Sometime during the second trimester you will begin feeling your baby move. The first movements will feel more like butterflies in your tummy, or light tickling coming from the inside. As your baby gets bigger you will start feeling light taps and kicks letting you know that your baby is awake and is playing inside his little world.

As you go through the third trimester, the movements become more definite and more detectable. You are able to detect a kick from a punch as well as feel your baby flip and roll. As the baby gets bigger you start to guess what it is you see moving along your belly. Is it an elbow? Is it your babies foot?

Eventually the baby gets too big to do the flips and rolls, so he tried to stretch and play in other ways. He may start head butting you in your bladder, making you have to visit the bathroom constantly and find that nothing is coming out. He may stick out his elbow, poking you in the side as to say, “Mommy, I am here!”

If he is head down you might feel him stretching into your ribs, using his feet to push against your bones and muscles. You might feel pressure at the top of your uterus from the baby pushing on the inside. If you put your hand and push back you may feel a little ball. It makes you have to ask, is that his knee or his heel? You can start playing a game with your baby because he will probably move this body part to another position in your belly, which you can follow him and gently push back. You will be telling your baby, “I know you are there, I am here too.”

The movements of your baby are definitely the best part of pregnancy and as they get stronger in the third trimester, they make up for all the aches and pains you may have had in the first trimester from the morning sickness and fatigue you probably felt. The movements are normally the first thing a woman says that she MISSES about being pregnant, if not the only thing.

by Armin Brott

Dear Mr. Dad: My wife just had our first child. I’m insanely happy and I want to get more involved but I’ve never been around babies before and have absolutely no idea what I’m supposed to do with him. What do you suggest?

Armin answers: Although it may be tempting to just sit around and stare at your baby, marveling at every little thing he does, you’ll need to do a lot more than that if you’re really going to get to know him. Here are some of the best ways to start:

• Hold him. Newborns love to be carried around, held in your arms, held in a pack, etc.

• Talk to him. No, he can’t understand a word you’re saying. In fact, he barely even knows you exist. But talk anyway–explain everything you’re doing as you’re doing it, tell him what’s happening in the news, etc.–it’ll help him get to know the rhythm of the language.

• Change his diapers. It doesn’t sound like much fun, but it’s a great time to interact with the baby one-on-one, to rub his soft belly, tickle his knees, kiss his tiny fingers. For at least the first month or so, he needs to be changed every two hours–baby’s super-sensitive skin shouldn’t stew in human waste–so there are plenty of opportunities. And don’t worry: changing diapers is an acquired skill–in just a few days you’ll be able to do it with your eyes closed (although you probably shouldn’t—especially if you’re using pins). In the meantime, even if you don’t do it right, baby poop washes right off your hands and won’t stain your clothes. One hint, though: immediately after undoing the diaper, put something (like a towel or cloth diaper) over baby for a few seconds. The sudden rush of fresh air on the baby’s crotch can result in your getting sprayed.

• Play with him. During the first few weeks, forget about football and chess. But try to spend at least 20 minutes (probably broken into 5-minute installments) a day doing something with the baby one-on-one. Chatting, reading aloud, rocking, making faces, experimenting with the baby’s reflexes or even simply catching her gaze and looking into his eyes are great activities. Here are a couple of things to remember:

• Take your cues from the baby. If he cries or seems bored, stop what you’re doing. Too much playing can make your child fussy or irritable, so limit play sessions to five minutes or so.

• Be encouraging. Use lots of facial and verbal encouragement, smiles, and laughter. Although the baby can’t understand the words, he definitely understands the feelings. Even at only a few days old, he’ll want to please you, and lots of encouragement will help build his self-confidence.

• Be gentle-—especially with the baby’s head. Because babies’ heads are relatively large (one-quarter of their body size at birth vs. one-seventh by the time they’re adults) and their neck muscles are not yet well developed, their heads tend to be pretty floppy for the first few months. Be sure to support the head—from behind—at all times, and avoid sudden or jerky motions.

About the Author:
Armin Brott, hailed by Time as “the superdad’s superdad,” has written or co-written six critically acclaimed books on fatherhood, including the newly released second edition of Fathering Your Toddler: A Dad’s Guide to the Second and Third Years. His articles have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, American Baby, Parenting, Child, Men’s Health, The Washington Post among others. Armin is an experienced radio and TV guest, and has appeared on Today, CBS Overnight, Fox News, and Politically Incorrect. He’s the host of “Positive Parenting,” a weekly radio program in the San Francisco Bay Area. Visit Armin at www.mrdad.com.

You have bought the crib and the toys and you have decorated the nursery. During your pregnancy you may have taken a childbirth class to give you help during labor and delivery. But what about once you come home with your baby; do you know how to dress and care for your baby once you have gotten home from the hospital?

For a new parent dressing a baby can be a scary thing. Especially so with smaller babies who seem that much more fragile. Many people are afraid they will break their baby if they are not careful. While the likelihood of that happening is not very high, it is easy to understand why people would fear that.

