A–Z Glossary

Feeding difficulty

Feeding difficulty involves problems taking adequate nourishment, such as tiring, choking, coughing, prolonged feeds, or poor swallowing coordination.

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How to bottle feed a baby correctly

How to bottle feed a baby correctly

Prepare before offering the bottle Begin by choosing a quiet moment and making sure you can remain with the baby throughout the feed. Have the bottle ready according to the instructions for the specific milk being offered. When using infant formula, follow the product label and the preparation guidance provided by your healthcare professional or […]

Pain crying in babies signs

Pain crying in babies signs

Why pain can be difficult to recognize Crying is a normal and essential form of infant communication. It can signal hunger, fatigue, a wet diaper, a need for physical closeness, temperature discomfort, overstimulation, or pain. Because these needs can overlap, no individual cry reliably identifies a cause. The most useful question is not simply whether […]

Baby behavior changes and illness signs

Baby behavior changes and illness signs

Why behavior often changes first In infants, behavior is often an early clinical signal because babies cannot localize pain or describe symptoms. A baby may respond to infection, dehydration, respiratory distress, pain, or neurologic irritation by changing state regulation: becoming more difficult to wake, sleeping through feeds, crying weakly, refusing feeds, or seeming unusually irritable. […]

Early illness warning signs

Early illness warning signs

Why early signs can be subtle Early illness in babies often begins with small departures from their normal pattern rather than one dramatic symptom. A baby who usually wakes to feed may become unusually difficult to rouse. A steady feeder may tire early, cough during feeds, or take much longer to finish. A normally engaged […]

Why baby is not gaining weight

Why baby is not gaining weight

What slow weight gain means Babies do not gain weight in a perfectly linear pattern. Short periods of slower gain can occur during minor illness, developmental transitions, or changes in feeding. The clinically relevant question is whether the baby is following an individual growth trajectory and maintaining proportional growth over time. Clinicians commonly assess weight-for-age, […]

When to worry about growth

When to worry about growth

Growth is a pattern, not a single number Infant growth is assessed using serial measurements of weight, recumbent length, and head circumference. These data are plotted on an age- and sex-specific growth chart, allowing the clinician to examine both the current percentile and the trajectory over time. The percentile is a comparison with a reference […]