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Weaning a Premature Baby
When it comes to weaning a premature baby, age tends to be relative. Determining the proper age for weaning can be perplexing. Mothers may wonder whether to consider the corrected age which reflects the prematurity of the baby or to consider the chronological (actual) age. Doctors propose that a baby’s corrected age should be of importance than his chronological one. However, every single baby is different. Therefore, much may be subject to how early a baby was born and what was his health condition at the time of birth.
When to Start Weaning Premature Baby?
Parents should avoid weaning premature babies early as their digestive system can find it tough to manage diets other than breast milk. Some points to bear in mind about weaning premature baby can be:
1. Look for Signs
Allow your baby to be your guide when contemplating weaning your premature baby. Take into account the signs your baby may give you to indicate that he is ready to start taking solids. It may be better to initiate weaning once you feel your baby looks prepared to do it. Introducing solids at an appropriate time can help promote the strengthening and coordination of your baby’s jaw and mouth muscles and ensure his overall healthy growth.
2. Chronological Date
According to the newest guidelines weaning of premature babies can start around 5 to 8 months from their actual date of birth and not the corrected age.
3. Weaning off Preemie Formulas
You may want to delay switching to regular formula from preemie formula until your baby turns 12 months of age as preemie formula is specially designed to cater to the bodily needs of premature babies.
4. Weaning to Whole Milk
You can introduce a premature baby to whole milk when he turns the corrected age of one year or more. In case your baby was delivered one month early, you may like to wait until he becomes at least 13 months of age. In case he was delivered three months early, he may have difficulty digesting whole milk if you were to introduce it before he reaches 15 months of age. In any case, it is prudent to wait a bit longer before offering whole milk as preemies tend to be vulnerable to intestinal issues like gastrointestinal reflux which can result in pain and vomiting.
5. Consult your Paediatrician
It may be best to discuss with your doctor who can suggest appropriately regarding weaning your baby after examining the health and the developmental milestones covered by him.
Signs that Your baby is Ready to Wean
Certain signs that may show that your baby is ready to wean can be:
He may display a keen interest in what other people are eating
He is putting objects or even his hand into his mouth
He appears less satisfied or hungry after a milk feed alone
He seems to be eager for more frequent nursing than usual
In case he starts to demonstrate a munching (chewing) up/down mouth movement when taking in non-food things
In case he begins supporting himself in an erect position with slight or no support
How to Start Weaning a Premature Baby?
Most premature babies advance through the usual stages of weaning the way term babies do. However, some premature babies can take longer to adapt to weaning. Most babies may naturally take to sweet tastes readily but starting with veggies can benefit them ultimately. Encouraging intake of vegetables during the early stages of weaning can help in forming healthy eating habits for later.
The initial stages of weaning are merely about making your baby familiar to new and varied tastes and textures. Be patient and repeat steps if required while teaching your baby to eat with a spoon, swallow, chew his food. You can either offer purees or finger food or even a combo of two while trying to wean off your baby.
Common Problems and Tips to Keep in Mind
Some likely problems and tips to keep in mind can be:
Offer solids in small quantities at first to account for any possible food allergies. Usually, food allergies are common in case there is a family history of it.
Introduce various single veggie flavours without mixing them with fruit to make them sweeter. Your baby may not take to it at first but will get used to it eventually.
Refrain from adding sugar or salt to your baby's It is not required and can prove harmful.
You may like to give cooled and boiled plain water to your baby a few times a day once he starts having solids. Avoid offering sugary drinks. It may be a great idea to have your baby drink from a cup or sipper rather than a feeding bottle.
Expose your baby to a variety of diverse flavours from the start as this may not only help in curbing any likely food fussiness in the future but can also guarantee a good supply of nutrients.
Irrespective of the age you begin weaning your baby try and introduce him to lumpy foods which entail munching latest by the age of 9 to 10 months.
In case your baby suffers from digestive issues like reflux because of being born before the scheduled time, he may have more intricate feeding and nutritional needs. In such a scenario refer to your paediatric dietician for consultation and guidance.
Weaning premature babies off oxygen in case they have been on breathing support from the time of birth can take months. In such a case, it is advisable to make any weaning decisions after consulting with a doctor.
Premature babies often need extra care and support. Breast milk is good for them as it provides the specific nutrients that their little bodies require in order to overcome the challenges of being born prematurely and grow into healthy toddlers. As a result, weaning premature babies can be a slow process but don’t worry you will sooner or later get there. Until then, enjoy exploring new foods with your baby!
Also Read: Bottle Feeding Tips for Premature Babies
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Socializing after Having a Baby - Challenges & Tips to Maintain Social Life
Once you have a child, he or she becomes the centre of your world while your social life tends to take a back seat. It is important not to let either side go and keep a balance between your child-rearing and your social life.
Importance of Social Life for New Parents
When a baby enters your life, it’s a joyful occasion but also a lonely and stressful period for most moms and dads, especially if they have always been socially active. Giving birth to a baby and the early stages of parenting are emotionally a rollercoaster ride. Having someone around to talk to, complain to or cry with during this period is a godsend for you as a parent.
