There is nothing wrong with a child taking a nap with mom or dad
once in a while or with cuddling the baby in bed before everyone gets up.
But patterns you establish in the first couple of days, weeks, and months,
whether right or wrong, will become those to which your little one will
adjust. The longer wrong patterns persist, the harder they will be to break.
The child could smother beneath a sleeping adult, become wedged
between the mattress or against an adjacent wall, or suffocate face down,
especially on a water bed. These terrible things do happen. There is not a
single benefit gained that can possibly outweigh the risk.
Spitting Up
This is a common event in the life of every infant. At first it may be
frightening to a new parent, but it is normal and not a cause for alarm.
Proper burping during and after feeding can minimize and sometimes
eliminate the problem. (For a discussion of how to burp your baby, see
the material near the end of chapter 4 headed “Burping Your Baby.”)
Your baby may have taken in more milk than he or she needed. Refeeding
is not usually necessary. Keep in mind that babies vary tremendously;
some rarely spit up, while others spit up all the time. If your child is
growing, gaining weight, and is happy and healthy, then he or she is fine.
Projectile vomiting is not the same thing as spitting up. Instead of
bringing back up just part of his or her meal, the baby powerfully ejects
the entire contents of the stomach. If your baby experiences this type of
vomiting frequently, call your pediatrician.
Starting Solid Foods
Parent-directed feeding continues with the addition of solids (baby food
and table foods) to your baby’s menu. Add solids at existing family
mealtimes, working toward three meals a day. With the production of
saliva at about three months of age, you will see the baby preparing for a
change in menu (although you will not begin feeding your child solids
until he or she is four to six months of age).