On Twitter, @mrsroth mentioned how a nurse handed her 18-month-old a cup and spoon. The little girl started to “stir” with the spoon, but failed that developmental task because she was supposed to pretend to eat from the bowl.
Everyone loves to complain about Tipat Chalav, the network of well-baby clinics run by Israel’s health ministry. Sometimes the staff gives silly suggestions, or even dangerous ones. And nothing is more upsetting to an anxious new mother than having her baby “fail” one of Tipat Chalav’s many tests.
Overall, Tipat Chalav does its job very well. It’s important for new parents to understand Tipat Chalav’s strengths and limitations.
In addition, Tipat Chalav provides services for women during pregnancy and in the post-partum period, including birth control.
Tipat Chalav’s goal is to prevent babies and their families from falling though the cracks. That’s why there’s one in nearly every neighborhood. In addition to spotting medical concerns, they involve social services when they suspect abuse or neglect. This is a good thing, even though it means some parents will be falsely accused.
One problem with Tipat Chalav is that the nurses administer standard tests, and they expect standard answers. If your baby starts to drop in the weight percentiles, some nurses are alarmed even when everything else is fine.
New mothers can be sensitive to the slightest criticism. If the nurse finds something “wrong” with the baby, you don’t have to act on it. But because they see so many children of the same age, they may pick up on things a mother might not notice.
If you’re not sure whether the concern is justified, you can say that you will check it out with your doctor. If you report that your doctor said the the baby is fine, there isn’t much more the nurse can say. You can also try to see a different nurse in the future.
The most important thing a Tipat Chalav nurse can do is to make parents feel good about their children. This is doubly true with mothers of new babies. I’ll never forget the time I took my son for a blood test, when he was about 11 months old. He was flirting and “joking” with the nurse. She was so enchanted she called over another nurse to see. There’s a huge difference when you walk into the clinic and are greeted by someone happy to see you and your baby, not looking down a checklist expecting to find something wrong.
Are you satisfied with your Tipat Chalav? Do they accomplish what they are supposed to, or do they just make parents overly anxious? What tips can you give to new parents?
Related Posts:
An Insider’s View of Tipat Chalav
Modern Tribe has some great Jewish Gifts for all occasions.
During our discussion on the safety of co-sleeping, I pointed out that cribs carry risks as well. They are constantly being recalled.
I’m not saying that putting a baby to sleep in a crib is riskier than co-sleeping. So much depends on the situation. Also, it’s hard to gather accurate statistics, because we don’t know what percentage of children co-sleep, mainly because parents who do it are afraid to admit it. And children often alternate between cribs and their parents’ beds.
So here is the latest baby furniture news: Cribs with drop-down sides may be outlawed by Congress.
Bobby was one of at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000 who suffocated or were strangled in a drop-side crib, which has a side that moves up and down to allow parents to lift children from the cribs more easily than cribs with fixed sides. Drop-sides, around for decades and probably slept in by many of today’s parents, are suspected in an additional 14 infant fatalities during that time.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates cribs, has warned about the problem. Its chairman, Inez Tenenbaum, has pledged to ban the manufacture and sale of cribs by the end of the year with a new performance standard that would make fixed-side cribs mandatory. It could be several months into 2011 before becoming effective.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is preparing a law to ban the manufacture and use of drop-side cribs.
I predict that changing crib designs will lead to fewer babies sleeping in them. It’s not easy to lift a heavy infant in and out of a crib with a high railing, especially in the middle of the night. Babies will be more likely to fall, too. Parents will be forced to buy the newest crib models, whether or not they can afford them.
I guess the next step is a law prohibiting parents from putting babies to sleep in a crib with drop-down sides, and prosecuting parents for doing so.
But who knew, all those years, that we risked our kids’ lives by having them sleep in cribs.
Photo credit: Afroswede
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Milwaukee wants to make bed-sharing illegal. This report looks at this complex reasons for and factors. According to this report, every case of a baby dying in bed in Milwaukee in the last year and a half had one common factor. Can you guess which one?
Watch the video to find out.
Clearly that statistic doesn’t mean that breastfeeding your baby is a guarantee of safe co-sleeping. But many common activities involve risk, including driving, co-sleeping and sleeping in cribs. All we can do is weigh levels of risk and choose what suits our family.
It’s not easy being a parent.
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My friend Hadassa Levy, a babywearing consultant, wrote this guest post in light of safety warnings connected to soft baby carriers.
