TV, Babies, Toddlers, and ADHD (Part 3 - conclusion)

Assalamu alaikum,



It's Official: TV Linked to Attention Deficit (Part 3 - conclusion)

babies and toddlers parked in front of the TV have a much higher risk of developing ADHD by age 7, a new study showsby Jean Lotus
Reprinted here with permission from Jean Lotus, Whitedot.org.



Leaving a child alone with the TV is never a good idea.



"Would you entrust you toddler into the care of a baby sitter, even for a few minutes, who cannot hear or see your child?" writes Nancy Hall of Yale University’s Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy. "Would you leave your child in an environment that encourages passivity, limits creativity and results in increased aggressive behavior? Many 1-year-olds are spending time regularly with just such a baby sitter: the television set."



What is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?



ADHD affects 12 percent of US school children and has increased dramatically over the past 50 years. Studies show ADHD increased with the introduction of children’s television in the 1950s and then spiked higher in the mid 1980s when VCRs and home video became commonplace. Although the condition is known to be genetic, scientists have noted its rapid spread throughout every social class of children, and guessed that there could be an environmental cause. TV watching is a cause, this study shows.



How much TV should I let my baby watch?



No child under age two should watch television at all, the Academy of American Pediatrics advised in 1998. Doctors blame TV for increasing aggression and obesity in children, now they add ADHD risk to early TV use.

TV, Babies, Toddlers, and ADHD (Part 2)

Assalamu alaikum,

It's Official: TV Linked to Attention Deficit (Part 2)

babies and toddlers parked in front of the TV have a much higher risk of developing ADHD by age 7, a new study showsby Jean Lotus
Reprinted here with permission from Jean Lotus, Whitedot.org.

Infant videos: They wouldn’t sell them if they were dangerous --Would they? An explosion of kidvids for the bouncy chair set has hit the market. These include Baby Einstein, Baby Mozart, So Smart etc. TV shows, such as Teletubbies, aim at 18-month-old toddlers. These videos are peddled as "educational tools" to "give your baby a head start." The truth is, they are a video-tether that keeps baby out from underfoot.

"Max is learning German right now from a video"

Parents take away crucial life experiences from their child every time they pop in Baby Einstein. But they do love how it takes the baby out of their hair for awhile Listen to what parents say in testimonials about infant videos: "I love spending time with my boy but let's face it, there are times when you just have to have 10 minutes or so to yourself so that you can wash the dishes or do laundry; that's when you pop this video in. It's 25 minutes of entertainment that holds the attention of even very young children. ," (son 10 months) Chris Hudson from San Antonio, TX. There are times I rewind it and play it again and again until I get the dishes done and order restored. My son is captivated (and hopefully learning something). Mom I n Connecticut The only thing I wish is that the videos were longer than 30min. Melissa Perruzi, Clinton Mississippi (From Baby Eisntein reviews on Amazon.com).

Big problem for little people

Twenty-six percent of US children younger than age two have TV in their bedrooms - often watched from the crib, and 36 percent of families leave the TV on almost all of the time, even when no one is watching, according to a 2000 Kaiser Family Foundation study.

Don’t put your child at risk!

The good news is, infants and toddlers don’t need television to distract them. Humans raised children for 50,000 years before television sets and you can do it too. Your children can learn to entertain themselves or play with your supervision. "When one-year olds are playing with a toy, they can explore it, poke at it, drop it," says Yale University Television Researcher Dorothy Singer. "They’re learning about space, about sound, and they’re developing sense of competence. Watching a TV show just doesn’t provide the same sensory experience."

TV, Babies, Toddlers, and ADHD (Part 1)

Assalamu alaikum,

A worthwhile read insha'Allah. Due to its length, we will present the article in parts insha'Allah.

It's Official: TV Linked to Attention Deficit
babies and toddlers parked in front of the TV have a much higher risk of developing ADHD by age 7, a new study shows
by Jean Lotus

Reprinted here with permission from Jean Lotus, Whitedot.org.

A study from the American Academy of Pediatrics shows that watching videos as a toddler may lead to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, also called ADD in UK) in later life.

TV watching "rewires" an infant’s brain, says Dr. Dimitri A. Christakis lead researcher and director of the Child Health Institute at Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle, Wash. The damage shows up at age 7 when children have difficulty paying attention in school.

