Water, not so good Turns out that water is not good for very young babies. The main problem seems to be that urination also removes not only water but sodium and other essential minerals from the body, and the baby may not be getting these replenished at the same speed (since the their only source ... Read more
The force-feeding I am talking about is the force-feeding of babies, not adults. This is actually quite an alarming action taken on the part of moms who are mistaken about their role in feeding babies. There are actually quite a few things that can help a baby feed if they start to get fussy and ... Read more
Not baby back ribs, but the ribs on human babies. Yes, turns out they can be a bit funny (non-symmetrical) and stick out on one side and not the other. Of course nearly everything one notices about the baby causes some concern, but this one was allayed by the many other cases found on the ... Read more
Pacifiers are Artificial Nipples says the Dr. Sears site. His site is one I take with a grain or two of salt, but it is definitely a good second-ranked site for me. First rank are actual medical organizations in the US, UK and UN, as well as actual healthcare research (though of course one must ... Read more
Well, no not all of China, and not the government, at least not specifically. But indeed, the manufacturing in China is almost wilfully hazardous. Stories abound on a near daily basis of the kinds of products that are passed off as genuine, both to the Chinese people themselves (such a homicidal/suicidal country) and to export ... Read more
Turns out that teething can start as early as 3 months. This was news to our doctor (which is quite sad). The state of health care with children is unfortunately the same as that as with adults, which is even more inadequate for several reasons: - Adults can tell you symptoms and the like - ... Read more
The first month is a killer. Death of your sleep, your schedule, your uninterrupted time. To stop it from being the death of your marriage and your family, by all means take a month off from work. Sure you can put in the odd few hours per day, but in general, expectations should be a ... Read more
With a significant number of people in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar without electricity (as well as a number in Thailand and Vietnam who are not accounted for in the official numbers on electricity access), power generation is of strong interest. Instead of expensive, larger scale projects (which are of course also important) something like *Gravity-Powered ... Read more
My son was born on 28 October, and the first week has been exciting, eventful, as well as tiring. A few points for others: Emotion In a newborn, emotion is quite simple. It begins and ends in the guts. To be hungry is to be upset, and to use the only faculty at its command, ... Read more
Colic affects between 10% and 30% of babies at some point. It is defined as excessive crying, > 3 hours/day, 3 days/week, for at least three weeks. However, apparently the causes of colic are unknown. The normal span of such colicky behavior is between 2 weeks to 6 months of age. However, some last longer, ... Read more