[vivekiny2k]

cross posting from here
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifti...ml#post1371824

@Vivek, keeping aside the lighter comment about lot of negative attention ... while the bottle may be easier to hold, you need to see the two points together - a shorter nipple arising from a round, ball shaped breast. This combination is far riskier than the breats-teats combination / structure as seen on other mammals like the monkeys / chimps ..

Apart from the various reading I have done over the years, there was a more recent incident in the family when we lost a month old baby when he suffocated & ended up with the milk in his lungs.

Sorry to hear that Condor, I gave it some thought and decided to answer it here. First of all, each baby is different and the then there are things beyond out control, all we can do is take precautions.

Disclaimer: I am not a pediatrician, What I mention here is from my own experience and my kids pediatrician's inputs.

1. Feeding babies: for baby, it's a combination of suckling, gulping and breathing at the same time. Any disconcert and you have a disaster in making.

2. Burping: Most important aspect of feeding a baby. Just like adults, kids always take air with the feeding. It's important to burp a baby immediately after feeding. Even between changing sides when breastfeeding it's recommended. the doctor's way is to support the baby on his stomach and lightly tap on back till she burps. I keep the baby in my lap upright (her head on my shoulder) and strongly tap until the gas comes out.

If not done properly, they throw up the milk along with the gas, and it can choke them.

In fact some people are surprised at how hard I HIT the baby (mard ka haath ) but it has so happened that my wife not able to soothe him when in car and then I turned around (somebody else was driving) and gave him my manly beatings and he drifted to sleep immediately, kinda recognized me with the hit.

even my parents and inlaws were not aware of burping the baby.

3. position: it's a well known fact that babies head has to be at a higher level than rest of the body, so the risk of throwing up is less. In fact even when upright, the force of throwing up can cause nostrils to be blocked (e.g. the incident in point 5).

4. feeding vs putting to bed: Most women mix them up. Kids should be given time to burp and digest milk before they go to sleep. In fact I have succeeded in burping them even when they were asleep by rocking and tapping them as I would burp them normally, when they were asleep in my lap. I can't imagine what would happen if they burp or throw up when asleep.

5. Bottle vs breastfeeding: There is not much difference AFAIK. I would say You should not blame yourself for not having fed the baby with bottle. In fact bottle increases the risk of over feeding, which not only triggers the throw up easily, but also has more liquid to come out and cause choking.

My elder son threw up once after taking bottle and has mouth and nostrils blocked at the same time. took some time to soothe him and clean his internals.

7. drowning reflex: Just for info, kids < 6 months have strong drowning reflex from their experience in amniotic fluid. They shut of their tracts when put in water. I have a feeling this can cause a problem since they can not communicate when to seek help. search "diving reflex".

RENOWNED: Baby Reflexes PRENATAL

8. Repeating, every baby is different. We were not that successful with controlling throwing up with our second child. I possibly can attribute it to over confidence. But there are things that need to be understood for each baby.

I will probably add more as it occurs to me.

[mohang_j]

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna

a) Never show your anger to them ,Kids start supressing their real self due to fear and try to work their way around that's when they try all tricks like pestering / lying etc.

b) Reward with praise / affection rather than material gifts like chocolate / icecreams . since it registers in their mind that all good work will be rewarded with gifts and the demand for sure will grow bigger by the passing day.

Exactly, I was known for high Patience level but now sometimes get so angry that i spanked my son like a mad when he did not completed his classwork in the first week of his new school. Later realized what i did.

They will replicate exactly how we behave with them.

c) every kid has their learnign curve & limitations . My daughter by 2 1/2 yrs cud recite rhymes and my son at the same age does noteven utter words and already we have many suggesting to enroll him to play school, however we will let him have his own time.

I have read somewhere that boys are always slower when compared to the girls of same age. If not mistaken it is in the book " Allan_Pease-Why Men don't listen and Women cant read maps "

[kalpeshc]

@navin - Your posts in this thread have been extremely insightful. It is like reading a professionally written parenting book - a good one!

@vivekinny2 - You have mentioned about exposing the child to the elements and not being too fussy about keeping them extremely comfortable. I am not sure whether this is the right thing to do. Don't you feel that they may be more vulnerable to temperature changes than us? I am talking about a 9 month old kid here. Also, traditionally, in India, the older generation recommends wrapping the infants in extra layers of clothes as if its snowing !! I've never understood the logic behind it.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by rm_arjuna

Some things i feel make kids grow up better .
a) Never show your anger to them ,Kids start supressing their real self due to fear and try to work their way around that's when they try all tricks like pestering / lying etc.

b) Reward with praise / affection rather than material gifts like chocolate / icecreams . since it registers in their mind that all good work will be rewarded with gifts and the demand for sure will grow bigger by the passing day.

c) every kid has their learnign curve & limitations . My daughter by 2 1/2 yrs cud recite rhymes and my son at the same age does noteven utter words and already we have many suggesting to enroll him to play school, however we will let him have his own time.

d) As Vivek rightly pointed out conditioning kids for our natural living is very important in the long run . even though we might afford all material luxuries in life it is better we keep out these luxuries till they are atleast 6-8 yrs old .

e) Self restraint in every form for the betterment of our kids. I have great weakness for chocolate/icecream however i have not had even single bar in last 2 years jus because i dont want my kids to think papa is wrong in telling us not to have chocolates.

i think this can go on & on .. i will stop .

