Use it only for sleep time and comfort until about 12 months old and then plan to give it up.

Never use punishment or humiliation to force your child to give up using a pacifier.

Involve your child in decision to stop using it by giving him choice of throwing it away, putting it away or leaving it under pillow for ‘tooth fairy’.

Many parents are discovering art of teaching their baby to swim. Not only is it fun for your baby to swim, bond with you, and play with other babies, it is a great way for you to interact with other parents as well.

It was only discovered in 1960's that babies were able to swim independently underwater. But since then, it has been learned that it promotes self-confidence and personal development - physical and emotional. It gives your baby a calming, zero-gravity environment to move freely where they otherwise could not on land. This is incredibly beneficial to babies with Downs syndrome and cerebral palsy.

The benefits of baby swimming include; increased motor development, social skills and intelligence, increased concentration, alertness, and perceptual abilities, and improved nap time and night time sleep patterns. Babies who learn how to swim have been known to walk earlier as well, due to their increased muscle control.