Your Baby's First Year For Dummies

Everything parents need to give their babies the best start Each year, more than 4 million babies are born in the United States-and the first year of a baby's life is a joyous, challenging, and sometimes overwhelming time. Your Baby's First Year For Dummies serves as a complete guide for baby's first twelve months-from what to do when arriving home from the hospital to handling feeding, bathing, and sleeping routines to providing the right stimuli for optimal progress. Packed with tips on every aspect of baby's physical, emotional, and social development, this friendly guide gives parents advice on such important topics as breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding, teething, baby toy safety, food preparation, food allergies, traveling, and much more. For Dummies Your Baby's First Year For Dummies 5 About the Authors 7 Dedication 9 Authors’ Acknowledgments 9 Contents at a Glance 11 Table of Contents 13 Introduction 23 About This Book 24 Conventions Used in This Book 24 What You’re Not to Read 25 Foolish Assumptions 25 How This Book Is Organized 25 Icons Used in This Book 27 Where to Go from Here 28 Part I: Giving Baby a Healthy, Happy Start 29 Chapter 1: Preparing for Baby 31 Bracing Yourself for the Changes Ahead 32 Planning for Life with Baby 33 Choosing a Pediatrician 34 Adopting 36 Looking Ahead: Baby’s First Year in a Nutshell 36 Chapter 2: Smoothing the Transition to Parenthood 39 Filling Baby’s Bedroom (and Your Entire House) 39 Packing for the Hospital 43 Special Delivery! What to Expect After Baby Arrives 45 Rock-a-Bye Baby: The Hospital Nursery 49 Where’s the Milk? 52 Handling Special Situations 59 Gulp! Leaving for Home 61 Chapter 3: Hitting the Road with Baby on Board 65 Preparing for the Journey 65 Traveling with Baby 67 Vacation? What Vacation? 72 Keeping Baby Safe Away from Home 73 Chapter 4: Returning to Work? 75 Making the Big Decision 75 Finding Childcare 81 Part II: Introducing: Baby! 87 Chapter 5: Settling In with Baby 89 Rolling with the Punches (and Stitches) 89 Nourishing the Newborn 95 Yes, You Have to Look: Umbilical Cord and Circumcision Care 98 Yellow-Bellied Babies: Jaundice 100 Chapter 6: The First Month: Getting to Know You 101 Checking In with Baby 102 Rub a Dub Dub, Using the Tub 105 Connecting with Baby 108 Identifying Baby’s Beauty Marks 110 Letting Sleeping Babies Lie 112 Figuring Out Feeding Time 115 Cry Me a River 118 Escaping the House with Baby in Tow 120 Chapter 7: The Second Month: Finding Your Rhythm 123 Checking In with Baby 123 Sleep, Baby, Sleep (Please!) 126 Breastfeeding Blues 128 Chapter 8: The Third Month: Rolling Away from Infancy 133 Checking In with Baby 133 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 136 Setting Your Watch by Baby ... or Not 139 Answering Other Concerns at the 3-Month Mark 144 Part III: Moving, Shaking, and Growing 147 Chapter 9: The Fourth Month: Food! 149 Checking In with Baby 149 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 154 Expressing Herself 156 Planning for First Foods 158 Chapter 10: The Fifth Month: Rocking Baby’s World 163 Checking In with Baby 163 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 166 Buying (or Preparing) Baby’s First Foods 167 Relieving the Torture of Teething 170 Chapter 11: The Sixth Month: Baby on the Move! 173 Checking In with Baby 173 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 176 Feeding Baby’s Changing Appetite 178 Lullaby and Good Night 182 Part IV: Discovering the World Beyond Mom 189 Chapter 12: The Seventh Month: Developmental Delights 191 Checking In with Baby 191 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 196 Fill ’Em Up: Feeding at 7 Months! 197 Chapter 13: The Eighth Month: The Cruisin’ Kid 205 Checking In with Baby 205 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 211 Bathing in the Big Tub 215 Chapter 14: The Ninth Month: Grabbing Your Attention (With Intention) 219 Checking In with Baby 219 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 223 Comparing Kids: The Irresistible Urge to Rank Baby’s Development 227 Taking on the Grandparents: When Rules Collide 233 Part V: Keeping Up with Baby 237 Chapter 15: The Tenth Month: Chatting Up Baby 239 Checking In with Baby 240 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 242 Harnessing the Power of “No” 247 Feeding Your 10-Month-Old 250 Chapter 16: The Eleventh Month: Walking the Walk 255 Checking In with Baby 255 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 257 Weaning Baby off the Bottle or Breast 260 Tucking Baby In Now 266 Chapter 17: The Twelfth Month: Who’s This Toddler? 269 Checking In with Baby 269 Keeping Baby Safe and Sound 273 Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby: Planning the Party 276 Choosing Toys for Your Child 277 Bringing Up Brainiac 280 Raising a Nice Kid 282 Part VI: Protecting Baby’s Health and Safety 289 Chapter 18: Keeping Baby Healthy 291 Preventing Illness with Immunizations 291 Outlining the First-Year Ailments 293 Taking Baby’s Temperature 299 Sneezing and Wheezing: When Allergies or Asthma Enter the Picture 300 Correcting Crossed or Lazy Eyes 303 Loving Your Special Needs Child 304 Chapter 19: Making It All Better: When Baby Has a Boo-Boo 311 Playing the Part of the Calm Parent 311 Stocking Your First-Aid Kit 312 Playing Dr. Mom 313 Caring for Stings and Bites 319 Treating Burns 321 Chapter 20: Preventing Injuries at Home 325 Making Home Sweet Home a Safe Haven 326 Checking for Choking Hazards 331 Playing It Safe with Your Pets 335 Keeping Your Little Sleepyhead Safe 