Dr. Carole Keim discusses baby apps and electronics in this episode, exploring what is helpful and what isn’t necessary. Dr. Keim says that not much is really needed in terms of electronics for babies. The things she recommends include baby trackers, baby monitors, white noise machines, Kindle for mom, and aromatherapy diffusers to aid with sleep. She details what each app or electronic item does and highlights specific brands and best use practices. Baby tracker apps are helpful because they tr...
Apr 02, 2025•13 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks all about teething and feeding needs for babies in this episode. Teething usually happens at around six months of age, but teeth can appear any time in the first 0 to 18 months of life. Dr. Keim shares all the best teething information to prepare new parents. She goes through everything from what to feed babies and when they start eating certain foods to high chairs, covering all the feeding needs. Dr. Keim explains what Orajel and Anbesol teething ointments do, what type o...
Mar 19, 2025•18 min
Dr. Carole Keim addresses health and hygiene products in this episode. She details which hygiene items are actually necessary for newborn babies and then explains medications to keep on hand for newborns. She also recommends some medications useful to have for babies over 6 months of age. With each item Dr. Keim offers insight and advice, as well as identifying certain popular products not actually required for babies. Dr. Keim offers tips to help make cutting baby fingernails a less daunting ta...
Mar 05, 2025•25 min
Dr. Carole Keim explores how to travel with your baby in this episode. What is best for going out and about or abroad with your baby? Dr. Keim starts right from the first trip of your baby’s life - going home from the hospital - and covers everything from safely riding in the car, diaper bag supplies, and longer-term travel necessities. There is a lot out there so Dr. Keim carefully narrows down all the products to highlight the most important items. Dr. Keim shares what to look for in a car sea...
Feb 19, 2025•28 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about diapers and potty training your babies and toddlers in this episode. She discusses disposable versus cloth diapers, and the benefits of both in terms of convenience, expense, and sustainability. She shares practical advice on potty training by highlighting which items are most useful in assisting your baby in the transition from diapers to the potty. The best things to buy are highlighted here for new parents. Dr. Keim explains, in a quick summary, that the stuff that...
Feb 05, 2025•30 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about breast and bottle feeding and what works to make both types of feeding more comfortable and efficient. She recommends listening to the information on both types of feeding even if one or the other method has already been decided on because babies can have a preference. Pumping is a good option to pursue in addition to breastfeeding so the baby can get used to bottle feeding in the first four months. It opens the option of going back to work or leaving the baby with a ...
Jan 22, 2025•28 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about everything moms need in this episode. More specifically, everything that is needed for pregnancy, labor and delivery, the hospital, and post-partum. One of the most common questions asked is what to pack for the hospital. Dr. Keim answers that question, and many more, with insight, advice, and practical suggestions on which brands are the most useful to purchase. Expectant moms and new moms will find this episode invaluable, as will family members looking for purchase...
Jan 08, 2025•22 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about baby furniture in today’s episode. She summarizes the furniture needed for your baby as a place for your baby to sleep, a place to set your baby down in each room, some stuff to care for your baby’s everyday needs, stuff for travel, and some babyproofing items. But there are so many things on the market, how can you know what’s useful and what isn’t? That’s what this episode is about. Dr. Keim talks about cribs and how 3-in-1 cribs are very useful but for the first 12...
Dec 25, 2024•28 min
Dr. Carole Keim is a pediatrician, mom, and author who helps new parents all over the world understand their babies and navigate the challenges that arise daily. In season four she will guide listeners in sorting through pregnancy, baby, and toddler items that are useful versus those that are a waste of time and money. The focus of today’s episode is baby clothing. What do you really need to clothe your baby and what is helpful? And what clothes are really just cute but not that functional or us...
Dec 11, 2024•26 min
Dr. Carole Keim is a pediatrician, mom, and author who helps new parents all over the world understand their babies and navigate the challenges that arise daily. The first year of a baby’s life is the focus of Season 1 of this podcast, ages one to three is the focus of Season 2, and holistic and supportive care is the focus of Season 3. Now Dr. Keim welcomes listeners to Season 4 where she will focus on talking about baby items that are actually needed. She will guide listeners in sorting throug...
