One of the first things most new parents realize when they hold their newborn in their arms is just how fragile that new baby is. Their little heads need your support, their little bodies melt against yours, and they are completely and totally reliant upon you to meet their needs.

It is both an overwhelming and awe-inspiring amount of responsibility.

Within a few days, you usually get a hang of it. Sure, you’re exhausted, but you know how to feed and hold your baby. And you feel like you’re figuring things out.

Then, your baby develops a rash, or persistent cold symptoms, or something stomach related, and you feel at a loss once more.

It isn’t uncommon at all for infants and young children to experience a wide range of allergies. They may grow out of some of these baby allergies with time, while others may persist. All can vary in how they present, though rashes, runny noses, and upset tummies can be a good indicator.

If your baby is exhibiting any of these signs, here are the most likely culprits to consider:

1. Dairy: Cow’s milk is the most common allergy for infants and young children, which means that if your baby starts exhibiting signs of an allergy after switching to formula (or from breast milk to whole milk in toddlerhood) you may already have your answer. Check with your family pediatrician for suggestions on alternatives and help to determine how severe the allergy may be.
2. Food: When you start feeding your baby solids, it is always a good idea to do so slowly (one new food item at a time, with 3-5 days in between new introductions) so that you can watch for signs of a reaction. The most common food allergies include eggs, peanuts, almonds and seafood, so introducing those foods should be done carefully, and only under the guidance of a pediatrician if there is a history of anaphylactic reactions in the family. But food allergies can also affect your breastfeeding infant if the allergy is severe enough and you are routinely eating something they are reacting to. A visit to the pediatrician may help you to figure out what needs to be avoided.
3. Pets: Have a dog or cat? They could be responsible for your little one’s coughing, runny nose, and constant sneezes. Unfortunately, sometimes pets are to blame for baby allergies.
4. Laundry Detergent: Baby’s have very sensitive skin, and a perpetual rash or dry skin may be the result of your laundry detergent. Try a sensitive brand to see if that makes a difference.
5. Everything Else: Because, yes, just about anything your baby comes into contact with could be to blame for baby allergies. Something in their lotion, dust mites in the carpet, grandpa’s cigarette smoke; the list is endless (though, stopping grandpa from smoking around the baby should be priority one). If you are having trouble pinpointing what’s to blame for your baby’s reaction, get into the pediatrician and discuss the benefits of a blood or patch test.

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Around 6 months of age, your little one is ready to start eating solid foods. Bananas! Avocados! Little finger foods they can pick up and manipulate themselves!

It’s all so very exciting!

Of course, it’s also a grand and messy new adventure. Which is why finding a highchair that works in your space and with your baby is kind of a big deal. You want one that contains the mess as much as possible, keeps your baby comfortable and safe, and makes baby mealtimes easy to administer.

So what should you be looking for when you go out into the world in search of your baby’s first high chair?

1. Easy to Clean Fabric: There are a lot of really cute high chairs on the market today. But unless the fabric is easily removed and thrown into the washer, you probably don’t want it. Because the fact is, kids are messy. And that fabric is going to wind up covered in goo. So be good to yourself, and search for something that will be easy to take apart and clean.
2. Adjustable: One of the perks of the current high chairs available is that many of them have the ability to convert and grow with your child. From high chair to booster seat, this can be a great benefit that allows our child to stay at table height as they grow, without you needing to purchase anything new. Look for adjustable options that will take your little one from babyhood to past the toddler years.
3. Dishwasher Safe Tray: This is one of those added benefits that isn’t necessarily a requirement, but that will make your life so much easier. If you can throw your highchair tray into the dishwasher, cleanups just became a breeze.
4. Works With Your Table: Eventually, you’ll want to get rid of the tray completely and slide your baby right up to the table. But when that time comes, you may not yet be ready for your little one to be in a “real” chair (those things are easily tipped and escaped from). Having a high chair with an adjustable height, or one that was chosen specifically with your table’s height in mind, can make your transition easier.
5. Space Saving: Depending on where you live, and how much space you have to work with, a highchair that can be easily folded up and stored a way may be a big bonus for you. Luckily, there are plenty on the market designed to do just that.
6. Safety: Ensure the highchair complies with the official safety standards, check the highchair has a wide base for extra stability, and make sure the harness is included and is comfort safety regulations. Make sure your child is aways properly strapped in when sitting in his highchair, and always supervise your baby while he is in the highchair. Never leave your baby alone when he is eating, just in case he chokes.

Just one last thing to remember: since cleanup is perhaps the biggest consideration with high chairs, be sure to pay attention to just how many nooks and crannies your top choice has. Every little one could serve as a place for food to hide out—making cleanup more difficult than it should be.

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

New parents often eagerly await the time when their baby will start sleeping through the night. When it finally happens, you’re thrilled to be getting more rest. But suddenly, your baby starts to wake in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. So what’s going on? Blame it on sleep regression.