336 Water Safety and Your Baby 339 Hazards on the Go 340 Never Shake a Baby! 343 Part VII: The Part of Tens 345 Chapter 21: Ten Tips for Surviving the First Few Weeks 347 Listen to Your Body 347 Send Spot to Camp 348 Steal a Shower when You Can 348 Order Take-Out 348 Make a Deal with the Dust 349 Take the Phone off the Hook 349 Accept Offers of Help 349 Be Assertive 350 Give Yourself Credit 350 Don’t Expect Perfection 350 Chapter 22: Ten Tips for Daddy Survival 351 Accept Your New Role 351 Help Mom 352 Don’t Shy Away from the Dirty Work 352 Catch the Highlights at 11 352 Talk the Talk 352 Cut the Calendar back 353 Take a Breather 353 Let the Family in 353 Take Care of Your Relationship 354 Go Easy on Yourself 354 Chapter 23: Ten Reasons to Call Your Pediatrician 355 Fever 355 Respiratory Problems 356 Vomiting 356 Dehydration 356 Long-Term Cough or Stuffy Head 357 Head Injuries 357 Deep Cuts 357 Extreme Changes of Behavior 358 Rashes 358 Seizures 358 Chapter 24: Ten Reasons Not to Run to Your Pediatrician 359 Low-Grade Fever 359 Manageable Crankiness 360 Runny Nose 360 Just a Little Lethargy 360 Loss of Appetite 360 Increase in Appetite 361 Constipation 361 Teething 361 Scrapes, Bruises, Bumps 361 Mild Allergic Reactions 362 Index 363 ISBN-13:,9780764584206 Everything new and experienced parents need to know about their baby's first 12 months to give them the best start in life Each year, more than 4 million babies are born in the United States-and the first year of a baby's life is a joyous, challenging, and sometimes overwhelming time. Your Baby's First Year For Dummies serves as a complete guide for baby's first twelve months, from what to do when arriving home from the hospital to handling feeding, bathing, and sleeping routines to providing the right stimuli for optimal progress. This comprehensive yet no-nonsense guide can help new or even seasoned moms and dads looking for tips and advice to help with every aspect of their baby's development. During Baby's first year, at times things will go well: Baby's sleeping and eating well, she's hitting milestones on time, and you're balancing childcare with work or with housekeeping. Then again, there are times when things aren't great. This jargon-free book takes a realistic look at what Baby's first year might be like, month by month. You'll find it helpful if you're pregnant and wondering what Baby's first year will be like; you have given birth and want to know what the months ahead hold; you have given birth and need advice from a book that doesn't talk down to you or make you feel as though there's something wrong with you (because there's not) if you're having a hard time making the adjustment to parenthood. Packed with tips on every aspect of baby's physical, emotional, and social development, Your Baby's First Year For Dummies gives you advice on topics like the following: Bonding with Baby Breastfeeding vs. bottle-feeding Baby's first checkup Baby's checkups at two months, four months, six months, nine months, and twelve months Sleeping habits Teething Baby toy safety and preventing injuries Food preparation and food allergies Traveling with your baby Signs of common illnesses Planning Baby's 1-year party And much more Additionally, Your Baby's First Year For Dummies provides tips for surviving the first few weeks, Daddy survival tips, and advice on when to call your pediatrician (and when not to). If Baby has arrived or you expect her soon, get your copy to make every moment count. Everything new and experienced parents need to know about their baby's first 12 months to give them the best start in life Each year, more than 4 million babies are born in the United States-and the first year of a baby's life is a joyous, challenging, and sometimes overwhelming time. Yo ur Baby's First Year For Dummies serves as a complete guide for baby's first twelve months, from what to do when arriving home from the hospital to handling feeding, bathing, and sleeping routines to providing the right stimuli for optimal progress. This comprehensive yet no-nonsense guide can help new or even seasoned moms and dads looking for tips and advice to help with every aspect of their baby's development. During Baby's first year, at times things will go well: Baby's sleeping and eating well, she's hitting milestones on time, and you're balancing childcare with work or with housekeeping. Then again, there are times when things aren't great. This jargon-free book takes a realistic look at what Baby's first year might be like, month by month. You'll find it helpful if you're pregnant and wondering what Baby's first year will be like; you have given birth and want to know what the months ahead hold; you have given birth and need advice from a book that doesn't talk down to you or make you feel as though there's something wrong with you (because there's not) if you're having a hard time making the adjustment to parenthood. Packed with tips on every aspect of baby's physical, emotional, and social development, Your Baby's First Year For Dummies gives you advice on topics like the following: Additionally, Your Baby's First Year For Dummies provides tips for surviving the first few weeks, Daddy survival tips, and advice on when to call your pediatrician (and when not to). If Baby has arrived or you expect her soon, get your copy to make every moment count. A comprehensive basic guide to surviving the first year with a new baby covers the first day home from the hospital, feeding, sleeping routines, and bathing, while also discussing physical, emotional, and social development.