Development Profile of children by Age

For the sake of convenience and easy reference, the major areas of development in a child have been grouped according to age. One month profile Turns towards the source of light, tries to fix his gaze on the mother or any object nearby like a toy, and briefly follows a light source. A sudden sound… [ Continue Reading ]

Thumbsucking: A Comfort Habit

My niece Bhawna mumbled while sleeping and I turned around to give her a good night kiss. I found Bhawna sucking her thumb even in deep slumber. Bhawna is three years old and has not been able to get rid of this habit. It worries her parents a lot. They often wonder if it is… [ Continue Reading ]

Insure Your Child’s Smile: Managing children’s dental health

When your child eats, food passes through the mouth and it meets the germs or bacteria that live in the mouth. These bacteria have sugars and starches found in many foods. If you do not clean your child’s teeth after eating, plaque bacteria use the sugars and starches to produce acid that destroys the hard… [ Continue Reading ]

Production of Milk and How it Reaches the Baby

Milk is produced in the mammary glands present in the breast. This glandular tissue is embedded in fat, giving the breast its round contours and size. The amount of glandular tissue in the breast is similar in amount in all women. Thus, milk production does not depend on the size of the breast. Milk production… [ Continue Reading ]

Is My Milk Enough?

The milk supply increases from about 100 ml on the second day to about 500 ml in the second week and more slowly thereafter. Some mothers get very panicky as to whether the baby is getting enough breast milk. I have known mothers who weighed the baby after every feed or at least every day…. [ Continue Reading ]

Duration And Frequency Of Feeding Your Baby

I got a call from Ria. Her baby was not feeding properly, she said. I asked her about her child’s feeding habits. “I feed every two hours,” she said. “And what if she wants food in between,” I asked. Ria had been giving her daughter glucose water whenever she cried in between feeds. No wonder… [ Continue Reading ]

Return of Menstruation and Contraception

Ria wanted to come over to clear some doubts about her menstrual cycle. “Why don’t you have tea with me,” I offered. Ria was under the impression that the menstrual cycle begins soon after the delivery. Which is partly true. Some women start menstruating as early as six weeks after delivery, but in some breastfeeding… [ Continue Reading ]

When Should Bed Wetting be Considered Abnormal?

Children sleep more deeply and soundly than grown-ups and do not wake up with the signals from a full bladder; so they wet their beds even though they may be dry by day. Between two and three years, the sleep becomes lighter and the child wakes up and expresses the need to pass urine and… [ Continue Reading ]