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As every parent knows, a squiggly, slippery baby can be quite a handful at bath time. A baby bath seat may seem like a great way to keep your mobile munchkin in one place, but buyers beware: These seats can actually pose serious danger—so much so, in fact, that many experts and consumer groups, including the American Association of Pediatrics, no longer recommend them. If you’re thinking about purchasing an infant bath seat, here’s what to know before buying, and how to choose and use one safely so splash time with baby stays fun and stress free....

When it comes to feeding your baby, trust in your decision for what’s best for you and your family. Some mothers nurse their infants, some offer formula and some combo-feed. Some moms choose not to breastfeed, and some—for a variety of possible reasons—simply can’t. At the end of the day, fed is best. Still, there are some powerful benefits of breastfeeding that are important to know about. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends exclusively breastfeeding for six months, then gradually adding in solid foods while continuing to nurse through baby’s first year and beyond....

This winter has been brutal! Like most of us, our Bumpies are looking for advice on kicking the common cold. Bumpies on our message boards share their personal advice for the perfect home remedy: “I made a home remedy of onion, turmeric, garlic, apple cider vinegar, cilantro, and ginger that tastes horrible but works great!” —HorseLover11* “Saline spray up the nose to clear it out a bit. Black tea, honey and lemon for the throat....

Nostalgia for the years surrounding Y2K is a funny thing: The heyday of boy bands and teen slasher movies often doesn’t feel that far gone (especially for the millennial crowd). Until, that is, something happens that shocks you into realizing the year 2000 was actually two decades ago. It could be referencing a Friends joke to your high school-aged babysitter and realizing she has never seen the show (true story), or finding your old CD collection and having one of your kids ask “what are those?...

Vaccines have taken center stage in the United States this year — and the more headlines they make, the more parents support them, says a national poll. The National Poll on Children’s Health, released by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, asked parents across the United States how their views of vaccinations have changed from 2014 to 2015. The results were dramatic: A solid 25 percent of parents now believe vaccines are safer than they believed at this time last year....

A prolapsed cord is when the umbilical cord manages to get in the way of baby’s exit and slips into the birth canal first — usually when the water breaks. Baby can push against the cord during labor, compressing it so that less oxygen is making its way to your little one. This is very dangerous for baby, and might require an emergency c-section. If you think you can feel the cord in your vagina after your water breaks, get on your hands and knees (to reduce as much pressure on the cord as possible) in the back seat of the car while someone rushes you to the hospital, or call 911....

Unless you’re a frequent blood donor, you may have never given your blood type much thought. But if you have an Rh negative blood type, during pregnancy you may run into what’s known as Rh incompatibility, which is where you and baby have different Rh factors. What does all that mean, and how can it affect the healthy of your child? Keep reading to learn why you should pay attention to Rh factor in pregnancy and what precautions your doctor will want to take to keep you and baby safe....

We’ve all seen babies wearing special helmets (maybe accessorized with a cute sticker or two) since flat head (scientifically called plagiocephaly ) is on the rise. However, a new study from BMJ (British Medical Journal) is saying that the custom-made helmets don’t prevent skull flatness and are a minimal treatment. Lead researcher Renske M. van Wijk and other researchers at the University of Twente in the Netherlands studied 42 babies (aged five to six months) with misshapen skulls....

Exciting things are happening at The Bump! We’re introducing a Charity Registry Program – the first of its kind for women to help fellow moms-to-be. Now you’ll be able to register with select charities in lieu of (or in addition to) your traditional retail registry on The Bump. To celebrate our #BumpItForward movement, we’ve partnered with Every Mother Counts, a nonprofit dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, as our featured charity (with others being added in the coming months)....

For an infant, breakfast isn’t the most important meal of the day. Right now, baby is getting most of his nutrition from breast milk or formula, and eating food is more about trying a variety of foods than about finishing a bowl of rice cereal. “Worry about quality, and let your baby worry about quantity,” says Scott Cohen, MD, a pediatrician and author of_ Eat, Sleep, Poop: A Common Sense Guide to Your Baby’s First Year_....

