Kira's 4-Month Doctor's Appointment

Last week Kira turned 4 months old!  I'm so proud =)

We had a very productive doctor's appointment.  I had so many questions for him:

1. How do we start introducing solid foods? - Seeing that Kira is 100% breast fed (no formula), our pediatrician suggested that we hold off on feeding her solids until she is 6 months old.  I didn't ask him why, something which I should have done because a lot of my friends with babies started earlier, and those babies were 100% breast fed as well.  Kira's next appointment is when she is 6 months old, so the doctor said he would let me know how to introduce solids at the next appointment.

2. Is it okay for Kira to watch TV?  Is it harmful to her eyes or development? - This question elicited a funny answer from our pediatrician.  He said "TV is baby crack."  Isn't that such a funny way to put it?  He recommends that Kira not watch TV for more than 15 minutes per day, and he allows 15 minutes for the benefit of the caretaker's sanity.

3. Can I take dimenhydrinate (Pfizer's Dramamine, generics)? (hehaehhea) - I told the doctor that I would be taking a trip next month and that I get motion sickness, so would it be okay for me to take medicine for it.  He didn't know the answer off the top of his head.  He looked it up in his palm pilot, then his laptop, then a book, and finally consulted one of the other doctors.  With all of the information he collected, he says it is generally thought to be safe to take dimenhydrinate and breast feed.  They don't exactly have studies proving it's safe, but the likelihood that it is dangerous for the baby is low.  So I think I will be taking at least half a dose to get me through the flight.  I'll explain about the trip in another entry.

4. I hesitate to write about my next question because I know some of my friends who read this blog may worry about the answer.  But, I think I will write about it anyway because at least I will be sharing my experience.  My question was, what is the best form of sun protection? - Since Kira is only 4 months old, her pediatrician recommends against using sunblock.  He says her skin is very thin which allows absorption of potentially harmful chemicals.  He does not recommend the use of sunblock until the baby is at least 6 months of age.  In the mean time, he says to keep the baby out of the sun as much as possible.  If you have to be in the sun (e.g., on vacation, sightseeing with family), dress the baby in light long-sleeve shirts and pants, and attach a sun shade to the stroller.  If the baby is still getting sun, he says I can put some sun block on her exposed areas, but to wash it off as soon as we return indoors.

The other thing I really like about Kira's pediatrician is that he always gives me a heads up on what to expect next from Kira.  It gets me excited about her development.  She hasn't started rolling over yet, and he says that I can expect her to do that very soon.  She will also start making more funny sounds, like "blowing raspberries".  I think Kira has already done that!  I can also expect her to start transferring objects from one hand to the other!  I can't wait.

Kira is about average for height and weight.  However, her head is still on the small side.