Ask a Nurse: Stomach or Back?

My mother insists that babies sleep better on their stomach, but my pediatrician says I should always place my baby on her back to sleep. Is this true? And what is the reason for this?

The American Academy of Pediatrics fully recommends always placing healthy infants on their backs to sleep. Although they don't understand the exact reason why, there is evidence to show that babies that sleep on their backs are at a lower risk of dying from SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). SIDS is the number-one cause of death in the United States for babies in the first year of life.

Ask a Nurse: Treating Minor Cuts and Scrapes

What is the best way to care for my child's minor cuts or scrapes?

The two most important things to remember when treating your child's minor cuts and scrapes is to 1.) stop the bleeding and 2.) prevent infection.

You should wash and rinse the area with warm water and an antiseptic soap to remove dirt and germs and cleanse the wound. Then use a clean cloth and direct pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding. Once the wound is clean and the bleeding has stopped, apply a thin layer of antibiotic ointment (such as Neosporin) and cover the wound with a clean bandage.

Most minor injuries heal rather quickly. If, however, a wound does not heal or if you begin to notice signs of infection (redness, swelling, pus or watery discharge, and fever0,call your pediatrician.

Ask a Nurse: Newborn Vision

I heard that a newborn's vision is blurry, but I feel like my baby recognizes me. When do babies begin actually seeing?

It is true that it takes about six months for your baby's vision to completely develop. Newborns see only in black, white, and gray, and they lack accommodation (or the ability of the eye to adjust to focus on near/distant objects). Despite these limitations, doctors say they are still able to recognize familiar shapes, including their mother's face.

Over the first several month's in an infant's life, visual abilities develop rapidly. By six months of age their visual acuity has progressed from 20/400 at birth to 20/25. By this time they begin to coordinate eye movements and are able to focus on distant and near objects. They also are able follow moving objects. Color vision is fully developed by six months of age.

Ask a Nurse: Is My Child Eating Enough?

How do I know if my child is eating enough?


As a general rule of thumb, children will eat when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full. If your child is growing well (progressing along the normal height and weight chart), he is probably getting adequate nutrition.


Here are two important things to remember when it comes to your child's eating habits:

1. Children have small stomachs and, therefore, need to eat small meals frequently. They should eat every three to four hours, which means about three meals and two or three healthy snacks every day.

2. Child-size portions are not the same as adult-size portions. Children need about 1/4 to 1/3 of an adult serving portion. An easy way to remember this is that a child portion is about 1 tablespoon for every year of life. For example, if you want to serve your 3-year-old toddler some peas, he only needs 3 tablespoons.

For the healthiest (and happiest) children, try to encourage your kids to eat a variety of foods from each food groups.

If you have a question you would like Nurse Brittany to answer, e-mail it to healthyhappychildren.blogspot.com.

Ask a Nurse: Treating Nosebleeds

What is the proper way to treat a nosebleed? I never remember if I should tilt the head forward or backward.

There are many misconceptions about how to treat nosebleeds. Here’s a list of dos and don’ts.

Do . . .

1. Remain calm. While a nosebleed can be frightening, it is rarely serious.
2. Keep your child in a sitting or standing position. Tilt his head slightly forward and have him gently blow his nose if he is old enough. Tilting the head forward keeps the blood from running down the back of the throat.
3. Pinch the lower half of your child’s nose (the soft part) between your thumb and finger and hold it firmly for 10 minutes. Don’t release the nose during this time to check if it is still bleeding.
4. Release the pressure after 10 minutes and wait. If the bleeding hasn’t stopped, repeat this step. If after 10 more minutes of pressure, the bleeding hasn’t stopped, call your pediatrician or go to the nearest ER.

Don’t . . .

1. Panic. If you panic, so will your child.
2. Have your child lie down or tilt back his head.
3. Stuff tissues, gauze, or any other material into your child’s nose to stop the bleeding.

If you have a question you would like Nurse Brittany to answer, e-mail it to healthyhappychildren@gmail.com.