"In contrast to the way real life unfolds and is experienced by young children, the pace of TV is greatly sped up." says Christakis. His research appears in the April 2004 issue of Pediatrics. Quick scene shifts of video images become "normal," to a baby "when in fact, it’s decidedly not normal or natural." Christakis says. Exposing a baby’s developing brain to videos may over stimulate it, causing permanent changes in developing neural pathways.

"Also in question is whether the insistent noise of television in the home may interfere with the development of ‘inner speech’ by which a child learns to think through problems and plans and restrain impulsive responding," wrote Jane Healy, psychologist and child brain expert in the magazine’s commentary.

Babies brains grow rapidly

Even a child playing with its own fingers has the neural patterning that comes from bending, flexing, stretching and grasping. Scientists tell us that the brain develops in completely unique ways between birth and three years. As a kiddie viddie baby sits "mesmerized", neural paths are not being created. This is crucial brain development that stops by age three.

"You don’t want to think that something as innocent as half-an-hour’s peace and quiet could reduce your kid’s chances later in life," says Claire Eaton, 27-year-old mother from Lewisham, Australia.

Setting up baby for failure in school

Are parents who use infant videos such as "Baby Einstein" and "Teletubbies" putting their child at risk for a lifetime of Special Ed classes, school "behavioral therapy" and Ritalin?

In the study of more than 2,000 children, Christakis found that for every hour watched at age one and age three, the children had almost a ten percent higher chance of developing attention problems that could be diagnosed as ADHD by age 7. A toddler watching three hours of infant television daily had nearly a 30 percent higher chance of having attention problems in school.

Beautiful Cloth Book for Infants 6-18 months old

Assalamu alaikum,

This is simply beautiful masha'Allah. A hand made cloth book for infants 6 to 9 months old. What a sensory experience this makes for a child, as well as a language activity too insha'Allah! There is a lot that can be done with these types of books. One can 1). point to the pictures and quietly name them using simple language (helps build vocabulary skills insha'Allah), 2). Allow the child to explore the pictures independently, experiencing the different textures of each picture 3). With the child, add sounds to the pictures (i.e. make the sounds that the objects in the pictures makes. And there are other possibilities as well. The picture below is one of the pages from the book made by sister Mabsoota of Easel & Ink masha'Allah!

Click here to see the remaining beautiful pages insha'Allah: She has described how she made the book in the above link and I encourage you to visit insha'Allah, if you are interested in making one for your child insha'Allah.


Enjoy insha'Allah!

Does this make me look fat?

Assalamu alaikum,

Whilst in the doctors office the other evening I grabbed a parenting magazine and began to page through it. I came across an article that was sad and startling. In the article it stated that recent research showed that children (boys and girls) were concerned about their bodies (i.e. their figures, weight, etc.) by the age of 5! They further stated that 1 out of 5 girls was dieting to loose weight by the age of 7 (or 9, I do not remember). They even mentioned a little boy who was picking the fat off of the bacon and only eating the scraps that remained. When his mother asked him why he was doing that he replied that he did not want to get fat. He was 5 years old. I was shocked! I hoped that our Muslims girls and boys are not afflicted with this same problem but then I wondered, 'how could they not be?' Being raised in a body-conscious society how can they escape? Allahul musta'an.

For what reason am I mentioning this? One of the tips they gave to help children avoid this hazardous way of thinking and behaving is for mothers not to say such things as, "Oh, I need to loose weight," or to ask such questions as, "Does this make me look fat?" Saying and asking such things with any kind of frequency sends your child a powerful message: Your figure counts.

As Muslims we take care of our bodies because they are an amana (trust) from Allah and we will be questioned about them, not because the latest fashion is a pair of jeans that most women couldn't even get their ankles into much less the rest of their lower bodies. But all of this made me think, 'Subhana'Allah, the deen of Islam is so perfect. Did not your Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa salam say : "Let him who believes in Allaah and the Last Day speak good, or keep silent; and let him who believes in Allaah and the Last Day be generous to his neighbour; and let him who believes in Allaah and the Last Day be generous to his guest." { related by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim}.

So mothers, even though it is tough to see that pregnancy weight staring at you in the mirror (or banning most of your fashionable clothes to the closest for Allahu alim how many months - and dare I say, years?) try to focus on the things that matter. And your figure is not at the top of the list (ouch!). This is not to say don't try to loose that pregnancy weight, by all means, strive to maintain a healthy body, just make sure your intention is good. After all, the Messenger of Allaah sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam said: "Actions are but by intentions and every man shall have only that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated." Make your intention for loosing weight to please Allah and Him only and be careful what words leave your lips.

