 Postpartum depression is extremely common with new mothers. Around 10 to 20% of parents experience symptoms of postpartum depression after the delivery of their new baby. If you feel that you may have postpartum depression, it's extremely important to contact a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment. Some of the symptoms of postpartum depression include decreased energy or interest in things that you used to enjoy, feeling disconnected or like you're just going through the motions. Getting angry easily or being overly emotional. Some things that may increase your risk for postpartum depression include twin deliveries, history of postpartum depression, anxiety before pregnancy, relationship problems or unplanned pregnancies. But the good news is there is help. Your healthcare provider may recommend medicines to help with anxiety or depression. Counseling can also help you learn new ways to deal with stress and cope with new and difficult emotions. No matter what causes postpartum depression, it's important for you to get the best help so you can be there to take the best care of your baby possible. Remember, you are not alone. As new parents and parents to be, knowing a bit more about breastfeeding can really help it go smoothly, especially the first 24 hours after giving birth. You probably know the term skin to skin. It's the beginning of bonding with your newborn and the start to the best breastfeeding experience. Skin to skin helps stimulate your hormones that help milk production and orient your newborn to their new world. It can also help establish a deep and effective breastfeeding latch. Colostrum is the highly nutritious milk you produce before your mature breast milk starts and is very important to your baby in the beginning. Most newborns start breastfeeding within the first hour or two after birth. Even if your baby is sleepy and recovering from delivery, this is the time to encourage breastfeeding and feed the colostrum to your baby. Depending on your baby's feeding ability, you can hand express or pump your breasts with your hands. Be patient. You are both recovering from an incredible life-changing event and how a baby breastfeeds in the first 24 hours may look very different than it does after that. We also recommend avoiding pacifiers in the beginning. Pacifiers can lead to baby's missing early feeding cues and can delay the needed stimulation and removal of colostrum and milk from your breasts. We know that there is a lot of general breastfeeding information available to you on the internet, but you and your baby are unique and may need some support with breastfeeding help that's unique to you and will be there when that time comes. For new parents, feeding your baby is always top of mind. Human milk is the best thing for them and gives them the critical nourishment they need. But a mother's milk doesn't always come in when expected. They may struggle to produce enough milk or they may even end up with an oversupply. That's where donor human milk comes in. At Mother's Milk Bank, we collect donated human milk from parents who have more than they need. We then follow strict guidelines and procedures to ensure the milk is safe before giving it to hospitals and families who need it to feed their babies. If you find yourself in need of supplemental milk, donor milk is the best source of nutrition. If you're in the hospital, ask your care team about donor milk. If you're at home, contact Mother's Milk Bank. On the other hand, if you have more milk than your baby needs, we would love to have you as a donor. Donors are screened to make sure they are healthy and a good fit. Once approved as a donor, we provide supplies to ship or deliver your milk to us. No matter what your feeding journey looks like, please know that you have options if your baby needs it. The biggest challenge when it comes to sleep in your baby is going to be your sleep deprivation. It's hard to be a new parent. Babies feed a lot when they're newborns and they don't usually sleep for longer periods until they're three to four months old. So be patient, find time to get some daytime rest. And in the meantime, here are some safe sleep tips to help. For new parents, SIDS or accidental suffocation tops the list of safety issues. There are a few simple things that you can do to help avoid this tragic situation. First, try using a firm mattress in their crib and place your newborn to sleep on their back. It's okay for you to share your room, but do not share your bed with your newborn. Avoid using heavy blankets, pillows, stuffed animals or bumper pads. And also avoid putting your baby to sleep on a couch, sofa or other soft surface. Pacifiers are okay to use if your baby will take one and their feedings are well-established. Swaddling in a thin blanket can also help, but only until they start rolling over. Remember, most babies under three months will need to eat every three to five hours. Once your baby is four months old, talk to their doctor about sleep training. Eventually, your baby will sleep through the night and sleepless nights will be behind you. In the meantime, use these tips to help your baby stay safe and sleep longer. Most toddlers and young children don't need vitamins and supplements, but there are a few that are very important for their growth and development. These are vitamin D and calcium. In today's world, many of our toddlers and young kids are not getting enough vitamin D and calcium. Some good sources include dairy products, fortified foods such as fortified breakfast cereals, eggs, fatty fish, leafy greens and white beans. As you can imagine, these are hard foods to get toddlers to eat. So what does vitamin D do to help your child's body? It's a critical vitamin for