As many of you already know, hearing the news that you will soon become a grandparent is quite a joyous occasion.  You feel happiness, excitement and pride for your child and have great anticipation for what the future will hold for them.  You help them prepare for their soon-to-arrive bundle of joy and share the knowledge you’ve gained through your parenting experiences with them.

Upon reflecting on my own conversations with my children, I came upon a great article entitled “New Rules for Being a Grandparent” by Pediatrician Marta Markman, M.D.  The article sheds light on parenting as it pertains to the 21st century.  I’ve included some important excerpts below.

Safety is a top priority when considering even the basic needs of a grandchild. The most important way to create a safe environment for your grandchild is to educate yourself. You must familiarize yourself with the most up-to-date techniques for child caring, as well as any new or modernized equipment that may not have been available in the past. Some of the most common and essential adjustments include:

Nutrition: In the past, babies were put on solid foods as soon as possible. It is now recommended that infants be kept on formula until they are at least a year old. Due to an increase in the presence of food allergies among children, new foods should be introduced by giving the same vegetable or fruit for at least three consecutive days to determine if an allergic reaction occurs.

Immunizations: Babies need 20 immunizations during their first two years. These include older vaccines like measles, mumps and rubella; as well as newer immunizations such as hepatitis B, chickenpox and Prevnar, which prevents infections that cause pneumonia and meningitis.

Medicine: Baby aspirins have been replaced with acetaminophen to treat children with a fever. Giving baby aspirin to a child with a fever may cause a serious illness called Reye’s syndrome. The old home remedy of rubbing whiskey on the gums of a child is also dangerous, as it’s found to be poisonous.

Sleeping position: Infants must be put to sleep on their backs, not on their stomachs as many grandparents were taught to do years ago with their own children. Putting infants on their backs helps reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), the leading cause of death among infants that claims the lives of about 2,500 each year in the United States.

Cribs: Today’s cribs are designed with slats that are close enough together to prevent any entrapment of the baby. Make sure the crib has a firm, flat mattress and remove any loose blankets. The exclusion of blankets and soft bedding decreases the risk of suffocation and SIDS.

Car seats: Infants should be placed in rear-facing car seats in the back seat until they are one year old and 22 pounds. All children should remain in the back seat until they are 12 years old. Be sure to purchase an up-to-date seat because older car seats no longer meet the requirements of today’s safety standards.

Baby monitors: This modern item is designed as a listening device to hear the baby while you are in another room. Monitors are also available in a video format so you can not only hear but see the baby while they are sleeping.

Childproofing: While children in the past were free to roam, homes today are rigged with safety precautions. Putting up baby gates, covering electrical sockets and locking cabinets are just a few ways to make your home child friendly.

Keep your little ones safe!

Checklist from Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu

When you get up and go with your new baby, you’ll want to keep essential supplies close at hand for all but the shortest excursions.  Technically, all you really need in a diaper bag are diapers and a few wipes, but most parents find it helpful to include some other tricks of the parenting trade, especially if you’ll be out long enough to span a meal or naptime.  You can even make your own checklist to be sure you don’t leave home without something you’ll miss.

o        Diaper bag, backpack or other container

o        Diapers

o        Baby wipes

o        Diaper ointment

o        Diaper changing pad - You can get disposable ones, use a vinyl reusable version or just bring a small towel.

o        Food/drink - This may include a bottle or sippy cup, water, formula/breastmilk, and/or snacks for you and baby.

o        Change of clothes - Definitely for your newborn, but quite possibly for yourself as well.

o        Plastic bags to hold dirty diapers after changes

o        Sun protection (sunscreen or sunblock, hat, sunglasses)

o        Camera to capture those special moments.  Never again will you say “I wish I had brought my camera!”

Upon returning from your excursion, restock your diaper bag right away so that it’ll be ready to grab the next time you head out.

About Dr. Jennifer Shu
Jennifer Shu, MD, is a pediatrician, author and mother in Atlanta. Her passion is educating parents on all topics relating to children. Dr. Shu is editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Baby & Child Health and co-author of the award-winning books Heading Home with Your Newborn and Food Fights, both published by the AAP.

