Parenting is not as easy as it might seem to be. Until and unless you are the parent, you will not be able to understand the hardships of the parents, especially those who are first-timers. Nobody can provide you a sound knowledge. However, there are some tips that you can follow.
Handle Your Baby with Utmost Care
- The first and foremost important thing that you should learn after becoming parents is an ideal way to hold your new-born. You have to be very gentle while handling him or her. First things make sure your hands and things around the baby are hygienic. Wash your hands every time you hold the baby and ensure everybody else does the same. New-borns do not have a strong immune system like adults so they can catch infection quickly.
- While holding your baby rests your palm below the baby’s head and neck to support it. Head is the most sensitive body part, so make sure you provide it utmost support.
- While playing with your baby does not shake him, since his entire body part is fragile and tender, a slight shake can contribute to bleeding in the brain. You can tickle his feet to wake him up.
- Make sure the newborn is fastened securely in the carrier, car seat, or stroller. However, he must be not fastened too tightly as it could lead to adversities.
Spend a Quality Time with your Baby
- It’s not the quantity, but the quality of time that you spend with your bundle of joy counts. Spending quality with your baby helps you to bond with him, which will further contribute to his or her healthy emotional growth and development. You can initiate the bonding by cradling him gently or giving him gentle strokes in different ways.
- One of the crucial ways of strengthening the bond with your new bundle of joy is giving him a massage. While massaging his or her body, you tend to spend more time with the baby, and the physical touch strengthens the bond further. Ensure you message him or her generously as e or she does not have strong body parts as adults.
- Your skin to skin touch also plays a crucial role in stretching the bond. Feeding is the most pleasurable moment for a mother as it brings your baby close to you. While fathers cannot breastfeed, but they can surely spend quality time while cradling or giving them body message. Or can even sing a lullaby to make him sleep.
- Baby love vocal sounds like talking, cooing, babbling, or singing. You can even use baby rattles to enhance your baby’s hearing. If your baby is being fuzzy, you can sing poems, rhymes, or read loudly while cradling him.
- Make sure your baby is covered all the time. Proper swaddling helps your baby sleep for a longer duration. It also keeps the arms and legs of the baby. It also gives a sense of comfort and security, as well. Make sure you swaddle him properly.
Napkins and Diapers
- Newborn babies wet themselves frequently to prevent them from leading problems. One can use napkins and diapers. While napkins are comfortable and soft, diapers are more practice as they can hold the liquid for a more extended period. However, it can cause diaper rashes; thus, it always advisable to make your newborn wear diaper when needed only. You can make the use of napkins indoors and use diapers outdoors or while traveling.
- Keep baby wipes handy. You can use a cotton clothes instead-but wipes are convenient as you do not have to wash them again and again and these are designed according to the baby’s sensitive skin online baby care stores like FirstCry have an extensive range of diapers and other baby essentials visit the online store now and pick the best for your infant. Do not forget to check out the latest offers on FirstCry to get a huge discount.
Basic Bathing Tips
- According to WHO, you can give your newborn his first bath within 24 hours of bringing home. You can even wait for two days. Plus, you do not have to provide him with a bath regularly. You can completely rely on sponge baths until the umbilical cord is healed.
- For a sponge bath, use a safe and hygienic sponge that is not harsh with your baby’s skin. Lean in him on the sturdy or flat surface and gently undress him. Wrap him in the soft towel and gently clean the eyes of the baby with a washcloth. Gradually move to other body parts.
- Once the umbilical cord is treated, you can make him bath 3-4 days a week. You can make him a bath in the baby tub while using slightly warm water and mild skin products. Do not forget to clean his body parts like underarms, around the neck, and behind the ears that creases and pay special attention to genital parts. After bathing them, dry them thoroughly and cover them with a soft towel.
Tips for Feeding
- Breastfeed your baby for 20-45 minutes until he gets six months old. Later you can use a bottle to feed him. One of the basic things that you must be aware of is signs that indicate your baby is hungry. Most of the new-borns cry or put their fingers on the lips or make sucking noise when they are hungry.
- The only way to know whether your baby is getting the optimum diet is to observe his eating patterns, keep a close eye on his weight. Also, when a mother feeds her baby, their breast is full, and it is less full when they are done with feeding. If the same is the case with you, then your baby is getting enough milk.
- One of the common problems that parents find during is burping. Babies do not burp on theirs. Instead, you have to make them burp when required. You can do the needful by patting generously on his back from one hand and while resting him on your chest from another hand. Make sure the baby burp; otherwise, it would lead to gastric problems. If required, change his position and make him burp.
Tips to Make Your Baby Sleep
- New Born sleep for 2-4 hours. They have a small digestive system and, thus, need to be feed frequently. Sing a lullaby and dab their chest generously in order to make them sleep.
- For a few weeks, you might feel sleep-deprived as your new-born will wake up at any time, and you would have to feed him or change his clothes.
- Watch out your baby's sleeping pattern for the first few weeks, and later you will not find a problem since you would be aware of his time, and accordingly, you will wake up.
- Generally, once the baby is three months old, he or she starts sleeping for 8 hours.
- Your baby should sleep on his back and ensure he gets proper space to move. After a few months, you can even design his own bed or make him sleep in the cradle.
