The baby fog: growth spurts and wonder weeks

They might be difficult at the time, but wonder weeks and growth spurts can lead to exciting new experiences for you and your baby.

This is the part of our series on 'The baby fog', which covers major challenges new parents might want to be aware of ahead of time.

Putting a routine in place can provide comfort and stability for many parents and their children. Unfortunately, things won’t always go according to plan.

It was reassuring to know when these weeks were approaching – and, more importantly, when the clingy, fussy behaviour would end! 

Growth spurts can lead to erratic eating and disturbed sleep for days on end while babies rapidly gain weight and grow in length. This happens at approximately three weeks, six weeks, three months, six months and nine months of age.  

Leaps in mental development create the same kind of disruption, when babies will display the same kinds of fussiness they do during physical growth spurts – sometimes for up to six weeks at a time. This happens when they’re mastering major new cognitive and motor skills such as sitting and crawling. These are called 'wonder weeks' and usually take place at approximately five weeks, eight weeks, twelve weeks, 19 weeks, 26 weeks, 30 weeks, 37 weeks, 46 weeks, 55 weeks, 64 weeks and 75 weeks, give or take a fortnight (these ages are from The Wonder Weeks by Hetty van de Rijt and Frans X. Plooij).

There can be up to 18 months of these moody periods. Without an explanation for this behaviour it can seem that your baby is suddenly regressing, but she’s actually moving forward in her development.

Kristy Busuttil, an early childhood education expert, says, “These times can see a normally happy and content baby change into demanding little person. Your child may sleep less, become suddenly clingy or shy, need more of your attention, frequent feeds or stimulation, and may experience pain and discomfort as well.”

Zoe - mum to Jordy, seven, Jake, four, Lochie, three, and two-year-old Ellie Autumn - recalls how growth spurts were a challenge as a first time mum.

“I always assumed that a few days of terrible sleep with Jordy were because he was having a growth spurt,” she says. “And if his clothes were a bit tighter I actually knew he must have grown.”

Julia, mum to Daniel, 13 months, says, “Personally, I found the wonder weeks more challenging than the physical growth spurts. But it was reassuring to know when these weeks were approaching – and, more importantly, when the clingy, fussy behaviour would end!"

“These weeks took patience and tolerance from my husband and me, but the skills and understanding Daniel would suddenly develop after these times were endlessly rewarding.”

Kristy says that the best way to cope with these periods is to just to go with it as best you can, adding, “Extra cuddles and contact are always reassuring.”

Parents can stay in tune with their baby’s developmental cycle by getting regular updates from monitoring services (including The Wonder Weeks iPhone app) that provide information on what to expect each week based on a baby’s birth date.

The wonder weeks

Although they lead to exciting new skills, wonder weeks can be trying for parents and children alike.

Dutch doctors Frans Plooj & Dr Hetty van de Rijt came up with the term ‘wonder weeks’ to describe the mental developmental leaps babies experience in their first 20 months of life. These leaps occur at 10 specific times, and Piloj and van de Rijt found that the leaps they were related to brain and nervous system changes, enabling babies to broaden their perceptual and sensory awareness after each leap.

A baby responds to stimuli early, starting in utero by distinguishing sound so certain voices can be recognised after leaving the womb – but they still experience sound, sight, taste, touch and smell as one overall sensation at birth. But with each mental leap, babies are able to use each of their senses in more deliberate ways.

Piloj and van de Rijt also found that these mental developmental leaps are accompanied by difficult periods, with crying, clinginess and crankiness, and often with increased hunger or a loss in appetite, as well as interrupted sleep. These times are followed by “sunny weeks”, when babies seem a lot happier.

Babies can’t immediately master all the skills that become available to them after each leap – they’ll focus on the things that interest them most  

Many parents complain of their child having ongoing fussy phases, or that their child seems to regress every few weeks. Plooj and van de Rijt say this occurs because babies initially find their new abilities intimidating; they get frustrated when they don’t know how to control them, and can be overwhelmed by the new experience. Each of these regression periods lasts between seven days and four weeks.

Babies can’t immediately master all the skills that become available to them after each leap – instead, they’ll focus on the things that interest them most and that they find simplest to do. Try to keep track of which skills your baby displays after a wonder week, and help him practice them.

