When Should You Stop Burping Your Baby?
Reaching Your Breastfeeding Goals
Updated June 09, 2014.
What is your goal for breastfeeding your baby?
In other words -- how long have you planned on breastfeeding?
Three months? Six months? Nine months? Twelve months or longer?
Are you reaching that goal?
According to most surveys, while about 65% of mothers start breastfeeding, only about 30% are still breastfeeding at six months and only about 15% are still breastfeeding when their baby is 12 months old.
This is well below the Healthy People 2010 Targets, a set of national health objectives, that 50% of mothers are breastfeeding at six months and 25% at 12 months.
Also remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that 'breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child.'
Of course things don't always go as planned. But if you are enjoying breastfeeding and things are going well for you and your baby, you might consider continuing to breastfeed until your baby is at least 12 months old. And if you begin to have breastfeeding problems that are getting in the way of your goal, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician and/or a lactation consultant to get some help.
These breastfeeding problems might include:
Sources:
CDC. Breastfeeding Report Card, United States — 2007: Outcome Indicators.
Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk, AAP Policy Statement. PEDIATRICS Vol. 115 No. 2 February 2005, pp. 496-506.
Baby Food Allergy
Updated June 09, 2014.
As they start new baby foods, parents often know that they should wait two or three days in between each new food. Waiting a few days allows you to easily recognize which foods might be causing any food allergy or intolerance symptoms.
On the other hand, if you started two or three new foods on the same day and your baby had a problem, it would be hard to know which baby food was to blame.
Even when they know that they should wait to start new baby foods, parents aren't always sure what signs or symptoms they are watching for.
How do you know if your baby is having a food allergy or intolerance after starting a new baby food?
Most of the time, baby food allergy symptoms will be just what you would expect from a allergic reaction to a food in any one else, including:
Other symptoms, such as gas and bloating, and sometimes diarrhea, are more likely to be caused by a food intolerance.
Simply not liking the taste of something is usually not a sign of an allergy though. Keep in mind that your baby may not like some foods or may have to get used to the taste or texture of some baby foods. For those baby foods that your baby doesn't seem to like right away, you may have to try several times before your baby will eat them regularly.
If you think that your baby has a true allergy or intolerance to a certain food, you should usually stop giving it to your child and should move on to something else. Often, you can try the food again in two or three months, especially if it was a mild reaction to see if your baby eventually tolerates the food.
Talk to your pediatrician before giving a food to your baby if it was a more serious reaction, such as one that included wheezing, or if your child has a reaction over multiple attempts on trying the food.
Your Baby's Eyesight
Updated June 09, 2014.
How well can your baby see now?
It is likely obvious that she can now see much better than she used to, as she follows you around the room and watches things you do. But you likely still wonder just how good her eyesight is.
While early on in her first month, your baby could only focus on things that were about a foot away from her face, she now see several feet away. Also, in addition to the simple, high-contrast patterns that she liked as a newborn, your baby can now see more colors, shapes and patterns.
Your baby's vision will continue to mature over the next two or three months, as she continues to appreciate an even greater variety of colors and more complex shapes and patterns. She won't actually have 20/20 vision until she is somewhere between 6 to 30 months old though.
Remember that your baby's eyes shouldn't cross any more though. If they do, an evaluation by your pediatrician and/or a pediatric ophthalmologist would be a good idea.
Sources:
Yanoff: Ophthalmology, 2nd ed.
Red Flag Symptoms
Updated June 09, 2014.
When your child gets sick, like with a runny nose, cough, or fever, how do you know when it is a simple viral infection or something more serious?
Which symptoms should you worry about?
Most parents worry about fever, but how high a fever is doesn't necessarily tell you how sick your child is. A child can have a temperature of 102 or 103 F with a cold or other viral infection, but may still be eating and drinking and sleeping well and may not be very sick.
On the other hand, a child can be deathly ill and may not have a fever at all.
