Toilet training may be achieved anywhere from 24 months to 36 months, and may sometimes take longer for boys than girls. Bladder control usually occurs after bowel control. Parents should not be concerned if their children take the full 36 months to become toilet trained or if they have difficulty holding their urine longer than a few hours due to the small size of their bladders. Toilet training that takes longer than 3 years may be caused by psychological factors, but this child is not in need of the assessment of a child psychologist at his age. The nurse should not encourage the mother to tell the child that his behavior is unacceptable because it is not expected of him to achieve full toilet training for another year.

An infant begins to show signs of anxiety toward strangers between 8 and 12 months of age and may recur until two years of age. This anxiety can show as silence, staring, writhing or crying in the presence of people they don't know. 

The grasping reflex is the earliest reflex developed by the infant. It is often present at birth: the infant will grasp at objects such as a finger placed into their open palm.  

The inferior pincer grasp is the ability to pick up small objects such as by resting the forearm on a surface and pinching using the sides of the thumb and the index finger. It is an important milestone in the development of fine motor skills.

Feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or guilt, insomnia, difficulty coping with normal life activities, social avoidance, and anxiety after giving birth are all signs of postpartum depression, a condition that affects as many as four out of five people after giving birth. Postpartum psychosis is a much more serious condition, involving delusions, extreme mood swings, and risk of self harm. 

While vitamin deficiencies, lack of sleep, and social stresses can all contribute to depressed mood after giving birth, the primary cause of postpartum depression is an extreme drop in hormones (primarily estrogen and progesterone) that occurs after delivery of the placenta. 

Postpartum bleeding, referred to as lochia, is a normal process wherein the individual sheds blood, mucus, and uterine tissue after delivery. This bleeding can continue for up to six weeks, and coloration can change from bright red blood (lochia rubra) to pinkish-brown discharge (lochia serosa).

Mastitis is an inflammation of the breast tissue, often due to milk stasis in a breastfeeding individual and occurring most commonly in the first few weeks after delivery. Causes can include poor latching, tight bras or clothing, or infection. Incidence is higher in individuals who are immunocompromised, and in people with cracked nipples or a past history of mastitis with a previous birth. Mastitis is not an emergency, nor is it any type of cancer, cyst, or serious breast disease.

The stump of the umbilical cord will generally remain for 2-3 weeks after delivery. During that time the stump's coloration will change from blue to black as it dries. Eventually it will fall off much like a healing scab, leaving behind the umbilicus (navel).  

An umbilical cord stump will normally turn black and may bleed slightly when it falls off. These are not signs of infection. If, however, there is pus or swelling around the umbilicus, this may be signs of infection and should be further evaluated by a pediatrician. Newborns cry for many different reasons - this is not necessarily a sign of physical illness or infection.