted to have one mild drink immediately after you have finished nursing the baby.  This is done so that your baby does not require to be fed immediately for the next two to three hours. This is the minimum time which is required for your body to get rid of the alcohol properties or rather percentage of alcohol present in your body to reduce and gradually become zero. You can safely nurse your baby once your body is clear of all the alcohol.

In case of mothers whose infants have shorter nursing cycles, such mothers can pre- express milk and store it for the next feed before consuming any alcoholic beverages.

Ensure that you do not consume alcohol on an empty stomach as this leads the body to absorb more alcohol rather than a body which is well fed.

It is also advisable to keep sipping water as it will speed up the process of flushing out the alcohol content from your body.

Nevertheless there is no foolproof method to know whether your body has completely flushed out the alcohol or there is any residue left behind which may make its way into your baby’s milk. Therefore it is advisable to abstain from alcohol as much as possible.

As mentioned above, the habit of thumb sucking occurs as a natural reflex action; according to theories of medical science, the babies start sucking their thumbs right from the time they start moving in the mother’s womb. Majority of the babies stop sucking thumbs when they are between the age of 2 and 4 years of age; any baby stopping sucking around this time generally does not experience any dental defect.

The jawbones of an infant are pliable, as a result of which sucking the thumb might end up changing their shape. There are instances when the dental arch of the upper jaw of a baby has got deformed due to the habit of thumb sucking. This, results in protruding appearance of the front teeth of the upper jaw and inward tilting of the front teeth of the lower jaw. Deformation of jaws might also cause cross-bites. Usually, a baby having baby teeth do not experience any of these deformities; these problems mostly occur when the child has not stopped thumb sucking even after crossing the age of 4 years.

How much badly the jaw will be affected by thumb sucking depends on the duration and frequency of the habit. The intensity of the impact also varies based on the way in which the child sucks his thumb. A child who only rests his thumb in the mouth passively is unlikely to have any serious dental defect.

1. Think whether you have the mental strength of taking care of children at your own place for several months or even for several years and then returning them to their own parents. Often foster parents find it difficult to leave the child as they get emotional attached to them; this is even more common if the birth parents of the child are abusive in nature.
2. The next thing you must consider is your own family. Try to understand how the other members of your family, especially your kids will react to your decision of you becoming a foster parent. If you find that they are not ready to accept the changes occurring in your home due to the foster children, you should stay away from the idea of becoming a foster parent.
3. Next, understand whether you have enough time for taking care of the foster child. If your professional and personal lives are already keeping you extremely busy all through the day, it would create a chaos if you opt for becoming a foster parent.
4. It’s true that foster parents receive financial compensations for their services; however, you must keep it in mind that foster parenting is not a way of becoming rich or making extra money. As a foster parent you might end up spending more than what you are offered as fees. So, if you are struggling with your finances or don’t have enough money, you should not become a foster parent.
5. As a foster parent, you will not always be offered the job of taking care of sweet little babies; you might also need to look after grade-schoolers suffering from depression, disobedient preschoolers and hostile teenagers. So, if you don’t have the right personality, you should not go for the job.