What Challenges Can Parents Face while Trying to Socialize After Having a Baby?
You know having a baby will change your life. But did you know your existing friendships can also be affected? Here are a few challenges you have to be ready for:
1. Singles Effect
A new baby means fewer nights out with your single friends. They may stop calling you when they go out together thinking that you’re too busy or not interested to go out with them when you have a baby at home. Or maybe you might feel reluctant to call them thinking you may have less in common with them than before.
2. Spontaneity Will Be Less
You and your spouse may not be available for last minute movie or dinner plan like before. Even having friends drop by unexpectedly at your house during odd times will become difficult because you have a tiny baby to take care of. Whatever spare time you have will be spent either sleeping or relaxing. As a result, your friends might stop calling or coming home out of consideration for you.
3. Couples Effect
You and your partner might start being more interested in spending time with other couples who have babies, on account of common things to talk about. But don’t cut off your other friendships for this!
4. Free Advice
You might get irritated when each time you meet your friends, some of them give you too much unnecessary advice on parenting. You might want to meet them less if that is the case. But if you have friends who give your constructive advice, then they are a blessing and can be a strong support to you.
Impact on Social Life When Your Infant Hits Toddlerhood
Things will continue to change when your baby gets older. For example,
1. A Bigger Circle
Your baby will play with whichever friend you introduce him to in the beginning. He or she will get friendly with your friend’s children. But as they grow older, they will start to make friends of their own, and you may end up socialising with their friend’s parents. In this way, your friend circle will widen.
2. Competition
Your friendships with new and old friends may be affected once your kids start growing up. All parents want their child to be the smartest and fastest and best at school. This will create competition with your other friends who have children, and if you’re not careful, you may find yourself becoming a pushy parent.
Tips to Make Socialising Easy While Parenting a Newborn
Maintaining friendships after baby birth can be hard but still worthwhile in the long run. Here are tips on how to socialise while parenting a baby:
1. Accept Change
Once a baby comes in your life, you’ll be constantly sleep-deprived, tired or frustrated. You will end up losing some friends, or they may lose you. But don’t fret, there are plenty of new friends to make in the process.
2. Make Dates
It’s easy to make vague promises of when you’ll meet your friends and getting caught up taking care of your newborn and forgetting it. So program the date into your schedule, set reminders in your phone and tell your friends what time you will be free to meet them without activities like feeding your child or bathing him coming in the way.
3. Have Conversations
Once you have a baby, you may be too busy and miss out talking to your friends or returning their messages. Even if they may understand, this might cause a strain on your friendship. That’s why it is important to always communicate with a message or call that things are busy with you. Just short but constant communication can reassure them.
4. Just Relax
If some of your friends don’t seem as understanding or taken with your baby as you are, don’t take it personally. They may be going through problems of their own, so if they don’t seem supportive, just relax and let it slide. This will also help sustain your friendship.
5. Watch What You Say
Not everyone wants to continually hear you chatter about your baby, so talk about different things too in your conversation with friends.
6. Don’t Succumb to Pressure
If your friends pressure you to leave parenting to your partner, don’t listen. Jump in to do it yourself. Avoid such company at all costs.
7. Watch the Competition
You may be envious of your friends baby does something better than yours but stop that thought process immediately. Having such negative feelings towards your friends is not worth causing a row.
8. Take a Night Off
Leave your baby to your spouse for one night and hang out with your friends freely. This is the time you can use to really revive your friendships and get refreshed.
9. Include Your Kids
Think of activities you can do with your friends that they will like, even with your baby in tow. You can spend time both with your precious friend and your baby at the same time.
10. Join an Online Group
You can have a social life virtually too by connecting with like-minded parents on online parenting forums or social media groups.
Maintaining friendships after your little one arrives may require many adjustments, but will definitely be worth the time and effort.
Also Read: Should You Take Parenting Classes? Read more
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15 Simple Ways To Keep Your Child Busy and Happy on a Long Journey
Even adults can get bored on long journeys, so it is obvious your kids are going to get bored! But how do you solve the problem?
15 Activities to Keep Children Busy on Long Journeys!
If you are soon planning to embark on a long journey with your children and are looking for ways to keep them busy through it,look no further! Here are 15 travel activities for kids you can engage your child in. Ready? Here we go!
1. Magnet Letters
This is a great way to squeeze some learning into play. You can carry magnet letters and a board, and ask your child to spell out different words.
2. Instant Film Cameras
If you thought instant film cameras are a thing of yesteryears, you're wrong! They still exist, and can make for hours of fun for your child. Ask him to click pictures of interesting things he sees!
3. Sorting
One of the easiest ways to engage a young child is to give him a 'sorting' activity. You can carry 2 or 3 empty containers and a mix of coloured beads or different shapes too. Ask him to sort the beads by colour, shape, etc.