Great points, I completely agree with you. I shared the points with my wife. Thanks

I have a younger son who is seven months old now. So the bundle of joy has doubled. He is very calm and peaceful child. Cries only when he is hungry, sleepy or has some discomfort. Otherwise, he just sits and plays with his toys (even a plastic lid is enough for him ). Totally opposite of the elder son, who wanted attention all the time.

[condor]

vivekiny2k : Sorry to hear that Condor, I gave it some thought and decided to answer it here.

1. Feeding babies: for baby, it's a combination of suckling, gulping and breathing at the same time. Any disconcert and you have a disaster in making..

@Vivek, excellent points there. & Thank you, I Will pass these on ..

I am quoting only the point that was relevant in our case.

The feeding mother needs to watch the baby's breathing at all times, so she can catch such situations immediately.

[vivekiny2k]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

@vivekinny2 - You have mentioned about exposing the child to the elements and not being too fussy about keeping them extremely comfortable. I am not sure whether this is the right thing to do. Don't you feel that they may be more vulnerable to temperature changes than us? I am talking about a 9 month old kid here. Also, traditionally, in India, the older generation recommends wrapping the infants in extra layers of clothes as if its snowing !! I've never understood the logic behind it.

No No No Kalpesh, not for a 9 month old. some points (not again )

1. children need extra protection because their surface area (which transfers temperature)/volume (which generates/retains temperature) is higher than adults. e.g. tea poured in smaller vessels cools faster.

2. Children don't complain as much as adults. e.g. if you take them to dip in ganga they will jump in while you may be shivering at the thought. or if you lose electrical power, you may spend the afternoon cursing the government while they will happily play their favorite games.

I think it's because as we grow older, we become aware of our surroundings, our pains and conditions. But this also means we have to watch out for their discomfort.

keeping this in view, this is what I would do when I say expose to elements. I take them out when I can go out. Of course with some extra precautions. In winter, they wear layered cloths, jackets, gloves, boots, thermals, with an extra layer. in summer, when I seek shade, water and rest, they do so too. I take care to give them more of it.


What I do not want to happen is keep them in AC/ heat in controlled temperatures all the time. over a period it will kill their resistance and they will have a tough time surviving slightest changes when they need to.\

EDIT: addition to my previous post.

to prevent gas/colic in infants:

Baby colic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

look for something with no colic, no gas etc
Amazon.com: Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Newborn Feeding Set: Baby

to cure the gas:

MYLICON® and gas is gone. A crying baby doesn't always mean colic - it could be infant gas.

not sure if you get it in india. doctors say you can give it as many times as needed, no harmful effects. But I prefer physical methods first (stretching, cycling motion etc) before giving this. but it really works.

[kalpeshc]

^ Thanks for the post.

This is exactly what I read in the 'What to Expect - The first year' book. Treat them like you'd treat yourself. If you are feeling cold, they too may be feeling cold, if you are feeling the heat, they too may be feeling the same thing. Just don't overdo it. I do not switch on the AC at the first instance of temps touching even 28-29. It's quite manageable at that temps.

Quite informative thread.

[Spitfire]

My son (15 months) goes to sleep by 20:30 to 21:00 and gets up at 06:00.

He gets up, switches on the lights and goes "abba abba" in my ears. I sleep by 1:00.

I cant sleep early as i have con calls to attend. Need to stop getting on those meetings.

[ntomer]

Originally Posted by ajmat

The experience of parenthood took a knock for me today. Just rolled in my hotel in US to get a call from my wife to say that a very good friend's son died from an asthma attack which induced a cardiac arrest.

My daughter is asthmatic and also suffered like he did, but not as severely. We always took precautions and monitored (not to say that the bereaved parents did not, they did much more!). My wife actually put her career on hold for this.

Being there, my wife is shattered.

My daughter (six years old) also suffers from asthma. We consulted Dr. Meharban Singh (Ex HoD, Deptt. of Paediatrics, AIIMS). He did some tests and found out that she is allergic to edible colors. And if we take proper precautions, she will outgrow it by the time she is 11-12.