absorbing and retaining calcium and phosphorus. Calcium and phosphorus are critical for strong bones and they help your children's bones grow. And they only get one chance to build their bones strong and that's when they're young. Vitamin D and calcium are also important to prevent rickets, which is a bone softening disease that leads to bowed legs and stunted growth, mostly in children. Rickets may seem like an old time condition, but it's starting to happen more often in our modern world. Good bone health in your kids begins by eating foods with enough calcium and vitamin D. But when that may not be happening for a variety of reasons, talk with their doctor about supplements that they may need to grow up healthy and strong. Diaper rash is really common in newborns and toddlers. After all, newborns poop and pee a lot and their skin is not used to being in the outside world. Most diaper rash comes from the poop, the pee, the diapers or the wipes that touch your baby's skin. But it can be prevented by starting to use a thick layer of a strong barrier cream at the first sign of irritation. Normally something like Vaseline, Aquaphor or Desitin is all that is needed. You need to put on a lot of cream. So do it often so that no irritants can touch their rashy skin. When diaper rash does happen, gently wipe with a warm washcloth or put your baby in a bath instead of using wipes. Occasionally babies get used in the diaper area and your doctor may recommend an anti-fungal cream if the rash is bright red or in the creases of the leg. If your baby has blisters or broken skin, discharge your yellow oozing, red streaks or if things are just not improving after three to five days of barrier cream treatment, it's time to call your baby's doctor. Constipation is common in your child's early years. It can be extremely frustrating and scary for you and your child. In general, your child should have one to two soft stools every day. If stools are firm, painful or infrequent, your child may be constipated. Getting an early diagnosis and then getting some consistent routines in place are key to improving your child's constipation symptoms. First though, you can try a number of natural remedies for constipation. A simple one is to drink more water. Keep a close eye on how much water your child is getting every day. Keep a 24 ounce water bottle filled up for them to drink out of and refill it at least once per day. Another remedy is to increase the amount of fiber in your child's diet. Foods like bananas or popcorn or even whole grain pasta. Also, adding a daily probiotic or prebiotic supplement or food sources like yogurt can help. And magnesium supplements have also been found to lessen constipation and improve overall gut health. If you've tried several of these natural remedies and your child is still struggling with constipation, it's time to talk to your child's doctor about medicines to soften the stools and help your child. Self soothing is an important piece of your baby's social and emotional development. You may not know it, but you've already started to help your child before they were born. Your pattern during pregnancy for eating, sleeping and being active all influenced your baby. Sometimes they follow your patterns perfectly, sometimes not. When you're responsive to your baby's needs, they begin to learn to self-soothe. Babies rely on you for this support. Helping your baby to calm themselves will lay the groundwork for your baby's ability to calm and focus in the future. It's also important to learn how to read your baby's cues. This is integral to self-organization. If your baby is crying, be a detective to figure out why. Maybe they're hungry, have a wet diaper or want to interact. Figuring out what they need helps you help them. When it comes to calming your baby, letting them suck on a pacifier or fingers can help calm a fussy baby. Sucking creates an organized rhythmic pattern. Swaddling and holding your baby can also calm your baby. It creates boundaries and comfort. Wearing your baby with a carrier or a wrap can also help them calm to your body's rhythms. You are your baby's first teacher and with a little help from you, they will learn the important lifelong skill of self-soothing and regulation. At 15 months old, your baby is understanding more and more of their world and expressing their own comments and wants and needs. This is an amazing time. They're learning to talk and it happens by seeing, hearing and playing with you. Use your home language, the one you are most comfortable speaking and keep in touch with your doctor to make sure your child's ears are as healthy as possible so they can hear you loud and clear. Children learn to imitate when we imitate them. When your baby makes a noise or says a word, make it back. Before you know it, you'll be having longer and longer conversations with them. When you're talking with your child, follow what they're interested in and what they're paying attention to. Use words that match their experience like yum yum, ball, go or car. By 15 months, your child is following simple directions. They're using the gestures of lifting arms to be picked up, waving, clapping and pointing at something to call your attention to it. They're also probably imitating a lot and using some sort of jargon or babbling that sounds like they're talking and making meaningful noises like vroom for cars and using a few words often like mama, uh oh, and bah for ball. These are all signs that soon enough, your child will be talking up a storm and it all starts with your rich, loving moments together with gestures, sounds and words. You are your child's most important communication partner. If questions or concerns about their development come up, go with your gut and go