Get rid of hazards in your home. Toxins found in pesticides, household cleaners, and pipes can affect your baby’s development. Talk with a doctor, nurse, or Extension agent to find ways to reduce these hazards in your home.
It’s a good idea to talk with your partner about the practical side of raising your baby. Who will do what to raise your baby? How will you share caring for the baby with your partner?
- Who will care for the baby each day?
- What, if any, religion do you want your child to be raised with?
- Were you or your partner abused during childhood? How did it affect you? How do you think your past abuse will affect your parenting?
- What changes do you think you’ll have to make to give a new child a great start?
- How will your life be different once you’re a parent?
- What kind of discipline will you use with your child?
- How are your finances? Have you started to save money to raise your baby? Have you figured out how much it will cost to raise your baby? See the “Cost of Raising a Child Calculator from USDA”: https://www.fns.usda.gov/calculatorintro
These habits will put your baby at risk for birth defects and illnesses. Alcohol use by pregnant women can cause babies to have
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS). Babies born with FAS have birth defects and developmental disabilities. The baby may have developmental problems even if he doesn’t show signs of FAS.
Most women are pregnant before they know they’re pregnant. By then babies have already started to develop and grow. So it’s best to play it safe and not drink wine, beer or other alcoholic beverages if there’s any chance you might be pregnant or are trying to get pregnant.
For more parenting info and updated links, visit dev.jitp.info. For more information about your baby’s development visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcI-GVDd_uI adapted from Healthy Women Infants and Children.
Questions? Need help? Contact your local extension office.
Text4baby will send free text messages to your cell phone with health tips for you and your baby. It’s all free! To sign up, text BABY to 511411 or go to www.text4baby.org.
Reviewed and updated in 2018 by Anne Clarkson, Ph.D., YaeBin Kim, Ph.D., and Dan Weigel, Ph.D.