If You Choose Not to Vaccinate Your Child- Understand the Risks and Responsibilities.

If you choose to delay some vaccines or reject some vaccines entirely, there can be risks. Please follow these steps to protect your child, your family, and others.

With the decision to delay or reject vaccines comes an important responsibility that could save your child’s life, or the life of someone else.

Any time that your child is ill and you: 

• call 911; 
• ride in an ambulance; 
• visit a hospital emergency room; or 
• visit your child’s doctor or any clinic

you must tell the medical staf that your child has not  received all the vaccines recommended for his or her age.  Keep a vaccination record easily accessible so that you can  report exactly which vaccines your child has received, even  when you are under stress.

Telling health care professionals your child's vaccination status is essential for two reasons:

• When your child is being evaluated, the doctor will need to consider the possibility that your child has a vaccine-preventable disease. Many of these diseases are now uncommon, but they still occur.
• The people who help your child can take precautions, such  as isolating your child, so that the disease does not spread  to others. One group at high risk for contracting disease  is infants who are too young to be fully vaccinated. For  example, the measles vaccine is not usually recommended  for babies younger than 12 months. Very young babies who  get measles are likely to be seriously ill, often requiring  hospitalization. Other people at high risk for contracting  disease are those with weaker immune systems, such as  some people with cancer and transplant recipients.

Before an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease occurs in your community:

• Talk to your child’s doctor or nurse to be sure your child’s  medical record is up to date regarding vaccination status.  Ask for a copy of the updated record.
• Inform your child’s school, childcare facility, and other   caregivers about your child’s vaccination status
• Be aware that your child can catch diseases from people who  don’t have any symptoms. For example, Hib meningitis can be spread from people who have the  bacteria in their body but are not ill. You can’t tell who is contagious. 

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Childhood vaccines benefits: why get vaccinated?

Diseases have injured and killed many children over  the years in the United States. Polio paralyzed about  37,000 and killed about 1,700 every year in the 1950s.  Hib disease was once the leading cause of bacterial  meningitis in children under 5 years of age. About 15,000 people died each year from diphtheria before  there was a vaccine. Up to 70,000 children a year were  hospitalized because of rotavirus disease. Hepatitis B  can cause liver damage and cancer in 1 child out of  4 who are infected, and tetanus kills 1 out of every 5  who get it. Thanks mostly to vaccines, these diseases are not  nearly as common as they used to be. But they have  not disappeared, either. Some are common in other countries, and if we stop vaccinating they will come  back here. This has already happened in some parts of  the world. When vaccination rates go down, disease  rates go up. 

Childhood vaccines can prevent these 8 Diseases

1. DIPHTHERIA : Signs and symptoms include a thick covering in the back of the throat that can make it hard to breathe. Diphtheria can lead to breathing problems, and heart failure.

2. TETANUS (Lockjaw) : Signs and symptoms include painful tightening of the muscles, usually all over the body. Tetanus can lead to stiffness of the jaw so victims can’t open their mouth or swallow.

3. PERTUSSIS (Whooping Cough) : Signs and symptoms include violent coughing spells that can make it hard for a baby to eat, drink, or breathe. These spells can last for weeks. Pertussis can lead to pneumonia, seizures, and brain damage.

4. HIB (Haemophilus influenzae type b) : Signs and symptoms can include trouble breathing. There may not be any signs or symptoms in mild cases.

Hib can lead to meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord coverings); pneumonia; infections of the blood, joints, bones, and covering of the heart; brain damage; and deafness.

5. HEPATITIS B : Signs and symptoms can include tiredness, diarrhea and vomiting, jaundice (yellow skin or eyes), and pain in muscles, joints and stomach. But usually there are no signs or symptoms at all. Hepatitis B can lead to liver damage, and liver cancer.

6. POLIO : Signs and symptoms can include flu-like illness, or there may be no signs or symptoms at all. Polio can lead to paralysis (can’t move an arm or leg).

7. PNEUMOCOCCAL DISEASE : Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, cough, and chest pain. Pneumococcal disease can lead to meningitis (infection of the brain and spinal cord coverings), blood infections, ear infections, pneumonia, deafness, and brain damage.

8. ROTAVIRUS : Signs and symptoms include watery diarrhea (sometimes severe), vomiting, fever, and stomach pain. Rotavirus can lead to dehydration and hospitalization.

Any of these diseases can lead to death.

How do babies catch these diseases?

Usually from contact with other children or adults who are already infected, sometimes without even knowing they  are infected. A mother with Hepatitis B infection can also infect her baby at birth. Tetanus enters the body through a cut or wound; it is not spread from person to person.

