Should i shake my baby

Children with a transient tic disorder may repeatedly:. In addition to these types of involuntary motor tics, other children may clear their throat or make specific sounds vocal tics. These tics are often so subtle that other people don't notice them.

As the name suggests, transient tics only last a short time. Typically, that's about three months or less. If tics last much longer than three months or become more complex, ask your healthcare provider about Tourette's syndrome. If tics and obsessive-compulsive disorder OCD symptoms start suddenly or get worse after a strep throat infection , tell your healthcare provider.

A new or worsening tremor or tic are reasons to take your child to a healthcare provider. A physical examination that includes a neurological exam can help figure out what's behind the unusual movements. Some children with persistent tremors and tics see a pediatric neurologist. However, most children with transient tics and essential or familial tremors don't need any kind of treatment. Tremors can sometimes be treated with beta-blockers drugs for high blood pressure.

That's common if the shaking causes problems like difficulty writing. Tremors and tics in children are usually not associated with serious medical conditions. Essential tremor and familial tremor are both possible and don't involve illness or other symptoms.

Some medications can cause tremors, as well. When tremors are caused by serious conditions, they're usually accompanied by other symptoms. Tics raise concerns about Tourette's syndrome. But it's more likely your child has a transient tic disorder that'll go away in three months or less. If your child has a new or worsening tremor or tic, these problems are accompanied by other symptoms, or they last for more than a few months, see their healthcare provider. Most kids with tremors and tics don't need treatment.

For those who do, beta-blockers may be prescribed. Anything unusual in your child is worrisome. Just remember that tremors and tics are relatively common, usually harmless, and often short-lived.

If you're concerned about these symptoms, have a healthcare provider check to see if anything serious is going on. They can also help your child find ways to manage despite the movement issues. Physical therapy and learning new ways to perform tasks can help reduce tremors in children. Sometimes foods aggravate tremors, so you may need to watch for patterns and then avoid any triggers you discover. Relaxation therapy to reduce stress can also help.

If necessary, certain medications can reduce symptoms. These include anticonvulsants and beta-blockers. Hands develop tremors for several reasons. Your healthcare provider should do a full physical and blood tests to check for:. Continue talking to your baby using names as well as repetitive word games, like "This little piggy. Soon your baby will be pointing and saying "bah? Labeling objects during the course of the day reinforces the message that everything has its own name.

From milk in the morning to a teddy bear at night, naming familiar objects will help your little one learn what they're called and store this information for the day when he or she can form the right words. Make learning a whole-body experience: Touch your baby's toe when you say the word "toe. Be musical and sing to your baby to encourage language learning. By listening to the words, babies learn to recognize and repeat them.

Throw in hand gestures and vary the style and tempo of the music to keep your baby's attention. Babies also respond to rhymes, which show how playful language can be. Here, too, estrogen was the cause. As the level of maternal estrogen falls in the baby, the milk-producing hormone prolactin temporarily increases and can cause breast growth.

In fact, at least 50 percent of healthy newborn boys and girls experience this, often on just one side. Five percent of newborn boys will even produce a milk-like substance known as "witch's milk"—and that's exactly what happened in this case and explains why the lump grew so quickly. The enlargement usually goes away within the first month, but it can last for three months or longer. If the breast appears red, seems tender, or if your baby has a fever, see your pediatrician to determine whether there's an infection.

Also, while breast-tissue development is extremely common in newborns and during puberty even in boys , this could indicate a hormonal problem if it happens at other times. One anxious couple brought their 5-month-old son to my emergency room when he had streaks of blood in his spit-up after breastfeeding.

They feared he'd had a bad reaction to the milk or even internal bleeding. But bloody spit-up is almost never worrisome in a baby who is acting normally. It's either swallowed from the mother's sore nipples or due to a small tear in the esophagus caused by forceful spitting up.

Neither condition is anything to worry about; even a small esophageal tear will heal easily. This particular mom confirmed that she did have cracked nipples—thanks to her baby's newly erupted teeth—and they were the source of the blood. If your infant appears ill, vomits a large amount of blood, spits up blood after a formula feeding, or projectile vomits, see a doctor immediately. First-time parents brought their month-old to my emergency room because her skin had turned orange.

She'd had jaundice at birth , and the parents were told to return if her skin became yellow again. But I knew this baby wasn't jaundiced because her eyes remained white and her skin was orange, not yellow. This is a very common phenomenon called "carotenemia," caused by eating a lot of vegetables that are rich in beta-carotene. Babies prefer the sweet taste of carotene-rich foods like sweet potatoes and carrots, and many first foods that aren't orange are high in beta-carotene too.

You just can't see it in veggies like spinach and broccoli, because the green chlorophyll pigment covers it up. Carotenemia, which doesn't affect adults, happens because of the way baby food is manufactured. The extensive cooking, mashing, and pureeing of vegetables breaks open plant fibers in a way that our teeth can't, making more carotene to be absorbed by the baby's intestines.

So when a baby has eaten more carotene than they need, the extra is released with sweat and it stains the skin. In fact, the first place you'll see the orange color is where babies have the most sweat glands: the nose, the palms, and the soles of the feet. Honestly, never. As your baby's diet changes, the orange color will fade. If you continue to serve lots of foods rich in beta-carotene, their skin will stay orange, but it's harmless. A grandmother who was babysitting called an ambulance after her 3-week-old granddaughter paused repeatedly while breathing.

The contented, sleeping baby would breathe rapidly for about 20 seconds and then stop breathing altogether. The woman feared the baby had inherited her husband's sleep apnea.