The KidsHealth Guide for Parents : Birth to Age 5

Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 11
A Word from the Authors......Page 25
About the Authors......Page 27
About KidsHealth and the Nemours Foundation......Page 29
Acknowledgments......Page 31
PART ONE Special Delivery! Pregnancy, Birth, and Your Baby’s First Months......Page 35
CHAPTER ONE Prenatal Care: Getting off to a good start......Page 37
If You Are Planning to Become Pregnant......Page 38
Healthy Living During Pregnancy......Page 39
Medical Care......Page 50
Preparing the Members of Your Household......Page 69
Preparing Your Home......Page 74
Stocking Your Home with Baby Gear (or, How Much Stuff Does One Baby Need?)......Page 78
CHAPTER THREE Your Baby’s Birth: The main event......Page 101
Getting Help......Page 102
The Birth Setting......Page 103
Stages of Labor and Delivery......Page 107
Cesarean Delivery......Page 110
Pain Management......Page 115
Other Common Medical Procedures......Page 117
Checking Out Your Baby......Page 121
Bonding......Page 122
Banking Cord Blood......Page 124
If There’s a Problem at Birth......Page 125
Thinking It Over......Page 126
CHAPTER FOUR Looking at Your Newborn: “He definitely has your ears . . .”......Page 127
The Head......Page 128
The Eyes......Page 129
The Nose......Page 130
The Belly......Page 131
The Sexual Organs......Page 132
Arms, Hands, Fingers, Knees, and Toes......Page 134
The Skin......Page 135
Jaundice......Page 141
Thrush......Page 144
Other Common Conditions in Newborns and Young Infants......Page 145
Who Is the Premature Baby?......Page 147
Degrees of Prematurity......Page 148
Why Are Babies Born Prematurely?......Page 149
Preparing for Early Delivery......Page 150
Special Care for Your Special Delivery......Page 151
Getting to Know Your Premature Infant......Page 153
What Can You Do for Your Premature Infant?......Page 155
Common Medical Problems and Procedures......Page 158
Taking Your Infant Home......Page 164
What Is Circumcision?......Page 167
Making the Decision......Page 168
Possible Complications of Circumcision......Page 171
CHAPTER EIGHT Breast or Bottle: What’s best for your baby and your family?......Page 173
Making Your Choice: Breast or Bottle?......Page 174
If You’re Still Not Sure......Page 182
CHAPTER NINE Breast-Feeding: Nature’s way......Page 183
Getting Equipped for Nursing......Page 184
Two Kinds of Helpers......Page 186
Getting Started......Page 187
How to Hold Your Baby for Breast-Feeding......Page 188
The Importance of Latching On......Page 189
A Typical Nursing Session......Page 192
How Can You Tell if Your Baby Is Getting Enough Milk?......Page 193
Stimulating the Milk Supply......Page 194
What Is Letdown?......Page 195
Expressing or Pumping Breast Milk......Page 197
Returning to Work......Page 198
Taking Care of a Nursing Mother......Page 199
How to Deal with Common Problems......Page 201
Nursing Twins and More......Page 203
Weaning......Page 204
Bottle Basics......Page 207
Choosing a Formula......Page 208
Types of Baby Bottles......Page 211
Types of Nipples......Page 212
Do You Need to Sterilize Bottles, Nipples, and Water?......Page 213
How to Prepare Formula......Page 214
Weaning......Page 217
CHAPTER ELEVEN Baby-Care Basics: A how-to manual for daily care......Page 219
Handling Your Newborn......Page 220
Soothing and Connecting with Your Baby......Page 221
Diapering......Page 223
Swaddling......Page 227
Crying and Colic......Page 229
Bathing......Page 232
Care of the Umbilical Cord Stump......Page 235
Limiting the Guest List......Page 236
Coughing......Page 238
Vomiting......Page 240
“Cradle Cap” (Seborrheic Dermatitis)......Page 241
PART TWO Routine Medical Care: Staying Healthy......Page 243
Considering Your Options......Page 245
Starting the Search for Your Child’s Doctor......Page 247
What You Should Ask the “Finalists”......Page 250
Get the Feel of the Office Environment......Page 252