The pattern of a sunny week, followed by a fussy period, followed by the wonder week, will recur from five weeks right up until 20 months. To work out when to expect wonder weeks, you should use the baby’s expected due date, rather than the actual day of the birth, as babies born early or late may experience leaps at slightly different times. For this reason, premature babies will usually reach wonder weeks later than other babies.

Here’s what can happen during these weeks.

Leap 1: Anywhere between 4½-5½ weeks
The world of changing sensations: As your baby’s metabolism develops, and has a growth spurt in head circumference, she’s able to notice more of what’s happening in the world. After this week, she’ll look at things more frequently, respond to touch differently, start to give ‘social smiles’, respond to smell, and be more alert during awake periods. A sunny week should follow at approximately week 6.
          
Leap 2: Anywhere between 7½-9½ weeksThe world of patterns: This wonder week helps babies to be able to recognise simple patterns to life, and the way these patterns apply to the way they can use their bodies and find familiarity in the people and objects they see. After this week, your baby will be able to hold her head more steadily, turn her head towards sound, shift her weight while sitting, start showing signs of grasping, feel toys without trying to grasp them, discover and observe parts of her body, look at patterns, and make short grunt-like sounds. A sunny week should follow at approximately week 10.

Leap 3: Anywhere between 11½-12½ weeks
The world of smooth transitions: This wonder week helps babies use their senses to distinguish order and constants in their surroundings, and the transitions in sound, movement, light, taste, smell and texture. New skills after this week include following something with her eyes and/or turning her head in a fluid motion, being more active and squirmy, being able to turn her body in different directions, rolling from tummy to back, shaking a rattle, starting to make noises such as screeching and cooing, gurgling and blowing raspberries, responding to something that intrigues her with a reaction such as laughter, showing interest in light, and liking to listen to sounds with various pitches. A sunny week should follow at approximately week 13.

Leap 4: Anywhere between 14½-19½ weeks
The world of events: Babies will be able to understand how series of events lead to outcomes, and experiment with how they can make events happen. After this week your baby will be even more active, have better grasping skills, put things in her mouth, make a lot of motion with toys and activity boards, look for mum and dad, respond to her image in a mirror, make consonant sounds, recognise her name, stop during a feed and push the breast or bottle away when no longer hungry, and show signs of impatience or boredom. A sunny week should follow at approximately 21 weeks.

Leap 5: Anywhere between 22½-26½ weeks
The world of relationships: Your baby’s mobility is helped by better coordination of her limbs. She can now tell the relationships between things. This is often when separation anxiety sets in, because babies are now able to perceive distance and feel isolated from their parents. After this week, she’ll be interested in the different ways people can act, be interested in small details, start to lift and throw things to explore what’s underneath them and what they can do, try to untie things, place food in other people’s mouths, understand how words can mean actions, blow air, make noises with her tongue, and pull up into a standing position, usually with assistance. A sunny week should follow at approximately 31 weeks.

Leap 6: Anywhere between 33½-37½ weeks
The world of categories: This week is key for babies being able to recognise that various things can be grouped or categorised together, each with distinguishing characteristics and properties, and a desire to explore them. After this week your child will demonstrate that she understands some words, recognises her own reflection and perhaps plays games of peekaboo with herself, imitate others, express her moods, like to play games and sing songs, and will start to practice crawling. A sunny week should follow at approximately 39 weeks.

Leap 7: Anywhere between 41½-46½ weeks
The world of sequences: Babies now start to comprehend sequences, and how there are various steps involved for tasks and putting things together. After this week your baby will be able answer simple questions, point at things, put together simple puzzles, know how to speak on the phone, stack rings, imitate gestures, and will occasionally try to dress herself. A sunny week should follow at approximately 49 weeks.

Leap 8: Anywhere between 5½ -54½ weeks
The world of programs: This week follows on from your baby experimenting with sequences which are dependent on individual actions, and the repercussions of those actions, rather than straight repetition. Her new skills include understanding that getting dressed is a signal for activity, putting items away, showing preferences for things she wants to do, trying to draw, and using observation as a major tool for learning. A sunny week should follow at approximately 58 weeks.

