Five Things Never to Do with a Baby: A Reminder for Both the New and the Experienced

Babies are probably the cutest, most adorable beings on earth. They are delicate and precious. You never really know what they are saying which makes caring for babies all the more complicated because they are so fragile. Understanding an infant's wants and needs is perhaps one of the most troublesome issues for all parents. While you may want to spend as much time with your newly born child, there are a few golden rules you should always abide by when taking care of your precious gift from God.

1. Don't Shake your Baby

Mad or irritated at your infant? Want him/her to stop crying? Don't shake your baby. Shaking your baby won't make it shut up but will end up making your baby cry more. Shaking an infant could cause Shaken Baby Syndrome (SBS) which has in several cases leads to the death of the infant. SBS is considered a form of assault in most countries. If the baby does not die of his/her injuries from SBS, side effects of the traumatic experience could be partial vision impairment or complete blindness, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and cause the child other disabilities later in life. When it comes to wanting to shake your baby asleep, don't do it. It may never wake up.

2. Don't Reward your Baby for Being Bad

This is something I can't stress enough. If your baby is being bad, don't reward him/her! If you reward your baby for being bad, then your baby as it grows older will believe that it's okay to act out for the sake of being cute or funny. Reward your baby for being good and give extra praise to your baby when he/she deserves it. After the age of around two, timeouts should become should become standard when your baby is acting out. Praise the good and discourage bad.

3. Don't Give your Infant Water to Drink

Giving your infant water could very well be a death sentence. Infants can't get rid of water fast enough in their systems and thus are highly susceptible to water intoxication. When someone has water intoxication (it's not like the type of intoxication you would get from alcohol or recreational drugs), that person's blood will be diluted. When a person's blood is diluted, they could have seizures or be sent into a coma. Often times with babies, when they have water intoxication, they die because of the imbalance of electrolytes in their blood stream. Don't want to breast feed on a hot sunny day? Don't give your baby water to drink. Stick with formula till the baby is at least a year old.

4. Don't Baby Talk with your Baby

Have you ever used words terms like 'goo goo gah gah' or other fun made up words with your baby? Do you want your baby to grow up using the terms in everyday language? Then don't ever teach them to your child in the first place. Children that are taught proper English words, terms and idioms from the very beginning tend to have a better grasp on the language than those who are taught those cute childish terms we commonly associate with babies. You can still use that high pitched enthusiastic voice that puts a smile on your baby's face with your baby when speaking to them. Enthusiasm and happiness are great things for a child to learn from early on. And those silly nicknames? They create personal bonds between your baby and others so they must be good. As for all those nonsense words that the baby will never use past the age of three, stay away from them.

5. Don't work yourself to hard!

Whether you're a wonder mom who works and manages to keep everything at home going smoothly at home or a stay at home dad, being a parent or guardian is tough work. With waking up in the late hours and the having to constantly watch over and attend to your gift from God, perhaps this is one the most difficult thing not to do. All caretakers of children/infants/toddlers make mistakes and none are exempt. The key to being a great dad/mom is not ever making a mistake but instead from learning from your mistakes and constantly trying to improve your parenting technique.

Take a break every now and then from your little one and breathe. A day at the spa or watching a football game with friends without the kids can do wonders. Parenting isn't about smothering your child with your presence at every moment of the day. On the contrary, it's about caring for and nurturing them and teaching them social norms and skills that are necessary for any child to grow up to be 'successful', happy and safe.