Nov 27, 2024•37 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about the all-important subject of sleep in this episode. Sleep is a frustrating thing as a new parent which is why there is so much sleep advice and so many sleep books available. Dr. Keim will break down what sleep patterns are normal at different ages and give information on different ways to help babies (and parents, by extension) sleep well. All babies are different and what works for one baby’s sleep may not work for another. But there are normal sleep patterns for di...
Dec 13, 2023•27 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about baby’s skin today, specifically baby acne and diaper rash. She explains what causes each irritation as well as how they typically present. She then goes through Western and alternative medicines that offer relief or healing. Baby acne often starts in the first month or so of a baby’s life. There are several causes for baby acne and it will typically cover the face and upper chest. There are ways to soothe it or help it heal faster but, as Dr. Keim says, it’s “self-lim...
Dec 06, 2023•20 min
Dr. Carole Keim explores the topics of allergies and eczema in this episode. She defines what each disease is and what typically causes their appearance. All your questions about what symptoms to look for in your infant or child as well as how you can treat allergies and eczema when discovered will be answered by Dr. Keim. Allergies, eczema, and asthma are called atopic diseases and tend to run in families. So if there’s a family member that has either allergies or eczema or asthma, or multiples...
Nov 29, 2023•36 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about constipation and urinary tract infections (UTIs) in this episode. Dr. Keim details how to tell if your infant or child is truly constipated and what can be done to help alleviate the discomfort, as well as what to look for if you suspect a UTI. Her advice includes all holistic options that are applicable to alternative care. The rate of true constipation in infants under a year old is very rare, roughly 3% of babies. But that changes when children are older than a yea...
Nov 22, 2023•32 min
Dr. Carole Keim discusses vomiting and diarrhea in this episode, explaining the causes and symptoms of each. Beyond Western medicine treatment, Dr. Keim dives into alternative and holistic options for the treatment of both vomiting and diarrhea in babies and toddlers. Vomiting and diarrhea can often appear together, caused by viral infections, but vomiting alone can be a red flag for issues beyond infection, especially in older children. Dr. Keim details what to look for if your child is vomitin...
Nov 15, 2023•21 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about colic and reflux in this episode. She explains what they are and explores how different modalities can help alleviate your baby’s discomfort. There are supportive and alternative care options that Dr. Keim doesn’t often get a chance to address in the office but can present here. Dr. Keim defines a baby with true colic as one who cries for “three hours per day, three days per week, for three weeks”, or the rule of threes. The cause of colic is still largely unknown but...
Nov 08, 2023•18 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about teething, a subject that comes up a lot and that parents have many questions about. She explains all about what to expect in terms of your baby’s teething discomfort and what modalities can help alleviate some of the pain. Teething happens to babies and then again to older children and is uncomfortable both times, though the experiences are slightly different. Dr. Keim discusses how teething can take place at varied intervals for each child, what sort of symptoms migh...
Nov 01, 2023•16 min
Dr. Carole Keim discusses ears and two main issues that your baby can experience. Ear infections, also called otitis media, and ear wax. Dr. Keim explains the many symptoms of an ear infection, what causes them, and explores the holistic options for treating the pain and infection. She also talks about how best to clear ear wax from a baby’s ears. While Dr. Keim doesn’t talk about swimmer’s ear in this episode, she covers it in the Holistic Mamas Handbook for those who want that info. But for ea...
Oct 25, 2023•27 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks about two conditions that can affect your baby’s eyes. The first is lacrimal duct stenosis and the second is pinkeye. She explains what causes each condition, how they typically present in your child, and ways each modality of medicine can help with treatment. All this information will also be found in her new book, Holistic Mama’s Handbook . Lacrimal duct stenosis is often called a blocked tear duct but it’s not the tear duct that is blocked, it’s the lacrimal duct located...
Oct 18, 2023•15 min
Welcome to Season 3 of The Baby Manual podcast with Dr. Carole Keim - pediatrician, mom, author of The Baby Manual and the upcoming Holistic Mamas Handbook . In this new season Dr. Keim will take parents through things like teething, colic, constipation, and allergies. This first episode explores what types of modalities are available, from Western medicine to acupuncture to naturopathy and more. In visiting alternative practitioners, interviewing them, and going through the research, Dr. Keim h...