see an expert. Evaluations are done by a speech language pathologist and give you the most accurate information about how your child is communicating. There are some signs to look for as your child grows. First, hearing is essential for your child to learn how to speak. If they have ear infections or don't seem to hear things, call your doctor. Infants coo and begin to make sounds as their mouth develops. By six months, babies try to imitate your facial expressions and sounds. At six to 10 months, they're babbling and stringing sounds together. Babbling is one of the first steps to learning how to speak. Your child's first word usually comes around one year. If they're not using about three simple words by 14 months, it's a good time to get an evaluation. From 12 to 15 months, your child begins to understand even more words. They can follow simple directions like, come here and play simple games like, where's the ball? They will follow your point and point themselves. Then around 18 to 20 months, there's what's called a language explosion as toddlers quickly learn more words. If they're not putting words together between 24 and 26 months or have lost any skills, it's time to get a communication evaluation. Whether an evaluation shows your child has a speech or language delay or not, you'll have great information, ideas to help their communication continue to grow and the peace of mind that you sought out help for your child. Your baby at 10 to 12 months old is learning to be with people and exploring the world through their senses and movement. They don't need fancy toys. They need you as a play partner. Take peek-a-boo for example. It's a favorite for a reason. Your baby loves finding you at each boo. It builds their social connection with you. Little songs and finger plays let your baby experience sounds, words and movement and begin to join in. Your one year old relies on you for learning to play and may begin to play by themselves for short periods. They might be interested in looking at other children or playing side by side, but not yet playing with them. Babies are also learning how things work. You can use things in your home for play like bowls and cups or even a box. Babies will bang things together, put things in and dump them out again and again and again. They might also try to do what you do like bringing a cup to their mouth. It's also never too early to read books with your child. Babies may hold and even chew on soft cloth or board books and that's expected. But as they look at books with you for even just a minute or two, they're learning to look at pictures and make connections with the words you say. Remember, you are your baby's first teacher and play partner. So have fun playing with your baby. Dental health for your baby starts right away by keeping their gums clean. I like to use a soft cloth to wipe my baby's gums before bed. You could also use a washcloth with water or a clean swaddle blanket. Next, when your baby's first tooth erupts, usually around six months of age, you can start gently brushing with a soft kid's toothbrush and a small uncooked rice grain size bit of fluoride toothpaste. After one year of age, try brushing your child's teeth twice a day, once in the morning and once before bed. If two times is too much some days, just get one good brushing in at night. Dentist visits are recommended to start when the first tooth comes in and no later than one year of age. Then we like to schedule them every six months after that as they get older. Tooth decay can happen. A common cause is putting your child to bed with a bottle or allowing them to sip on something other than water throughout the day. Weaning off bottles is recommended at 12 months and stopping them all together by 15 months of age. When it comes to pacifiers, wean them off by two years of age. After that, it could start to affect their speech or the position of their teeth and palate. With everything we worry about as parents for our children, it's just easy to forget their teeth. Just remember to shoot for two, two brushings a day and two dentist visits a year. When your baby turns six months old, it's time to introduce solids. Breast milk or formula are critical for initial development. Now you should start complimenting their milk with solid food. Before you get started, your baby needs to have head control, sit with little or no support, weigh at least 13 pounds and show some interest in what you're eating. You'll need a seat that supports your child such as a high chair. You'll also need some baby spoons in either store-bought or homemade baby food. Your baby needs to first learn how to eat off of a spoon. Try putting some breast milk or formula on a spoon and feeding it to them. Make sure you talk to your baby as you feed them. Once they can eat off of a spoon, start introducing a single food every three to five days. This helps with any allergies that might come up. Be prepared, the first few feedings are messy. As your baby learns how to use their lips and tongue in a new way, they will push the food out of their mouth and both of you will wear most of it during the first meals. It's important to get to know when your baby is either hungry or full. If they move forward and open their mouth, they want more. If they turn their head and push away the spoon, they're done. That's it to get your baby started on solid food and don't worry, you'll find out what works for you and them as you go along. Babies naturally build strength in motor skills as they grow. You can help by playing with them every day. Tummy time is the best way to build strength. Even newborns can spend a wake time on their tummies. It helps strengthening a baby's head, shoulders and body. You can do tummy time on your