We will be questioned....

Another Infant Mobile

Assalamu alaikum,

Masha'Allah, here is another wonderful infant mobile designed by a sister who owns the website Mutmainaa.com (some colouring pictures on the site have faces. Please follow the sunnah and remove the faces insha'Allah, before using). Below is the link for the infant mobile insha'Allah.

Infant Mobile

Enjoy insha'Allah!

Arabic Phonics Word Card Puzzles

Assalamu Alaikum,

This activity is for children 24 to 36 months old (and can go up to grade 1 ) insha'Allah. The directions are easy and fast insha'Allah. Through this activity children will work on the following insha'Allah:

• Practice and mastery of the Arabic alphabet insha'Allah
• Memory (recalling what the entire picture looked like even when it is cut into pieces)
• Hand eye coordination (properly placing pieces in the correct order)
• Beginning or intermediate phonics work insha'Allah
• Beginning reading three letter words insha'Allah

The file contains the word cards and directions insha'Allah. I recommend that instead of printing these files on your home computer, try having your local copy/print centre do it for you insha'Allah. It's often less expensive that way - save your printer ink insha'Allah (smile). An added bonus is that they can also laminate them for you too insha'Allah. The file is below. Enjoy insha'Allah!

Arabic Phonics 3 piece Puzzles

Weather & Seasons Activity Cards

Assalamu alaikum,

Jazakillahu Khayr again to my co-blogger for this great activity idea! Below is a file that contains weather cards and a seasons wheel to compliment the Arabic Calendar Activity (found in the archives for Infants 24 to 36 months old: Language insha'Allah).

You can hang the season wheel next to the calendar and move the arrow (included in the file insha'Allah) to show the changing seasons insha'Allah.

The cards are small enough that you can place them on the date (in the corner perhaps) so your child can see what the weather is today insha'Allah.

You can mount the seasons wheel on card stock to make it stronger insha'Allah (same with the arrows) and laminate them for durability insha'Allah.

I do not have any idea how to say 'partly cloudy' in Arabic so if anyone can help out I would greatly appreciate it insha'Allah (it's currently blank on the cards & I will add it and re-upload the file insha'Allah).

The file is below insha'Allah. Have fun and enjoy insha'Allah!

Arabic Weather & Seasons Cards and Wheel

Athkar an-Nawm

Assalamu alaikum,

This activity is for newborns until three years old (and beyond insha'Allah). The importance of reciting the athkar an-nawm cannot be overstated. Even at birth the foundation for language is being laid so reading the athkar nightly has this added benefit and Islamically, is something not be neglected insha'Allah.

Some nights you may be tired (or perhaps exhausted is more accurate) but do your best not to forgo this important activity that benefits your child in dunya and in akhira...may Allah reward you.

Here are the athkar to be recited and there is a link at the end that provides more information (unfortunately, it is only in Arabic but I'm working on finding something in English too insha'Allah). Jazakillahu Khayr to my co-blogger for locating this information!

عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا قَالَ : ( كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُعَوِّذُ الْحَسَنَ وَالْحُسَيْنَ وَيَقُولُ : إِنَّ أَبَاكُمَا كَانَ يُعَوِّذُ بِهَا إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ : أَعُوذُ بِكَلِمَاتِ اللَّهِ التَّامَّةِ ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لاَمَّةٍ ) رواه البخاري (3371)

Ibn 'Abbaas (radhi-yAllaahu 'anhumaa) related that the Messenger of Allaah (sal-Allaahu 'alayhe wa sallam) used to commend al-Hasan and al-Husayn to Allaah’s protection, saying:‘I commend you two to the protection of Allaah’s perfect words from every devil, vermin, and every evil eye.’ (U'eethukumaa bi kalimaat illahi al-taammah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli 'aynin laammah).

You can also read the mu3awathaat (surat al-ikhlas, al-falaq, and an-nas) and blow in your palms and wipe over your child's/childrens' bodies.

