What Not To Do AFTER You Have A Baby

Everyone always has some sort of advice for you on how you should feed the baby, how to hold , how to clean the diaper…how to pretty much do everything. After I had my baby I had a million how to’s and well most of them contradicted each other. What I really wanted and what all parents should have is a comprehensive “what not to do”. Especially since the ‘How to’ part was going to be pretty much sorted out by the baby. Trust me, especially if you’re a first time mom, babies will dictate everything (EVERYTHING!).

This list should help you out for the first year of your roller coaster ride, So hop on and get strapped!

Do Not Shake The Baby

Don’t. The baby will not stop crying in fact the baby will cry more. Not only that but you may do some serious damage to the little brain.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or commonly known as SIDS is the unexplained or sudden death of a perfectly healthy infant , normally under the age of 1. You may also have heard it to referred to as Crib death. Although a lot of the reasons are unknown to what may lead to SIDS , the things to avoid are making sure your infant is not sleeping while facing down or sideways (the airways may get blocked, preventing oxygen from going through), there are not too many comforters or blankets that may cover the infants face and finally do not cover the infant with too many layer, overheating is another major cause of SIDS.

If you are co-sleeping then definitely try to add some sort of barrier in between, you don’t want to accidentally hurt the little one in your sleep.

No Honey

I’m surprised at how common this is, but No Honey For babies under the age of 1. The main reason is the Clostridium botulinum (C. botulinum) spores. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), botulinum toxins are one of the most lethal substances known! These toxins block nerve functions and can lead to respiratory and muscular paralysis.  Infant botulism occurs mostly due to food or  ingestion since their intestines are not mature enough to prevent growth and germination of that bacteria. Honey just happens to be one of the sources for infant botulinum from even a tiny taste. Yes that’s right,  even from a just a teeny tiny taste.

You may end up hearing that we raised our kids, gave them honey and they turned out fine. Well, even the great Aristotle thought the Sun revolved around Earth sooo  (Awkwaaaard). 

No Water

Generally rule is no water before 6 months old. Main reason being similar to no honey; the intestines & immune systems are not mature enough to prevent these bacteria from impacting the baby’s health. There’s a huge chance of water not being safe for the infant and catching infection and eventually dehydration from the sickness.

If exclusively breastfeeding, please note that breastmilk is 80% water so even in a hot climate, the child wouldn’t need water. Besides, water will fill up the tummy and not  leave enough room for milk.

No Cow’s Milk

This is another common issue new mom’s get confused about. You should not be giving cow’s milk to a child under the age of one. The sodium, protein, sugar and potassium in cow’s milk is really difficult for the baby to digest and does not provide enough Iron, Vitamin E and fatty acids for an infant’s requirements.

Introducing cow’s milk early also leads to early iron deficiency and possible milk allergies. Breastmilk or iron-fortified infant formula are totally sufficient for the baby’s diet for the first year of their lives.

No Solids (Unless The Baby’s Showing Signs Of Readiness

Did you know that after the 4 month mark, babies gain better control of their tongue muscles? That helps in coordinating food from the front to the back of the mouth. Prior to that, feeding any solids may cause the food to get stuck in the airways and lead to choking or possibly suffocation (blockage to airways). Not only that, babies do not have enough enzymes to be able to digest starch hence leading to upset tummies and possibly dehydration.

Minimal Use of Medicines (unless absolutely necessary)

Seems pretty obvious right? Apparently it’s not! You don’t want to ‘self-medicate’ at the hint of a cough or sniffle. Let the baby’s body work it’s magic. The point is to let the baby develop an immune system and adjust to the environment. There’s a reason why doctors don’t consider it a fever unless it’s 100.4.

Needless to say always consult the doctor if you feel the baby is unwell and most definitely check with the doctor prior to using or giving your little one any sort of medication.

All in all, we all want what’s best for our little ones but a little care definitely goes a long way. There are a million what not to do’s still out there but we may want to use our instincts at times too. I mean I can be more thorough and add do not give the child soda, sugar, alcohol, anything to smoke and most importantly do not let the baby drive. The movie Baby Driver has nothing to do with a baby! Ha!

Enjoy this time and most definitely do not let your little one watch Baby’s Day Out. Cause you know Wink Wink