When you start shopping for clothes picture yourself trying to dress your baby in the outfit. If the outfit looks complicated or time consuming you may not want to buy it, especially in the smaller sizes. Also remember to wash all your babies’ clothes in a gentle, perfume/dye free detergent prior to putting them on your baby as you do not want to irritate your baby’s sensitive newborn skin.

Step 1: Pick Out the Outfit Ahead of Time
Don’t wait until it is time to dress your baby to decide what to dress your baby in. Decide earlier in the day or the night before and set the clothes out while your baby is calm or asleep. This will take away the possibility of a last minute choice while your baby is crying, and you having to rush.

Step 2: Think Layers
You should definitely invest in simple onesies for your baby to wear under his daily outfits. When your baby is first born it is harder to regulate their temperatures as the temperature outside changes. If it is hot you can easily remove layers, but if it is cold you will be happy that you have them and so will your baby. You also never know when your baby’s diaper may leak and having that extra layer of clothing could very easily protect that cute outfit you just had to have your baby seen in. Another good reason to layer is that often the cute outfits have stitching on the inside that can lie against the babies’ skin and irritate them. Tags in the back of clothing can be irritating as well, so having the onesie in between the skin and main outfit can help give you a happier baby.

Step 3: Protect the Neck
Just like when carrying your baby around, you have to remember to support the neck while you are dressing your baby. It can be a little difficult when trying to get your baby’s arms in a top, to remember the neck. Your baby might lift a bit, letting his head fall back. If you want you can try to build your baby’s wardrobe with outfits that don’t go over the head, but button down the front, or can be put on feet first.

Step 4: The Head and Feet
Don’t forget about your baby’s head and feet. Remember that body temperature is partly controlled from these upper and lower extremities so you want to keep them covered, or uncovered as well. If it is super hot outside stick to a thin pair of socks for your baby, or let them go sock less. Don’t worry about the shoes until your baby is walking. If you are out in the sun consider a hat for your baby so they don’t get burned, but otherwise keep their head uncovered so that it can “breathe”. In the winter or on colder days, have socks for your baby and a baby “stocking cap” to help keep your baby’s head warm.

Step 5: Take Extras!
It doesn’t matter how old your baby is, you still need to take at least two spare outfits with you to dress your baby in while you are out. This includes extra onesies, socks and caps as well. You never know when your baby will have a blowout, spit up on himself, get sick, become a messy eater, or be victim to an accident on your part like a tipped over soda in the stroller. We say two outfits so that you still have a spare outfit after you change your baby the first time, in case there is a second accident. Take lots of socks with you because it can be very common for a baby to move while you are changing his diaper. Often his feet can end up in the mess and you don’t want him wearing his socks that are dirty. Also, since caps can easily slide and be pushed off the head when you pick up your baby, you want spares incase it falls in a puddle or gets dirty.

By Lily Carter

Growth charts are tools your pediatrician can use to keep track of your child’s physical growth. During each checkup, the doctor will measure your baby’s length, weight, and head circumference. The doctor can then compare the measurements for your baby to a chart of national averages for infants of the same age and sex.

The result is that the doctor will be able to tell you what percentile your baby is in when compared to average baby growth around the nation. For example, if your doctor tells you your 4-month-old is in the 86th percentile for weight, that means 86 percent of the two-month-olds in your country weigh less, and that 14 percent weigh more. A baby that is at the 50th percentile in either height or weight is right at the national average.

Typically, parents seem to worry quite a bit about these percentages, and that worrying is usually needlessly blown out of proportion. There are many factors that come into play when determining where your baby’s statistics will fall in the percentile chart.

It is very important to remember that no two babies are the same and that every child, due to body chemistry, heredity, diet, and many other factors will grow at their own pace.

Some babies will have growth spurts right from the start and others will take a bit longer to begin major growth periods. These measurements, charts, and percentile points are merely guides for a doctor to help in assessing your baby’s growth.

In addition to the measurements that your pediatrician will take during regularly scheduled doctor visits, you may also want to track your baby’s growth at home.

Keep in mind that the measurements you take at home may or may not be as accurate as the measurements your doctor takes, but they can provide a certain degree of insight into the growth of your baby and many new parents have found it to be a fascinating way to participate in the parenting process.

Here are some tips that can help you, as inquisitive parents, track your baby’s growth at home using commercially available scales and other measuring devices.

If baby is too small to stand upright on the scale, you can try using this procedure:

All babies have them! The small, circular, soft spot on top of your newborns head, which is actually called the fontanel. What you may not know is that there are actually two fontanels on your newborn. The anterior fontanel is on top and the posterior fontanel is at the back of the head.

Soft spots are placed where the skull has not completely closed at birth. The anterior fontanel is about two inches wide and may not be closed completely until your baby is 18 months old. The posterior fontanel is only about a half inch wide and will be closed by the time your baby is three months old, much earlier than the anterior soft spot.

Soft spots are present for several different reasons and are very important in terms of your baby’s health. First and foremost, having a gap in the skull allows the head to change shape making it easier for your baby to come down the birth canal. This is why some babies are born with a cone shaped head.

Second, the soft spots allow room for your baby’s brain to grow during the first year of life. During this time your baby’s brain will grow very rapidly and it needs to have somewhere to grow. If the skull was closed there would be no way for the skull to stretch and expand.