Establishing a Good Relationship with Your Child’s Doctor......Page 253
Childhood Checkups......Page 259
Well-Child Visits: How Often?......Page 260
What Happens at a Well-Child Visit?......Page 261
Making the Most of an Office Visit......Page 266
When to Call the Doctor About Your Child......Page 267
Getting Medical Care When Your Child Is Ill......Page 268
Working the Phones......Page 270
Children’s Fears About Medical Exams......Page 271
Trust Your Instincts......Page 275
CHAPTER FOURTEEN Health Screening Tests: Which ones should your child have?......Page 277
Tuberculosis Screening......Page 278
Cholesterol Screening......Page 280
Lead Screening......Page 281
Anemia Screening......Page 283
Your Child’s Hearing......Page 285
Your Child’s Vision......Page 290
Why Some Children Aren’t Immunized—Even When They Should Be......Page 297
Vaccines Commonly Given to Children......Page 300
PART THREE Your Baby Grows Up: The Joys and Challenges of Parenting......Page 311
Physical Growth......Page 313
Development......Page 318
Developmental Milestones......Page 324
Play and Your Child’s Development......Page 335
Stages of Play......Page 336
Helping Your Child Play......Page 337
Choosing the Right Games, Activities, and Toys......Page 338
Toys, Play, and Social Skills......Page 339
Fitness, Exercise, and Sports......Page 340
TV, Computers, and Other Media......Page 346
Reading to Your Child: Do It!......Page 349
CHAPTER NINETEEN Temperament, Behavior, and Discipline: Learning the rules......Page 353
Developing a Philosophy of Discipline......Page 354
Establishing General Principles of Behavior......Page 356
What to Expect as Your Child Grows Up......Page 357
Tailoring Your Approach to Your Child’s Temperament......Page 363
Dealing with Common Behaviors and Misbehaviors......Page 364
Get Ready!......Page 375
Get Set!......Page 376
Go!......Page 377
Tips for Success......Page 379
Common Problems......Page 380
Getting to Sleep and Staying Asleep......Page 385
Waking and Feeding......Page 386
Establishing Good Sleeping Patterns......Page 389
Where Should Your Baby Sleep?......Page 392
“Back to Sleep” to Reduce the Risk of SIDS......Page 394
Safer Sleeping Quarters......Page 395
Sleep Patterns Through the Ages......Page 396
Sleep Problems......Page 403
Other Opinions......Page 406
Food Attitudes......Page 409
Moving from Milk to Solid Foods......Page 410
In the Beginning: First Foods......Page 411
Foods to Avoid at First......Page 414
A Totally Solid Food Plan......Page 415
Baby Vitamin Supplements......Page 416
Food Safety......Page 417
Nutrition for Ages Two to Five......Page 419
What Should Your Child Eat?......Page 422
Facts on Fat......Page 427
Vegetarian Diets......Page 429
Things Worth Limiting in Your Child’s Diet......Page 431
Teething......Page 437
Tooth Decay......Page 440
Cleaning Your Child’s Teeth......Page 444
Paging the Tooth Fairy......Page 446
Tooth Grinding......Page 447
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR Child Safety: The job that’s never done......Page 449
A General Approach to Keeping Your Child Safe......Page 450
On the Road......Page 452
At-Home Safety......Page 456
Safe Fun......Page 466
Choosing a Caregiver......Page 479
Getting to Know the Caregiver......Page 483
Keeping Your Child Healthy in Child Care......Page 484
Gathering Information Before You Adopt......Page 487
Interpreting Information......Page 489
Health Care When Your Child Comes Home......Page 490
PART FOUR Using the Health Care System......Page 495
Health Insurance and Managed Care: Is Your Child Covered?......Page 497
Medical Care Specialists......Page 505
The Hospital......Page 508
The Emergency Room......Page 515
PART FIVE What to Do if Your Child Is Injured or Sick......Page 523
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT First Aid and Emergency Care: Be prepared......Page 525
Preparing for an Emergency—Before It Happens......Page 526
Lifesaving Techniques......Page 528
Common Injuries and Emergencies......Page 537