Israeli parents and caregivers are concerned and confused about babywearing, after a US consumer advisory warned that wearing your baby in a sling can lead to suffocation. The warning followed a number of infant deaths in 2009. Could it be that baby slings are dangerous for our little ones? Should we reconsider our pro-babywearing attitude in light of those tragic incidents?
Babywearing has been practiced throughout the centuries in all cultures and is still the most common method of transporting babies in many countries. A baby’s anatomy and psyche is designed for babywearing: When picked up, newborns immediately cling to their parents’ body and calm instantly when nestled close to the heart and reassuring warmth of their mothers. For parents of high-need or colicky babies, the sling can be a lifesaver. Babywearing improves the bond between parent and child, and promotes the baby’s physical and sensual development. Babywearing is practical when it comes to public transportation, hiking, shopping or caring for several small children at the same time.
But with countless types and brands of baby carriers available on the market, parents and caregivers should be aware of essential safety rules.
The tragic infant deaths in the US were caused by improper positioning in bag-type slings, where the baby is kept in a curled cradle position bending the chin toward the chest. This position restricts the airway and slowly suffocates the baby. (See image on left.) Although that specific type of carrier is not available in Israel, the cradle position is widely used. I’m seeing a lot of curled-up babies, especially with the most common stretchy wrap material that makes proper positioning difficult.
Therefore, I generally recommend upright tummy-to-tummy holds for newborns in a properly tightened baby wrap or ring sling. (Photo at left below) The upright position is a safer choice for several reasons: Baby’s neck is in a straight line with the body and his face rests on the 
wearer’s chest, with free airflow on both sides. When the wrap is tightened properly, the immature rounded spine gets maximum support and the natural “frog-leg”-position promotes the development of baby’s cartilaginous hip joints.
If parents do choose the cradle hold, for discreet breastfeeding,
for example, they should always make sure the baby is positioned in a nearly horizontal position across the parent’s chest with the neck in a straight line with the body and the face free. (See image on right.)
The baby should be worn close to the parents body and high enough for the parent to easily kiss his face.
No matter which carrier or position is used, babywearers should always be alert to baby’s movements and reactions and check frequently that no material is draped over the face.
Prior to purchasing a baby carrier I advise every parent to consult with a babywearing professional, who will help find the ideal carrier for each familiy’s individual situation and offer thorough instructions on how to use the carrier properly. Salespeople in baby stores are not usually trained in babywearing, and the number of babywearing consultants in Israel is growing. Most sell carriers themselves, but will also be happy to assist with a carrier that the family already owns.
Resources and further reading:
Official statement from Babywearing International
Sleepywrap: Useful information on positioning, baby development and more
Correct positioning in different baby carriers
Baby’s anatomy and frog-leg position
About the author:
Hadassa Levy is a babywearing instructor offering private and group consultations as well as a wide range of baby carriers. Her Hebrew/English website website and blog contain information, instruction videos and answers to frequently asked questions about babywearing. She lives in Modiin with her husband and daughter.
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RaggedyMom showed me this CNN story about developing children’s social maturity. In a fourteen-year study, the preschool children of mothers who described a picture using emotional language showed more empathy and better social skills when they got older.
It is important to encourage children to think about others’ feelings from a young age. However, I was dismayed by the first line of the article:
Mothers often get blamed for the way their children turn out, and a new study gives additional weight to that accusation.
Let’s stop blaming mothers, who make mistakes like everyone else. Most of the time they are acting in a way prescribed by our culture, which, the last I heard, is comprised of both sexes. Could you imagine a newspaper using similar language to introduce a study about some unknown benefit of breastfeeding?
Mothers looking to build up career skills while taking a break from the work force might enjoy this post by Trent at The Simple Dollar, listing six neglected skills that can be transferred to practically any job.
Tom Hodgkinson writes about the reaction to his article, The Idle Parent, and gives ideas of ways parents can disconnect from the outside world and connect with the family. Shabbat is mentioned.
Finally, Miriam Adahan shares techniques for dealing with children’s anger on Chabad.org.
I wrote about keeping babies hydrated in hot weather at Green Prophet.
Squawkfox compiled a list of the best frugal advice from 41 bloggers, dividing them into categories and adding eye-catching graphics. You can see them all here.
And in the spirit of frugality, Batya at me-ander presents the “discount” edition of Haveil Havalim, the Jewish/Israel blog carnival.
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