Baby Health
Welcome to PBB’s baby health section. Your much-cherished baby has arrived and you want to ensure nothing but the best for them and their life ahead. There is so much information out there on what’s best for babies, but where do you start and what do you believe?
Keeping in mind that knowledge is power, this section offers evidence-based articles on baby health to assist you to make informed decisions that support your baby’s current and future health and wellbeing. It includes information aimed at demystifying the nature and purpose of routine screening tests.
Here you can read about What Makes Tummy Time so Helpful for Newborns, 3 Easy Baby Food Recipes You Can Make at Home, and Strategies to Help Children’s Language Development. You can also learn about the Newborn Hearing Screening Program, Vitamin K for Newborn Babies, the Newborn Bloodspot Screening program and much more.
Do you have a story about baby health to share? We are always looking for new content for this page. If you have a story to share or would like to suggest a topic around baby health that you’d like to read more about, please email Pregnancy Birth and Beyond.
Baby Health Articles
Environmental Tobacco Smoke – A Danger to Children
It is a sobering thought to consider that 1.7 million Australian children are at risk of developing serious illnesses as a result of sustained exposure to tobacco smoke. The Car and Home: Smoke-Free Campaign aims to help prevent children’s exposure to tobacco smoke so they can avoid the damaging health effects. What is environmental tobacco smoke? Environmental tobacco smoke is what is commonly known as passive smoking or second-hand smoke and it is released when smokers exhale as well
What is Hip Dysplasia?
Hip dysplasia is the medical term for instability, or looseness, of the hip joint that affects thousands of children each year. This ranges from mild instability to complete dislocation. Approximately one out of every 20 full-term babies has some hip instability and two to three per 1000 will require treatment. Persistent hip instability is a silent childhood condition that frequently causes disability and arthritis in adults. In spite of the frequency and the potential for lifelong disability, there is
Protect Your Baby’s Hips When Swaddling
Many parents find that swaddling can provide comfort to fussy babies, reduce crying, and develop more settled sleep patterns. While parents and babies may enjoy these benefits from swaddling, care must be taken to swaddle properly to ensure the baby’s health and safety. Improper swaddling can lead to instability and dislocation of the hip, a condition known as hip dysplasia. Please visit hipdysplasia.org for more information on this condition. To promote healthy hips, the baby should be wrapped so
Cord Care in Newborns
Umbilical cords are amazing. From the moment it forms and until it is cut, the umbilical cord supplies a baby with the oxygen and nutrients it requires for survival. The umbilical cord is comprised of one vein and two arteries enclosed in a sticky substance called Wharton’s Jelly. This is in turn encased in a membrane referred to as the amnion. After your baby is born the umbilical cord is no longer required and so the cord is cut
Bathing the Baby
When a new baby arrives you suddenly have so many new tasks. Parenting is a big role – huge in fact – imagine the job description were you to write one! One of the tasks on your new list is bathing the baby. This article looks at both the pragmatics of bathing a baby as well as safety considerations. Where Should I Bath the Baby? Perhaps the first most important consideration is where you will bathe your baby. A
Best Way to Wash a Baby’s Bottom
Health professionals and midwives have long recommended using just plain cotton wool and cooled boiled water to wash a newborn baby’s delicate skin. Yet so many common chemical ingredients found in wipes read more like a science encyclopedia with names such as - Phenoxyethanol, Laureth Phosphate and Sodium Benzoate. Additionally, If you wanted to wash heavy grime and dirt, then you would expect to use chemical ingredients that had a bit of grunt and could erode stains and dirt.