Infant’s Health

What is infant’s health?

Infancy is the period from birth till 2 years. During this stage, infants are totally helpless and dependent on their caregivers. While caring for your baby, you must understand their basic needs so that they can be met appropriately.

What are the basic needs of a newborn?

Care of the umbilicus: after delivery, the umbilical cord is cut. The remaining part of the cord dries and falls off within 10 days, forming the belly button. Improper care of the cord can lead to serious infections in the infant. Care includes:

• Keeping the area clean and dry
• Folding down the top of the diaper to expose the umbilicus to air
• Cleaning the umbilicus gently with a baby wipe or with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Security
The first few months of life are when infants develop their sense of trust in the world around them, so it is important to provide protection from anything or anyone who might harm them. This means keeping your baby away from any potential dangers, such as toxic substances or sharp objects, but also protecting them from people they might not know well enough yet to trust.

Clothing
Babies are prone to diaper rash because the area is constantly wet, and they are essentially sitting in urine. This can lead to an infection that will not only make it uncomfortable for them but could potentially cause other complications down the road like kidney stones or bladder infections. The best way to avoid these complications is by using cloth diapers that allow air circulation around the genital area. Change their clothes as needed too, to avoid any skin condition that could make them feel uncomfortable.

Good sleep
Newborn babies are born very early on in their development cycle, and thus their brains still have a lot of growing to do. This is why newborns sleep so much (about 18 hours a day); it is their way of catching up on some of the development they missed while in the womb.

Nutritious Food
Breastfeeding is a wonderful way for you and baby to bond. Breast-milk is also naturally rich in a variety of nutrients and immune factors that can help protect your child from germs. Ghana Health Service recommends giving infants human milk exclusively for their first 6 months, continuing with human milk through at least 1 year. Where breastfeeding may not be possible perhaps due to unavailability of mother, or physical limitations, formula feed are a great alternative. Formula feeds are to be prepared according to instructions on packaging with cooled water which was boiled. Feeding bottles are to be cleaned and sterilized immediately after use. Where constant water or materials for sterilization are not available, feeding the child via cup and spoon is preferred.

Sensory Stimulation
It is up to parents to provide newborns with a stimulating environment that encourages development in all areas of their physical, mental, social, emotional, and cognitive being. For example, an environment full of stimulating sensory toys helps newborns develop senses such as sight, touch, hearing, and taste/smell in their all-important first months of life. Make sure newborns have plenty of time facing outwards when placed on their backs on a grown or cot, too — this helps strengthen neck muscles, improve muscle tone and prepare newborns for tummy time.

Love and Attention
Newborn babies need lots of love and attention to grow into healthy children. When newborns come home, they need to be held often to develop their social skills. Aside these basic needs, parents should be able to be mindful of the developmental stages of their infants and adopt the following helpful tips.

Protect their skin from sun
Babies younger than 6 months should avoid direct sunlight if at all possible. Focus on keeping your baby in the shade as often as possible. It’s also a good idea to dress them in a hat as well as lightweight clothing that covers their arms and legs. The use of umbrellas is encouraged when they have to travel in the sun.

Keep up to date on vaccination
Vaccination is a vital tool for preventing your child from becoming sick with potentially life threatening illnesses. Vaccines work by introducing your child’s immune system to a small bit of a germ, helping the immune system learn how to respond to that germ, should it be encountered in the future.

What are key developments of newborn?

Developmental milestones are things most children can do by a certain age. Skills such as taking a first step, smiling for the first time, and waving “bye-bye” are called developmental milestones. Children reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, act, and move. Though all children develop at their own pace, most children reach developmental milestones at or about the same age.

0-3 Month Milestones

Motor Milestones

• While lying on tummy, pushes up on arms or lifts head up
• Able to bring hands to mouth
• Moves legs and arms off of surface when excited

Sensory Milestones

• While lying on back, attempts to reach for a toy held above their chest
• While lying on back, keeps head centered to watch faces or toys
• Enjoys a variety of movements

Communication Milestones

• Smiles in response to sound or voice and turns head towards familiar sound or voice
• Shows interest in faces
• Makes eye contact
• Cries differently for different needs (e.g. hungry vs. tired)

Feeding Milestones

• Latches onto nipple or bottle
• Sucks and swallows well during feeding

7-9 Month Milestones

Motor Milestones

• Sits without support and can move from tummy or back into sitting
• Starts to move with alternate leg and arm movement e.g. creeping, crawling
• Turns head to visually track objects while sitting
• Picks up small objects with thumbs and fingers
• In simple play imitates others

Sensory Milestones

• Enjoys a variety of movements – bouncing up and down, rocking back and forth
• Explores and examines an object using both hands and mouth
• Experiments with the amount of force needed to pick up different objects
• Focuses on objects near and far
• Investigates shapes, sizes, and textures of toys and surroundings

Communication Milestones

• Uses increased variety of sounds and syllable combinations in babbling
• Looks at familiar objects and people when named
• Recognizes sound of their name
• Follows some routine commands when paired with gestures
• Shows recognition of commonly used words
• Simple gestures, e.g. shaking head for “no”

Feeding Milestones

• Holds and drinks from a bottle
• Stays full longer after eating
• Shows strong reaction to new smells and tastes

13-18 Month Milestones

Motor Milestones

• Walks independently
• Squats to pick up a toy

Sensory Milestones

• Helps with getting dressed/undressed
• Has a regular sleep schedule
• Eats an increasing variety of foods

Communication Milestones

By 15 months:

• May use 5-10 words
• Combines sounds and gestures
• Imitates simple words and actions
• Consistently follows simple directions
• Shows interest in pictures
• Can identify 1-2 body parts when named