Leap 9: Anywhere between 59½-61½ weeks
From theatricism to temper tantrums: Your child is now a toddler, and has a number of physical skills, can imitate and role play, use language to express emotion and to engage people, can use and understand humour, can negotiate and bargain, and tries to get her own way. Skills that can emerge after this week include expressing emotion in a number of ways (including tantrums), wanting to do things for herself, replaying domestic rituals, starting to consider and think about the future, understanding possession, and having some irrational fears.

Leap 10: Anywhere between 70½- 76½ weeks
The world of systems: As they near 20 months of age, babies are capable of understanding systems and are able to modify behaviour to suit the circumstances. Your child will also start to develop empathy and be less egocentric, and will use art forms to express emotions, along with her better language skills. After this week she’ll act out to test boundaries, learn about ownership and sharing, start to develop a fuller understanding of the concept of time, and start to both speak and understand more when spoken to.

Baby's first tooth

At around six months of age, Kylie Orr's first child cut a tooth. But there was a lot of pain and confusion along the way...

Red cheeks, drooling, general grumpiness ... is it a tooth, or something else?

When my eldest child sprouted his first tooth at around six months of age, it was cause for celebration. I felt like that tooth had been trying to edge its way out for months - that’s if the traditional (although much disputed by experts) signs were anything to go by. Drooling like a banshee, my little red-cheeked monster cried and whinged with his fists in his mouth for weeks and weeks leading up to the big event. Dodgy nappy contents and consistent grizzly periods all pointed to one thing: teething.

I’d figured it must be the reason he’d been so grumpy at four months, but there was no concrete proof for it until two entire months later. I had the benefit of what I liked to call the 'medical peanut gallery' also advising me on his health status: well-meaning grandparents diagnosed “teething”, well-meaning strangers in the queue at the supermarket assured me he was “teething”, other mums in the same miserable boat asked, “teething?”

When that first white shark fin cut through his gum, I wanted to yelp for joy 

I tried every product on the shelf and every old wives tale to ease his pain: iced teething rings, gum soothing gel, pain relief medications, cold face washers, and simple hugs from mum. Nothing worked and no tooth appeared. I ended up at the doctor thinking there must be something more sinister going on to justify all this hoo-ha. All the usual suspects - ear infections, colds - were ruled out. Back to sleepless nights and irritable, toothless baby.

When that first white shark fin cut through his gum I wanted to yelp for joy. Not because it was one of many milestones met, not because I could write something new in the baby book, but because I thought, "Hooray, all this grumpiness is now over!" (Remember, I was a first-time parent!).

As parents, we like explanations for our children’s strange and curious behaviours. Teething often fits the bill. It makes sense to us that a sharp object moving its way up from low down in the gum would cause pain and discomfort. We can reason that the swelling it may generate could also cause red cheeks, sore ears, temperatures and general irritability.

But read through the literature and you will struggle to find evidence or medical grounds for such hypotheses. The common symptoms of teething are strongly weighted towards anecdotal accounts.

I'm now a mother of four children, and whether it is medical, genetic, or some kind of blurry-parenting-glasses seeing the signs, all my children have exhibited the same indicators of teething. It starts with the drooling, then moves to the fist sandwiches, the red cheeks, often nasty nappy rash, then fairly offensive nappy changes. And then, eventually, that tooth stands up tall and announces its arrival. (It goes without saying that if your child is showing signs of illness – temperature, vomiting, etc - it's always better to have a doctor assess them, rather than assume it is merely teething).

Despite the unfavourable lead-up to the cutting of the first tooth, moving from gummy smile to gummy smile plus one little white picket is an exciting time. I love looking back at those photos of my little ones with their first tooth gleaming proudly centre stage in the gum, in a wide-mouthed grin.

There is something undisputedly gorgeous about a baby with a lone tooth - It marks the beginning of so many things. Then the other teeth follow fairly soon after, and before you know it, you’ll have visitation rights from the Tooth Fairy ... followed by dental bills for teenagers in braces!

Baby teeth eruption chart

Although baby teeth - also known as primary teeth - can arrive in any order, many children follow a loose pattern. 

The process often starts with the middle bottom teeth, with the top two middle teeth the next to arrive. Next are the teeth beside those middle chompers, and then the teeth beside them, continuing on until the jaw is full of a set of 20 little pearly whites.

You can expect your child to start teething around six months, and it can take up to two and a half years for all the teeth to come through. But again, this is just a general guide - some children are born with one tooth (or more!), while others remain toothless until they're more than a year old.

