MANY young mothers have battled with this question as their maternity leave, usually of two months, draws to an end. It may sound like a simple question but if you ask around, you will discover that this is the hardest part about having children – finding a suitable person to care for them. Tina, a…

It is dreaded by most parents, but few understand why it happens and how to prevent it. THE term ‘convulsion’ is commonly used interchangeably with ‘seizure.’  There are many types of seizures, but one particular type relevant to babies is ‘febrile seizure’, which is triggered by a fever. This type of seizure mostly occurs between…

In the recent past some mums have asked Pregnant the question: ‘can the uneven shape of a baby’s head be reshaped after birth?’ This feature explains what parents can do if the shape of their baby’s head does not self correct as expected. How Common Is Uneven Head? Quite common! It can happen when the…

HAVE you ever arrived at home from work eager to feed your baby, only to be met by a fierce and blatant rebuff? No matter the pleading or coercion, your baby says and acts a strict ‘No!’ Many career mothers eager to enhance their bonding with their new babies find this kind of incident disheartening.…

IT is the role and responsibility of parents to facilitate desirable personalities in their babies. Indeed, parents want their kids to grow into responsible, well mannered persons. Apparently, this is the epitome of child rearing. It is during the early days that a child learns proper behaviour as well as respect for themselves and others.…

A MOTHER GOING BACK TO WORK AFTER MATERNITY LEAVE FACES THE INEVITABLE CHALLENGE OF WHO WILL TAKE CAKE OF HER BABY WHILE SHE IS AT WORK. LEAVING ONE’S BABY IN THE HANDS OF ANOTHER PERSON IS NOT AN EASY DECISION. SPECIFICALLY WORRIES RANGE FROM HEALTH AND FEEDING, TO SAFETY AND ABUSE. EVERY PARENT WHO HIRES…

In the previous edition of Pregnant, we discussed why some babies refuse to be fed by their mothers, sometimes preferring auntie’s (nanny’s) feeding. We now focus on babies who refuse to eat irrespective of who feeds them. There are foods which we, as adults, loathe to taste, let alone eat, irrespective of where they are…

Weaning can be a daunting task especially for a first time and busy mum. It may prove quite difficult for the baby to adapt to solid food because for the first four to six months of his life, he has been getting food continuously from one source — the breast. There are a number of…

Almost every baby wants a toy to play with. However, choosing the right toy can be a daunting task for a parent. You might recall the stir that some ‘bad’ toys from China caused recently in the USA. It was said that some toys contained harmful materials! In August 2007, a Chinese manufacturer recalled about…