chest, over your lap or on a blanket on the floor. Put an open book, a small toy or yourself in front of your baby to encourage them to lift their head. When your baby is on their back, giving them a lot of different things to look at and listen to helps them turn their head to look and listen, helping develop head and neck control and even the shape of their head. Your baby will also like to grab things like your finger, a blanket or a small toy. Once your baby gains more control, they will begin to reach for things close by. It could be your face, a mirror or a toy hanging from their baby gym. This will develop their shoulder strength. Giving your baby something to kick such as a musical toy or crinkly book can help their big muscles develop and they will get to learn about cause and effect. They kick and get to hear something fun. As your baby gets stronger and grows, they will start to sit up. This opens up a whole new world for them and strengthens their arms, legs, back and neck. It's really all about spending time and playing with your baby on the floor, lying down or sitting up. Either way, it helps build their strength. Enjoy playtime. When is a good time to start toilet training? There is not one answer when it comes to toilet training your toddler. It depends upon your goals for starting and it's important to make sure the timing is right for both your child and your family. If you or your family are going through major life changes or your child is in their defined stage and they will go through this stage, it's usually better to wait for these times to pass. But before you even start toilet training, it's good to let your child know what it's all about. Start reading children's books about toilet training. Talk about using the potty. Have them practice sitting on their own potty chair and even showing them that you sit on the toilet too can help. Some signs that your child may be ready to toilet training include they try to do things by themselves. They say no when you offer help. They act uncomfortable when their diaper is wet or dirty. And they can use some signs or words to let you know when they want things. But rest assured, it's not a one size fits all approach and toilet training is not a race. Most importantly, be patient and supportive. Your child will learn how to use the toilet. It just might be more on their timeline than yours. As you know, toddlers are always on the go. They're moving around, exploring the world and this is when they develop their motor skills. They start to use their large muscles for balancing, running and jumping and smaller muscles like the ones in their hands for grabbing things and even feeding themselves. It's up to you to find ways to make it fun like a good obstacle course which every child loves. You can make one with hills, zigzags and curves by climbing over pillows, under tables and around furniture. Then add some simple household items or their toys like little cars and stuffed animals to make an interactive. Try building a road for them to follow using masking tape. Then have them drive their toy cars to the end and park each car on the dot that matches the color of their car. Put it into a small container or sort by size. They'll learn motor skills, thinking skills and how to follow directions. There are all sorts of things you can do. If your toddler likes balls or pushing boxes around the house, have them throw balls into a laundry basket and then push it around. This builds strength and coordination. Sensory bins are also fun and easy to put together. A box full of sand, uncooked pasta or beans, some cups, spoons and ladles are all interesting items to your toddler and helps them develop tool use. Whatever the activity, just enjoy hours of fun playing with your toddler and helping them develop their motor skills. One of the best tools to let your child know when their behavior is not okay is time out. Timeouts are not only for your child but they also give parents a moment to calm down when they need it most. Timeouts should be reserved for behaviors that are more harmful, destructive or disrespectful and it's very important to be consistent in enforcing them. First, timeouts should be in a safe place that's not scary and removed from the main living area. Also, somewhere where you can keep an eye on them without them seeing you. Timeouts are typically one minute for each year of age and should be used immediately after the bad behavior to be effective. You can set a clock or a cooking timer with a bell and when the bell rings, timeout is over. If your child refuses to stay in timeout, they may need to go to a bedroom without toys or a TV, calm down for a minute or two and then go to the timeout spot. After timeout is over, move on. No more discussion needed. You can say something positive which can help. It could be something simple like you're really playing nicely with your toys. With timeouts, your child quickly learns that bad behavior has consequences and gives you an effective way to correct your child's behavior. You are your child's first and most important relationship. Your child develops trust and learns how to be social by being with you. At six to eight months, your child is still anxious about being away from you. Over time, they learn that when you leave, you always come back and that they'll be safe with those you leave them with. At 18 months, children become more curious about others and like to be around other children but they don't know how to share yet and it shouldn't be expected yet. Your child's attention could last three or maybe even up to five minutes. They're busy bodies. They see something, they go for it even when it's in the hands of another child. It's great to have enough toys for everyone