Parents of newborns often find that their baby sleeps more during the day than at night. Sleep patterns for newborn infants are regulated by the need to feed approximately every 3 hours. This eye-opening behavior may persist until several weeks of age or longer. This is a common occurrence among newborns since their internal clocks have not adjusted to the day-night cycle.  Infants often require help from parents to establish a normal sleeping pattern.

"Why is my child shorter than her friends?"  

"Why has my child not reached puberty?"  

These are common worries for parents.  Some kids may be short or have maturation delay due to genetic reasons.  "If you plant corn, you get corn" is a phrase borrowed from a Pediatric colleague.  Some kids are simply "late bloomers.

Parents should not worry as long as their child is growing at a normal rate. Parents should be worried only if the child’s growing rate is much slower than the normal growing rate irrespective of height or weight. This is sometimes described as growth velocity.

In some cases, slow growth may be an early sign of a disease or illness.  Normal children grow rapidly and utilize calories extensively.  Inflammation and other disease processes also need calories, so growth may be affected.  During adolescent years growth spurt in girls will be 2-4 inches per year and for boys 3-5 inches per year.

Most mothers agree that breast milk is the best food for a baby during its first year of life. The American Academy of Pediatrics also agrees with this notion and recommends that mothers breastfeed their baby during his/her first year.

Mother’s milk contains all the essential nutrients a baby needs for growth and development. Milk is nature's recipe of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and minerals. In addition, the mother’s milk contains antibodies which are essential for building a strong immune system in babies. However, for mothers who are unable to breatfeed, iron-fortified formula can be given to babies in addition to (or instead of) mother’s milk .

Most doctors recommend that babies be breastfed during the first few weeks of life and then slowly introduce formula feeds (iron-fortified) after 2 months of age if breastfeeding is difficult. By this time the baby will be able adjust to bottle nipples easily.