Ah, your last month of pregnancy. The nursery is decorated, baby clothes are washed and folded, meals are in the freezer, your hospital bag is fully packed, and diapers are all stacked and stored for baby’s arrival…right? Yeah, we’re just kidding! Countless months of bizarre cravings, hormone-induced meltdowns, and sleeping in weird positions have brought you to these final few weeks, which often feel the longest. Our own Bumpies definitely feel that way and are sharing the tell-tale (and hilarious) signs they’ve reached the final countdown....

You know what the first day of preschool means: Your baby’s not a baby anymore. If this transition has you feeling nervous, worry not; we found 10 big kids who are each handling the first day like a champ. In fact, you might even say they’re too cool for school. Image: Katie & Cas via InstagramThe question is, how are you handling it? The first day send-off is bittersweet, for sure, but it’s hard not to be happy when your kid is this excited: Image: Carrie Graham via InstagramImage: @tippytetoe via InstagramImage: @momof3girlies via InstagramOf course, not everyone is going to want to put up with the endless photo ops....

Before baby arrives, it can be hard to really envision what day-to-day life is going to be like. Hint: Lots of eating, sleeping—for them anyway—and a lot of adjusting to new routines for both of you. All that time together naturally helps build your bond, which is key to baby’s healthy development. (Also key: Nutrition, which baby can get from your breast milk or Enspire, Enfamil’s formula that’s closest to it....

In theory, you’d think two breasts would really be all you’d need to get the job done. But in reality, all moms — and especially mothers of twins or triplets — require a little extra equipment to make things a little easier. Start with a good pump (you can rent one at the hospital or purchase a new one). There’s a good chance your babies might be born a bit early and may be staying in the NICU, so you’ll need it to pump and store your breast milk to keep up your supply while you’re apart (actually, you’ll likely need a pump even if your babies do come home with you, so consider it a good investment)....

You’re much more likely to give birth right before or after your due date than to go very early. But still, more than 12 percent of babies born in the US are premature (meaning they’re born before the 37-week mark), according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). So if you’re part of that group, there’s no cutoff in the number of weeks baby’s born prematurely that guarantees a good or not-so-good outcome, but in general the longer you’re pregnant, the more time baby has to develop important organ systems....

I had planned on having a much better postpartum experience than I had after the birth of my first child, mostly because I had done this before and knew what to expect! I launched my company, Bodily, to address the knowledge gaps that come with giving birth and created products to help women through this experience. I used the resources my team and I created in my own journey, so I was prepared in those ways....

Call it kangaroo care or skin-to-skin contact, but that special cuddling time is a huge part of getting to know your newborn. It’s also something women who have C-sections don’t get to experience. A new quality improvement project by the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) is calling for skin-to-skin to be available to women undergoing C-sections. The barriers: newborns are taken away post-surgery for a significant amount of time, mom is groggy from medication, and she’s covered in sterile draping from the surgery....

Your best bet for everyday pumping is a heavy-duty hospital-grade electric breast pump with a double collection kit. This is the most efficient option, with rapid “cycling time” (the suck-and-release cycle) to draw the maximum milk from your breasts. Hospital-grade pumps are super expensive to buy ($1,000+), but you can save some dough by renting them from a hospital, medical supply store or lactation consultant. You’ll still need to purchase the collection kit, which will run you around $50 to $60....

If you’ve been hearing the term “sip and see” thrown around but have no clue what people are talking about, step right up. A sip and see is a party, usually planned by the parents, that invites friends and family to drop by, sip on some refreshments and meet the new baby. It’s a perfect opportunity to introduce the newest family addition to all of your loved ones in a single go—and on your own terms....

I was in labor when my husband had a sudden change of heart. I was 5 cm dilated when he told me he wanted to go back to the drawing board for our daughter’s name, despite finally managing to agree on one after nine long months. Luckily for him, I needed to divert all of my energy into delivering our child instead of strangling him, so I said, “sure, honey,” and tabled that argument for post-delivery....