Another use of soft spots by doctors is to check your baby’s hydration level when your baby is sick. Most of the time the fontanel will expand and move when your baby laughs, cries and breathes. When your baby is sick however and get dehydrated his fontanel will sink into his head. If your baby has a depressed fontanel, call your pediatrician and ask him what you should do.

There is nothing special you have to do to take care of your baby’s fontanel. You mainly have to make sure that you are careful around that spot since there is in essence, no protection covering your baby’s brain in that spot. Wash it gently and be sure not to let any older brothers and sisters accidentally push on it while playing with their new “toy”.

If you think there is anything wrong with your baby’s soft spots, or feel that they might be closing too soon, be sure to ask your pediatrician at your baby’s next well-check, or call your pediatrician to ask him. Most of the time everything will be fine, but it is better to be safe than sorry, and that is what he is there for.

Its’ technical name is plagiocephaly, although most people just know it as the flat head syndrome. It is what occurs when a baby spends so much time on their back that the back of their head and skull become very flat instead of rounded like it is supposed to be. In reality the definition of plagiocephaly is “a malformation of the head marked by an oblique slant to the main axis of the skull”. It is only since the “back to sleep” campaign began to cut down on the occurrence of SIDS that it has become more associated with newborns and children.

Most babies are born with an abnormally shaped head from their travel during the birth canal. The skull is formidable at this point and can change to accommodate its’ surroundings. This is good for labor, but not necessarily good for baby as he gets older. If your baby’s head shape doesn’t change to look more “normal” by six weeks, or if you see an increased, flat area, ask your pediatrician if he thinks it looks ok or if you should see a specialist. Prominent foreheads and misaligned facial features may be a sign of true plagiocephaly in your baby. Plagiocephaly can often be mistaken for craniosynostosis which is a more serious condition where the bones of the skull close too early not allowing enough room for brain to grow, leaving the head looking deformed.

In addition to the effort to cut down on the cases of SIDS, misshapening of the head can also happen in the womb from a baby being too cramped, either because of a lack of amniotic fluid or his position in the womb. It is common to see in breech babies and multiple births as the amount of space in the womb is drastically decreased as the baby gets bigger. The simple “back to sleep” cause of a flat head will most often reverse itself when the baby is sitting up, crawling and walking around during most of the day.

If your pediatrician refers you to a pediatric neurosurgeon there are several steps he might take. In most cases a simple x-ray can be taken to distinguish between plagiocephaly and craniosynostosis, however sometimes the doctor will choose to have your baby get a CT Scan instead. If the doctor confirms that it is positional plagiocephaly he will probably suggest that you begin changing the babies position when he is on his back to his sides, or if the flat area occurring on one side, he may suggest you keep him off that side and lay your baby on his other side and back. He may also suggest that you greatly up the amount of tummy time your baby has each day.

If the positional therapy does not work on your baby the doctor may decide to go with a band or helmet that is designed to fit and round out your babies head while keeping it out of immediate contact with the floor, mattress and other hard spaces. This helmet will generally be worn for 2-6 months, depending on when the problem was noticed and how severe it is, and your baby will need to be in the helmet almost 24 hours a day. When discovered early, the success rate of the helmet rounding out the head is very high.

Again, if you think that there is something wrong with the shape of your baby’s head, take him to see his pediatrician or ask during the next well-check. You doctor may tell you your baby’s head is perfect and normal, but it is always better to be safe than sorry and early detection drastically improves the chance of reversing the condition.

A common skin rash that many babies get in the first few months of life is called cradle cap. It can be described as a patchy, greasy, scaly and crusty skin rash that is found on the top of your newborns head. It is not contagious and not dangerous to your baby. What causes it though?

As humans we shed skin cells and grow new ones quickly and often without even realizing it. This action begins in infancy; however many times on babies the new skin grows in faster than it can fall off, leaving the old skin stuck to the head on top of the old.

Causes
The sebaceous glands in babies skin is often overactive because of the hormones passed from mom, through the placenta, into the baby shortly before birth. These glands create a greasy substance which can be sticky and keeps the old skin from falling off. It generally appears in a baby within the first three months and rarely after the first birthday until later on in the teen years when puberty begins. It is normally gone by eight months, if not much earlier.

The scaly skin can also appear underneath your baby’s eyebrows, and around/behind his ears. It is important to clean these areas just like you would wash the top of his head. In some cases it may appear on other parts of the body. If you are concerned, ask your pediatrician.

Treatment
Most of the time treatment is not necessary unless it bothers you or your baby. Some pediatricians will suggest putting olive oil on your baby’s head, waiting for it to loosen the scales and then gently brushing this off. However this will not keep it from reappearing. If the scabbing and skin are extra red or inflamed your baby’s doctor may tell you to use some over-the-counter cortisone cream to help clear it up. If the pediatrician makes a suggestion that does not seem to help matters, be sure to mention it at your next appointment as it may be a sign that something else is going on.

Prevention
There is no real way to easily prevent cradle cap from appearing. Since it doesn’t normally bother a baby, it is best to let it take its’ course, treat it if necessary, and let it fade on its’ own.