Before I became a mother, I did not realize how attached an infant can be to their pacifier (soother). Madi loved her pacifier, and we lovingly nicknamed it “soo-soo.” Madi would reach for her “soo-soo,” call out for it, and we always make sure we had it in her diaper bag. During my pediatrics rotation
Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common, and very contagious, viral infection. It can be caused by several different viruses, but the most common is the Coxsackie virus. HFMD mostly affects children under the age of 5, but it can occur at any age. Interestingly enough, it was first described in an outbreak that occurred
Vitamin K is a substance our bodies need to stop bleeding and form clots. Vitamin K primarily comes from the food we eat, like green leafy vegetables, or fish, meat and eggs. Babies are born with very little vitamin K in their bodies. This puts them at risk for very serious bleeding problems if it is not
One of the quickest ways to make your skin crawl is to hear that your child has head lice. While head lice are an annoyance, these little bugs do not carry any diseases and do not pose a serious health risk. What Are Head Lice? Head lice, or pediculus humanus capitis, are tiny little pale grey
I remember being so worried about Madi and George when they slept in their own room for the first time. Madi moved out of our bedroom when she was 10 months old, and George stayed in our room until he was 6 months of age. Both Madi and George stayed in our room until they
For the first six months of a baby’s life, they get all of the nutrients they require from their mother’s milk or from infant formula. The exception is vitamin D – breastfed babies need vitamin D supplementation. A big milestone for many parents is introducing solids into their baby’s diet. It is generally recommended that most babies are
Madi did not have a tongue-tie and I struggled with breastfeeding her. George had a mild tongue-tie and I found it easier to get him to latch on during feeds, but found feeding him more painful. Does tongue-ties in infants make it more difficult to breastfeed and/or cause pain during breastfeeding? What is Tongue-Tie? Tongue-tie
Thrush, or oropharyngeal candidiasis, is a common infection in babies. It is a fungal infection caused by Candida that affects the mouth and throat. Candida is found on the skin and in the body and usually does not cause any infections. But sometimes a baby can end up with thrush because they do not have a strong immune system yet.
Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a very contagious and serious respiratory infection. Fortunately, due to pertussis being included in routine vaccination schedules, the incidence of this infection in young children is significantly lower now. What Is Pertussis? Pertussis is an infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It is a highly contagious infection that is spread by respiratory droplets from
Both my mom and mother-in-law believe and promote the practice of burping babies. After our son George was born they both ensured he was always burped well after every feed. I, on the other hand, probably burp George only 50 percent of the time. The 50 percent burping rate is due to a combination of