BEWARE! - NITRATES IN VEGETABLES

Once your baby is eating some solid foods, remember fresh is usually best. However, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, beets, carrots, collard greens, and turnips packed in the bottle contains large amounts of nitrates in some parts of the country. Nitrates can cause a type of anemia in your baby.

Even though you can't personally test the vegetables in your area, rest assured that baby-food companies take precautions to avoid using vegetables high in nitrates. So if you want to feed these vegetables to your baby, make sure that you will prepare and cook fresh vegetables. So your baby will get more stronger and healthy.

IS YOUR BABY READY FOR SOLID FOOD?

Most babies are ready to try solid food when they're about six months old. However, each baby is unique and your baby's weight or age alone does not determine readiness for solid food. Some clues that your baby is ready for solid food include the ability to hold her head steady and sit with support; reaching for and showing interest in food; opening her mouth when she sees food; and no longer thrusting her tongue out during feeding, a sign your baby's able to keep food in her mouth and swallow it.

The first time you try solid food, mix some infant cereal with breast milk or formula. Do not use cow's milk or any other kind of milk or liquid. See if your baby will take half of a very small spoonful. If she turns her head or cries, she is not ready. Try again in a week or two.

DIAPER RASH

If your baby gets a diaper rash, the most effective treatment is to keep the diaper area clean and dry, so try to leave her bottom exposed to air as much as possible. Clean the diaper area with warm water and use a mild soap after a bowel movement if necessary, and always rinse well as any residual soap will further irritate the skin. Diaper wipes usually don't cause a rash, but they can irritate broken skin. Apply a soothing diaper cream to your baby's bottom to create a barrier between the skin and future stools.

If your baby's diaper rash persists and develops into a yeast infection, no amount of diaper rash ointment will make it go away. A yeast infection usually looks like a large reddened patch with several small red areas around it. Use an antifungal medication (the same medication used to treat athlete's foot) to kill the yeast. Your baby's pediatrician may also prescribe a steroid cream in certain cases. A yeast diaper rash will usually heal in about seven days with an antifungal medication.

USING A HIGH CHAIR FOR THE BABY

Always buckle your baby into the high chair and never leave her alone when she is in the chair. Here are some tips for using a high chair safely:


Be sure your baby's hands and arms are out of the way when you lock the tray
Be sure the tray is locked securely in place
Be sure there are no sharp edges on the tray that could cut your baby
Try giving your baby something to play with on the tray while you feed her

Pacifiers Reduce Risk of SIDS

Doctors now believe that babies should be given a pacifier at bedtime to reduce the risk of SIDS. Experts believe that the pacifier prevents the baby from sleeping too deeply - a problem with babies prone to SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. However, you should not reinsert your baby's pacifier if it falls out during sleep, never coat the pacifier with any sweet substance, and don't force a pacifier on your baby if she refuses it.

Nearly 3,000 seemingly healthy babies die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, or SIDS, each year in the United States, making it the leading cause of death among infants who are between 1 month and 1 year old. The cause of SIDS remains a mystery, although recent scientific breakthroughs hold the hope of prevention.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is the sudden and unexplained death of an infant younger than one year old. It rarely occurs in babies younger than two weeks or older than six months - most deaths occur in infants between two and four months - and the incidence of SIDS is greatest during cold weather, according to the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Often referred to as "crib death," SIDS is usually associated with sleeping and the infants often show no signs of trauma or suffering. African-American infants are two times more likely to die of SIDS than white infants, Native Americans are about three times more likely than whites, and more boys than girls fall victim to SIDS. Other potential risk factors include:

1. smoking, drinking, or drug use during pregnancy

2. poor prenatal care

3. premature birth or low birth weight (less than 4.4 pounds)

4. mother is younger than 20

5. infant's exposure to smoke

6. putting the infant to sleep on his stomach

7. a sibling of the infant's died of SIDS