Sleep regression is a period of days or weeks when your baby, who used to sleep well, starts waking up again during the night or has trouble napping. Although sleep regression can occur at any time, it appears to be more common at certain ages including four, eight and 12 months.

Why Does Sleep Regression Occur?

In many cases, sleep regression tends to coincide with certain developmental milestones, which is why it occurs most commonly at the ages mentioned above. For example, some babies may have sleep disruptions at about four months when their sleep pattern starts to mature.

As your baby’s sleep patterns mature, she’ll often start waking up between sleep cycles. She is also starting to gain more awareness. When she wakes, she wonders where the heck you are and wants you to help her get back to sleep. Sleep regression may also develop as your baby hits milestones, such as eating solid foods or learning to crawl or walk.

While it may be frustrating when your baby starts waking at night, it’s important to try to remember it’s most likely only a temporary phase. Sleep regression typically lasts about a week or two. When you’re bleary-eyed and sleep deprived, a couple of weeks can seem like an eternity. But there are a few things you can do to survive a period of sleep regression

Getting Through Sleep Regression

First, rule out any health related issues. For example, your baby may start waking up at night when he is teething or if he has an earache. Next, it may be helpful to evaluate your baby’s bedtime routine. Depending on how old your baby is, you may need to make a few adjustments, such as pushing bedtime back or moving it forward a bit.

Keep in mind, if your baby has been falling asleep on his own, you don’t want to start rocking him back to sleep every time he wakes up. While it’s fine to soothe your baby, try to avoid developing bad habits that may cause long-term sleep problems for both you and your baby.

Although sleep regression can prevent everyone from getting a good night’s rest, it’s usually just a bump in the road. There may be some instances where nothing you do seems to help, and all you can do is hang in there. Fortunately, sleep regression won’t last forever.

Written by MaryAnn De Pietro

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

A lot is made of parenting styles nowadays, with books, magazines, and just about everyone on the Internet trying to tell you where you fit in, and usually, why you’re wrong. Because… everyone has an opinion.

But before you can really begin to understand where those opinions come from, you need to have a solid understanding of what the four main parenting styles consist of:

1. Authoritarian Parenting: This parenting style is defined by strict rules and strong punishment. Authoritarian parents often don’t explain why those rules exist, and instead expect “Because I said so,” to be reason enough.
2. Authoritative Parenting: Authoritative parents also create rules for their children to live by, but they are more likely to answer questions about those rules and tend to be more forgiving than punishing. Their disciplinary methods are designed to encourage their children to be the best versions of themselves they can be, rather than to simply win the battle and be seen as “in charge.”
3. Permissive Parenting: This style of parenting often calls for over-indulgence. There is little discipline taking place and expectations of maturity and self-control are low. These parents are very communicative and nurturing, but sometimes come across more as friends than parents.
4. Uninvolved Parenting: These parents are very hands off, often meeting basic needs but otherwise being detached from their children.

There are a lot of psychological theories about these parenting styles and the types of children they create, and many modern parenting philosophies (like Love and Logic and Attachment Parenting) have roots in these initial styles, though it could be argued that many current philosophies call for more of a blend of these theories than a strict adherence to any one.

Which is perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind. Not everyone will parent precisely in line with any one parenting style or philosophy. You might find that as you read more, pieces of various parenting styles and philosophies resonate with you, and so you find yourself creating almost a hybrid philosophy that works for you. That’s okay, and perhaps even ideal! Because trying to fit into a box of parenting styles defined by any book, magazine, or Internet critic would be an exhausting task for any parent to take on.

Instead, learn more about the styles that appeal most to you, and delve into the parenting philosophies that have been borne of those styles. But then? Be willing to pick and choose what feels like a good match for you and your family. Because at the end of the day, as long as you are meeting you child’s needs and engaging as a parent, there is no definitive proof that any of these philosophies is the “right” way to parent for all children and families.

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Walk down any baby aisle of any store, and you are sure to be bombarded by a selection of products so large, you have no idea what you should be buying. How does anyone ever choose when there is so much to choose from?

For most parents, those choices are often dictated by what was gifted to them at their baby shower or what samples were given to them at the hospital. When you find a product you like, it is easy to simply stick with that. But with recent concerns being raised about the ingredients used in baby products (and popular baby brands coming under fire) the choices you make in that baby aisle can feel all the more important. How do you choose a brand of products that is safe and healthy for your baby to use?

That answer will vary based on who you talk to, and on how committed you are to keeping the products you use on your baby natural and chemical free. Often, your pediatrician can provide some good advice on the matter, helping you to weed through some of the scary claims and decide what you should really be looking for. Friends and family members can provide good advice as well, based on the research they have done and the products they personally use.