Oct 11, 2023•19 min
Dr. Carole Keim discusses all the supportive care options available for your child’s cold, beyond the over-the-counter medications. She details alternative medicines and things you can do to alleviate your child’s cold symptoms. Most viruses don’t have specific treatments in Western medicine. We have COVID and flu vaccines, but beyond that, there isn’t much medically to be done for a cold. Dr. Keim not only explains what alternative options are available, she breaks down exactly what each virus ...
Jan 11, 2023•42 min
Dr. Carole Keim gives parents information on daycare and preschool - from the different types of preschools available to how they operate - so you can find the best fit for your child, but also for you in terms of community. There is a lot to consider when choosing a preschool: in the United States there are three main types of preschools and they would each suit specific child needs or parent desires differently. Dr. Keim breaks down what to expect and what to look for in preschools. She also e...
Dec 28, 2022•18 min
Dr. Carole Keim explains all the toddler behavior you can expect at different ages between ages one and three. She goes through all main behavior and ability changes and gets to the heart of why toddlers are acting in the way they are. The more understanding you have of why children are behaving in a certain way, the easier it is to see things from their point of view. Dr. Keim offers tips and tricks for navigating the word no, the repeated question why, three year old defiance, and other notabl...
Dec 14, 2022•30 min
Dr. Carole Keim talks all about picky eaters in this episode. Is it normal when your toddler reaches a point of only eating five beige foods? Yes. Dr. Keim covers this and everything to do with development, child nutrition, tempting picky eaters, and when to see a doctor about food concerns. Dr. Keim also addresses why the old food pyramid is out of date and explains the actual nutrients your child needs and which foods they appear in. She shares why eating an actual apple is healthier than proc...
Nov 30, 2022•30 min
In Episode 6 of Season 2, Dr. Carole Keim walks us through what to expect from three year olds. This can be a difficult age because children experience a lot of emotional growth and often become oppositional. Dr. Keim offers guidance on what to expect and how to handle it. Three year olds have a lot of big feelings and drama, they often ask “why” a lot, they do the opposite of what is asked to test boundaries. They are trying to see exactly where the boundaries lie and that they’ll still be love...
Nov 16, 2022•23 min
In this episode, Dr. Carole Keim talks about what to expect from your two and a half year old. Your child is getting older, is super cute, and is now talking more, so Dr. Keim explains everything from motor skills to nutrition, and offers some parenting advice. A child at two and a half will have enough language to communicate basics with you but their lack of full verbal skills can frustrate them and cause acting out. Their motor skills are more developed, they can run pretty well and wash and ...
Nov 02, 2022•15 min
In this episode of Season Two, Dr. Carole Keim discusses two year olds. Dr. Keim explains exactly what developmental and behavioral milestones to expect, offers potty training and safety advice, and touches on preschool and checkups for your two year old. This age is often called “the terrible twos” largely because children have learned the word ‘no’ and have started advocating for themselves. They’re exploring their environments with increased motor skills and speech but not as many words as th...
Oct 19, 2022•15 min
In this episode, Dr. Carole Keim talks all about potty training. While potty training usually involves toddlers - the common age is between two and four years - it can be started as early as infanthood with what’s called elimination communication. Dr. Keim walks parents through all the major questions and issues about potty training. Dr. Keim first explains how to identify when your toddler is ready to start training. She then talks about how to potty train and explains various methods of workin...
Oct 05, 2022•23 min
In this second episode of Season 2, Dr. Carole Keim discusses what to expect at the 18 month stage. Your baby is a toddler now, and showing ever more personality, and Dr. Keim has advice on everything from tantrums to sleep. Dr. Keim addresses what social and motor development looks like at this age. Your baby will want to play with you and they understand a lot more language than their few words would have you believe. She talks about the “terrible twos” and shares ways to avoid tantrums. She a...
Sep 21, 2022•42 min
Welcome to Season 2 of The Baby Manual with Dr. Carole Keim MD. This first episode of Season 2 is all about your baby at 15 months of age. From parenting to nutrition to skin care, Dr. Keim covers all the major developments of the 15 month age group. Dr. Keim discusses the developmental progress of your baby at 15 months and notes that they understand the word no, they have preferences, and they also feel upset if those preferences aren’t met. They quite like to help and mimic your actions. She ...
Sep 07, 2022•27 min