4. I See Something
This is probably one of the oldest tricks in the parenting book! You basically pick one thing in your immediate surroundings, and give clues for your child to guess it:'I see something green and round' could be a green ball you are carrying.
5. 21 Questions
This is another version of the above game. However, here you can think of anything in the world (not necessarily something that is present in your surroundings at the moment).Your child has to ask 21 questions to try and guess the thing.
6. Magic Slate
Magic slates can enable hours of scribbling and drawing fun without the fuss and mess of crayons, colours, pens and markers. They are an excellent ways to keep kids busy!
7. Music and Movies
While it may not be a great idea to give your children too much exposure to gadgets, they can come in handy to engage kids on a journey.Download all their favourite music and cartoons for their ears and eyes to feast on.
8. Antakshari/Dumb Charades
This might work better with slightly older kids. However, once you get going, this is one of those toddler travel activities that can quite literally last you the entire journey!
9. Spot Every
This one can be fun for a road trip. Ask your child to spot every black car, or every petrol pump... and when they do, they have to say a funny word like “Abracadabra!” or something like that.
10. Treasure Hunt
This one might take some planning, but can be real fun. It works especially well if you are traveling by road in a car.Wrap a gift and hide it somewhere in the car. And then you can give you child clues to find the treasure!
11. Playing Clay
One of the most crucial tips for long road trips is that you have a lot on your mind, and cannot be bothered about stains and spilling accidents.Clay can come to your aid here; it allows for mess-free fun. This makes playing dough perfect as a travel companion.
12. Hand Puppets
Kids are very imaginative, and one way you can encourage their creativity and imagination is by using hand puppets.You can ask them to spin a story around the puppets. You can try our Minion Hand Puppets for starters, and then improvise and make your own!
13. Quiet Please
All this noise and commotion can drive you up the wall, so when you want some peace and quiet, you can challenge your kids with one simple task:whoever stays quiet the longest, wins something! The best way to do this is to give them a watch.Even though they can't tell time, you can give them a task like: stay quiet till the small hand reaches from 2 to 3 (that means one entire hour of quiet for you!).
14. Puzzle
A simple single-piece or 4-piece puzzle is perhaps one of the earliest games we pick for our toddler. Why not pack it with on a journey?To make it more fun and challenging (and time-consuming!) - you can mix all the pieces of all the puzzles together.
15. Food!
When nothing works, open a packet of chips!
Hope these help you! Happy journey! Read more
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Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant has added a new answer
Trying To Conceive
13 hours ago
Q. hi,
my LT 10x18mm and RT 18x20mm and ET 6.5 , what if I intercourse after 2 days, can I do intercourse in ovulation day can become a pregent .
on ovulation day if we intercourse can become a pregent..pls advice..
Dr Laxmi Chavan-Sawant
Ayurvedic Gynaecologist
9 hours ago
A. since the follicle size is 18 to 20 mm your ovulation may occur within 24 hours also so if you have intercourse with in that time it will be more effective to get conceived
your endometrial growth is not good enough for conception but still you can just try
Sai Prasanthi R L has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
12 hours ago
Q. Hlw dr its my 6th month pregnency can i intimate with my partner
Sai Prasanthi R L
Mom of a 10 yr 2 m old boy
12 hours ago
A. Hello dear! If your pregnancy is going on fine without any high risk factors then it’s okay. Still, would advise you to check with your doctor once before going further. Maintain a good personal hygiene routine and a healthy lifestyle
Abhaya Rajput has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
9 hours ago
Q. My breasts feel full and heavy, but there’s no milk when pumping and during feeding baby —what do I do?
Abhaya Rajput
Mom of a 14 yr 4 m old boy
3 hours ago
A. Hello there ma’am please do not worry about it too much. But it is really very difficult to say anything without proper examination. It is advisable to get yourself evaluated by a doctor and follow doctors advise properly. You can also book online doctor’s appointment on FirstCry where the doctor can help you and guide you properly.
Thanks and take care
Dr Disha Patel has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due in 6 months
9 hours ago
Q. can I take medicine pcm n citrazene in pregnancy fir sore throats n fever
Dr Disha Patel
Ayurvedic Physician
4 hours ago
A. dear mom.
better to take tab pcm for time being n do take steam inhakation couple of tines a day, follpw good home renedies for cold, taje more rest .
Swati Kar Samanta has added a new answer
Mom of a 9 m old child
2 hours ago
Q. hi everyone good morning,
sorghum can I give to my 10 month baby is it safe or not please revert I waiting for your reply
Swati Kar Samanta
Mom of a 2 m old girl
51 mins ago
A. Yes but first give in very small quantity to judge the reaction of your baby.
Rashmi has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
20 mins ago
Q. #asktheexperts is it okay that the baby is kicking less than usual?
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 7 m old girl
16 mins ago
A. Yes it is the what part is that your child is kicking if you feel that there is a movement of your child whether it is a cake or slight movement also you know that your child is doing fine so there is no problem in that if the movement is less it’s completely alright
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