Here is a fatwa for further reference but again, unfortunately it's only available in Arabic : Fatwa from Islam-qa.com

Two-Piece Puzzles for infants 15 to 18 month olds

assalamu alaikum, This activity is for infants 15 to 18 months old. Puzzles have long been a favourite activity for children but puzzles aren't just fun, toddlers benefit from working with puzzles in many domains. Working with puzzles:

• Helps develop & improve hand-eye coordination
• Helps develop spacial skills
• Helps develop children's ability to recognize shapes and sizes
• Lays a foundation for later math skills that will be important in geometry (which falls under spacial relationships skills)

Making your own puzzle is simple and amazingly quick alhamdulillah. I've designed some very simple templates to get you started and I've provided some photos of different masaajids from around the world. The pictures are under Creative Commons and you can find these all over the web alhamdulillah.

For toddlers it is recommended to start out with a two-piece puzzle and as the child gains experience and skill, you can introduce three piece puzzles insha'Allah. I'll do my best to design some three and four piece templates and upload them to my site in the FREEBIE section insha'Allah.

The directions about how to make the puzzles are included in the file insha'Allah. If you are a teacher or a mum with more than one little one masha'Allah, I recommend you use Mod Podge for photographs to preserve the puzzle insha'Allah. Have fun and enjoy insha'Allah! Here is the link for the file insha'Allah: Islamic Toddler Puzzles

Health/Nutrition during Pregnancy

Assalamu alaikum,

Pregnancy is a wonderful blessing from Allah. One that is filled with startling, miraculous changes that sometimes inspire awe and other times tears ("I didn't realize it'd gained so much weight!" is a tear inspiring moment for example). There is literally an overwhelming amount of information available on the Internet for the expectant mother. It can be daunting: Who is correct? Which source do you trust?

One of the egroups I belong to sent out a link to a website that was refreshing to see (may Allah reward the sister for sending the link): Healthy Muslims.com. They have a section on pregnancy and I'd suggest browsing their many other sections as well insha'Allah. I'd like to suggest visiting their site to expectant Muslim mothers insha'Allah. Here is the link for their pregnancy section: http://www.healthymuslim.com/categories/pregnancy.cfm and the link to their website has been added to our "Useful Websites" section alhamdulillah. And even if you're not pregnant still drop by and browse the many other sections that are geared toward a healthier and, insha'Allah, happier, you.

It is very nice to see Muslim doctors and health practitioners taking an active role in the health concerns of the Muslim ummah. This site, in particular, seems geared toward moving Muslims away from prescription drug dependence toward a more holistic heath care management system insha'Allah.

While this blog is dedicated to the proper upbringing of Muslim youth from birth, it must be said that in order for this to happen, they must be protected in the womb first. And how do we do that? Make dua to Allah and tawakal (put your complete trust in Him) and secondly, take care of yourself during pregnancy insha'Allah. As they have so aptly stated on Healthy Muslims.com, your body is an amana (a trust) from Allah. Take care of it insha'Allah.

Sorting Activity for infants 15 to 18 months old

assalamu alaikum, 

This activity is for infants 15 to 18 months old insha'Allah. Alhamdulillah, infants at this stage are now able to tell the difference between different colours, sizes and shapes. This is a prime opportunity for a parent to help their infant work on these skills by providing fun, quality activities for their child insha'Allah. Insha'Allah this one qualifies (smile). Directions: Take several solid colour hijaabs (square & rectanlge), the under-piece that many sisters wear under their hijabs (circle), a few sets of black gloves (if you wear them), 4 to 5 siwaak, as many kufis as you can find at home insha'Allah, and other similar items.

• Try to vary the colours and shapes as much as possible insha'Allah.
• Tell your child that you are going to play a sorting game. Explain that sorting means putting things that are alike in the same pile/stack. Provide a circle for each category to aide in the activity (optional).
• Label each circle (i.e. hijabs, siwaak, etc.) or by colour or by shape insha'Allah.
• Talk with the infant about the attributes of the objects before you place one in the circle (i.e. "This hijab has a square shape. Let's put it in the cicle for things that are square or Where do you think we should put this?"). Read the titles of the labels to the infant as you place the object in the circle insha'Allah.
• Place one object in each catagory together but withdraw yourself from the activity once the infant has engaged in it. Once they've demonstrated they know what to do, move out of their visual range and observe. If they place an object in the incorrect circle do not intervene. Allow the infant to continue and when they are done discuss together how they have sorted the objects. Talk about why an incorrect object does not belong where it was placed and allow the infant the chance to self-correct (i.e. place the object in the correct circle/stack).
• Try encouraging the infant to sort the objects according to a different attribute when they have demonstrated that they understand the activity insha'Allah.