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Caring for your baby at night a guide for parents from unicef uk

Becoming a parent is a very special time and can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life as you get to know your new baby and learn how to care for her needs. However, it can also be challenging, especially when you are tired and your baby is wakeful and wanting to feed frequently during the night. It may be reassuring to know that it is not only normal but essential for your baby to feed during the night.

Babies grow quickly in the early weeks and months of life and they have very small stomachs. They therefore need to feed around the clock to meet their needs. Whilst it can be frustrating when your sleep is disturbed during the night, it can also be a lovely quiet time to be with your baby away from the bustle and distractions of daytime. Babies rely on the security and comfort of being close to their parents and need this during the night as well as during the day.

-Bottle feeding...

-Getting some rest...
-when babies don’t settle...-putting your baby down to sleep...
-If you decide to share a bed with your baby...

For more please Click here to download the full publication from UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative

How to Get Your Newborn Baby to Sleep Through the Night

Babies are wonderful, of course, but sleep deprivation is definitely not! Read on for tips on helping baby learn to sleep through the night.

 Everyone told you it was going to be exhausting having a baby, but when you get your newborn home and discover the scope of care required, the reality can be overwhelming. This is particularly true for first-time Moms/parents. Being alone at home with a newborn baby who won't sleep can add to the already high frustration and exhaustion levels, and of course any help is usually welcome. 

Getting baby to sleep for longer periods, and eventually overnight, becomes an important goal for the health and sanity of all involved.

Consider that in training your newborn to sleep for longer periods, you are not only giving yourself a break but helping baby as well. Longer periods of sleep help your baby get the proper rest required for healthy growth and development. Also, a Mom or primary caregiver who is rested will likely have far more patience and more resources to draw on, and this is good for all involved, including other family members if there are any.

Some tips you may find helpful include
Prolong wake times Even though it may seem, at times, that all your baby wants to do is sleep, you can train them to sleep more at night by keeping them awake more during the daytime. Help your new baby adopt your family's rhythms by engaging them during the day - while allowing plenty of nap time, of course - and keeping them up when it's not nap time. Tiny babies need lots of sleep, of course, but by ensuring their waking hours are primarily during the day you help them sleep longer at night, and they can pick up this rhythm more quickly. Gentle engagement during the day such as talking to them, taking them for walks (but not bundled up too much or they'll be too comfortable and fall asleep!) for fresh air, and perhaps non-stressful visits are all good to help keep baby awake during the day.

Deeper sleep While your baby is napping, try adding normal noises to he environment, such as running the vacuum, playing the radio or even just opening windows so neighbourhood sounds can filter in. While it may seem natural to try and be super-quiet while baby is napping, this actually trains them to expect quiet, and thus they will sleep lightly and be more likely to startle at any little noise. If you help them learn to sleep through various distractions, everyone in the home will benefit from deeper sleep!

3 Easy Baby Shower Games to Play at Any Shower

Baby showers are a great way to celebrate the upcoming new life with friends and family. They are a traditional celebration, and they serve as a way to help the new parents prepare for the new arrival.

Unfortunately for most of us (and I guiltily admit it and say it with a heavy heart), baby showers are a "have to do"... it's one of those things that nobody really likes going to, but we know it's something we have to attend. If you are hosting a shower, you should consider having games to play. They help to spruce up the event, and provide your guests and mommy-to-be with fun memories. Playing games at a shower really helps to keep the interest alive and helps to move the shower along.

Below are some quick ideas of 3 games you could play that will have your guests rolling with fun and laughter. (For the full instructions on how to play each game, scroll down to the bottom of the page. You'll find the links there.)

• The Dirty Diaper Game - Ewwwww... What IS that??

Yep. The dirty diaper game is number one on our list of games to play. It's so much fun, and easy to prepare for. The theory behind it is you make a "mess" in a diaper by using either melted candy bars or baby food. The guests then take turns in guessing what's in the diaper. The one who gets it right is the winner and gets a prize!

There are a few different ways this game can be played. You can lay out several different diapers with different "messes" in them and have the guests take a guess at each diaper. Or, you can give each guest their own messy diaper to guess.

• The Rice Game - This is IMPOSSIBLE!

The Rice Game is another "looks easy but tricky as heck" game. Fill a bowl with uncooked rice and buy a pack of small safety pins. Mix the safety pins in with the rice. Have each guest take a turn (blindfolded) and time them - 30 seconds to 1 minute is good - and see how many safety pins they can dig out of the bowl. The winner is the person who found the most safety pins.

• The String Game - Wow, She's Really THAT Big??

The String Game is a great game to play too because it seems easy, but it's really quit the challenge. You need a roll of string and some scissors to play. Have each guest size the mommy-to-be up, and they have to cut a piece of string the size they think the pregnant mom is. The person with the closest match is the winner.

• Other Baby Shower Tips and Ideas

Some other things to consider if you're hosting a shower are things like food, cake, favors, invitations, and venue. Below are some tips to help you plan for the upcoming event.

