A HEALTHY ATTITUDE TOWARD YOUR BABY
All babies, of course,
are not alike. They differ in personality and inherent qualities; they differ
in appearance. Some are big-boned; some delicately boned. Some are especially
sensitive to sound. Some are lusty; some are subdued. Some eat and sleep a
great deal; some do not. Still, the environment the way a baby is cared for and
the surroundings in which he lives-will make a huge difference. Beyond a
difference in physical health and growth, it can determine, for example,
whether or not a high-strung baby becomes "nervous" or a stolid one
becomes lethargic, even backward.
Your child's environment is also going to
affect his intelligence, which is not some fixed quality he is born with but a
potential that can be encouraged to develop. How you care for your baby and the
stimulation you provide in the all-important first months and years of life
will help determine how well he will use his mind later and adapt to life's
changing situations. Since babies are individuals, all cannot be treated
exactly alike. But all have the same basic needs for security and affection and
for a loving, relaxed atmosphere if they are to develop their full potentials.
These are some of the things you can do to help create such an atmosphere:
1. Love your baby, of course; you do without our telling you
to. But go beyond that: show the baby you love him. Soft words of affection and
cuddling are not extravagances; they are needs of an infant. They help make him
feel his new world is a pleasant place to be in.
2. Thoroughly enjoy your baby, now and at every stage of his
development. Don't wait for him to do things you can be proud of. Take pleasure
in him now.
3. Forget any worries about spoiling him. He doesn't need
discipline as an infant; he will probably be better off without it. Comfort him
when he cries. You will soon learn to tell whether he just wants attention, and
when he can get along without it if you can't spare the time. The baby who gets
too little attention is often more demanding than the one who gets his share.
4. Don't try to train him, either. He will develop good
habits with the proper encouragement-as far as eating, sleeping, and amusing
him- self are concerned. Don't try to toilet-train him during his first year.
5. Don't be concerned about his being fragile. He isn't fragile, either
physically or emotionally. He won't be harmed for life if you are human enough
to be occasionally preoccupied or irritable or overattentive. It's his basic
security that counts.
6. A baby ideally
needs two parents. Although the mother is vitally important to him, his father
should be a part of the baby's world from the beginning, not just a visitor who
plays with him for a few minutes a day. Too often, fathers gradually take on
the role of dispensers of disciplines and "treats" rather than of
parents.
7. If you should become concerned about your baby's
development, your best source of information is his doctor or the clinic. They
will tell you whether your child is as big or strong as he should be at his
age. While it is natural to discuss such things with relatives and friends,
take their well-intentioned but often not-well-informed opinions lightly.
You
will want to be alert, between visits to the doctor or clinic, for any signs or
symptoms that may indicate all is not going well.
We tell you on page 468 how to determine whether or not your
baby is ill. If your baby is sick, don't give him any medicine or treatment.
Don't try to make him eat. If he isn't vomiting or having diarrhea, let him
have his milk as usual. If he is, don't offer any food, but try to get him to
take a little boiled water frequently, unless he vomits it, in which case waits
an hour or two before trying again. Keep him quiet and let him sleep as much as
possible.
Don't let him cry if something like rocking will soothe him. And,
of course, send for the doctor immediately.
