Your Baby and You: Week Eleven

Highlights

• Your Baby
• Things To Do With Your Baby This Week
• All About You This Week
• Your Weekly Checklist

YOUR BABY

Physical Development: The tonic neck reflex

Behavioural Development: Longer attention span

Whether it's other children chattering or the musical mobile over their cot, you will notice that more things are catching the attention of your baby now and that their attention is held for longer.

Feeding: A preferred boob?

Many women find that their baby feeds better off one breast than another. Babies may develop a preference owing to a difference in the texture, shape or size of one nipple compared to the other. Sometimes their preference can be a result of you inadvertently favouring one side yourself, because you find it more comfortable or because it leaves your stronger hand free to use. If your baby has fed more from one side then the milk supply will increase more on that side, thus creating a vicious circle. Make sure you alternate between your breasts when starting a feed and try expressing more milk from the less favoured breast to encourage a greater milk supply.

Care Advice: Moving on to the big bath

You may have been using a specifically designed baby bath, bucket or even the sink to wash your baby up until now, but there comes a point where it is more practical to use the big bath. For some parents the expanse of hard slippery surfaces in bathrooms can make this step daunting, here are some helpful tips to keep bath time safe and enjoyable for both of you:

• Prepare the bathroom: keep it warm and have warm clean towels ready next to the bath
• Run the water before putting your baby in the bath. Keep it shallow and test the temperature with your elbow or wrist - babies prefer baths cooler than adults
• Use rubber safety mats in the bath and a specifically designed baby bath seat if you have one (alternatively a folded towel submerged in the bath can provide a comfortable surface to rest them on)
• Never ever leave your baby unattended in the bath, even with a safety seat

Safety Advice

Common illnesses: Vomiting

Babies do vomit quite often. It may be because they have taken too much milk, taken it too quickly or swallowed too much air as they have been feeding. Babies might also be sick if they have an infection of their gut (gastroenteritis), a condition which usually clears up on its own within a day or two.

If your baby is being sick then you should continue to give them their usual feeds. A formula fed baby can be offered water as well if you are concerned about them staying hydrated (a breastfed baby should receive all the hydration it needs provided you offer the breast frequently). If your baby shows signs of dehydration or is sick for more than 24 hours then you should see your GP for advice.

THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR BABY THIS WEEK

Entertainment: Television

The effects of too much television on children are a continuously and hotly debated topic. But if you want to use television to entertain your baby for a short while then follow these tips for sensible baby TV viewing:

• Do not sit your baby too close to the screen
• Have the volume on low
• Babies often like programmes with music and colour - there are specific baby channels available through some cable and satellite providers, otherwise try calm programmes - Songs of Praise is a good one!
• Avoid programmes with too much going on that might overstimulate your baby such as soap operas with shouting or music videos with lots of flashing lights.
• Keep TV viewing to a minimum and don't let it replace more interactive or explorative forms of entertainment
• Consider how much television you want your child to watch as a toddler and as they grow older. If you get used to having it on for them all the time now it will be hard to change this habit later on.

ALL ABOUT YOU THIS WEEK

Your Body: A nutritious diet

Whether you're counting the calories or not, it is really important that you eat a varied diet and don't fall into the trap of eating the same foods every day out of convenience - particularly if they are low in nutrients. A good tip for keeping variation in your diet is to watch the colour of your food - if every meal could be described as white, yellow or grey in colour then the chances are you are missing out on some vital nutrients. Stock up on all the colourful stuff - vegetables, fruits and salad items. It doesn't have to be food that is difficult to prepare or expensive. A bag of frozen mixed vegetables in the freezer can add a huge nutrient boost to your meals, and they can be zapped in the microwave in minutes!

Your Emotions: The exhaustion of a 24/7 job

If your baby needs your attention around the clock, if they don't sleep well or if they are struggling to get into a routine then it can be very draining for you as their mummy. Many mums find it hard to cope with the demands of their baby so you are not alone. Try to identify the aspect of their care that you are finding most difficult and talk to your health visitor about how you can begin to address it. There is lots of useful advice on this site that can help you to get through each day more easily - our Feeding and Sleeping sections have plenty of information.

Things to do: Join a class

Look out for fitness classes for new mums in your area. There are great classes that allow you to take your baby, such as post-natal yoga classes and aerobics classes that you can take your buggy to. Not only is this a great way to start regaining your strength and fitness but it's another way to meet mums in your area.

YOUR WEEKLY CHECKLIST

(Helping to keep you organised!)

Routine medical appointments: 12 week immunisations

Have you made your appointment for your baby to have their 12 week jabs? This should be their second round of immunisations and they are really important. Most surgeries send out reminders to parents to get these appointments booked but it's worth putting your own reminder in your calendar too.