Have fun and enjoy insha'Allah!

Arabic Calendar Activity: Toddlers 24 to 36 months

Assalamu alaikum, This is a simple activity to lay a foundation for several things insha'Allah:

1. Understanding the passage of time
2. Sequencing (i.e. on day always follows the other in the same order alhamdulillah)
3. Numeration
4. Reading

Directions:

• Print the Arabic Calendar set
• Mount on card stock or poster board
• Laminate (optional)
• Buy or make your own blank calendar (these can be bought at school supply stores. I laminate mine so I can use it year after year with minimal wear and tear insha'Allah).
• Hang the calendar at your child's eye level (this is important)
• You can use a blank envelope to hold the numbers and days of the week
• You can change the months and have your little one help insha'Allah. You can use a large manila envelope to store the months of the year insha'Allah.
• Each day, go with your little one to the calendar (preferably around the same time each day insha'Allah - the earlier the better: i.e. in the morning insha'Allah).
• Talk about what day it is today and the date
• Your little one can help put the correct number in its place
• Don't worry if they get it wrong...help them pick the correct one and in time they will learn to self-correct and pick the correct day/date insha'Allah.
• During Ramadan you can use the calendar to plan fun activities with your family and include your little one in the planning insha'Allah

The only difference in the sets is that the dates (the cards) are all the same colour insha'Allah. I've also included 3 blank date cards in case some get misplaced or distroyed.

Arabic Calendar Set 1 - Blue

Arabic Calendar Set 2 - Pink

Arabic Calendar Set 3 - A peach colour

This will insha'Allah help for reading the arabic months and days of the week correctly insha'Allah:

Arabic Months of the Year:

Muharram

Safar

Rabi' al-awwal

Rabi' al-thani

Jumada al-awwal

Jumada al-thani

Rajab

Sha'aban

Ramadan

Shawwal

Dhu al-Qi'dah

Dhu al-Hijjah

Arabic Days of the Week:

yawm al-aḥad

yawm al-ithnayn

yawm ath-thulaathaa

yawm al-arbiʻaaʼ

yawm al-khamīs

yawm al-jumʻa

yawm as-sabt

Arabic Numbers:

http://vegasociety.com/arabic/numbers.html

If you have any ideas about how to extend this activity please do contribute so that all can benefit insha'Allah. Similarly, if you notice any errors in the Arabic text please let me know insha'Allah. Sometimes when I PDF documents the Arabic text does funny things. Jazakum Allahu Khayran.

Nice products for toddlers

assalamu alaikum,

I just wanted to share these links. I especially like the faceless dolls. I hope to order some myself insha'Allah. This company has other products for children that do not have faces alhamdulillah. Perhaps, insha'Allah, I'll try to work on some activities for the Arabic letters and numbers (or find some already made insha'Allah) to share. If you've got some activities that you do with your toddler please do share insha'Allah. Enjoy insha'Allah!

Magnetic Arabic Letters set

Magnetic Arabic Letters and Numbers

Faceless Dolls

Assalamu alaikum,

This activity is a language activity that will help children increase their vocabulary insha'Allah and also lay a foundation for connecting things in the environment to Allah and the Quran insha'Allah.

The game has fruit cards and the accompanying activity guide gives several suggestions about how to use the cards and also gives various ayaat from the Quran. The cards are in Arabic and in English alhamdulillah.

Arabic/ English Fruit Cards

(scroll to the bottom of the page - left side)

Arabic/English Fruit Game Activity Guide

Another way you can extend the activity (this is not mentioned in the activity guide) is to get the real fruit that is pictured in the game and do a matching game. Show your child one of the cards and have them pick the matching fruit from your fruit bowl insha'Allah.

If you have other ideas about how you can use the game chip in and post them insha'Allah so that others may benefit as well insha'Allah.

Jazakum Allahu Khayran

Infant Mobile: Newborn

Assalamu alaikum,

It is believed that infants leave the womb with many of their senses not fully developed initially, for example, the colours infants can see best at birth are black and white. Infants vision is also not developed enough to see most things clearly unless they are about 8 to 12 inches away from their eyes.

It is a common sight to see mobiles on a baby's crib and, unfortunately, many mobiles have music to accompany them. Since infants spend a lot of time in their cribs they focus intently on the world around them (i.e. their room and its contents) and in this process learning takes place. With that in mind why not provide them with something Islamic to focus on? Below, is a file that contains some Islamic black shapes that you can mount on white poster board and make your own Islamic infant mobile. These are only a few suggestions but get creative (within Islamic bounds of course...smile) and design some more insha'Allah!