Having food for your guests to eat is a must. However, it doesn't have to be a full menu. Finger foods or light snack foods are perfect.

A cake is also a must, but this can be modified to fit the shower. Instead of cake, you could do cupcakes. It's part of the tradition.

Baby shower favors really add that special "thank you for coming" touch. Again, these don't have to be too fancy, but a little trinket for the guests to come away with is recommended. Think personalized bags of candy, or something similar.

Invitations are extremely important... for obvious reasons. They must be sent out with plenty of time for the guests to plan on attending, but not too far in advance that they forget about it. 2 weeks before the shower is a good time frame.

The venue is important. Depending on the size of the guest list will depend on where you should choose to have the baby shower. A home is usually perfectly acceptable. If you have a larger guest list, sometimes renting out a space is a better option.

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Take Care of the Dietary Needs of Your Baby

A healthy meal or a healthy diet for the infants and babies should most certainly consist of things that keep them healthy. Many young parents are not even aware of the fact that babies grow rapidly during the very first year of their life than any other time. It is during this time that the babies learn to eat, walk and run. The health and fitness of a baby depends mostly on the food they are fed and the regularity with which the baby is nourished with the nutrients essential. It is important that young parents know the importance of a balanced baby food diet.

Importance of Mother's Milk

The foremost thing that should be remembered is that infants and babies should not be deprived of mother's milk. It is the most essential food for the babies till the age of two. Whereas in the infant stage mother's milk is the only thing that the babies should be fed with, essential foods and nutrients should be given to the baby when they are six months or more. It should be noted that evaporated milk, cow milk, and goat milk should not be given to the babies as these are hard to be digested.

For babies between four and six months mother's milk should be continued. In case it is not practicable they should be given formula from the bottle. The baby usually wants mother's milk or formula every four to five hours. Some paediatricians also suggest that a baby food diet should consist of iron fortified cereal for the infant at least two to three times a day.

Feeding the babies with infant cereals
For babies between six months and nine months the amount of mother's milk that should be included in the diet decreases. They should be fed with infant cereal at least four to five times in a week. Other foods that get into the list constituting a baby food diet include finely boiled meat, vegetables and strained fruits. The baby can also be given cooked yolk of eggs. However, the egg whites, being hard to digest at such delicate stage, should be avoided as they are indigestible for the babies. The perfect time to feed the babies is in the morning when they are very hungry. It is good to give them one new food every week. For babies between nine and twelve months, more solid food should be included in their diet. Consequently, the frequency of having bottled milk or mother's milk reduces to a great extent.

Conclusion
Baby food diet varies with the stages of infancy. While in the early periods of infancy, the baby should be fed only with mother's milk or formula. As the baby grows, more solid food go into the diet with a simultaneous decrease in the intake of milk.

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How to Maintain a Baby Bottle

Since lots of my friend (who are my age) already have babies, they keep asking me about tricks of cleaning, and what else can they ask first if not, how to clean the baby bottles?

Well, I don't want to get into this topic yet, since I feel too immature to talk about babies, but here is what I managed to come up with.

Obviously, this is one of the most important things, when having a baby. It doesn't really matter if you choose a machine to wash the bottles or you decide to clean them by hand.

The point is, you have to make sure that you're using baby friendly solutions.

Prepare in advance hot water, soap and a brush good for bottles. The best time to wash the bottle is immediately after use. This way you'll prevent the agglomeration of milk in to create an unpleasant odor.

This happens way faster with plastic bottles, that's why it's better to use glass ones (I know, they're heavy, but that's why I'm not the expert here).

Never leave bottles dirty overnight! Clean them as soon as you feed the baby.

Pour the remaining milk in the sink and rinse the bottle with warm water. After that, fill the sink with warm water and soap, and place the bottles and teats in it. This way you will speed up the cleaning process.

Brush the inside of the bottle. Don't forget to move the brush along the edges to remove residual milk. This way you'll also get rid of bacteria growing inside the bottles.

After the brushing process, rinse the soap and dry the bottles, as usual.

Sterilization and disinfection is recommended for babies, especially for those affected by immune disorders.

The water we use everyday is from a reliable drinking water supply, but pediatricians still recommend to sterilize the baby bottles, at least the first two months.

The sterilization process is very simple.

• Fill a pot of water, put the bottles and all other needed accessories, and boil them for five minutes. After boiling, remove them and let them dry.
• The method of cleaning bottles seems to be stressful and time-consuming, but this way you can make sure your little precious is protected from bacteria.
• All mothers need to provide healthy environment for their babies, so, professional cleaners advise to also clean and disinfect the toys, that are surrounding your child.

You can use environmentally friendly products. Most of them can be found at home, so you don't even have to spend a lot of money.

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