Teething products for little mouths

Soothe sore gums with Sophie the giraffe, who is made from 100 per cent natural rubbers and food paint, making her perfectly chewable ($34)

Your child's first birthday party

Choosing a theme or colour scheme
The theme we chose for Max’s birthday was 'Hot Air Balloon'. If a theme isn’t your thing, you could always simply choose a colour scheme for table decorations and balloons.

There are many sites you can get ideas from; try Babyology, Sweet Themes, and The Party Parlour for starters. You can also check out boys' party themes and girls' party themes on Essential Kids.

Write a guest list
Once you work out how many people you want to invite, my tip would be to type up your guest list in Excel. I like to keep a column for names, a column for adults and a column for kids so you can easily see a tally - this way you don’t go overboard with the invitations, and it comes in handy for catering as you can later add extra details (eg, any allergies).

Pick  a venue
If you don’t have suitable room at home, or would just like a change of scenery, check out your local play centre or activity centre; they'll charge per head and can arrange a menu, too.

For an inexpensive option, think about having the party at a park. Some areas may need to be booked, especially if there's a BBQ or table area. Often the local council will advise to get there very early to secure a table/area.

For any venue outdoors, have a back-up plan in case the weather turns nasty.

Plan your menu
If you have a theme, you may want to incorporate some of the treats into your menu. We used hot air balloon cookies, chocolate moulds, cupcakes and hot food.

Visit the Essential Kids party recipes section for great ideas on what to serve guests of all ages.

If you're planning a larger menu, think about food that both adults and children can eat, such as BBQ or lamb on a spit. Ring around the local butchers for the best price on meat.

And just a tip: if you're lucky enough to have someone offer to make/bring something for you, don’t be shy in saying yes!

Think decorations
You certainly don’t have to go to a lot of expense and hire costumes; you just need a little imagination.

Start with balloons, table cloths, napkins, plates, cups, cutlery, party hats and flags. Don't forget that pinatas are popular and come in all sorts of themes from your local party store or Spotlight.

Games and activities
Think of the age group of children that will be attending the party, and try and pick some activities that all ages and all genders can enjoy.

• Games such as pass-the-parcel and treasure hunts are great fun. My tip for a past the parcel prize would be a Toys’R’Us voucher - it's perfect for all ages and both boys and girls.
• Setting up a craft table can be lots of fun, and can keep the little ones entertained.
• Face painting is great for the older kids also.
• We hired a jumping castle for the smaller kids – it was a huge hit. 
• Think of a fun way to incorporate things you already have at home, such as a jumping competition on the trampoline.
• Check out the party games guide on Essential Kids for more inspiration.

Birthday cake
Some parents like buying pre-made cakes they can decorate thenselves, while others get the cake decorated by the experts.

Of course, many parents enjoy making their child's cakes themselves, and are (quite rightly!) proud of the finished product.

Visit the Essential Kids galleries of birthday cakes for girls and boys for inspiration. 

Invitations
Are you sending by mail, SMS, verbally or via email?

There are many fabulous online invitation sites that help you design your own invitation and email out, but if you're feeling creative you can make your own personalised invitations. Alternatively, there's a great range you can print out and send in the Essential Kids party section.

Get your invite out at least four weeks before the event to give everyone as much notice as possible.

The party and the run sheet
Working to a 'run sheet' can help make sure everything goes smoothly, and is also good reminder of what you need to do and when.

• Start with a to-do list the week before the event: eg, shopping that has to be done, order cake, order balloons, confirm venue, etc.
• The night before: eg, bake cupcakes, do up lolly bags, wrap up pass-the-parcel, make cookies, clean the house, etc.
• Pre-party: eg, set up jumping castle, set up tables, put up decorations, pick up balloons, get ice, get bread and make fairy bread, etc.
• Party: eg, 10am guests arrive, 10.30am first game, 11.00am second game, 11.30 lunch, 12.30 third game then free time, 1.30 cake and presents, 2pm lolly bags on departure.

The tricky part now is to stop and look at your child's face, to take in his smile and his excitement, as the day rushes past.

Study confirms safety of childhood vaccines

Public health experts have taken a fresh look at the safety records of childhood vaccines and once again pronounced them safe.