but that's not always possible. You can help your child by paying attention to them while their friend or sibling is playing with a toy and help them learn to take a turn. Also at 18 months, your child starts to feel like a separate and powerful little person and they'll want to do things for themselves. You'll probably hear no and mine a lot from them. That's when staying calm and finding a minute to yourself can really help. Sometimes it can get intense with your 18 month old. It's up to you to maintain calm and figure out a solution. This helps you be a wonderful role model for your child and helps them learn these important social skills. When your child is sick or something's wrong, you take them to their pediatrician and we're here to help in those times. But it's also important for us to see them even when they're healthy. Pediatricians recommend regular well visits to check in with your child's growth and development as well as with you, their parent. Well child checks start as a newborn and then at one month, two months, four months and six months. After that, we space out the visits every three months until they're 18 months old. Then at age two, we move to annual checkups. During these visits will mark down your child's growth, talk about important milestones and answer any questions you might have. So between visits, it helps to keep a list of anything that comes up so you don't forget when you come to the appointment. There may also be some standardized screening to do depending on your child's age. During these well visits, we also recommend any vaccinations that your child might need. There are strong opinions about vaccinations out there. So it's good to do your research and have an open discussion with your child's pediatrician about them. We do know vaccinations prevent 2.5 million deaths every year in children under age five. And they are very important to help keep our children healthy. Regularly scheduled well visits will also help create trust and a team approach between you, your child and your pediatrician. All of which helps reassure you as the parent that your child is getting everything they need to be happy, healthy and lead an extraordinary life. Parents often wonder when they should take their child to the emergency room for an illness or injury. The first step, if possible, is to contact your child's doctor's office for advice. There's usually someone on call 24 hours a day. But there are some signs that may let you know it's time to go to the emergency room. One sign is if your child looks like they are having difficulty breathing. Things like sucking in their chest when they try to breathe or breathing faster than normal. Their lips may also get darker with a purplish color. Another sign to look for is if your child is not responding very well to you and seems more sleepy than normal. This could mean that they have a more serious infection or illness. One symptom parents often ask about is fever. High fevers are common in young children. They can occur with viral infections or may also occur with bacterial infections. If your child is drinking well and keeping liquids down is interacting with you. And if you notice that when their fever is lower, they seem to have more energy in play, it may not be a serious infection and you might be able to monitor them at home. Just call your child's doctor to make sure. Injuries from falling more than a few feet and on hard surfaces like concrete or tile are also a reason to head to the emergency room. It's also a good idea to take an infant and child CPR course or first aid course to help you be prepared in case of an emergency. When your little one gets their first cold, it can be hard to deal with. They can't tell you what is bothering them and there really aren't any medicines to help them. There are a few things that you can do to help. Babies have to breathe through their noses, especially when eating. They can't blow their noses so it's up to you to remove their congestion and mucus. I recommend that you use some saline that's meant for babies and a suction device. Now be ready for some loud protesting. Babies and toddlers really hate it when you clear their noses, but it's so important for them to be able to eat and breathe properly. Humidifiers can also help them breathe when congested as well as trying to keep them more upright during sleep. It's not unusual for babies and toddlers to get five to seven colds a year, mostly in the winter. As pediatricians, we become concerned when babies or toddlers have a fever lasting more than three or four days or a respiratory symptoms like cough and congestion lasting more than 10 to 14 days. We also are concerned if they're refusing to drink much or they seem to be getting sicker after the first week. Contact your baby's doctor if your child is overly fussy, not drinking well, isn't having many wet diapers or is working really hard to breathe. A predictable calming bedtime routine gives your child a sense of security as they go from being awake to sleeping. It's a beautiful time for connection which helps your child feel loved and secure. Children actually need 10 to 12 hours of sleep spread across nighttime and naps if they take them. So having your child sleep and wake at nearly the same time each day is important. To make the nighttime as restful as possible, make sure your child gets plenty of physical activity during the day. If they can't go outside some days, you could set up an indoor obstacle course or have a dance party. Start your child's bedtime routine after dinner. Keep the steps of their bedtime routine the same each night. For example, first brush teeth, then choose a book. Say good night, then sleep. Darken the room with softer lights and lower the