Baby Health Care – Baby care center

Finding a Five Star Daycare Provider

Years ago, simply asking a friend who “sat” for them was as easy as picking up the phone. Or you might find an advertisement in the local newspaper. But with daycare centers springing up like daisies, the choices are far and wide. But finding the right day care provider to suit you need not be an insurmountable task. References from friends are still a great way to locate one that has been proven to be reputable. The internet is also a great resource, there are web sites posted by entrepreneurial daycare providers which will have information on their qualifications and licensing, etc. Local newspaper classifieds will have ads run by smaller family type childcare providers, and your local chapter of CCR&R (Child Care Resource and Referral) is a free service that provides counselors you can speak with who will assist you in locating a childcare provider, based on your zip code.

After you determine what type of daycare you need, be it in-home, drop-in or full time daycare center supervision, there are several guidelines to follow. A checklist should include the following information, as well as obtaining references and visiting the facility.

Does the provider or center have enough supervision; are the children supervised even when they are sleeping How many caregivers are there at all times (For babies, there should ideally be a two to one ratio.) Are the providers trained in first aid and rescue breathing Are the children within a caregiver’s sight when they are with another caregiver Have the caregivers had background checks

Is the director and teachers qualified to run a daycare facility with bachelor’s degrees in a child related field Has the staff worked in child care for at least one year (for teachers) or longer (two years for directors) Is the licensing up to date Does the staff show a genuine love for children or is this just a job

Is there a common bathroom available for older children to use to wash their hands, before and after toileting and before meals Are the diapering areas clean and the diapers disposed of in a proper manner Are the other children kept up to date on their immunizations and are these records available as proof Are toxic materials locked away and poison information posted Are medications kept safely out of reach of children

There should be an emergency plan in place if a child gets hurt or lost; is there a first aid kit on the premises Do they practice fire drills and is there a program in place for disasters such as earthquake and tornado

Lastly, are the playgrounds and play areas kept clean and in good repair Is the sandbox clean, the playground surrounded by a fence Are the toys age-appropriate

This list may seem excessive at first, but a visit to the daycare center or family home can give you a quick overview of the surroundings, and the general questions you would ask would not make you the first parent to inquire of such. A concerned parent does whatever is necessary to ensure the safety and well being of their child, even if it means giving the daycare provider what seems like the third degree.

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How Breast Milk Is Made

If you’ve every been pregnant or if you are pregnant
now, you’ve probably noticed a metamorphisis in your
bra cups. The physical changes (tender, swollen
breasts) may be one of the earliest clues that you
have conceived. Many experts believe that the color
change in the areola may also be helpful when it
comes to breast feeding.

What’s going on
Perhaps what’s even more remarkable than visible
changes is the extensive changes that are taking
place inside of your breasts. The developing
placenta stimulates the release of estrogen and
progesterone, which will in turn stimulate the
complex biological system that helps to make lactation
possible.

Before you get pregnant, a combination of supportive
tissue, milk glands, and fat make up the larger
portions of your breats. The fact is, your newly
swollen breasts have been preparing for your
pregnancy since you were in your mother’s womb!

When you were born, your main milk ducts had already
formed. Your mammary glands stayed quiet until
you reached puberty, when a flood of the female
hormone estrogen caused them to grow and also to
swell. During pregnancy, those glands will kick
into high gear.

Before your baby arrives, glandular tissue has
replaced a majority of the fat cells and accounts
for your bigger than before breasts. Each breast
may actually get as much as 1 1/2 pounds heavier
than before!

Nestled among the fatty cells and glandular tissue
is an intricate network of channels or canals known
as the milk ducts. The pregnancy hormones will
cause these ducts to increase in both number and
size, with the ducts branching off into smaller
canals near the chest wall known as ductules.

At the end of each duct is a cluster of smaller
sacs known as alveoli. The cluster of alveoli is
known as a lobule, while a cluster of lobule is
known as a lobe. Each breast will contain around
15 – 20 lobes, with one milk duct for every lobe.

The milk is produced inside of the alveoli, which
is surrounded by tiny muscles that squeeze the
glands and help to push the milk out into the
ductules. Those ductules will lead to a bigger
duct that widens into a milk pool directly below
the areola.

The milk pools will act as resevoirs that hold the
milk until your baby sucks it through the tiny
openings in your nipples.

Mother Nature is so smart that your milk duct
system will become fully developed around the time
of your second trimester, so you can properly
breast feed your baby even if he or she arrives
earlier than you are anticipating.

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Weaning From Breast Feeding

When your baby has stopped breast feeding and gets
all of his nutrition from other sources than the
breast, he’s actually considered weaned. Even
though babies are also weaned from the bottle as
well, the term weaning often refers to when a
baby is stopped from breast feeding.

When weaning is a mother’s idea, it normally
requires a lot of patience and can take time,
depending on the age of your baby or toddler,
and also how well your child adjusts. The
overall experience is different for everyone.

Weaning is a long goodbye, sometimes emotional
and sometimes painful. It doesn’t however, signal
fo the end to the intimacy you and your child
have developed during the nursing stage. What it
means, is that you have to replace breast feeding
with other types of nourishment.