A systematic review published Tuesday by the journal Pediatrics notes some evidence of "adverse effects" from 11 vaccines, but the authors of the 13-page report emphasise that such problems are "extremely rare" and that the benefits of routine childhood immunizations far outweigh the risks.

"Vaccines are considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century for their role in eradicating smallpox and controlling polio, measles, rubella and other infectious diseases in the United States," wrote the study authors, a group of experts from RAND Corp in Santa Monica, the University of California, and Boston Children's Hospital.

However, some parents falsely believe that these vaccines cause autism and other health problems, and they are opting out in increasing numbers. "Parental refusal of vaccines has contributed to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles and pertussis," the study authors wrote.

At the request of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the researchers scoured the medical literature for the most scientifically rigorous studies on vaccine safety in kids. In addition to the studies examined in a comprehensive 2011 report from the Institute of Medicine, they identified 67 more studies involving controlled trials. Studies using versions of vaccines that aren't available in the US were not included in the analysis.

Here's what the researchers found about each vaccine:

-DTaP: The vaccine against diptheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid and acellular pertussis does not cause Type 1 diabetes, according to the available evidence. Likewise, there's no evidence to suggest the DTaP vaccine causes any other medical conditions.

-Hib: The Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine can cause redness and swelling but not high fevers, diarrhea, fungal infections, gastroesophageal reflux disease, convulsions or other conditions serious enough to require hospitalisation.

-Hepatitis A: One of the studies reviewed demonstrated a "moderate association" between this vaccine and purpura, a short-term condition in which leaky blood vessels cause purple spots to appear on the skin. The link was found only in children between the ages of 7 and 17.

-Hepatitis B: A 2010 study reported a heightened risk of autism for boys who got this vaccine in their first month of life, but it had methodological flaws that left the authors of the new report unconvinced. They also said that the evidence suggests there is no link between this vaccine and new or relapsing cases of multiple sclerosis. However, children who are sensitive to yeast did have an increased risk of anaphylaxis.

-Inactivated polio virus: Although one study found that children who got this vaccine as newborns had a heightened risk of food allergies, the authors of the new report found the evidence too weak to be conclusive.

-Influenza: Most studies find no link between flu vaccines and any adverse events, though a few did reveal that kids who got a flu shot (either the live attenuated vaccine that is given through the nose and the inactivated vaccine that's injected into muscle) were more likely than kids who didn't to develop short-term gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and vomiting. In addition, young children who got the inactivated vaccine had a small increased risk of febrile seizures, especially when they got their flu shots along with the pneumococcal vaccine.

-MMR: The vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella does not cause autism, the report authors wrote. However, some versions the vaccine have been linked to an increased risk of febrile seizures, short-term joint pain and purpura.

-Meningococcal: The vaccine against meningococcal disease can cause anaphylaxis in children who are allergic to its ingredients, the research team found. However, there is no link between the vaccine and fevers, malaise, hives, muscle pain, headache, changes in eating habits, severe irritability, persistent crying or severe sleepiness.

-PCV13: The vaccine against 13 pneumococcal strains does seem to increase the risk of febrile seizures, especially when given in conjunction with a flu shot.

-Rotavirus: The primary risks associated with the Rotarix or RotaTeq vaccines were cough, runny nose and irritability. The report authors found moderately strong evidence that the vaccine is linked to intussusception, "a serious disorder in which part of the intestine slides into an adjacent part of the intestine" like a telescope, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, these adverse events are "extremely rare," according to the Pediatricsreport.

-Varicella: The Institute of Medicine report said this vaccine can cause children to get viruses that cause chickenpox or shingles; those infections can progress to pneumonia, meningitis, hepatitis, encephalitis or anaphylaxis. In addition, the researchers found evidence that the vaccine can cause purpura in children between the ages of 11 and 17.

The researchers also examined combinations of vaccines and found that they did not increase the risk of leukemia. In fact, one study from Texas suggested that vaccines may reduce the risk of acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

In sum, "evidence was found for an association of several serious AEs (adverse events) with vaccines; however, these events were extremely rare," the researchers wrote. "Our findings may allay some patient, caregiver and health care provider concerns."

A commentary also published in Pediatricsunderscored that point.