shades. Some children sleep better with calming music or white noise or a dim nightlight. Also, no screens during their nighttime routine. Your child may do better with some choice in their bedtime routine. They can choose their jammies, get their special blanket or stuffed animal or pick two books they want to read for bedtime. Reading can help them into a dreamy state and your soothing voice is what your child loves to hear. Finally, give your child a special good night kiss or hug and leave the room. Learning to fall asleep on their own is an essential skill for children and will make their bedtime routine that much smoother for the years to come. Good night and pleasant dreams. As a pediatrician and a mother to a toddler, I know staying positive with your child can be difficult at times. Positive parenting is about setting boundaries and teaching discipline in a way that will help build your child's self-esteem and create a respectful relationship between you and them. It starts at the beginning with being responsive to your child's needs and helping them begin to trust you. As they get older, their needs get harder to interpret and disciplining your child comes into play. With positive parenting, discipline doesn't necessarily mean giving in. Whenever your child acts out, try to use a calm but firm voice, acknowledge their emotion, and then redirect and go on to another activity. If things escalate to a tantrum, then it's time for a timeout. Timeout isn't meant to be a punishment, but rather a way to help your child learn to regulate their emotions and also not reward them for the undesirable behaviors. When your child is following directions or masters a new skill, praise them for their accomplishments. Positive attention almost always wins out over negative attention. Here's some positive parenting websites that can help. And don't worry, it's okay to make mistakes as a parent. We all do. Children are always learning and so are we. Take the time to take care of yourself as a parent and know that at times, just loving your child is enough. Anxiety is the normal part of your child's growing experience and all kids experience it. To help them deal with it, here are a few tips. Just like you, your child needs a healthy diet. Avoiding foods with artificial coloring or preservatives can help and pick snacks that have less sugar in them. Supplements like multivitamins can help too, especially when your child is a picky eater. What also helps with anxiety is to get your kids moving. Any activities that are aerobic and involve cardio will do the trick. It's even better when you can do it as a family or they can do it with their friends. Once they're done moving and eating some good food, that's when they'll get some good sleep. Uninterrupted deep sleep is so important to your child's mental health. This last tip is probably something we can all do better at, which is limiting screen time as much as possible. This will help your child develop good habits in spending time with you and others and not be so focused on the virtual world. These are just a few tips to help with anxiety, but if these aren't enough and your child continues to struggle with anxiety and excessive worry, talk it over with their pediatrician and together you can figure out what's next. One of the biggest challenges parents struggle with is being consistent in setting expectations and following through on rules. As your child grows and develops, they start to gain independence and confidence, something every parent wants. Parents also need to provide boundaries to keep their children safe and give them a sense of security. Simply put, looking out for your children lets them know you love and care for them. Being consistent in your rules, let your child know what behavior and actions are appropriate and what are not. Children are smart and will test your rules. So if you only sometimes enforce a rule, they will consistently challenge you, which can lead to tantrums and power struggles between you and your child. And of course, when there's two parents, it's even harder to be consistent. Both of you at the earliest stages should talk about what rules you agree on and which you do not. Being on the same page with the most important and bigger issues will make both your lives easier. This might include things such as bedtimes, respectful language, helping out at home, getting ready for school, homework, or limiting screen and video time. Communication and consistency are both keys to setting expectations and enforcing rules, which will help you feel better about being an effective parent. Children have lots to say and want your attention, and that's wonderful. But how can you teach your preschooler to get attention in a respectful way? First, decide what's respectful in your family. Children learn what they see you doing, so model for them. Get their attention respectfully in the way you would like them to do it. Let them see you doing the same with others. We often teach children in preschool to tap a teacher or a friend on the shoulder. If you're expecting your child to wait, it's not easy for them. Let them know when you can give them your attention. Make it concrete for younger children. In a minute is not clear and can seem like forever for your child who doesn't have a concept of time. Try giving them a choice of something to do while they wait. Like, you can draw or play Legos and when I'm done, I will listen. And that last part is so important. Your child will learn to trust that you will follow through, so getting your attention respectfully will get easier over time. Warm weather and longer days mean more time outside, and that means there's a need for sunscreen and insect repellents. Sticks and lotions are better than