Baby

Image: iStock IN THIS ARTICLE Self-feeding refers to an infant’s ability to eat or drink independently, using fingers, a spoon, or a cup (1). Most babies between six and 12 months learn and practice this essential skill. Experts advise parents to encourage their babies to self-feed as soon as they start receiving complementary foods (2).

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Babies are born with sensitive skin susceptible to scratching easily. Even activities such as bathing and massaging may cause you to scratch their delicate skin accidentally. However, when you notice scratches on their face, you may become upset and anxious. But soon enough, you realize that it is your baby

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Mongolian blue spots, also known as congenital dermal melanocytosis, lumbosacral dermal melanocytosis, slate gray nevus, or dermal melanocytosis, are a type of birthmark that is flat and blue or blue-gray in appearance. It usually appears at the base of the spine, buttocks, upper back, or shoulders. Some babies may have

Image: iStock Babies try to get their hands on everything they can, and many of the objects even go into their mouths. They even use their senses for activities such as grasping, listening, touching, and sucking. This is what babies and toddlers are supposed to do and is part of their sensorimotor stage of development.

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Baby-led weaning is an alternative feeding method first introduced in the UK more than a decade ago. In this feeding technique, a baby begins complementary feeding by self-feeding instead of spoon-feeding.It means that the baby skips commercial baby foods and purees and directly begins eating bite-sized, solid food items independently

Image: iStock IN THIS ARTICLE There are several actions of babies that may come across as amusing to the parents. Tongue chewing is one such activity that seems unusual. You may have seen your baby nibble on their tongue many times and wondered what lead to it. Chewing on the tongue is quite common among

Image: iStock IN THIS ARTICLE Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is an opening between two major blood vessels of the heart after birth. The opening is normal before birth and is known as ductus arteriosus, which plays a vital role in fetal circulation. However, if the opening persists after birth, it could cause health problems. Doctors

Image: iStock IN THIS ARTICLE Sleep training a baby is probably one of the most crucial yet challenging steps for a new parent. It is necessary to train your baby to self-soothe as it ensures uninterrupted sleep for the baby and you. Some babies are natural self-soothers, and you need not put much effort into

Image: iStock IN THIS ARTICLE Chewing is the first step in the digestion process since compounds in the saliva break starches in our food inside our mouths. The chewing process, also called mastication, is a skill that infants need to master to eat solid food. Besides helping break food into smaller pieces, chewing helps exercise

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE If you often find your baby sleeping on the floor, or if your baby likes to spend time on the floor, you might be wondering if sleeping on the floor is safe for them and if there are any possible benefits. Sleeping on the floor is an age-old practice that

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Reactive attachment disorder or RAD is a condition in which infants and young children fail to establish healthy attachments with caregivers or parents. Babies usually develop the disorder when they do not receive basic emotional care, support, and comfort from their caregivers. Infants with reactive attachment disorder may require treatments

With six weeks to go until her due date, Leah Cardin, a teacher in Burlington, Ont., was feeling confident in her birth plan. Her first labour, in 2017, had gone smoothly, and she hoped to have another positive experience with minimal interventions while delivering her second baby, who was due in April 2020. But then

Many parents and paediatricians swear by it, yet some maternity-ward nurses tell new moms and dads that it’s too dangerous to try at home. What gives? When Melissa Romain had her first baby at a Toronto hospital in 2016, the nurses demonstrated how to swaddle him and encouraged her to continue doing it at home.

Spoiler alert: things will change. When Natasha McCormick went to the doctor to check on some unusual symptoms she’d been having, she was shocked to find out she was pregnant. “When the test came back positive, my husband and I were speechless,” says the now mom of five from Wiikwemkoong Unceded Territory on Manitoulin Island,

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Babies experience various phases of development during infancy, including phases of sleep regression. Eight-month sleep regression is when an eight-month-old, who has been sleeping well through the night, suddenly starts waking up at night. The sudden nocturnal awakening can affect their sleep-wake cycle resulting in fussiness, more daytime sleep, and

Image: Shutterstock Surnames were not common in Sweden before the 19th century as they followed the patronymic system, meaning a person’s name was derived from the father’s name or a paternal ancestor’s name with a prefix or suffix added to it. The members of the clergy, nobility, and soldiers began to adopt non-patronymic surnames, and

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Every baby is unique and adorable. Some babies have straight hair, some have curly hair, some have wavy hair, some have kinky hair, and they are all cute. Some babies may be born with a head full of hair, while others may have a few wisps here and there. You

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Cooperative Play: Setting the Cornerstone to Your Child’s Behavioural and Cognitive Development American sociologist Mildred Parten Newhall developed six types of plays for children of two to five years. Cooperative play is one of Parten‘s six types of play, with the others being unoccupied play, solitary play, onlooker play, parallel

Image: Shutterstock IN THIS ARTICLE Infant botulism is a rare condition caused by the absorption of toxins produced by the Clostridium botulinum bacterium, a rod-shaped spore-forming bacterium. This bacterium grows in the gastrointestinal tract and releases an enteric toxin that can cause intestinal immobility and progressive paralysis. botulinum is commonly found on surfaces such as

Image: Shutterstock Breastfeeding problems are issues a mother and her baby face during breastfeeding. From improper latching to sore nipples and breast infection, the breastfeeding journey has its concerns. These problems can pop up right after birth and may continue as long as the baby breastfeeds. In most cases, breastfeeding problems are manageable. However, sometimes,