2 Month Check up Months4 of Age Well Child Appointments Can Be Made Online at Austinregionalclinic.Com
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A Newsletter for Parents Next Visit 2 Month Check Up months4 of age Well Child Appointments can be made online at AustinRegionalClinic.com. Your baby’s length, weight, head size, along with health screens and immunizations performed will be in the After Visit Summary (AVS) that your baby’s provider or nurse will give you at the end of the visit. You can also view this information on MyChartARC.com NUTRITION Solid Foods Feeding Patterns The term solid food refers to any foods that are not liquids. Most experts recommend Most breastfed infants starting solid foods closer to six months, continue to need 8 to though you and your pediatrician may 12 feedings in 24 hours. decide to start them between four and six Online Access: Day or Night If your baby is feeds months of age. frequently in the day ▪ View your child’s medical records. and receives between Avoid introduction of solid foods before ▪ Book your child’s next appointment. 6 and 12 feedings in 24 four months, as this can cause excessive ▪ Review your child’s AVS hours, he may have one longer stretch of 4 to weight gain. Especially avoid putting cereal (After Visit Summary) 6 hours at night between feedings. in your baby’s bottle, unless directed by your physician. Cereal in bottles does not — Enroll Today — In general, most bottle fed infants at this help increase your baby’s nighttime sleep. Visit MyChartARC.com age need five to six feedings a day. At two months, a reasonable average total daily amount of formula is 26-30 ounces. By four — Remember — months, most babies take in closer to 32 to 36 ounces a day. No Honey for Your Baby: Honey may cause deadly infant botulism, a nerve Infants’ needs vary greatly. Rigid feeding and muscle disease. So, no honey for schedules are not recommended for your baby until 12 months. breastfed or bottle fed infants. Babies generally self-regulate well, so respond to your baby’s hunger and fullness Vitamin D Supplementation GROWTH STANDARDS cues when determining how much and how for Breastfed Infants You ARC pediatrician will use World often to feed your baby. Signs of hunger and The recommended daily dose of vitamin Health Organization (WHO) growth fullness are listed below. D from birth to 12 months is 400 IU charts to monitor growth for infants Hunger Cues (International Units). and children ages 0 to two years of age. WHO growth standard charts are ▪ Becoming more alert Vitamin D is needed to develop and ▪ international standards developed ▪ Putting her hand or fingers maintain strong bones as well as fight by tracking the growth of healthy in her mouth infections and help prevent serious children in 6 countries on 5 continents. ▪ Making sucking motions conditions like cancer and diabetes. ▪ For children less than two, your ▪ Sticking out her tongue There are a number of over-the-counter child’s healthcare provider will show ▪ Smacking her lips vitamin D containing multivitamin products you graphs with your child’s weight, ▪ Kicking or squirming or vitamin D only products that you may length, head circumference, and weight-for-length. ▪ Rooting (moving her jaw and mouth choose from. Make sure you follow the or head in search of mom’s breast) manufacturer’s dosing recommendations. ▪ Children less than 2 years of age are at risk for overweight if their Fullness Cues Iron Supplementation for weight-for-length is between 84th and 98th percentiles, and are ▪ Spontaneously releasing the nipple Premature Breastfed Infants overweight if weight-for-length ▪ Moving her head away from the nipple Breastfed premature infants need iron exceeds 98th percentile. Please ▪ Closing her lips when the nipple is supplementation from one to 12 months discuss any concerns you have reinserted of age. Ask your baby’s doctor about the about your child’s growth chart ▪ Slowly sucking possible need for iron drops if your baby with your physician. was born premature. ▪ Falling asleep 17.0812CS 1 09172015 As of yet, there are no medicines that can cure ▪ Try to delay middle of the night The physicians and staff at a cold, so we can only treat the symptoms. feedings. By now, your baby should be Austin Regional Clinic support ▪ Over-the-counter medications are not down to one feeding during the night. immunizations. Austin Regional Clinic recommended for infants and toddlers. Before feeding, try to briefly pat or hold your baby to see if that will satisfy him. pediatricians and family medicine ▪ To help drainage, elevate the head of the physicians agree that our physicians baby’s bed and use saline nose drops and will not accept any new patients to a bulb syringe to clean the