Baby Girl - Find The Right Answers For Your Baby Girl's Health And Safety

Are you expecting a baby girl? Or are you already celebrating her birth? In any case, congratulations! Exciting times are ahead, as are memories you'll treasure for the rest of your life.

Right now, you're probably thinking of baby names for girls or perhaps already picking out some baby girl outfits. These are the fun parts of having a baby girl that every mother (and father) enjoys.

Of course, there are also some more serious considerations. For example, how to feed and care for your baby girl to ensure she grows up healthy and strong.

Breastfeeding For Maximum Baby Health

Baby girls and baby boys benefit greatly from breastfeeding for the first part of their lives. This is because breast milk contains all the nutrients that babies need in order to grow, as well as useful antibodies which help to strengthen babies' immune systems.

In some parts of the world, babies are breastfed from the newborn stage right through to the toddler stage. Of course, for many mothers and infants this simply isn't possible. However, if you can manage to breastfeed your child for the first 6 months of her life, you'll be following World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for maximum infant wellness and baby safety.

In fact, the WHO recommends that you continue breastfeeding after the six month stage, in combination with feeding baby foods (pureed vegetables, meat and fruit) to your child, until she is at least 1 year old.

Formula Feeding

Breastfeeding is not always possible. Thankfully, in the United States, there are many brands of safe, FDA-approved infant formulas on the market which can be used in place of, or in combination with breast milk. The vast majority of babies who are raised on baby formula grow up to be healthy adults, so you shouldn't worry if breastfeeding hasn't worked out for you. Speak to your pediatrician if you have concerns about feeding your baby girl.

Bathing And Diapering Baby Girls

When you're bathing your baby girl or changing her diaper, you should take particular care when cleaning her genital area. Use a clean, soft cloth and lukewarm water.

Make sure that you wipe from front to back to avoid transferring any fecal matter or bacteria from the anus into her vaginal area - this can cause infections. Also, make sure that you gently wash away any material that has gathered in the folds of her skin.

Newborn baby girls may have a white vaginal discharge or even a small amount of blood coming from the vagina. This may be caused by a reaction to her mother's hormones while she was still in gestation and is perfectly normal (although you should speak to your doctor if you're concerned or if the bleeding persists).

When you're changing your baby girl's diaper, don't forget to keep a cloth on hand to dry up any accidents - baby girls can pee in the air too you know! Before you put on the fresh diaper, make sure her skin is clean and well dried.

Baby Girl Diapers

Most major producers of baby diapers sell diapers especially designed for baby girls. Baby girl diapers may have more padding at the back or at the bottom, where baby girls tend to urinate. Baby girl diapers are created in such as way as to give your baby maximum freedom of movement and to minimize diaper rash.

Child Safety

Your baby girl's safety is naturally your top priority. That's why you need to start thinking now about how you will baby proof your home (this becomes more important as soon as your baby girl starts to crawl). You need to remove hazards from the areas she can reach and make sure that the products you buy for her are safe to use.

Look for the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association's seal of approval on baby products, and buy new products from well-known and respected manufacturers to ensure that your baby equipment meets the latest safety standards.