Starting weaning
Your the best judge as to when it’s the right
time to wean, and you don’t really have a
deadline unless you and your child are actually
ready to wean. The recommended time for weaning
is one year. No matter what relatives, friends,
or even complete strangers tell you, there is
no right or wrong time for weaning.

How to wean
You should proceed slowly, regardless of what
the age of your child may be. Experts say
that you shouldn’t abruptly withhold your breast,
as they results can be traumatic. You should
however, try these methods instead:
1. Skip a feeding – Skip a feeding and
see what happens, offering a cup of milk to your
baby instead. As a substitue, you can use a
bottle of your own pumped milk, formula, or a
cow’s milk. If you reduce feedings one at a
time, your child will eventually adjust to the
changes.
2. Shorten feeding time – You can start
by cutting the length of time your child is
actually at the breast. If the normal feeding
time is 5 minuts, try 3. Depending on the age,
follow the feeding with a healthy snack. Bed
time feedings are usually the hardest to wean,
as they are normally the last to go.
3. Postpone and distract – You can
postpone feedings if you are only feeding a couple
of times per day. This method works great if
you have an older child you can actually reason
with. If your child wants the breast, say that
you’ll feed later then distract him.

If you’ve tried everything and weaning doesn’t
seem to be working at all, maybe the time just
isn’t right. You can wait just a bit longer
to see what happens, as your child and you have
to determine the right time to wean together.

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Breast Feeding Toddlers

Because more and more women are choosing to breast
feed their babies, more and more are also finding
that they enjoy it enough to continue longer than
the first few months they planned on. Breast
feeding to 3 – 4 years of age is common in much
of the world recently, and is still common in
many societies for toddlers to be breast fed.

Because mothers and babies often enjoy to breast
feed, you shouldn’t stop it. After six months,
many think that breast milk loses it’s value -
which isn’t true. Even after six months, it
still contains protein, fat, and other important
nutrients which babies and children need.

The fact is, immune factors in breast milk will
protect the baby against infections. Breast
milk also contains factors that will help the
immune system mature, and other organs to develop
and mature as well.

It’s been shown and proven in the past that
children in daycare who are still breast feeding
have far less severe infections than the
children that aren’t breast feeding. The mother
will lose less work time if she chooses to
continue nursing her baby once she is back to
work.

If you have thought about breast feeding your
baby once he gets passed 6 months of age, you
have made a wise decision. Although many feel
that it isn’t necessary, breast milk will always
help babies and toddlers. Breast milk is the
best milk you can give to your baby.

No matter what others may tell you, breast feeding
only needs to be stopped when you and the baby
agree on it. You don’t have to stop when someone
else wants you to – you should only stop when
you feel that it’s the right time.

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Protect your newborn from the flu

It’s that time of year again: flu season. Each year, millions of people hunker down in the fall to prepare for the annual onset of influenza outbreaks. With the season comes an onslaught of visits to, at best, pediatricians’ offices and, at worst, hospital emergency departments by worried parents and their ailing children. Now that you’ve got a newborn, you want to be prepared.

So how do you keep your new baby healthy this winter?

While you cannot inoculate your baby, there are steps you can take to keep him healthy during flu season – many of them common sense.

What is the flu?

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the flu is a contagious respiratory ailment caused by a group of viruses known as influenza. It strikes an average of five to 20 percent of the U.S. population each year, causing symptoms that range from fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, runny nose, and muscle aches to nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Complications associated with the illness include bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration, and worsening of chronic medical conditions.

Young children, the elderly, and people with chronic health conditions are at particular risk for serious flu-related complications.

How do I avoid getting the flu?

The CDC recommends getting a flu shot as the number one way to avoid getting the flu. If possible, get a flu shot in October or November, although you can still be vaccinated into December.

Parents, siblings, and caretakers of young children should be vaccinated. The American Academy of Pediatrics revised its recommendation in 2006 to include flu shots for children as young as six months and up to age five years. The CDC also recommends that pregnant women be vaccinated. Studies suggest that maternal immunization may help prevent the flu in young infants.

While your newborn is too young to safely receive the vaccine, and whether you were or weren’t vaccinated while pregnant, he can’t catch the flu, if he does not come into contact with the virus.

Other simple preventatives include covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze, washing your hands with soap and water – often, avoiding close contact with those who are sick, and keeping your baby out of crowded public places. The flu is spread through contact with the respiratory droplets of an infect person, primarily from coughing and sneezing, so be alert and act accordingly.

What to do if you or your baby get sick?

If you think you have the flu, minimize contact with your baby as much as possible. Drink plenty of fluids and rest. Take fever-reducing medications, as necessary, and contact your physician if your condition worsens. If your baby becomes ill, ensure that he continues to nurse often to prevent dehydration. Call your pediatrician immediately if your baby has trouble breathing, is not feeding adequately, seems less responsive than usual, or his rectal temperature rises above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

Influenza is a serious concern, especially for parents of newborns. But simple, common sense strategies can help you keep your baby healthy throughout the flu season.

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