On Frimley Healthier Together you will find clear information on common childhood illnesses, including advice on what 'red-flag' signs to look out for, where to seek help if required, what you should do to keep your child comfortable and how long your child's symptoms are likely to last.
All babes cry, some more than others. It is their way of telling you that they need comfort and care. Here are some ways you can sooth your baby:
- Play gentle noise in the background - plays for white noise, rain or nature sounds
- Stroke your babies back firmly and rhythmically
- Massage your baby
- Try a warm bath
- Rock your baby backwards and forwards in their pram
- Take your baby for a walk
- Ask your health visitor for advice
The NHS website has lots of useful top tips: NHS - Soothing a crying baby. No matter how stressed or frustrated you feel, you must never shake your baby.
Public Health England and ICON have produced this video Preventing Traumatic Head Injury in Babies showing a continuously crying baby from the perspective of the dad.
Click on leaflet image to open full version
ICON have resources for parents and professionals to support parents and carers cope with a crying baby.
Buckinghamshire Healthcare have produced a video to help professionals explain the resources to new parents.
The NSPCC has published a guide on how to stay calm, handle your baby and cope with crying. This guide includes useful links for the support on offer to families with young babies. You don't have to go through it alone. Handle with Care - A Guide to keeping your baby safe
East Berkshire CCG in partnership with The Lullaby Trust produced the Lift the Baby video because each year children and babies in the UK die or sustain life changing injuries that could possibly have been prevented. The video is aimed at promoting safer sleeping in younger babies. More than 130 babies die in the UK every year in hazardous sleeping circumstances. For example: where a parent or carer falls asleep whilst holding the baby, this places the child at risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
The Lullaby Trust have further safe sleeping advice which is based on strong scientific advice which should be followed for all sleeping periods not just at night.
The NHS have also produced a leaflet for parents Every Sleep Counts which provides guidance on why the safest place for baby to sleep is in a cot or moses basket on a flat and firm surface.
The Lullaby Trust have put together advice for young parents to feel better informed, more confident and less isolated through pregnancy, birth and beyond.
The NSPCC has advice to help you spot the signs of abuse and what to do if you're worried about a child.
Any bruising, or a mark that might be bruising, in a child of any age who is not independently mobile, should be brought to the attention of social care. Bruising / suspicious marks will never be interpreted in isolation and will always be assessed in the context of medical and social history, individual development and any explanation given. Assessments will be led by Children's Social Care and a lead medical professional. Further details can be found in the Berkshire Online Procedures.
This short water safety video highlights the risks of leaving babies and infants unsupervised near water or open windows, particularly when parents and carers get distracted.
- Always supervise young children, and keep windows locked when children are near.
- If opening a window, make sure a child can't reach it.
- Teach your child to stay away from windows and patio doors.
- Don't keep furniture near a window that a child could climb on.
- A screen will not prevent a child from falling out a window
Window Safety for Children