So instead of worrying over the actual temperature, consider your child's other symptoms when she has a fever. Symptoms might include trouble breathing, being lethargic, being overly fussy and hard to console, or skipping feedings. A fever can also be worrisome if it is hard to control, like if it doesn't come down at all after giving your child a fever reducer, such as Tylenol.
Also, you should usually call your pediatrician or seek medical attention if your infant that is:
Other symptoms that should raise a red flag and that your child might need immediate medical attention include:
Safety Alert - Car Seat Mistakes
Updated June 09, 2014.
Putting a baby in a car seat seems like it should be easy.
Instead, it is pretty easy to make a mistake that could leave your baby less protected than she should be.
One of the more common mistakes that parents make is that they don't understand that according to the latest car seat guidelines, infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat (infant-only rear facing car seat or rear-facing convertible car seat) until they are two years old or until they have reached the weight and height limits of their car seat.
Although this means that some larger infants and toddlers might have to graduate to a rear-facing convertible car seat, there are also several models of infant only seats with higher, 30 to 35 pound weight limits that should get you to the next car seat safety milestone.
Reviewing infant growth charts, you can see that some babies reach 20 pounds, the weight limit of many infant-only car seats, as early as 6 to 7 months. These babies should move from their infant carrier type car seat, into a rear facing convertible car seat. A convertible car seat can have a rear facing weight limit up to 35 to 45 pounds, so will allow you to keep your baby rear facing through to her second birthday.
Other common car seat mistakes that parents make include:
If you are unsure if you are using your car seat correctly, consider getting a car seat inspection at a local fire station (not always available though) or visiting an official car seat inspection station.
Updated June 09, 2014.
If you have older children, you may have had a difficult week or two once you had your new baby.
Depending on their ages, this probably included some extra whining and crying, regression in development (wetting the bed, refusing to use the potty, daytime wetting accidents, etc.), and lots of jealousy.
Preparing your kids for the new baby likely helped you prevent and decrease any feelings of sibling rivalry -- at least in those first few months.
Unfortunately, now that your baby is awake more often during the day, she may be taking up more of your time, which can lead to even more problems with her siblings. That makes it even more important to take the time to help your other kids adjust to being older brothers or sisters, including:
Remember that it is still important to supervise your other children, especially toddlers and preschool-age children, when they hold or play with their little brother or sister.
Updated June 09, 2014.
As you can see from our burping poll, the majority of parents stopped burping their babies when are about six months old.
Why? It isn't necessarily that they don't need to burp anymore, but rather that they can simply burp on their own by this age.
If you notice that your baby burps on his own before this age, you can likely stop burping your baby as early as three or four months.
Giving up on burping is most likely to work if it is already getting hard to get your baby to burp and he seems to be doing fine, without much gas, spitting up, or fussiness.
Some babies simply swallow less air than others when they eat, especially as they get older, and so don't need to burp after they eat as often as other babies do.
If you do stop burping your baby and he starts spitting up more or seems more fussy after eating, then continue to burp him for a few more weeks or months.
Updated June 09, 2014.
What is your goal for breastfeeding your baby?
In other words -- how long have you planned on breastfeeding?
Three months? Six months? Nine months? Twelve months or longer?
Are you reaching that goal?
According to most surveys, while about 65% of mothers start breastfeeding, only about 30% are still breastfeeding at six months and only about 15% are still breastfeeding when their baby is 12 months old.
This is well below the Healthy People 2010 Targets, a set of national health objectives, that 50% of mothers are breastfeeding at six months and 25% at 12 months.
Also remember that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that 'breastfeeding should be continued for at least the first year of life and beyond for as long as mutually desired by mother and child.'
Of course things don't always go as planned. But if you are enjoying breastfeeding and things are going well for you and your baby, you might consider continuing to breastfeed until your baby is at least 12 months old. And if you begin to have breastfeeding problems that are getting in the way of your goal, don't hesitate to call your pediatrician and/or a lactation consultant to get some help.
