當馬克遇上莎莉

Start cleaning your baby's teeth at least once a day as soon as you can see a tooth emerging. By starting early, your baby will become used to having his teeth cleaned and hopefully, you will avoid future problems with brushing.

Some babies are born with teeth, while others can wait months for their first teeth to appear.

While it’s true that some babies sail through teething without a care in the world, the majority do suffer from painful gums, as well as diarrhea and tummy upsets caused by the extra acidity in their mouth during teething.

Signs of teething include general crankiness, red cheeks and excessive drooling. You may in some cases be able to feel the ridge of the tooth just below the gum, and the gum may be red and swollen. Usually, the first teeth to emerge are the bottom front teeth, then followed by the top front teeth, upper and lower side teeth, upper and lower molars, followed by the upper and lower canines, and the second molars last of all.

While some children seem to sprout their first teeth with no problems at all, for others it is a painful and drawn out process. Red and swollen gums, heavy drooling, sleepless nights, inconsistent feeding, biting and general crankiness can all be signs that your baby's first tooth is on its way and for these babies, and their parents, teething is no fun. Some parents report that their baby develops a temperature or diarrhoea immediately prior to a tooth breaking through but most experts do not believe that teething causes these conditions, so treat them separately and always consult a doctor if necessary. You may, however, find that your baby gets a red rash on her chin and lower lip from all the dribbling. Gently wipe the dribble off with a soft cotton cloth, making sure that you don't rub. Smoothing a barrier cream such as petroleum jelly on her chin at bedtime and before she goes out will help to protect her skin from further irritation. 

What are the new rules?

Children under three: until his third birthday, your baby or toddler must use a child car seat appropriate for his weight in any vehicle (including vans and other goods vehicles) regardless of whether he is sitting in the front or the back. If you can't fit a child seat for your baby or toddler then he can't travel legally. In addition, the new rules also say that rear-facing baby seats MUST NOT be used in a seat protected by a frontal air-bag unless the air-bag has been deactivated. If you are using a forward facing child seat, see what your car's handbook says about children in seats with frontal air-bags. The advice can vary from car to car.

• General safety
  

資料來源 Baby Centre, 文章內字體顏色不同者,按下會直接連結至說明網頁 

Establish a mutual agreement

資料來源 Baby Centre, 文章內字體顏色不同者,按下會直接連結至說明網頁 

Read any good scare stories recently? From MMR to contaminated formula milk we are bombarded with information about what we should and shouldn't be doing as parents. Sometimes this information is good, based on credible studies and sound evidence. However, sometimes the information presented as fact is not actually proven. A study into five women giving birth in a mountain village in Nepal might make interesting reading but we couldn't draw any real conclusions from it. The problem is, it's not always clear whether the study that headline is screaming about is based on good evidence.

So how can you tell which scare stories are worth worrying about? It helps to put yourself in an editor's shoes. His or her job is to sell newspapers. Which newspaper are you more likely to buy? One with a headline shouting: "BABY FOOD CANCER LINK!". Or one that says: "A student in a laboratory somewhere had a theory about pumpkin puree causing cancer, but on reflection it's all fine and you can carry on as you are." Editors sometimes publish theory as fact because theories can be more dramatic, and therefore sell more newspapers, than the findings of hard-grafted research.

資料來源 Baby Centre, 文章內字體顏色不同者,按下會直接連結至說明網頁 

A playpen gives you a safe space to contain your child while you answer the phone, do the ironing, or just catch your breath and leaf through a magazine. Some experts feel that playpens can restrict children, and in the past they have been overused. However, sometimes the design of your house, or your circumstances at home, mean you need somewhere safe that the baby can be popped into for a short while. Then a playpen can be really useful.