Its author, Dr. Carrie Byington of the University of Utah's department of pediatrics, noted that the benefits of vaccines - including 42,000 premature deaths and 20 million illnesses averted in children born in a single year - far outweigh the risks.

"Fortunately, the adverse events identified by the authors were rare and in most cases would be expected to resolve completely after the acute event," Byington wrote. "This contrasts starkly with the natural infections that vaccines are designed to prevent, which may reduce the quality of life through permanent morbidities, such as blindness, deafness, developmental delay, epilepsy, or paralysis and may also result in death."

Healing hugs for sick babies

Evelyn in the Giraffe Warmer, made possible by the Huggies Hugs for Healing fundraising campaign.

The days leading up to the birth of your first baby are exciting for any new parents. But for Leana and Kyle Walter, that excitement was tinged with worry over the fact their baby would require surgery within days of being born.

Leana was told at her 12-week scan that her unborn baby girl was suffering from a condition known as gastroschisis, which cause the intestines to protrude through a hole in the umbilical cord. 

The couple, from Western Australia, were referred to the high risk pregnancy unit at King Edward Memorial Hospital. They also had meetings with the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children Neonatal Team to discuss their daughter's condition, and learn about how it would be treated once she was born.

After a rocky start to life, Evelyn is now a happy, healthy toddler.

"We tried to stay as calm we could, but it obviously made the pregnancy more stressful as we worried about how our baby would go once she was born,'' Leana remembers. "All we could do was arm ourselves with as much information as possible."

Little Evelyn arrived on January 21 last year after Leana's labour was induced due to fears of pre-eclampsia. She then underwent her first surgery at just five days old.

"They had to attach a plastic bag that held all her bowel and organs and then they slowly put everything back in. They couldn't put everything in her straight away as it would be too much for her little body," Leana explains. "Waiting for her to come out of that first surgery was very stressful for us. We just sat and waited to be told the surgery had gone well and she was okay."

Fortunately the surgery went well. Baby Evelyn was transferred to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), where she then spent the first two months of her life. 

During her time in the NICU Evelyn was placed in a piece of equipment known as a Giraffe Warmer. The warmer kept her temperature stable and allowed for medical staff to closely observe, weigh and even x-ray Evelyn without disturbing her.

The Giraffe Warmer at PMH was donated to the hospital by the Huggies Brand as part of its Huggies Hugs for Healing initiative. Since 2013 the initiative has helped fund high priority pieces of medical equipment, specifically targeted to sick babies and toddlers, which is used in the nation's hospitals. Each Giraffe Warmer costs $28,000, and Huggies is matching every dollar donated up to a total amount of $100,000.

The Hugs for Healing campaign is based around research that shows that hugs have a healing effect. Hugging releases serotonin and dopamine, the hormones that make us feel good; in addition, hugs increase oxytocin, which triggers a bonding response that makes sick children feel calm and less anxious.

Leana says the special Giraffe Warmer equipment made it much easier for little Evelyn to be kept comfortable while doctors and nurses cared for her.

"It meant her body could just recover without being disturbed,'' Leana says. "Anything to minimise the trauma she had to go through was fantastic."

During the two months their daughter spent in hospital, Leana and Kyle took turns by their baby's bedside. 

Leana remembers the first two months of her daughter's life as a stressful, tiring and frightening time, as Evelyn's condition deteriorated several times before improving. The thankful mum says the amazing support she and Kyle received from hospital staff is something that will never be forgotten.

"Kyle would go in to the hospital about 5 or 6am before he had to go to work, and then I would go and do a 10-hour stint during the day," Leana says. "While you have a baby in hospital you don't enjoy it and you hate being there. But afterwards you realise just how much the nurses look after the parents as well as the babies.”

Baby Evelyn underwent surgery again at seven weeks to stitch up her abdomen. She then spent one more week in hospital recovering before finally going home with her parents.

Now, Evelyn is a happy and healthy 17-month-old who is full of energy, just like any toddler. She is also about to become a big sister, with Leana and Kyle due to welcome their second daughter next month.

"She has a check up once a year and will need one more surgery when she’s about three, but she's doing really well," Leana says."She really loves babies at the moment, so she's very excited about becoming a sister."

Huggies Hugs for Healing provides essential support and care to help heal sick babies & toddlers in each of the Children's Hospitals, the national fundraising partnership of the five major children's hospital foundations around Australia. 

