Parenthood is a new experience for a vast majority of people as they progress further through life. Many of us have the opportunity to witness a child's development from the day they're born and as it progresses. Whether it's your own child, a sibling, cousin or friend's child. Sometimes you wonder about the strangest things that occur during the earlier stages of life. I've compiled a list of three things that I have heard the most when new parents ask questions.
Disclaimer: This is mostly for those questions that everyone has, but no one really knows the answer to. As always, if there are any concerning questions that come up, CHECK WITH YOUR PEDIATRICIAN. It's always better to ask a medical professional than to take advice from an online source, regardless of the accreditation.
1. What is that "tar poop"?
I, fortunately, have never physically seen this stage of feces. However, it has been described to me several times before and as a student in the medical field, I find the concept rather interesting. This "tar poop" is called Meconium. It's essentially all of the stuff that the infant had ingested while in utero; amniotic fluid, mucus, skin cells, etc. Fortunately, there is a way to avoid scraping the stuff off of the infant's body: after removing the dirty diaper and cleaning the infant off, just apply a layer of Vaseline or petroleum jelly to their butt and back, it should help the poop to not stick so much the next time.
2. When do they start eating [insert food here]?
We know that infants drink breast milk or formula for a few months, sometimes both interchangeably. The real question is when do they advance from that? The average timing to start introducing new foods is four months. With that being said, there's still a large amount of caution that should be taken as you move up. Babies around four months start to eat pureed baby food along with breastmilk or formula, and the pureed food is not all of the stuff that you eat and enjoy. Around six months, while still pureed, tougher foods may start to be added to the infant's diet. These are things like pureed rice and oatmeal, still together with breast milk or formula. Eight to ten months is when you start to see more and more food come in to play- as always, though, check with your pediatrician as they may be able to provide a detailed timeline along with precautions and exceptions for your infant's development.
3. Why are they crying? I've done everything!
The obvious reasons for an infant crying are those of hunger, pain, a dirty diaper and being tired. Babies cry, though. It is their form of communication. However, no one can read minds, so finding out why they're crying can be a major conflict. You do have to remember that babies grow and develop very rapidly from birth to about a year. It's as simple as observing through pictures, the baby you had at 2 weeks looks completely different than the baby you have now.
