Children, especially babies, are more delicate and have much weaker natural immunity than adults. Although in the womb, they are exposed to a certain degree of natural immunogens through their mother’s blood, they are largely protected by the mother’s placenta. Once out in the real world, the exposure to toxins and allergens as well as potential illnesses increases by a huge amount.

Breastfeeding also provides a large amount of protection to the young developing immune system. Mother’s breast milk contains many naturally occurring antigens which can be absorbed into the baby’s system and give the baby added protection as it grows and develops. Because the mother’s immune system has already dealt with these harmful substances, when they are passed through to the baby they are in the harmless, neutralized form and all the baby needs to do is to produce its own little baby antibodies against them. It is a sort of natural immunization.

But, we all know that babies crawl and pick up everything in site and put absolutely everything into their mouths. This is actually good for them as it is allowing for more exposure to the germs and this gives a baby’s immune system more chance to grow and become stronger. Later in life, they will benefit from this constant oral exploration.

Despite all these protection, babies are still incredibly delicate and must be protected from the usual types of illness which they can encounter through physical contact with others, through contact with contaminated clothing, or by being exposed to air-borne germs and viruses.

The most common types of baby illness are as follows:

1. Coughs and Colds: Some babies have a continually runny nose, so it might be difficult to detect when they have developed a cold. Colds can be caught by babies quite easily if other siblings or parents have them already. If a baby does catch a cold it can be distressing for them since they will not feel comfortable and may cry. They may also have a cough. There is very little to do in this case except keep wiping their nose and keep an eye on them. If the runny nose starts to become yellowish, or green, then it may be time to consult your pediatrician, or if the cough starts to become a hacking, wheezing cough.

2. Influenza, or simply ‘the flu’ is similar to a cold, except that it will be accompanied by a fever. Even through quite a high temperature, babies and toddlers do play and wander around quite happily unless the other symptoms are especially bad. It is extremely important to keep an eye on the temperature and keep it under control by giving baby medicines containing paracetamol. If the fever persists for more than a few days then it is advisable to seek medical advice.

3. Chicken Pox – chicken pox is highly contagious. It is infectious from two days before the first symptoms appear and for up to five days afterwards. It is passed on through saliva and sneezes. Chicken pox is better to be caught when the child is younger because it can be very mild. In adults it can be incredibly virulent and the symptoms of a very itchy red rash can be very troublesome. The good news is, if you have had chicken pox, it is very rare that you catch it again.

With the arrival of your newborn baby, you will necessarily have several concerns about their safety and security. You will have scoured the house from top to bottom and made sure that each room is as childproof as possible. You will also be given several presents including lots of the cutest little baby clothes. Many parents have questions about how to wash these baby clothes.

First and foremost, it is important to understand that a baby’s skin is more delicate than older children and adults’. Their skin can easily become irritated by things in their surroundings. If the clothes next to their skin are harsh and rough then baby’s skin can quickly become red and sore. They can even develop rashes and other skin problems.

This is also true of any harsh chemicals. The normal detergents that we use to wash our clothes may not be suitable for baby’s clothes. Because these powders and liquids can contain strong enzymes to get our own clothes clean. This is especially true of the biological washing powders. Fabric softeners can also contain many different chemicals to coat the fabric with static resistant ions and make them appear softer and more fluffy.

We have no problem with these for our own clothes. As we age our skin becomes more resistant to these and we don’t even notice anything on our skin. But for a baby, exposure to this kind of product might possibly have harmful effects. It is a good idea to select a product which has been specially formulated to be used on baby clothes. A mild detergent which does not contain so many potentially harmful chemicals should always be used. Some people always also wash their baby clothes separately from the main wash for this very reason. Any residual chemicals left over in adult clothes will leach out into the wash and will ruin the effect of using the milder detergent.

But, with a mild detergent and a cooler wash, it can still be possible to get clothes just as clean. The important thing is that if there are any stains on the clothes, to deal with them straight away. This can be done by washing the wet stain immediately with water. Use cold water as some stains can be set in further by using hot water. Then if necessary, soak the garment with some stain remover and wash as normal, making sure that it is rinsed properly.

If reusable diapers are used then these must always be washed separately from the main wash and also from the other baby clothes. These can be soaked in an acidic solution to counteract the ammonia they contain and then washed and rinsed thoroughly in a normal wash. It would be much more hygienic to use a diaper washing service.

It is very important to give the matter of baby’s clothes a lot of thought. It is one way to make sure that your child is comfortable and not irritated by their clothes. This is far better for all concerned because if baby is suffering from irritating clothes, then they will cry and you will not be able to work out why. Looking after their clothes is a good way to sanity for all concerned.

A lot of new mothers consider whether it would be possible for them to quit their job and stay at home and look after the children on a full time basis. This can be an agonizing decision for many couples. There is the attraction of spending all the time possible with their new little baby or other children and providing with a healthy, happy, loving home, but this is offset by the need to go back to work and start bringing in the much needed second income. If considered carefully, staying at home can be a reality for many women.

With generous maternity leave options, many companies may already give new mothers up to six months at home. This time can be used wisely to decide whether staying at home is all it’s cracked up to be. This can be a god time to evaluate whether you and your sanity can manage to stay at home. It is important to remember that with maternity leave options, there may be a penalty if you do not return to work for at least a few months. Make sure you know your company policy otherwise you may be stung for hundreds or thousands of pounds.

Apart from that, new parents must look at what sort of income they are likely to expect if one of them becomes a stay at home parent. Many costs will be greatly reduced. The costs of travel to and from work each day and of maintaining and replacing work clothes will likely disappear.

Then also, there will be no childcare costs if you are opting to stay at home and look after your children yourself. These are often a very large part of the monthly budget and will no longer be necessary, unless you wish to work at home. Even then, you may not need full time care. In this way, a very large part of the income that was needed before will no longer be needed.

For a new mother, there will be increased costs of looking after the baby. This can be quite considerable in the first few months to one year. So it may be necessary for her to take on a reduced role or part time job, maybe working from home.

There will probably still be the same bills to pay and these may even be increased slightly if there is someone constantly at home now, rather than before when the house stood empty all day. Heating and lighting bills may increase.

An important factor to consider which many people overlook is pension provision. If someone intends to stay at home over a considerable time, then they must have adequate retirement plans to make sure that they still have an income once they reach pensionable age.

It is also a very good option to stay in touch with people at work, or at least to keep an eye on the jobs market. Then if that dream job, or the need to go back to work does arise, then you will be best placed to apply.