In addition to the Giraffe Warmer in WA, other donated equipment includes a BabyTherm Infant Warming system in Queensland, and units in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. 

Colds in babies and young children

Children have an average of around six colds per year. Colds and most coughs are caused by viruses, not bacteria, so antibiotics won’t help.

Babies in particular can struggle when they have colds, because young infants are obligate nose breathers – this means they prefer to breathe through the nose, rather than the mouth. While your young baby is capable of breathing through his mouth if his nose is blocked, he may have trouble eating, settling and sleeping. Treating a stuffed nose can help make your baby more comfortable, as it will help thin and loosen the nasal mucus, allowing him to breathe and feed easier.

Signs of a cold 

Children who have a cold may show the following symptoms: 

• stuffy, runny nose
• sneezing
• fever
• headache
• noisy cough. 

Management at home

To look after your sick little one, try the following to help ease their discomfort.

• plenty of fluids, such as water, breast milk or formula
• use saline spray or nasal drops and an aspirator – this will help loosen and thin mucus to help clear your baby’s blocked nose and moisturise dry nasal passages 
• lots of rest/quiet time
• consider using paracetamol if you need to ease pain and fever
• elevate the head of the cot or bed by putting a couple of towels or pillows under the mattress
• add moisture to the air in your baby’s room – this can be done with a vapouriser or humidifier, and will help moisturise dry nasal passages
• the use of menthol may help breathing: try a menthol ointment or capsule squeezed onto the bedding or clothing (not onto the child’s skin).

If your child's cough is bad, and persists, it may actually be a chest infection caused by bacteria. This can be helped with antibiotics, so see a doctor.

Prevention 

The viruses that cause colds and coughs are spread in the air after people cough or sneeze, or when sick people touch items with their germs on their hands. Make sure you wash your hands before eating and after sneezing, coughing and blowing your nose. Get your child into the habit of doing so at a young age, too. 

10 ways to entice a fussy toddler to eat

Just as every adult palate is different, and we all have our favorite foods, so too does the mighty toddler.

Slaving over a meal that never touches your wee ones lips due to refusal can be demoralizing, and after continued refusal it becomes frustrating and infuriating.

Without researching too deeply, it’s fairly safe to say that no child ever died from existing on only yoghurt, cucumber with the skin peeled off and Vegemite sandwiches for a year, but there is probably research to suggest that parents have nearly gone insane with worry.

Good food habits need to start early, and remember that your child only eats what you offer them. Offer them plenty of fresh, nutritious options to create lifelong habits.

If mealtimes are a struggle at your house try some of these tactics to try and outwit your fussy child.

Keep it fun and colorful

By adding an array of different colours to the plate you can entice their creativity. Vibrant plates with a few options give more chances of something being eaten. If a food gets rejected try again in a few weeks.

Get the kids involved

If you don’t feel that your toddler is quite up to helping you cook yet, what about handing them food as you take it from the fridge and ask them to put it on the counter for you, or hand them food to carry at the supermarket?

By involving them in the process you can create an interest in food.

Eat with your children

This can be tricky with children’s meal time being earlier than you like to eat, but you will often notice that if you all sit down together, television off, eating the same food, mealtimes will go much smoother.

Offer a variety of different foods

Even if it seems that your little one is only interested in peeled apple quarters and peanut butter sandwiches for weeks on end, keep offering different things. You may need to offer the same thing up to 15 times before you have any luck.

Don’t be afraid of flavour

Adults love bursting flavor and so do kids. Often you’ll see children’s menu options are fried, and/or bland. Your children enjoy eating spices, will love herbs, and if you’re game even a little chili. You’ll be surprised at what they’ll try, and like.

Use positive words

When you talk about food use enthusiastic words. Saying things like ‘this is yummy and it will make your body feel great!’, or ‘this will give you lots of energy for running’ is a great way to build positive food associations.

Mealtime routines

As with bedtime, toddlers thrive on a routine. Children need three meals and two snacks per day, so ensuring that they are not snacking too close to meals is imperative. Keep meals around the same time, and unless out, sit at a table with the television off.