This, I feel, is worth doing because mobiles help infants develop their ability to focus and track moving objects. Try to change the mobile every two weeks insha'Allah. I hope I can insha'Allah post more Islamically themed mobile ideas in the near future. In the meantime enjoy insha'Allah.

Muslim Infant Mobile Shapes

Vocabulary Builder Activity: Infants 9 to 12 months old

Assalamu alaikum,

This activity is a vocabulary building activity for infants 9-12 months old. The book is simple to make insha'Allah.

Directions:

• To make the book: Cut out poster board pages of the same size. (the example below is about 12 x 9 cm).


• Gather real-looking 3-D objects/or pictures to glue the pages (i.e. flower, car, sun, cloud, etc.). These can be found at a craft store and were about $.79 a piece. Glue them to the page using non-toxic glue insha'Allah. 3-D objects add a tactile experience to the activity.


• Print the Arabic (or English) names of each object in the right hand corner of the page.


• Leave the right hand page blank (or if you're doing it in English leave the left hand page blank). This is to allow the child to focus on one picture at a time and not have the picture on the opposite page competing for the child's attention.


• Punch holes in each page on the right hand side of the page (left hand side for English insha'Allah). You'll notice I put my holes on the wrong side...lol.


• Use metal binder rings to secure the pages together insha'Allah.


• Sit with your child next to you and turn to the first page. Point to the picture and softly say the name of the object in the picture (i.e. truck). Allow the child to touch the 3-D picture and take the book if he/she wishes. Simply take the book back when the child is done insha'Allah and continue to the next picture insha'Allah. Do this with every picture - touch it and softly say the name of the picture.


• As the child becomes more familiar with the book, talk about the pictures. What sound does it make (if any). Make the sound for the child. Where do you find this object?, etc.


• Change the pages often to maintain interest insha'Allah. 

Enjoy insha'Allah!

A Muslim Child is Born: Birth Activity

Assalamu alaikum,

From the title you may wonder, "Birth activity? How can there be an activity for a newborn?" Al-Bukhari reported that the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salam) said: "There is no baby but is poked by Shaytan when it is born, so it starts off by crying from Shaytan's pang - except for the son of Maryam and his mother."

Abu Hurayrah then added: "Recite if you wish Allah's saying:

وَإِنِّي سَمَّيْتُهَا مَرْيَمَ وَإِنِّي أُعِيذُهَا بِكَ وَذُرِّيَّتَهَا مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

(Maryam's mother supplicated to Allah saying:) "And I seek Your protection for her and her offspring from Shaytan, the outcast." {3:36}

So the Muslim should strive to do the things that the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salam) recommended be done at the time of the birth of their child. From the authentic narrations a Muslim should do the following insha'Allah (two sunnan are listed but there are more):

Tahnik:

Tahnik is to chew a date and place it into the baby's mouth. Al-Bukhari reported that the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salam) preformed tahnik for newborns.

Narrated Abu Musa: A son was born to me and I took him to the Prophet who named him Ibrahim, did tahnik for him with a date, invoked Allah to bless him and returned him to me. (The narrator added: That was Abu Musa's eldest son.)

Bukhari also narrated from Anas:

"Newborns were occasionally brought to Allah's Messenger. He would invoke Allah's blessings over them and perform tahnik for them."

One of the benefits to the child: Al-'Ayni said: "The wisdom behind tahnik is the expectation that the baby would then attain iman and its sweetness, because dates are the fruits of the tree that the Prophet (sallalahu alayhi wa salam) likened to a believer."

The Aqiqa:

From Bukhari: Narrated Salman bin 'Amir Ad-Dabbi: I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "'Aqiqa is to be offered for a (newly born) boy, so slaughter (an animal) for him, and relieve him of his suffering." (Note: It has been quoted in Fath-al-Bari that the majority of the scholars agree on the Hadith narrated in Sahih At-Tirmidi that the Prophet was asked about the aqiqa and he (sallalahu alayhi wa salam) ordered 2 sheep for a boy and one sheep for a girl and that is his sunnah.)

A good book to aide the Muslim in learning the authentic regulations regarding newborns is: Our Precious Sprouts by Muhammad al-Jibaly.