These breastfeeding problems might include:
- biting
- a nursing strike
- decreased milk production
- early weaning
Sources:
CDC. Breastfeeding Report Card, United States — 2007: Outcome Indicators.
Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk, AAP Policy Statement. PEDIATRICS Vol. 115 No. 2 February 2005, pp. 496-506.
Baby Food Allergy
Updated June 09, 2014.
As they start new baby foods, parents often know that they should wait two or three days in between each new food. Waiting a few days allows you to easily recognize which foods might be causing any food allergy or intolerance symptoms.
On the other hand, if you started two or three new foods on the same day and your baby had a problem, it would be hard to know which baby food was to blame.
Baby Food Allergy Symptoms
Even when they know that they should wait to start new baby foods, parents aren't always sure what signs or symptoms they are watching for.
How do you know if your baby is having a food allergy or intolerance after starting a new baby food?
Most of the time, baby food allergy symptoms will be just what you would expect from a allergic reaction to a food in any one else, including:
- diarrhea
- skin rash, including hives
- vomiting
- wheezing
- stomach cramps
Other symptoms, such as gas and bloating, and sometimes diarrhea, are more likely to be caused by a food intolerance.
Simply not liking the taste of something is usually not a sign of an allergy though. Keep in mind that your baby may not like some foods or may have to get used to the taste or texture of some baby foods. For those baby foods that your baby doesn't seem to like right away, you may have to try several times before your baby will eat them regularly.
If you think that your baby has a true allergy or intolerance to a certain food, you should usually stop giving it to your child and should move on to something else. Often, you can try the food again in two or three months, especially if it was a mild reaction to see if your baby eventually tolerates the food.
Talk to your pediatrician before giving a food to your baby if it was a more serious reaction, such as one that included wheezing, or if your child has a reaction over multiple attempts on trying the food.
Your Baby's Eyesight
Updated June 09, 2014.
How well can your baby see now?
It is likely obvious that she can now see much better than she used to, as she follows you around the room and watches things you do. But you likely still wonder just how good her eyesight is.
While early on in her first month, your baby could only focus on things that were about a foot away from her face, she now see several feet away. Also, in addition to the simple, high-contrast patterns that she liked as a newborn, your baby can now see more colors, shapes and patterns.
Your baby's vision will continue to mature over the next two or three months, as she continues to appreciate an even greater variety of colors and more complex shapes and patterns. She won't actually have 20/20 vision until she is somewhere between 6 to 30 months old though.
Remember that your baby's eyes shouldn't cross any more though. If they do, an evaluation by your pediatrician and/or a pediatric ophthalmologist would be a good idea.
Sources:
Yanoff: Ophthalmology, 2nd ed.
Red Flag Symptoms
Updated June 09, 2014.
When your child gets sick, like with a runny nose, cough, or fever, how do you know when it is a simple viral infection or something more serious?
Which symptoms should you worry about?
Fever
Most parents worry about fever, but how high a fever is doesn't necessarily tell you how sick your child is. A child can have a temperature of 102 or 103 F with a cold or other viral infection, but may still be eating and drinking and sleeping well and may not be very sick.
On the other hand, a child can be deathly ill and may not have a fever at all.
So instead of worrying over the actual temperature, consider your child's other symptoms when she has a fever. Symptoms might include trouble breathing, being lethargic, being overly fussy and hard to console, or skipping feedings. A fever can also be worrisome if it is hard to control, like if it doesn't come down at all after giving your child a fever reducer, such as Tylenol.
Also, you should usually call your pediatrician or seek medical attention if your infant that is:
- three to six months old has a temp at or above 101 F (38.3 C)
- six to twelve months old has a temp at or above 103 F (39.4 C)
Red Flag Symptoms
Other symptoms that should raise a red flag and that your child might need immediate medical attention include:
- bilious (dark green) vomiting, a sign of an intestinal blockage
- bloody diarrhea
- fast breathing
- a constant cough, so that your child can barely take a breath between coughs
- vomiting or diarrhea that leads to dehydration
- being lethargic or difficult to wake up
- seizures
- a bulging fontanel (soft spot)
- a non-blanching (doesn't briefly go away when you press on it) skin rash
Safety Alert - Car Seat Mistakes
Updated June 09, 2014.
