Children are so precious. And fragile. Never more so than in the case of a newborn or infant baby. Parents go through a great deal of anxiety in that first year or so. So much is unknown and scary. Baby is so helpless and utterly dependent. Things can go wrong. What if… and then….

So let’s just flip this around for a moment and remind ourselves about some of the important signs that show us Baby is well. Not sick. Well. Simple things we can see for ourselves…

  • Active. Well babies are active, awake, aware. They observe. They move and wriggle. They make noises and they gurgle. Tiny new-borns less-so and this evolves as baby grows but in general, babies are “active” in a normal way you’ll recognise. Very quiet and inactive babies may be a concern.
  • Sleep. Babies sleep. A lot. This can be almost-all-the-time for new-borns and will usually be something like 12-16 hours a day for most infants. Restless babies who cannot sleep may be unwell.
  • Feeding. Normal appetite and feeding is a GREAT and almost-always-reliable sign of health.
  • Growing. Gaining weight in accordance with expectations (get a growth chart) is another EXCELLENT sign of health.
  • Development. There are clear developmental milestones for babies (for example, sitting around 6-9 months, walking at 12-18 months, etc….). These are also very good signs of health.
  • Well hydrated. Dehydration (usually from gastroenteritis, fever, or difficulty taking in fluids) is a real danger for small babies. Dehydrates babies have sunken eyes, dry skin that is not “elastic” in a normal way, and they often pass no or little urine. Well hydrated babies have bright moist eyes, elastic (springy) skin, and they pee all the time.
  • No fever. Fever is usually a sign of infection. Infections can be dangerous for babies. Please get a thermometer and know how to use it (practice please).
  • Calm relaxed baby. This one is a touch trickier. We all know that babies cry and we know this is normal. But excessive or prolonged crying may indicate pain or other discomfort. It becomes a judgement call that experienced (second child) parents get good at. For first time parents it’s really about knowing your baby’s normal personality and detecting a genuine change that might be a warning sign.

This list is a good one. It is very UNlikley that any seriously sick child would be missed by checking through this list. Hopefully it helps some parents to be less anxious and or to at-least know what to actually worry about.

Written by LifeAssist