In general, though, there are a couple things to consider when searching for baby bath products. The first is that your baby’s skin is far more delicate than yours, making them more prone to rashes and dryness that can be caused by certain fragrances and chemicals. The other is, we don’t know what the safety of a lot of the chemicals used in certain brands actually is. Many of these chemicals haven’t been thoroughly tested yet. So there is reason to pay attention to what is in the products you are using, and to be cautious of chemical ingredients with names you can’t pronounce or don’t recognize.

Given the extra sensitivity of your baby’s skin, avoiding products with added fragrances is a good first start. From there, read the ingredients and look up anything you don’t recognize. Searching for products that are paraben (preservatives often used in cosmetic products, though they have been linked to potential hormone disruptions) free can be another good step.

There are a lot of natural products on the market today that contain fewer chemicals and are formulated especially with the goal of being gentle with baby’s skin. Finding a product you are comfortable with isn’t as difficult as you might think. You just have to be willing to read labels and do a little research (or ask questions of your pediatrician) to seek out a brand you like.

Written by Leah Campbell, infertility advocate, adoptive mama, writer and editor. Find me @sifinalaska on Twitter.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general informational basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

Right now, your baby is probably still sleeping in your room with you. Sleeping in the same room as your baby for the first six months can reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Room sharing is thought to reduce the risk of SIDS by as much as a third. For this reason, experts recommend that you don’t move your baby into her own room until she is six months old. Well, six months is very nearly upon you (where has the time gone?) and you may be thinking of moving your baby into the nursery in the coming weeks.

If your baby will be sleeping in another room, you may be wondering whether you need a baby monitor. There’s no right answer for this one, it totally depends on your situation and how you feel. If you have a small house with paper thin walls, you might feel that a baby monitor is an unnecessary expense. However, if your baby will be out of earshot, a baby monitor is definitely a good idea.

If you’re the sort of parent who can often hear imagined crying, a baby monitor might be useful just to stop you running across the hallway ten times a night for no reason. Baby monitors can offer you the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’ll be able to hear your baby if she cries. A baby monitor may also be useful for when you are downstairs watching television in the evening, it will allow you to hear your baby waking up long before the crying starts.

Which baby monitor should I get?

No matter what your budget, you’ll be able to find a baby monitor to match. You may even be able to borrow a baby monitor from a friend or family member. Baby monitors range from simple audio devices to more expensive movement monitors which alert you if your baby has been still for an unusually long time. The type of monitor you choose will be dependent on your situation and budget.

A good thing to do is speak to friends and family members to see which monitors they used and whether they would recommend the brand. This will help you to narrow down how many monitors you need to choose from. A baby monitor might be a useful thing to have, but it’s not a necessity. Think about your own situation and whether you need a baby monitor in your life before forking out money.

Do you have a baby monitor and, if so, which one did you choose?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.

When your baby was born, you probably spent hours trying to work out who she looked out. Does she have your nose? Your partner’s chin? Her grandma’s smile? It can be fascinating to see who she has inherited her features from, especially after you’ve spent nine long months wondering who she would take after.

Eye color at birth

Caucasian babies are usually born with either gray or blue eyes. They may be light colored or appear murky to begin with, but this doesn’t mean they’ll stay that way for life. African American, Asian and Hispanic babies may be born with darker eyes though they can also be blue at first. In the womb, your baby won’t produce much, if any, melanin, and it’s this pigment that darkens the color of your baby’s eyes. After spending nine months in a dark womb, your baby will start producing melanin after the birth, and once she’s in the light for the first time.

When will they change color?

The color of your baby’s eyes was determined at the moment of conception because it is a genetic trait. Although it has been determined since that very first moment, you may have to wait a little longer to discover what color they will finally be. In fact, it can take until your child’s third birthday until you can say with certainty what color eyes she has.

Most babies, however, have their permanent eye color by the time they turn one. The eyes may stay blue for a number of months, but as your baby’s body starts producing more melanin, the color of her eyes may change. It is most common for eye color to change between the age of six and nine months. It won’t happen overnight, but will be a gradual change of color that isn’t all too noticeable until one day your baby’s eyes have changed color.

What determines eye color

Eye color is determined by genetics. If you and your partner both have blue eyes, chances are your baby will have blue eyes too, though it’s not guaranteed. If a grandparent has blue eyes, this increases the odds that your baby will have blue eyes. The same theory applies if you both have brown eyes, then your baby is likely to inherit brown eyes. If one of you has brown eyes and the other has blue, your baby is believed to have an equal chance of having brown or blue eyes. Green is the rarest eye color, with an estimated 2% of the world’s population having this eye color.

What color do you think your baby’s eyes will be?

Written by Fiona (@Fiona_Peacock), mother, writer and lover of all things baby related.

This information is not intended to replace the advice of a trained medical doctor. Health & Parenting Ltd disclaims any liability for the decisions you make based on this information, which is provided to you on a general information basis only and not as a substitute for personalized medical advice. All contents copyright © Health & Parenting Ltd 2016. All rights reserved.