An enthusiastic and experienced writer and public speaker, Dr. Shu is a medical expert on CNNHealth.com, a member of the Parents magazine Board of Advisors and an editorial advisor for the AAP’s Healthy Children doctor’s office publication. She has been featured as a guest expert on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Headline News, MSNBC and Discovery Health, as well as in Newsweek, US News & World Report, USA Today, US Weekly, and numerous parenting magazines, newspapers and medical publications.

Dr. Shu received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Dr. Shu completed her pediatric training and chief residency at the University of California in San Francisco. She has been a leader within the medical profession as a past national chairperson of the young physicians sections for both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the AAP.

Parenting recently published an article educating readers about the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).  See an important excerpt below.

Despite the challenges, SIDS research goes on. And though much remains to be learned, scientists do have some answers (see “4 Other Ways to Protect Your Baby”). For instance, theyknow that certain infants, such as African-American, Native American, and premature babies, are at particular risk, and that certain situations (including sleeping on a soft surface and exposure to secondhand smoke) raise the odds for all babies. They also know that babies who sleep on their stomachs or sides face the biggest danger: They have twice the risk of dying from SIDS as babies who sleep on their backs. When a baby’s face is turned toward the bedding, he’s in a position to re-breathe the carbon dioxide he exhales, which limits the amount of oxygen he takes in. “When they aren’t getting enough oxygen, most babies will do something to change their environment — they’ll turn their heads, or they’ll sigh, or they’ll yawn,” says Rachel Moon, M.D., an associate professor of pediatrics at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. “But babies who die of SIDS don’t wake up when they get into trouble, and we don’t fully understand why.” (read the rest of this entry)

Simple bath-time safety measures from Pediatrician Dr. Jennifer Shu

It’s hard to miss the fact that babies are slippery when wet, much less ignore the occasional evening news story about an infant or child being unintentionally scalded or drowning unattended in mere inches of water. The good news is that most childhood injuries in general are preventable, and those related to bathing are no exception. Here are a few simple but extremely important bath-time safety measures that will keep you and your baby from getting in over your heads.

• It’s a matter of degree. The ideal bath water temperature is thought to be somewhere between 95°F and 100°F, while water warmer than 105°F is considered to be too hot and cooler than 90°F, too cold. In contrast, many water heaters are installed at 140°F to 150°F. At 140°F, it only takes 3 seconds for a child to get a third-degree burn. Pay a quick visit to your water heater and make sure that the upper temperature limit is set no higher than 120°F—a temperature at which you should be able to hold your hand under a running stream of hot water without getting burned.

• Fill ‘er up first. Run the bath water first. Turn off the water, and then put your baby in it. Having water flowing directly into the tub when your baby is already in it is an unnecessary risk because the temperature of running water can be inconsistent and hot water controls can be bumped.

• Know what your baby’s getting into. Make it a habit to always test your baby’s bath water on your own skin (preferably on a more sensitive area such as your wrist or elbow) before putting your baby in it. That way you’ll be sure to know exactly what you’re both getting into.

• Please give your undivided attention. Regardless of how much or how little water you have in your newborn’s bath tub, you’ll need to offer him at least one hand of support at all times and ideally keep two eyes focused on the task at hand.

About Dr. Jennifer Shu
Jennifer Shu, MD, is a pediatrician, author and mother in Atlanta. Her passion is educating parents on all topics relating to children. Dr. Shu is editor-in-chief of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) Baby & Child Health and co-author of the award-winning books Heading Home with Your Newborn and Food Fights, both published by the AAP.

An enthusiastic and experienced writer and public speaker, Dr. Shu is a medical expert on CNNHealth.com, a member of the Parents magazine Board of Advisors and an editorial advisor for the AAP’s Healthy Children doctor’s office publication. She has been featured as a guest expert on CNN, NBC Nightly News, Headline News, MSNBC and Discovery Health, as well as in Newsweek, US News & World Report, USA Today, US Weekly, and numerous parenting magazines, newspapers and medical publications.

Dr. Shu received her bachelor’s degree at the University of Virginia and her medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia. Dr. Shu completed her pediatric training and chief residency at the University of California in San Francisco. She has been a leader within the medical profession as a past national chairperson of the young physicians sections for both the American Medical Association (AMA) and the AAP.