QUIZ: Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Parent?

Babies start to gain this ability at about four months of age. It takes that long for them to build up the muscle strength to support their own body weight.

Animal crackers have been around since the 1800s and they are still as enjoyable today as they ever were. Each cookie is shaped like an animal, like elephants, giraffes and lions.

The word “trimester” itself includes the preface “tri,” which means three. So, a pregnancy lasts for three unique stages or trimesters.

This character, created by artist Eric Carle, is a beloved children’s book character. This book can probably be found in most elementary school libraries.

Newborn babies don’t have a lot of expressions because they’re still learning how to use all of their muscles. Most babies start to really smile once they’ve hit six weeks old.

As exciting as it may sound to introduce your baby to new flavors, parents should never let babies eat honey. It’s loaded with sugar and can even cause infant botulism due to the bacteria that is typically found in honey.

Pediatricians specifically treat people of a young age, but many people continue visiting their pediatrician well into their teen years.

Swaddling is a specific way of wrapping up a baby in a blanket. When a baby is swaddled, they can’t move their arms or legs so they stay cozy and warm inside the soft blanket.

It’s true! Break milk can be safely stored in the freezer for a few months. This is helpful to new mothers who can store additional milk to feed their baby whenever it’s meal time.

Babies having a fever is pretty common. Usually, having a fever is a sign that a child or baby is fighting off some sort of bacterial infection or virus. Take a baby’s temperature. If it’s high, the Mayo Clinic suggests calling your doctor. If there are signs of dehydration or the baby hasn’t eaten in a while, it’s time to visit the ER.

These are all signs of dehydration. When a parent notices these symptoms, they must contact a doctor or head to the nearest ER. If a baby has had less than six diaper changes in the span of 24 hours, this could mean the baby is dehydrated.

Typically, newborn babies should eat every 2-3 hours for the first month. But if a parent notices their child is refusing food, not being able to latch on while they get breastfed, or they’re spitting out their food, there may be a bigger reason for it. So it’s best to stay safe and call a doctor.

Typically, babies need to be fed every two to three hours every 24 hours. This amounts to about 8 to 12 times per day. As the baby gets older, they’ll require less nursing and their feeding schedule will get more regular.

Often times, newborn babies might have a smooshed head, puffy eyes, cheeks and nose, and might even be covered in fine body hair known as lanugo. Some babies even appear to be yellow due to jaundice, a normal condition which essentially means there’s an excess of bilirubin in the baby’s blood.

Newborn babies usually sleep for between 12 and 16 hours a day. Sometimes 20. But babies don’t sleep during long stretches of time. Some babies wake up many times in between while others are able to sleep for 6 or 8 hours at a time. After a while, babies start developing their own day and night patterns.

Newborns are pretty unpredictable. As a new parent, you’ll be heavily sleep deprived, so it’s best to sleep when the baby sleeps. Avoid using that time to clean or do chores. Just sleep when the baby is asleep.

Pregnancy causes a bunch of side effects besides morning sickness and bladder control issues. As you probably imagined, pregnancy is not a walk in the park!

Babies are stronger than we think! Infants have flexible bones, so an adult falling is not the same as a baby tripping or bumping against a chair. Not only that, but a recent study by King’s College London claims the immune system of newborn babies might be stronger than we imagined.

No matter what anyone says, those crucial three months after the baby is born are the hardest. The baby is trying to adjust to living outside the womb, so understandably, it won’t be an easy transition. Sleep deprivation, postpartum depression, and being on a feeding schedule will test any parent’s sanity, even if they’re lucky enough to have a baby that sleeps through the night.

Dental hygiene is super important, so doctors suggest we should start brushing our baby’s teeth the moment the first one pops up.

Although it might feel uncomfortable and freaky, lying on your stomach won’t suffocate your baby. Just roll over and that’s it!

Spitting up is quite common among babies as their stomachs are adapting to processing food outside of the womb during the first 3 months. Most babies outgrow spitting up by the time they reach 8 months, approximately.

But generally speaking, no. Everyone gets to make their own parenting decisions: Whether you choose to stay home, quit your job, or hire two on-the-clock nannies, everyone will have something to criticize. Just smile, nod along, and change the subject. After all, you’re the parent and people will have their own opinions no matter what.

Babies are surprisingly portable! After a few months, new moms will be surprised by how easy it is to just pick them up and take them with you to appointments. So movies, cafes, and nail salons are not off limits by any means!

There is no direct correlation between excess weight and a second pregnancy. But in order to remain at a healthy weight, doctors suggest getting close to your pre-pregnancy weight before getting pregnant again in order to not add extra pounds on top of excess weight, which is very hard to lose after having a baby.

Babies should never have any other objects in their crib other than their mattress. Any other objects lying around could pose a choking hazard.

While babies are expensive, they don’t need a lot of things: Babies need diapers, milk, blankets, a crib, and lots of love. But that’s about it. Parents can splurge on all the high-tech gadgets they want if it makes life easier, but the reality is, babies only need a few essential things when they’re born.

According to doctors and The American Academy of Pediatrics, newborn babies are safer when they sleep on their backs. “Putting your baby to sleep on his back decreases his chance of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), which is responsible for more infant deaths in the United States than any other cause during the first year of life,” they explain on their website.

A marvelous book that was illustrated and written by Dr. Seuss. It’s full of rhymes and valuable lessons and is a total must-have to add to your story time book collection.

It’s the best and easiest indicator that a baby is being properly fed. But their diaper discharge is also a good way to check. Babies should be getting about 5 to 6 diaper changes per day.

For some reasons, babies tend to learn how to say “dada” a lot faster than any other words. Wow!

It may sound bonkers, but they’re not actually doing it to look good in a tank top. Babies need muscle strength so naturally, their bodies move around to burn more energy and eventually build enough muscle to sit up straight and move.

Pregnancy can effect every aspect of an expecting mother’s health. Metabolism typically starts working more efficiently during pregnancy to support both the mother and child.

Most kids start losing their baby teeth at about five or six years old. That then starts the process of losing each and every baby tooth and waiting for new ones to grow in, which may take a while!

Kids love these cheesy and salty snacks, so expectant parents can expect to find these fish underneath couch cushions and behind car seats for years to come.

Because most cases of diaper rash are caused by friction between a baby’s skin and their diaper, adding powder can reduce this friction and help the problem.

These snacks, called gushers, are gooey candy that is filled with a liquid center. These are great treats to add in a lunchbox to make your child the envy of their friends.

Kids love Pixar movies, so there’s a good chance that new parents will be watching those movies dozens of times over!

Every baby is different, but most babies start to get mobile and crawl between 6 and 10 months of age.

Newborn babies get all of the hydration, vitamins and minerals that they need from breastmilk or formula. There’s no need to make sure that they drink water, too.

“Frozen” was released in 2013 and it grossed over $1 billion dollars at the box office. That success was due in part to the ear worm “Let it Go.”