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Signs and Symptoms: What they mean and when to call your child’s doctor......Page 565
How to Use This Chapter......Page 566
Crying/Colic......Page 567
Ear Pain/Discharge......Page 569
Eye Redness/Discharge......Page 572
Fever......Page 575
Limb or Joint Pain/Swelling......Page 586
Mouth Pain/Problems......Page 588
Respiratory and Breathing Problems......Page 590
Seizures/Convulsions......Page 598
Skin Problems......Page 600
Sore Throat......Page 606
Stomach and Intestinal Problems......Page 608
Urinary or Genital Pain/Problems......Page 618
CHAPTER THIRTY Childhood Infections: The facts about roseola, ringworm, rheumatic fever, and more......Page 623
How to Use This Chapter......Page 625
Botulism......Page 626
Bronchiolitis (Respiratory Syncytial Virus)......Page 627
Cat Scratch Disease......Page 628
Chicken Pox (Varicella)......Page 629
Common Cold......Page 631
Conjunctivitis (Pinkeye)......Page 632
Croup......Page 633
Diarrhea......Page 634
Ear Infection—Ear Canal (Otitis Externa/Swimmer's Ear)......Page 636
Ear Infection—Middle Ear (Otitis Media)......Page 637
Encephalitis......Page 639
Epiglottitis......Page 640
Fifth Disease (Erythema Infectiosum)......Page 641
Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease......Page 642
Hepatitis, Viral......Page 643
Herpangina......Page 644
Herpes Simplex......Page 645
Impetigo......Page 646
Influenza (Flu)......Page 647
Kawasaki Disease......Page 648
Lice......Page 650
Lyme Disease......Page 651
Measles (Rubeola)......Page 652
Meningitis......Page 653
Molluscum Contagiosum......Page 654
Mononucleosis, Infectious......Page 655
Mumps......Page 656
Osteomyelitis......Page 657
Pinworms......Page 658
Pneumonia......Page 659
Rabies......Page 661
Reye Syndrome......Page 662
Rheumatic Fever......Page 663
Ringworm (Tinea)......Page 664
Rubella (German or Three-Day Measels)......Page 666
Scabies......Page 667
Scarlet Fever......Page 668
Sinusitis......Page 669
Staphylococcal (Staph) Skin Infections......Page 670
Strep Throat/Sore Throat (Pharyngitis)......Page 671
Swollen Glands (Lymphadenopathy or Lymphadenitis)......Page 673
Tetanus (Lockjaw)......Page 674
Toxoplasmosis......Page 675
Tuberculosis......Page 676
Urinary Tract Infection......Page 677
Warts......Page 678
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)......Page 679
Yeast (Candida) Infections (Thrush, Diaper Rash)......Page 681
Using Medications with Care......Page 683
How to Give Your Child Medicine......Page 685
Alternative Medicine and Your Child......Page 688
How Does Alternative Medicine Differ fromTraditional Medicine?......Page 691
PART SIX When Your Child Has a Health Problem......Page 695
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO Health Problems in Early Childhood: A parent’s desk reference......Page 697
How to Use This Chapter......Page 699
Medical Conditions......Page 700
Surgical Conditions/Procedures......Page 759
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE Caring for Your Child with Special Health Care Needs: Being your child’s best advocate......Page 765
Parenting Your Child with a Chronic Condition......Page 766
Managed Care and Your Child with Special Needs......Page 774
Financial Considerations......Page 776
Getting a Second Opinion and Trusting Your Instincts......Page 777
PART SEVEN Finding High-Quality Health Information......Page 779
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR Finding Health Information on the Web: Whom do you trust?......Page 781
The Web and Health......Page 782
Beware of Online “Experts”......Page 784
Children’s Health Information on the Web......Page 786
How to Use General Search Tools......Page 788
The Web and Confidentiality......Page 789
APPENDIX A Preparing Your Child’s Health Record......Page 791
APPENDIX B Growth Charts and Body Mass Index Charts......Page 801
APPENDIX C Resource Guide......Page 821
Index......Page 833