Putting a baby in a car seat seems like it should be easy.
Instead, it is pretty easy to make a mistake that could leave your baby less protected than she should be.
Rear Facing Car Seat Limits
One of the more common mistakes that parents make is that they don't understand that according to the latest car seat guidelines, infants and toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat (infant-only rear facing car seat or rear-facing convertible car seat) until they are two years old or until they have reached the weight and height limits of their car seat.
Although this means that some larger infants and toddlers might have to graduate to a rear-facing convertible car seat, there are also several models of infant only seats with higher, 30 to 35 pound weight limits that should get you to the next car seat safety milestone.
Reviewing infant growth charts, you can see that some babies reach 20 pounds, the weight limit of many infant-only car seats, as early as 6 to 7 months. These babies should move from their infant carrier type car seat, into a rear facing convertible car seat. A convertible car seat can have a rear facing weight limit up to 35 to 45 pounds, so will allow you to keep your baby rear facing through to her second birthday.
Car Seat Mistakes
Other common car seat mistakes that parents make include:
- putting car seat harness straps in the wrong position or allowing them to be too loose
- putting the harness chest clip in the wrong position
- not using the LATCH system correctly
- dressing their baby in a heavy coat or covering them with a heavy blanket and then putting the harness straps over the winter coat in the car seat
- placing a child in the wrong car seat or wrong position in the car, for example forward facing versus rear facing
- putting their baby's car seat in the front seat when it has a passenger side air bag
If you are unsure if you are using your car seat correctly, consider getting a car seat inspection at a local fire station (not always available though) or visiting an official car seat inspection station.
Updated June 09, 2014.
If you have older children, you may have had a difficult week or two once you had your new baby.
Depending on their ages, this probably included some extra whining and crying, regression in development (wetting the bed, refusing to use the potty, daytime wetting accidents, etc.), and lots of jealousy.
Preparing your kids for the new baby likely helped you prevent and decrease any feelings of sibling rivalry -- at least in those first few months.
Unfortunately, now that your baby is awake more often during the day, she may be taking up more of your time, which can lead to even more problems with her siblings. That makes it even more important to take the time to help your other kids adjust to being older brothers or sisters, including:
- having your kids help in age appropriate ways, such as holding the baby, getting diapers, and putting clothes away, etc.
- continuing to be prepared for changes and regression in your child's behavior and development, such as having more temper tantrums or having some accidents when he was just potty trained
- encouraging friends and family to spend time with your other kids when they offer to help with the baby, or letting them help with the baby so that you have more time for your other children
- sticking to your usual routines as much as possible, including mealtimes, naps, and bedtimes
- setting aside special one-on-one time as often as possible with each older sibling, even if it is just 5 or 10 minutes each day
Remember that it is still important to supervise your other children, especially toddlers and preschool-age children, when they hold or play with their little brother or sister.
Updated June 09, 2014.
Q. When can I stop burping my baby?
As you can see from our burping poll, the majority of parents stopped burping their babies when are about six months old.
Why? It isn't necessarily that they don't need to burp anymore, but rather that they can simply burp on their own by this age.
If you notice that your baby burps on his own before this age, you can likely stop burping your baby as early as three or four months.
Giving up on burping is most likely to work if it is already getting hard to get your baby to burp and he seems to be doing fine, without much gas, spitting up, or fussiness.
Some babies simply swallow less air than others when they eat, especially as they get older, and so don't need to burp after they eat as often as other babies do.
If you do stop burping your baby and he starts spitting up more or seems more fussy after eating, then continue to burp him for a few more weeks or months.