Since then we take special care and do not let her eat anything with artificial colors (Cadbury Gems, other candies, fruit jam, jellies, ketchup, ice-creams, cold-drinks etc.). She has never had any asthmatic problems since then, and we hope she will outgrow it in another 5-6 years.

Sorry to hear about the kid. A kid is someone special, and I can understand how much grief the parents must have been going through.

Regards

Nitin

[tj123]

My kid is 2.5 yrs old and he is a hyper active kid. He will always be upto some thing and it’s a real challenge for us to handle.

Being a bit attention deficient, the only activity which keeps him occupied is watching kids cartoons.
He has a peculiar choice of wild life related cartoon. He loves jungle book, Tarzan, Lion king etc. he is not very fond of girlish cartoon characters Cinderella, Snow white etc.

No I am finding it difficult to get new cartoons for him.

Guys can you give suggest names of some other good kids cartoon titles.

[hemanthisgreat]

Originally Posted by tj123

He has a peculiar choice of wild life related cartoon. He loves jungle book, Tarzan, Lion king etc. he is not very fond of girlish cartoon characters Cinderella, Snow white etc.

How about Timon and Pumbaa, talespin and also tom and jerry.

[Bubby]

A fantastic thread, one of the best I would say on TBHP.

I have little over a month old boy, so currently I wouldnt be having much to share with you, but I am glued to this one.

Aaaahhh... yes there is one thing, he just hates a blanket covering him or for that matter even very light cloth covering and we as parents fear that he might feel get cold from an AC as we ourselves use a thin cloth cover.

What to do?

When he is asleep, as soon we would we cover him he gets off the sleep and starts crying and if we leave him uncovered he sleeps really well.

[vivekiny2k]

@bubby, first, I don't see why you have to chill the room. keep it just comfortable.

keep checking baby's hands and feet, if they are cold, you need to take action. the easiest thing to do is to put on full onesies. we used them in winter.



keep in mind that most of the time we end up overheating kids, and that's a very dangerous situation. kids staying a little cold is not bad as long as their hands and feet are not very cold and they are not shivering.

Overheating the Baby

although we never mastered it and hardly used it, you can give swaddling a try.

Swaddling - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

@tj123, no experience there, but I would personally prefer not giving in to his demand every time. try misdirecting his energy towards other issues by creating small problems artificially. enrolling in programs that need a lot of energy, like action sports may help him cool down.

[hillram]

Very Interesting thread.Considering that I have a 2.11 yrs old son,who has just started going to Nursery school at DPS in Hyderabad.
He is a hyperactive kid and fond of cars like me.He loves Mr.Bean,Italian Job(1969 version) and enjoys the Mini cooper chase.
Its total fun to see a son grow just like father.

[sonirohit]

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

No No No Kalpesh, not for a 9 month old. some points (not again )

1. children need extra protection because their surface area (which transfers temperature)/volume (which generates/retains temperature) is higher than adults. e.g. tea poured in smaller vessels cools faster.

2. Children don't complain as much as adults. e.g. if you take them to dip in ganga they will jump in while you may be shivering at the thought. or if you lose electrical power, you may spend the afternoon cursing the government while they will happily play their favorite games.

I think it's because as we grow older, we become aware of our surroundings, our pains and conditions. But this also means we have to watch out for their discomfort.

keeping this in view, this is what I would do when I say expose to elements. I take them out when I can go out. Of course with some extra precautions. In winter, they wear layered cloths, jackets, gloves, boots, thermals, with an extra layer. in summer, when I seek shade, water and rest, they do so too. I take care to give them more of it.


What I do not want to happen is keep them in AC/ heat in controlled temperatures all the time. over a period it will kill their resistance and they will have a tough time surviving slightest changes when they need to.\

EDIT: addition to my previous post.

to prevent gas/colic in infants:

Baby colic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

look for something with no colic, no gas etc
Amazon.com: Dr. Brown's Natural Flow Newborn Feeding Set: Baby

to cure the gas:

MYLICON® and gas is gone. A crying baby doesn't always mean colic - it could be infant gas.

not sure if you get it in india. doctors say you can give it as many times as needed, no harmful effects. But I prefer physical methods first (stretching, cycling motion etc) before giving this. but it really works.

I agree - but a small correction - Infants not children need extra protection because their surface area. I pampered & protected my daughter while she was an infant. Now that she's 2.5 years old now - since the past year or so she has been subjected to all sorts of natural experiences - heat, enjoying in the rains for hours, playing in the field in slush/mud, playing in the snow - with the exactly same type of clothing that me and my wife wore... Everybody including kids have a tendency to take it easy...they too like to get up late in the morning, go to bed late, watch TV and what not, but it's better for them that they too are subject to the experiences we had gone through (and our parents must have gone through) while they were of our age... Everyone must remember - their childhood days - when we used to be back from play averaging almost a cut or a bruise a day - and did any thing happen to us??? No....