WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: What is a well child visit? A well child visit is when your child sees a healthcare provider to prevent health problems. It is a different type of visit than when your child sees a healthcare provider because he is sick. Well child visits are used to track your child's growth and development. It is also a time for you to ask questions and to get information on how to keep your child safe. Write down your questions so you remember to ask them. Your child should have regular well child visits from birth to 17 years. What development milestones may my baby reach at 6 months? Each baby develops at his own pace. Your baby might have already reached the following milestones, or he may reach them later: - Babble (make sounds like he is trying to say words)
- Reach for objects and grasp them, or use his fingers to rake an object and pick it up
- Understand that a dropped object did not disappear
- Pass objects from one hand to the other
- Roll from back to front and front to back
- Sit if he is supported or in a high chair
- Start getting teeth
- Sleep for 6 to 8 hours every night
- Crawl, or move around by lying on his stomach and pulling with his forearms
What can I do to keep my baby safe in the car? - Always place your baby in a rear-facing car seat. Choose a seat that meets the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. Make sure the child safety seat has a harness and clip. Also make sure that the harness and clips fit snugly against your baby. There should be no more than a finger width of space between the strap and your baby's chest. Ask your healthcare provider for more information on car safety seats.
- Always put your baby's car seat in the back seat. Never put your baby's car seat in the front. This will help prevent him from being injured if you get into an accident.
What can I do to keep my baby safe at home? - Follow directions on the medicine label when you give your baby medicine. Ask your baby's healthcare provider for directions if you do not know how to give the medicine. If your baby misses a dose, do not double the next dose. Ask how to make up the missed dose. Do not give aspirin to children under 18 years of age. Your child could develop Reye syndrome if he takes aspirin. Reye syndrome can cause life-threatening brain and liver damage. Check your child's medicine labels for aspirin, salicylates, or oil of wintergreen.
- Do not leave your baby on a changing table, couch, bed, or infant seat alone. Your baby could roll or push himself off. Keep one hand on your baby as you change his diaper or his clothes.
- Never leave your baby alone in the bathtub or sink. A baby can drown in less than 1 inch of water.
- Always test the water temperature before you give your baby a bath. Test the water on your wrist before putting your baby in the bath to make sure it is not too hot. If you have a bath thermometer, the water temperature should be 90°F to 100°F (32.3°C to 37.8°C). Keep your faucet water temperature lower than 120°F. Adjust your water heater temperature if it is higher than 120°F.
- Never leave your baby in a playpen or crib with the drop-side down. Your baby could fall and be injured. Make sure that the drop-side is locked in place.
- Place gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Always make sure that the gate is closed and locked. Gates will help protect your baby from injury.
- Do not let your baby use a walker. Walkers are not safe for your baby. Walkers do not help your baby learn to walk. Your baby can roll down the stairs. Walkers also allow your baby to reach higher. They can reach for hot drinks, grab pot handles off the stove, or reach for medicines or other unsafe items.
- Keep plastic bags, latex balloons, and small objects away from your baby. This includes marbles or small toys. These items can cause choking or suffocation. Regularly check the floor for these objects.
- Keep all medicines, car supplies, lawn supplies, and cleaning supplies out of your baby's reach. Keep these items in a locked cabinet or closet. Call Poison Help (1-800-222-1222) if your baby eats anything that could be harmful.
How should I lay my baby down to sleep? It is very important to lay your baby down to sleep in safe surroundings. This can greatly reduce his risk for SIDS. Tell grandparents, babysitters, and anyone else who cares for your baby the following rules: - Put your baby on his back to sleep. Do this every time he sleeps (naps and at night). Do this even if he sleeps more soundly on his stomach or on his side. Your baby is less likely to choke on spit-up or vomit if he sleeps on his back.
- Put your baby on a firm, flat surface to sleep. Your baby should sleep in a crib, bassinet, or cradle that meets the safety standards of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Do not let him sleep on pillows, waterbeds, soft mattresses, quilts, beanbags, or other soft surfaces. Move him to his bed if he falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, or swing. He may change positions in a sitting device and not be able to breathe well.
- Put your baby to sleep in a crib or bassinet that has firm sides. The rails around your baby's crib should not be more than 2⅜ inches apart. A mesh crib should have small openings less than ¼ of an inch.
