New Tips And Triks For You

Fall in love with your baby. Enjoy every second with the little one. Trust your own instincts when raising your child. This child-rearing advice for new parents like Prince William and Duchess Kate is brought to you by top U.S. parenting experts.

It's not easy to raise a child, and Will and Kate face additional challenges trying to rear the Prince of Cambridge in the public eye.

Still, like all new parents, they should "fall crazily in love with him and enjoy every minute of his life unfolding," says Judith Palfrey, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and senior associate in medicine at Boston Children's Hospital.

Every new baby comes into the world ready to develop as each of the senses comes into contact with people and the environment, she says.

"Babies don't need to be bombarded by stimulation, but gently introduced to new sounds, sights, tastes and smells. They grow in understanding as they feel new objects and crawl or toddle to new spaces. Quiet times of play and reading together will build confidence and memories and joy."

You may think others know more about parenting than you do, but they don't, says T. Berry Brazelton, one of the country's most renowned pediatricians and a leading pioneer in early childhood development. "You know your baby better than anyone else, so follow your instinct, and by watching his responses and his behavior -- which is his language -- he will tell you how to parent him.

"Don't worry about any mistakes, for you can learn from them until you hit what works," Brazelton says.

Children need structure, routine and discipline, and with each year of life, they need more independence and more responsibility, Palfrey says. "Each birthday should bring one new privilege and one new chore.

"It was once said that a very good thing a parent can do for a child is to love the other parent. Children grow well in loving, respectful environments. Will and Kate will provide that for this new baby," she says.

When it comes to raising a child as all the world watches, the royal couple could learn from President and Michelle Obama, Palfrey says. The Obamas "have committed themselves to maintaining as routine and private a family life as possible."

The most important gift a parent can give a child is the gift of time, says pediatrician Tanya Altmann, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics and author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents' Top 101 Questions About Babies and Toddlers. "From Day 1, your baby needs your time, your touch and to hear your voice." (continued...)

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