nose. SAFETY our practice who do not vaccinate. ▪ If your baby is congested, clean their Sleep On Your Back Our primary concern is the safety of nose before feedings so that they can all our patients. We encourage our both drink and breathe at the same time. families to talk about immunization Also, make sure to record your baby’s questions and concerns with wet diapers and call for an appointment their child’s physician. if they happen less than every six hours. ▪ Have your baby seen by her doctor if your baby seems extremely fussy or sicker CARE OF YOUR CHILD than one would expect with a minor cold. Immunizations ▪ Fever, especially the first two to three days of a cold, is common. However, Medical experts agree that the development infants three months or less with a of effective vaccines are among the most temperature of 100.4° F or greater need important medical advancements of the to be seen by a physician. Young infants 20th century. Before vaccines, parents in the with fever need a medical evaluation. United States could expect that every year: ▪ Polio would paralyze 10,000 children. SLEEP ▪ Rubella (German Measles) would cause birth defects and mental retardation in Prevention of Sleep Problems To prevent possible suffocation and reduce as many as 20,000 newborns. Evidence suggests that even infants are not the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ▪ Measles would infect about four million getting the recommended amount of sleep (SIDS), your baby should always sleep on children, killing 3,000. needed. Starting now, good sleep habits his back and in his own sleep space, not should be encouraged. ▪ Diphtheria would be one of the most with parents. common causes of death in school-aged At about six weeks of age most infants begin Never put your baby on a water bed, bean children. to establish better day/night patterns. They bag, or anything that is soft enough to sleep more at night and remain alert for ▪ A bacterium called Haemophilus cover the face up and block the nose. influenza type b (Hib) would cause longer periods in the day. meningitis in 15,000 children, leaving Falls many with brain damage. “Sleeping through the night” at this age generally means sleeping for a five to ▪ Pertussis (whooping cough) would kill Babies wiggle and move and push against six hour stretch. During the day most two things with their feet as soon as they are 8,000 children, most of whom were month olds take at least three one to two born. Even these very first movements can under the age of two. hour naps, for a total of about 15 hours of Today, thanks to the development of sleep in a 24 hour day. result in a fall. vaccines and their widespread use, the As your baby grows and is able to roll The following measures can help your frequency of such diseases has been over (sometimes as early as two to three reduced significantly, and in the case of a baby sleep better: few diseases, virtually eliminated in this months), he may fall off of things unless ▪ Teach your baby to fall asleep on his protected. country. own. Place him down to sleep while At today’s visit your baby will receive a drowsy but not quite asleep. Set a Do not leave your baby alone on changing number of vaccines. She will continue to bedtime. Over the next few months tables, sofas, or chairs. Put your baby in a receive series of vaccines during childhood he should learn to “self-soothe.” If you safe place, such as a crib or playpen, when always rock your child to sleep or allow you cannot hold him. that will protect her from many life your child to fall asleep while feeding, threatening illnesses. then he will be trained to expect the Do not use a baby walker. Your baby may The current immunization schedule is in the same ritual every time he awakens. tip the walker over, fall out or fall down ARC Newborn Book that was given to you ▪ Establish a predictable and soothing stairs and seriously injure his head. when your baby was born. Also, you may night bedtime routine. Bathe, spend Baby walkers let children get to places find it in the patient education section of the a few minutes “reading” a picture book, where they can pull heavy objects or hot sing a gentle song, say goodnight to ARC website at AustinRegionalClinic.com. foods on themselves. family members, toys or pictures in Baby's First Cold the room. Always buckle your baby in place while ▪ Nighttime feeding should be calm, in any infant seat, infant carrier or stroller. A “cold” or upper respiratory infection is a quiet, and brief. Change the diaper if Many infants have had serious falls when viral infection of the nose and throat. Most necessary, then feed, burp, and return left for “just a minute” or when the parent healthy children get at least six colds a year.