sprays for young children and can be used safely when you follow the directions. Sunscreen should be put on 15 to 20 minutes before going outside and then reapplied every two hours and after swimming. Most pediatricians are comfortable with you using sunscreen on your baby starting at one to two months old. Before that time, use hats and clothing to protect your baby from the sun as they can burn very quickly. Look for mineral sunscreens with just two ingredients, zinc oxide and titanium dioxide and an SPF of 30 to 50. Bug sprays can also be used starting at two months old. The two types that have been shown to be effective contain deat or picoridein. I usually recommend using one that says children or family on it and not going above 30% deat. The more deat, the longer the product lasts, so it depends on how long you will be outside. Unlike sunscreen, bug spray should not be reapplied often, which is why combination sunscreens and insect repellents are not recommended. I hope you use these tips to enjoy your little ones and the outdoors. Water safety begins when you first bring your baby home from the hospital. It starts with bath time. Bath time is an exciting time, but it can also be dangerous. Babies can drown in as little as one to two inches of water. Here's a few water safety tips that can help as you introduce your child to water for the first time. First, you should always be within arm's reach of your baby. Never leave an infant or young child alone in a bathtub. Avoid distractions. Get into the habit of leaving yourself home or other distracting devices out of your bath time routine so your eyes are always on your baby. When you're done with bath time, make sure that you drain the tub immediately. Never leave standing water in any container inside your home. And keep your bathroom doors closed and toilet lids down and locked. When summertime comes around, it's important to remember these tips to keep your child safe around a swimming pool. Make sure the pool has a fence that fully surrounds the pool and a gate with a lock. Always have an adult that is responsible for looking after each child and is fully aware of their responsibilities. Please remember that infant flotation devices do not replace direct parental supervision. As your child grows, consider enrolling them in swim lessons or programs that will help them become safer around the water. Most kids are picky eaters at some time in their lives. It starts around 18 months and is usually over by six years of age. Picky eaters will have times when they will only eat a few specific things like eating PBJ for lunch every day and then switch to grilled cheese every day. What they're doing is looking for some sort of control and it's perfectly normal. There are a few things that you can do to help them during their picky eating phase. Keeping a mealtime routine helps. Routines, such as washing hands and setting the table can help them focus on the meal rather than the TV and other electronic devices which should be off during mealtimes. Let your child help with the meal, planning and preparation. Something simple like letting them tear up lettuce for a salad. Also letting them choose fun items to use at mealtimes such as colorful cups, fun placemats or curly straws can give them a feeling of control. When serving, only put a small amount of food on your child's plate. Sometimes seeing three servings of three different foods can be overwhelming. It's also important to eat with your child. Mealtimes are social, so talk at the table. Stay positive and talk about the color of the food, how you can hear them crunching or what they did on the playground today. Have fun teaching your child about the joys of mealtimes. If you have any concerns about your child's growth and picky eating, call their doctor. It's an exciting milestone when your child starts eating solid foods. But when should you introduce known allergy foods or allergens such as nuts, peanuts, shellfish and eggs to your child? The answer is as soon as your child starts eating solid food. This usually happens around four to six months of age. In fact, it's the early exposure to potential allergy foods that can help decrease your child's risk of developing allergies. It's also important to introduce these foods in a safe environment with good adult supervision and during the daytime hours when your doctor is open just in case you have questions. Giving your baby these foods one at a time can also help to see if any possible allergic reactions show up. As always, it's important to talk to your doctor about any food allergy concerns and family history of allergies. Together, you can make a special plan to introduce these foods to your baby. Don't wait. Talk to your doctor at your child's four and six month checkups just to make sure that you're taking the best steps to lower your child's risk of developing allergies. We all want to know what our children do during the time we've spent apart, but when you ask them, what did you do today? It usually doesn't lead to much. It's because children live in the present. So instead of asking, what did you do today? What can you do? Start by creating a routine. Just give your child some simple attention, a big hug, use their name, and just reconnect with them. No questions. Once they've settled in a bit, then you can start to talk about their day. Instead of questions, try comments like, you saw your friends in class today or looks like you painted today. I love your paintings. Then let them talk. If you want to ask a question, try starting with I wonder. I wonder if you made something today. Open-ended I wonder statements. Give your child time to think without having to answer right away. Or try starting a routine where you add a