In the past, the umbilical cord and placenta were discarded after childbirth without a second thought.  Recently though, the benefits of saving this blood have become quite apparent.

Without getting too technical, this blood contains stem cells.  Stem cells have the unique ability to develop into three different kinds of mature blood cells: white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.  How is this important to the health of your child?

If your child develops an illness, such as leukemia, the treatment could be very damaging to their blood cells.  Chemotherapy and radiation, while they work to kill ‘bad’ cells, can also damage healthy cells in the process.  As the cells in the bone marrow are attacked, the child may require a bone marrow transplant from a donor.  Using their own cells to create healthy new ones is the best way to deal with this type of problem.

In order to save and bank your child’s cord blood, you must make arrangements ahead of time.  The material can be collected with both vaginal and c-section deliveries, but the kit must be present at the time of the birth.  Vaginal births usually yield a greater amount of cord blood and therefore a greater amount of stem cells. 

After they are collected, the blood cells are cryogenically stored until a time when they may be needed.  Since this practice hasn’t been studied in great detail, there are no exact figures outlining the chances that your child will ever need to use their stem cells.  However, if your family has a history of serious illness, banking your child’s cord blood is something that you may want to seriously consider.

The average expense for banking cord blood is about $1500, plus $100 per year maintenance fee.

Learning to feed your new baby can be an intimidating experience.  Like so many other new parents, you may be worried about whether you are feeding them too little, too much, too often, not often enough, etc.

Rest assured that most babies will let you know!  A baby that seems unwilling or unable to suck from the breast or the bottle could have an underlying illness, but most take to feeding readily.  Once the meal is finished, burping your baby is very important. 

As babies eat, they tend to swallow quite a bit of air.  This gassy feeling can make baby cranky and uncomfortable.  Relieving this discomfort brings relief to both Baby and Parent.  Some children scream or cry so heartily that you may fear there is something seriously wrong with them; in most cases, they just need a good burp.

There are different burping techniques and you will have to try a few to discover which works best for you and Baby.  Newborns need to have constant neck support during feeding and burping, so cradling them over your shoulder is a good position to start with.  Gently pat and rub their back until their gas is relieved.  Some babies are harder to burp than others, so don’t give up until you hear them burp.  Remember to throw a cloth over your shoulder, as spit up is not uncommon.

Another position that works well for some is to lay the baby on their stomach over your lap, supporting their head by placing your hand under their chin.  Again, light patting and rubbing is all that is necessary to dislodge the air bubbles trapped in their belly.

Whichever technique you decide on, just be sure that you have a firm grasp on Baby and are supporting their head and neck.  And always use a cloth or burping pad to protect your clothes!

If your child has a fever, then the first thing to do is to reach for your trusty thermometer and see how bad that fever is.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, these are the vital temperatures to be looking out for:

 
A baby under two months – needs to see the doctor, if his or her rectal temperature is 100.4 or greater.
A child of six months or older – needs to see the doctor if his or her temperature is over 101 fahrenheit.

 
But what should an anxious parent do if there is a fever – but it’s not bad enough to see a doctor?  A good idea is to keep the room cool (but not too cool!) and dress your child in loose, comfortable clothes.  Make sure your child drinks plenty of water or diluted juice.  If your child is over six months, a mild painkiller may help – but not aspirin.

 
When should you visit the doctor if the fever doesn’t break?  It’s suggested that a fever lasting more than 24 hours for an under two warrants a doctor’s visit, or 72 hours if your child is over two.

It can be upsetting for parents if their child complains of a headache, as it seems that there is little that can be done to help.  Usually a headache is an isolated event, and isn’t a sign of any greater illness.  So what can be done?

 
A headache calls for time in a quiet, low lit room for your child.  Bright lights and noises can make the headache worse, as can activities such as reading or watching television.  A nap or a simple rest can do the trick to relieve the headache.  A bored child may wish to have the radio on very low, or a story book read to them in quiet tones.

 
If the headache is severe, a mild painkiller may be a good thing to administer.  Don’t give small children aspirin – a paracetomol or ibuprofen based painkiller is much better.  Always read the label, to ensure the correct dosage. 

 
It’s also a good idea to have a quiet talk with your child about any problems they might be having at home or at school.  Headaches can often stem from emotional problems.  If the headache doesn’t go away, or other symptoms appear, it is wise to consult a doctor. 

Bathrooms can be dangerous places for little ones.  They have such curious minds, they want to find out what everything does and what everything is for.  In a place where you store all sorts of things, curiosity can not be such a good thing!  Here are some tips to help keep your children safe in the bathroom.

 
1.     If you keep your medicines in a cabinet, get a lock.  You may think that your child can’t reach a high shelf, but kids can be persistent.  They can climb over and on everything!
2.     Turn down your water temperature.  If the water runs so hot that it can scald, it’s a danger to your exploring child.  Ensure his or her safety by making sure that the water just can’t get that hot.
3.     Electrical items?  Take them out of the bathroom.  Kids, water and electrical items such as heaters just aren’t a good idea.  Why risk it?
4.     If you keep a razor in your bathroom, make sure that it’s out of reach, or your child might find out the hard way just how sharp a razor can be.    

So you gave up coffee, raw egg and all that stuff while you were pregnant.  Now you’re not, you can let loose, right?  Well unfortunately not, if you’re breastfeeding.  Remember that your child is feeding on your milk, and what you eat and drink can affect what your child is drinking. 

 

So what should you avoid?  Well, coffee is a good one.  Try not to drink more than five small cups a day, as the caffeine can keep your baby from sleeping.  Bad for baby, and definitely bad for mum!

 

Don’t smoke or use drugs, as the toxins can be passed on through the breast milk.  Smoking is a no – no around children, whatever their age or stage of development.  The risks of passive smoking are just too great.  If you’re a smoker, quit now for your child’s and your own health.

 

Don’t drink alcohol, as this can be passed on through breast milk. 

 

But if you have a cold, don’t worry.  According to most sources, germs

When your baby starts eating solids it can be easy to get too enthusiastic.  You want your child to try every different kind of food, and that’s great.  But you do need to consider the risk of choking, and make sure that you keep an eye on your child to make sure that you minimise the risks.

 

Small children can eat very quickly, if they aren’t supervised.  They need to be taught by example that it’s a good idea to chew their food thoroughly!  This means that when your little one starts eating solids it’s a good idea to always be with them while they eat, to ensure that they chew properly.

 

Also make sure that you’re giving them the right kind of foods.  Food which is hard or difficult to chew can be risky, as they can get stuck in your child’s airways.  Things such as raw carrots or other raw hard vegetables are good to avoid, as well as things like hard candy, popcorn and large nuts.  Obviously veggies are great for your child – just cook them first!

 

You should also be wary of things that are round.  Grapes  should be cut into quarters, to prevent them lodging in the throat, for example.  A little care can ensure that your child eats a wide range of great food without a risk to their health. 

Did you know that for your girl’s bones to grow strong and healthy, a form of weight bearing activity is highly necessary?  Well why not introduce your girl to football – just one of the great high-impact sports out there which can help her to build strong bones.

 
A study in Pediatric Physical Therapy has suggested that football is a good way to build up healthy bone.  It examined the BMD (bone mineral density) of three different groups of young female athletes – swimmers, footballers and weightlifters.  The footballers came out on top for bone density. 

 
While swimming is great for overall fitness, it doesn’t help the bones strengthen, so young swimmers should add a weight bearing activity to their fitness routine.  Other sports such as hockey or basketball are a good substitute for football.