10 Myths Busted: Infant Care and Development

1. Myth: Tummy time starts after baby can roll over from their back to their stomach.
   Truth: Tummy time needs to start as soon as the baby’s umbilical cord falls off, by 10 to 15 days post birth.
2. Myth: Most mothers cannot make enough breast milk for their babies, especially for the first 2 to 3 days post birth.
   Truth:  Most mothers can make enough milk for their babies. The first milk, colostrum is ready and waiting for baby from pregnancy.
3. Myth: Swaddling calms a baby.
   Truth: Swaddled babies appear calmer, but that is not necessarily good. Human newborns are meant to stay in close skin to skin contact with the mother for the first few days post birth, they are not meant to stay asleep for long stretches.
4. Myth: Massage is very important for babies to develop strength.
   Truth: Massage is only important for bonding purposes. It cannot increase a baby’s strength.
5. Myth: A baby under 6 months old needs water.
   Truth: Babies under 6 months old do not need any water. Water can actually harm babies.
6. Myth: All babies must drink from a bottle.
   Truth: Most exclusively breastfed babies can directly start drinking from a cup, they don’t need any bottles.
7. Myth: Babies should not be taken outdoors till they are 3 months old.
   Truth: Taking your baby out from an early age helps in their sensory system development.
8. Myth: Babies need special food when they start solids.
   Truth: Babies can eat the same food the family eats, from day one of solids. Just don’t give them added salt/sugar/honey and watch the chilly and choking hazard.
9. Myth: Babies don’t know how much food they need to be full.
   Truth: Babies have very fine tuned internal mechanisms to maintain their caloric intake. Please never force a baby to eat more than what they want.
10. Myth: Crawling is not an important milestone.
    Truth: Crawling is a very important milestone with many benefits including development of strength, postural control, coordination and connections between the two halves of the brain.

Happy Parenting

1/9/2023