Baby,Care,The,Proper,Environme family Baby Care - The Proper Environment

A lot of women avoid wearing nice clothes when they getpregnant because they believe that they look fat or ugly. You know that there’snothing more beautiful than a pregnant woman glowing and smiling, so youshouldn’t hide your body during p Raising a family can be challenging and stressful at times. However, the common goals and emotional, financial, and physical investments made can be a common bond between husband and wife. One that compliments their marriage relationship.Of

The baby's Room. A newborn infant may share the parent's bedroomfor the first few months, but even if this is the case, a separate roomshould be planned and equipped so that everything is conveniently athand for the main activities in the baby's life: nursing, body hygiene,and diaper changing.The room itself should be warm and well ventilated. A constanttemperature of 68° to 72°F (20° to 22°C) is advisable for any baby whoweighs less than 8 pounds (3.6 Kg), but as the baby grows and puts onweight, the nighttime temperature may be allowed to drop slightly. Itis important that the air in the room is not dry. If possible, place ahumidifier in the room to keep the air warm and moist.Every baby needs fresh air but should be protected from drafts,so make sure that the crib is not next to an open window when the babyis asleep. In cold weather, the room should be aired when the baby isnot occupying it.Lightning. For the convenience of the parents, the room shouldbe well lighted, but newborn infants are unable to adjust their eyes toa bright light. A ceiling light therefore should have a low-power bulbor a dimmer attachment on the light switch. A small table lamp isuseful, particularly when placed on the dresser to illuminate thecontents of the drawers.Even a small baby becomes quickly bored by having nothing tolook at. A mobile above the bassinet or crib may hold the infant'sattention, as will brightly colored pictures fixed within the baby'sfield of vision.Furniture and Equipment. The most important piece of furniturein the baby's room is the bed. The most suitable first bed for anewborn infant is a bassinet, straw basket, or portable crib because atiny baby feels more secure in a fairly small space. If the baby isgoing to sleep in a crib, put bumper pads around the edge and wrap thebaby firmly so that he or she feels secure.The mattress must be firm and smooth and should fit the bedsnugly. Never use a pillow instead of a mattress-use a foam pad atleast one inch (25mm) thick, and make sure that the waterproof coverfits tightly over the mattress. If you are using a straw or canebassinet, line the inside with material to prevent the baby fromcatching or scratching the fingers or face on rough edge. This alsohelps to prevent drafts. A baby under the age of one year should neverbe given a pillow for the head.A low, comfortable chair with armrests and a straight back isanother important item in the baby's room. The chair can be used forfeeding with the bottle or nursing at the breast; or the parent can sitin the chair and change the baby's diaper on the lap instead of on achanger.All the equipment needed during a diaper change should be withinreach so that the parent does not have to leave an infant unattended onthe changing surface. A shelf attached to the side of the changingtable is useful for storing cream, powder, cotton, and diapers. If thisis not possible, make sure that there is a working surface at thecorrect height next to the changing area. Overhead shelves areconvenient, but can be dangerous since a jar or bottle could fall onthe baby.Place two buckets with lids for dirty diapers and clothes by theside of the changing area. A wastebasket also should be beside thechanging area for used pieces of cotton.There should be a plastic bathtub on a sturdy stand in the roomand a rack on which to hang towels and a facecloth. It is more suitableto bathe a small baby in his or her room because the temperature ismore easily maintained than in an adult bathroom. Even if the room iscentrally heated, it may be necessary to boost the room temperaturewith a heater before bath time. The heater can be either of theradiator type or an electrical heater placed high on the wall.If parents intend always to feed the baby in his or her ownroom, a separate low table or cart should be set aside for nursing andfeeding articles.A dresser is useful for storing sheets, blankets, towels,diapers, and clean clothing. As the baby grows out of clothes, theyshould be stored elsewhere to ensure that the dresser does not becomeoverfull.Safety. When planning and equipping a baby's room, safetyfactors should always be kept in mind. Babies quickly become mobile; itis often not until a near-accident occurs that the parents realize howactive the baby is.All the furniture in the room should be strong and stable sothat a crawling infant is not able to overturn it. The windows shouldhave safety stops on them so that they cannot be opened wide enough forthe child to crawl out of. As an alternative, parents can fix bars(vertical ones) over the window. If there are electrical outlets atground level, cover them with outlet covers (which are available athardware or department stores) or place a piece of heavy furniture infront of them because the crawling child will soon try poking somethinginto the plug.Cribs should be selected carefully. Bars should be less than 2.5inches (6.25cm) apart, so that the child cannot get stuck or choke.There must be no peeling paint. Once the crib is set up, do not tie tothe bars anything in which the child might become entangled.Never use an unguarded space heater in a baby's room. Liquid fuel heaters are also dangerous and should not be used.