special note in their lunch or encourage them to bring home a picture for you. Check with their teacher about what they are learning and talk to them about that after school. Your child may or may not be able to say what happened on a particular day and you may hear about it sometime later. Just take the time to figure out what works and enjoy talking with your child. Helping your child get ready for kindergarten is important, but what does that really mean? Here's some tips. You can start by following a daily routine that helps them get ready for school. Getting up at the same time every day and going to bed at the same time every night helps a child's whole day run smoothly. Also, help your child to be more independent at home. Let them dress themselves, help serve their own snack and wash their hands after using the bathroom. You can help if needed, but the goal is to build their confidence. Teaching them responsibility is important. Give them small tasks to complete like putting napkins on the table for dinner, putting away their toys or putting their pajamas under the pillow after they get dressed. Delayed gratification is another skill your child needs to have for kindergarten. Teach them how to wait for their turn. When they ask for a turn, help them find something else to do while waiting or use a timer to let them know when it is their turn. Another crucial skill is self calming. Help your child to learn to take a deep breath, get a drink of water or ask for a hug when they are feeling upset or frustrated. Lastly, read to your child every day. Read books, signs, cartoons, even the cereal box. Make reading and learning fun. These are all skills that will help your child in kindergarten and last a lifetime. Screen time is a challenge for almost every parent out there, especially when it comes to toddlers and preschoolers. What's too much, too little, good screen time, bad screen time, smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs. The list of screen time challenges goes on and on. And none of it's gonna go away anytime soon, probably not ever. So it's never been more important and it's up to you to establish healthy screen habits. The American Academy of Pediatrics doesn't recommend any screen time other than video chat for your child under 18 months of age. Screens are not effective learning tools for this age group and they can replace face to face interactions that are critical for their development. For your children ages 18 months to two years old, one hour per day of screen time is okay. It is recommended that you choose high quality programming like PBS and that you play or watch with your child. A lot of the programs for this age group are designed for you to interact with your children. Another important screen time guideline is to always keep the screens out of the bedroom. Not only is it out of your supervision area but screens can interfere with good sleep which is crucial at this point in their lives. After two years of age, you will find what works best for you and your children. But keep in mind limiting screen time for your children is important for their development. Choosing lots of unstructured play and reading time over screens is always a good first step to managing screen time going forward. Good heart health begins at an early age. Making healthier habits from the start of your child's life helps promote their long-term health. However, for today's busy families making time for being active and moving healthy eating and plenty of sleep can be tough. The good news is that engaging in one positive healthy lifestyle habit often leads to more. For example, engaging in physical activity every day may lead to better sleep. Better sleep may lead to less stress. Less stress may lead to better eating habits and fewer cravings for unhealthy food. Kids often develop similar habits to the adults in their lives. Be a role model for your kids by prioritizing good health for yourself. If necessary, get help quitting nicotine. Set a regular sleep schedule for yourself and involve your kids in decision-making when it comes to choosing which healthy foods to eat or what activities to do as a family. Most of all, rather than focusing on perfection, focus on progress. Celebrate each day that goes well and let go of the days that don't go according to plan. Go ahead and get out, take a walk, take some deep breaths and make every day a good heart health day for you and your family. Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children between the ages of nine and 11 get a cholesterol and blood pressure screening? While signs of heart and vascular disease often show up later in life like chest pain, some symptoms may show up a lot earlier like high blood pressure and cholesterol. Over time, extra cholesterol in the blood can narrow arteries, block blood flow and cause serious emergencies such as heart attacks and stroke. High blood pressure in children can be easily missed since they may not have any symptoms. But it is important to check it out because high blood pressure can damage organs such as the heart and kidneys. It can also lead to high blood pressure in adulthood and is a leading cause of heart attacks and stroke. In many cases, changes to your child's lifestyle habits such as more physical activity, eating healthy foods and getting good sleep can make their cholesterol and blood pressure levels go down. The first step is finding out about your child's high cholesterol and blood pressure early on so their overall health can get better. The screening is simple and gives important information for people of all ages including adolescents. Schedule your child's screening today or look for a UC Health Healthy Hearts and Mind Screening at your child's school.