Keep them interested

Two course meals are a great way to keep toddlers interested; a savoury course followed by a sweet course. Your sweet course need not be chocolate ice cream; fruit and low-sugar yoghurt, or even bread and butter pudding, are great options for ensuring enough calories are consumed if you’re struggling with savoury.

To bribe or not to bribe?

So. Very. Tempting. Short-term pay offs are exactly that, but long term you can create issues surrounding food. Healthy eating is reward enough. Remember if you startbribing to eat, when does it stop?

Stay relaxed and calm

The food struggle can become a massive power play. Tempers can flare, food can fly, and tears can prevail – yours and theirs. Just stay calm and know that this phase will soon pass.

What you need to know about sleep regressions

The four-month sleep regression, the 12-month sleep regression, the 18-month sleep regression – what is happening to your baby?   

Any time your baby’s sleep suddenly seems to go pear-shaped, it’s natural to wonder ‘what am I doing wrong?’ Having a neat little term like ‘sleep regression’ gets you off the hook: it’s not you, it’s your baby. It’s just sleep regression; it’s normal and common, and it will pass. 

And really, the term ‘sleep regression’ sounds a lot more helpful than the more patronising label ‘accidental parenting’, which implies you’ve done something to create your wakeful baby but that you’re such a half-wit you didn't even realise you were doing something ‘wrong’. ‘Sleep regression’ also sounds smarter and even a little bit intellectual, as though you’ve really done your homework about infant sleep. 

But here’s the thing: when your baby’s sleep patterns seem to be going backwards, she isn’t having a ‘regression’. Sleep isn’t a milestone, even though it certainly feels like an achievement when your child starts snoozing for several hours at a stretch. (By the way, ‘all night’ in infant sleep studies means five hours of sleep in a row, not eight hours like an adult.)

The measurable, important milestones that signal your baby’s development can influence your baby’s sleep patterns. So when your baby, who has been sleeping in peaceful bocks, suddenly starts waking more frequently, it usually means she’s approaching an actual developmental milestone. She’s not regressing, she’s progressing. 

Developmental milestones can be physical (rolling, crawling, cruising, walking), emotional (separation anxiety) and neurological. Neurological milestones are those outlined in The Wonder Weeks, a book by Dutch psychologists Franz Plooij and Hetty Van Der Rit. They describe wonder weeks as critical periods of development that change a baby’s perception of his world. For instance, at 26 weeks, babies start to perceive distance; this means that as you walk away, your baby is now more aware of the distance that separates you, and she may yell because the increasing distance between you and her is confusing and a bit scary. (Read our article for more on wonder weeks and their accompanying developmental leaps.)

As babies approach any new developmental phase, their perception of the world changes. Although this can be just a blip on the radar for some babies, more sensitive babies will need extra reassurance and can become quite clingy or generally unsettled at these times. 

Because babies process information during their sleep – circulation to the brain almost doubles during REM sleep – it’s perfectly normal for them to wake more often as they approach new milestones. For instance, at around four months (the four-month sleep regression people talk about), your baby is becoming much more aware of the world: she’s babbling (the beginning of language), exploring things with her mouth, and she’s recognising familiar people (and becoming anxious around strangers – separation anxiety is kicking in). At the same time, many babies are starting to roll over, so they unintentionally roll onto their belly and wake up. All of this adds up to a very busy little brain that finds it difficult to switch off. 

Of course, if your baby suddenly becomes unsettled or wakeful at any time, it’s important to check there isn’t a medical reason, such as sore ears or a urinary tract infection (babies generally wake when they wee if they have a UTI, because it hurts). Or if your baby has recently started family foodsshe could be upset by food sensitivities; if you suspect a food allergy, check with your health carer. 

Once you’ve ruled out illness as a reason for sudden changes in your baby’s sleep patterns, consider your baby’s development. What new skills is your baby learning? Is she a bit more clingy during her awake times? Does she seem more sensitive right now? 

Try to see her wakefulness as a positive – she’s not regressing, she’s progressing. She’s learning and developing in leaps and bounds. She isn’t waking because you have done anything wrong, and you’re not encouraging ‘bad habits’. You’re helping your baby feel secure as she grows through these intense developmental stages. You don’t have to justify your baby’s behavior with fancy labels or reasons for her waking.

The good news is that, as your baby masters each new milestone, there will be spells of sound sleep again – until the next developmental leap!