- Put your baby in his own bed. A crib or bassinet in your room, near your bed, is the safest place for your baby to sleep. Never let him sleep in bed with you. Never let him sleep on a couch or recliner.
- Do not leave soft objects or loose bedding in his crib. His bed should contain only a mattress covered with a fitted bottom sheet. Use a sheet that is made for the mattress. Do not put pillows, bumpers, comforters, or stuffed animals in his bed. Dress your baby in a sleep sack or other sleep clothing before you put him down to sleep. Avoid loose blankets. If you must use a blanket, tuck it around the mattress.
- Do not let your baby get too hot. Keep the room at a temperature that is comfortable for an adult. Never dress him in more than 1 layer more than you would wear. Do not cover his face or head while he sleeps. Your baby is too hot if he is sweating or his chest feels hot.
- Do not raise the head of his bed. Your baby could slide or roll into a position that makes it hard for him to breathe.
What do I need to know about feeding my baby? - Continue to feed your baby breast milk or formula 4 to 5 times each day. As your baby starts to eat more solid foods, he may not want as much breast milk or formula as he did before. He may drink 24 to 32 ounces of breast milk or formula each day.
- Do not prop a bottle in your baby's mouth. This may cause him to choke. Do not let him lie flat during a feeding. If he lies flat during a feeding, the milk may flow into his middle ear and cause an infection.
- Offer iron-fortified infant cereal to your baby. Your baby's healthcare provider may suggest that you give your baby iron-fortified infant cereal with a spoon 2 or 3 times each day. Mix a single grain cereal (such as rice cereal) with breast milk or formula. Offer him 1 to 3 teaspoons of infant cereal during each feeding. Sit your baby in a high chair to eat solid foods. Stop feeding your baby when he shows signs that he is full. These signs include leaning back or turning away.
- Offer new foods to your baby after your baby is used to eating cereal. Offer foods such as strained fruits, cooked vegetables, and pureed meat. Give your baby only 1 new food every 2 to 7 days. Avoid giving your baby several new foods at the same time or foods with more than 1 ingredient. If your baby has a reaction to a new food, it will be hard to know which food caused the reaction. Reactions to look for include diarrhea, rash, or vomiting.
- Do not give your baby foods that can cause allergies. These foods include peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish.
- Do not give your baby foods that can cause him to choke. These foods include hot dogs, grapes, raw fruits and vegetables, raisins, seeds, popcorn, and peanut butter.
What can I do to keep my baby's teeth healthy? - Clean your baby's teeth after breakfast and before bed. Use a soft toothbrush and plain water.
- Do not put juice or any other sweet liquid in your baby's bottle. Sweet liquids in a bottle may cause him to get cavities.
What are other ways I can support my baby? - Help your baby develop a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Your baby needs sleep to help him stay healthy and grow. Create a routine for bedtime. Bathe and feed your baby right before you put him to bed. This will help him relax and get to sleep easier. Put your baby in his crib when he is awake but sleepy.
- Relieve your baby's teething discomfort with a cold teething ring. Ask your healthcare provider about other ways that you can relieve your baby's teething discomfort. Your baby's first tooth may appear between 4 and 8 months of age. Some symptoms of teething include drooling, irritability, fussiness, ear rubbing, and sore, tender gums.
- Read to your baby. This will comfort your baby and help his brain develop. Point to pictures as you read. This will help your baby make connections between pictures and words. Have other family members or caregivers read to your baby.
- Do not smoke near your baby. Do not let anyone else smoke near your baby. Do not smoke in your home or vehicle. Smoke from cigarettes or cigars can cause asthma or breathing problems in your baby.
- Take an infant CPR and first aid class. These classes will help teach you how to care for your baby in an emergency. Ask your baby's healthcare provider where you can take these classes.
What do I need to know about my baby's next well child visit? Your baby's healthcare provider will tell you when to bring your baby in again. The next well child visit is usually at 9 months. Contact your child's healthcare provider if you have questions or concerns about his health or care before the next visit. Your baby may get the hepatitis B and polio vaccines at his next visit. He may also need catch-up doses of DTaP, HiB, and pneumococcal. |