Understanding infant health care

The essence of infant health care is never to copy the "standard process" in Internet celebrity parenting posts, but to take the individual differences of children as the core and on the basis of medical evidence to balance the dynamic adaptation process of safety, comfort and growth and development rules - there is no universal optimal solution, only the exclusive answer that suits your child.

I don’t say this out of nowhere. Last week when I was working as a child care volunteer in the community, I met two mothers who were complaining about each other: they both had a 6-month-old boy. One family had a boy who woke up three or four times a night and had to be held to sleep, while the other family could already sleep for 10 hours a night. Both of them had read half of a parenting book beforehand. As a result, one blamed herself for not providing a good routine for her baby, and the other was worried about whether her baby would be hungry if he slept for too long. After comparing them together, they became even more panicked. In fact, it is completely unnecessary. Just like when growing flowers, some people like it dry and others like it wet. You have to grow the pothos that likes moisture according to the watering frequency of the cactus. It will be strange if there are no problems.

Speaking of which, I have to mention the two nursing schools that are the most noisy on the Internet. There is really no need to be right or wrong. Supporters of the close parenting school emphasize the need to respond immediately to all the baby’s cries. It is okay to hold or breastfeed the child to sleep. The core is to help the baby establish a secure attachment. Tracking studies in developmental psychology have indeed proved that children who are fully responded to at an early age will have a stronger sense of security when they grow up. ； Those who support sleep training believe that babies over 10 months old already have the ability to fall asleep on their own. Appropriate use of cry immunity to establish rules can not only help babies develop a regular schedule, but also free up parents' energy. I have seen cheerful little talkative babies brought up through intimacy parenting, and I have also seen worry-free babies raised through sleep training. There is only one criterion for distinguishing high and low: whether your baby is comfortable or not, and whether you, as a parent, can accept it. If you are so distressed that you shed tears after watching your baby cry for two minutes, don’t force yourself to do sleep training. Your own anxiety will be passed on to your baby, and the gain will outweigh the loss.

In addition to sleep care, daily cleaning is also controversial. The older generation always says that "diseases come from the mouth." Children's toys need to be cooked every day, clothes need to be soaked in disinfectant, and hands must be washed every time they touch something. ； Most young parents believe that "moderate dirtiness is healthier" and may even deliberately let their children touch the soil or touch pets. At present, the consensus reached by the pediatric community at home and abroad is that over-sterilization will indeed destroy the normal flora of the skin and intestinal tract of infants and young children, and will instead increase the incidence of eczema, allergic rhinitis and other diseases. I once met a mother who wiped even the floor mats her baby crawled on with disinfectant three times a day. As a result, the baby started to have eczema repeatedly when she was more than 1 years old. After she stopped using the disinfectant, she got better in two months. But don’t go to extremes. If the baby reaches out to grab something to eat just after touching the trash can, he still needs to wash it. It is also necessary to avoid going to closed gathering places during the epidemic period. The word "moderate" must be weighed by touching the baby's condition.

In fact, not only these two directions, but also for almost all nursing issues when it comes to specific babies, standards cannot be applied rigidly. For example, it is said on the Internet that babies need to change diapers every three hours. However, some babies drink too much milk and their diapers bulge out after only one and a half hours. Some babies have good kidney concentrating function and don’t pee much in four hours. You can’t have a baby sleeping soundly and having to urinate hard to change it, right? It is also said that the armpit temperature is the most accurate measurement, but a baby of one month old will not cooperate with the thermometer at all. He will cry and feel hot all over, but the measurement is not accurate. As long as the ear thermometer is from a regular manufacturer and the error is within 0.2°C, it can be used. If you really suspect that you have a fever, just use the armpit temperature to retest. Don't torment your baby in pursuit of "standards".

Of course, being flexible does not mean there is no bottom line. There are certain red lines that medicine has clearly defined, which no matter which school dares to touch them. For example, you should not vigorously shake a baby under three months old, otherwise it may cause shaken baby syndrome, which can lead to severe cerebral hemorrhage or even death. This is not an alarmist statement. ； Babies under 1 year old should not eat honey as it may lead to botulinum toxin poisoning. ； Every parent must learn the Heimlich maneuver for foreign body asphyxia, and Class I vaccines must be administered on time. These are safety guidelines that have been verified by countless clinical trials and there is no room for negotiation.

In the five years I have been working as a parenting coach, I have seen too many parents raising their babies with printed care standards. If they are just one gram short of milk supply or ten minutes short of bedtime, they have to worry for half a day. In fact, there is really no need. You should spend more time observing your baby. Rubbing his eyes and rubbing his arms means he is sleepy. Sticking out his tongue and licking his lips means he is thirsty. He smiles and kicks his legs after drinking milk, which means he is full. These signals are more accurate than any standard. Raising a baby is not an assembly-line product. There is no exact template. When you hold your baby, he is calm and does not cry. He grows taller every month, and his eyes sparkle when he goes out to meet people. This is the best nursing result, and it is more effective than anything the experts say.