Welcoming a new member to the family can be an exhilarating but challenging experience. First-time parents often find it difficult to adjust to and look after their babies. The child changes your lifestyle with its insatiable demand for attention and disrupts your sleep schedule.
However, looking after a newborn doesn’t have to be too hard, and dedicated parents never shy away from doing everything they can to keep their little bundle of joy happy and healthy. If you’re struggling with this task, here are some helpful tips:
1. Ensure their healthy development
Ensure your newborn is growing properly by keeping track of developmental milestones. For example, some common milestones for a year-old baby are smiling, first steps, rolling over, and waving goodbye. You should also watch out for congenital disabilities, such as Erb’s Palsy, that usually arise because of a birth injury but take time to manifest as a full-blown problem.
If you suspect your baby has sustained a birth injury because of the medical staff’s negligence, you can take legal action by contacting a lawyer. An Erbs Palsy settlement can help you receive a payout between $1 million to $4.5 million and helps pay for the child’s recovery. In most cases, babies recuperate and regain movement in their arms and shoulders after some time.
2. Make the house safer
Welcoming a newborn into your house necessitates making the place safer for them. You must child-proof your home by creating a safe environment. Secure electrical outlets, install safety gates, and keep dangerous items out of the child’s reach. Install smoke, radon, and carbon monoxide detectors all over the house. Cover sharp edges and corners. Invest in a quality crib and keep the baby on their back. Ensure the crib or bassinet is properly set up without missing parts or loose screws to protect the newborn.
3. Hold your baby safely
Babies like to be cuddled because they feel loved and secure. Cuddling gives them a sense of security and comfort while regulating their body temperature. Mothers must provide skin-to-skin contact to their children to enhance the baby’s emotional well-being and strengthen their bond with the little one.
When holding a newborn, support the head and the neck, and cradle them in your arms or rest their head against your shoulder. Never shake the baby, even when playing with them. Keep one arm around them for support and balance while sitting down.
4. Keep the baby warm
Babies can’t regulate their body temperature for some time after birth, which is why it is better to keep them warm. Keep the room temperature between 68°F to 72°F to make your baby feel comfortable. Choose warm garments for them and keep them wrapped in a cloth. When bathing them, ensure the water is neither hot nor cold.
5. Soothe your baby properly
A baby spends 1 to 4 hours a day crying. They cry when they’re hungry or thirsty, need a diaper change, feel too hot or cold, or want to be picked up and cuddled. Crying is the only form of communication for a little human.
To soothe a crying baby, swaddle them in a warm blanket to make them feel safe and cozy, hold and rock them gently while singing a lullaby, or give them a pacifier. If the crying becomes intense, consult your baby’s doctor because they could be in pain.
6. Master baby talk
Baby talk helps parents bond with a kid and help the kid learn the human language. Baby talk promotes adult-child engagement as children respond better to it than to adult-oriented conversations. Moreover, baby talk has a calming effect on newborns and helps to reduce anxiety. Your newborn’s cognitive development gets better when you communicate with the child.
7. Reassure their older siblings
Sibling rivalry is pretty natural, as older siblings may feel a little jealous of the family’s newest member. They can feel like the baby is taking up too much of their parents’ time and eventually become resentful. You can manage this sibling rivalry by letting older siblings help you out in looking after the baby. Involve them by assigning different tasks, such as picking out toys, looking after the child when you’re not in the room, preparing cereal or milk, etc.
Also, praise your older children for looking after their younger siblings; this will help them feel useful and valued. Reassure them that you haven’t stopped caring for them.
8. Look after the baby’s skin
You may be inclined to apply lotion on a newborn’s skin, but there’s no need to do that for the first few days. Baby skin is sensitive, and skin products may irritate them. So don’t apply anything before patch-testing it properly. When your baby turns a month old, you may consider applying lotion regularly.
Skincare for babies revolves around keeping them clean, washing them properly, keeping them out of the sun, and trimming their nails. Change their diapers to avoid a rash. Moreover, it’s okay to use sunscreen when your little kid is half a year old. You should contact a dermatologist to recommend some quality baby lotions for your newborn. Make sure you invest in an organic product for the kid. Chemical products are bad for a kid’s sensitive skin.
Conclusion
Looking after a newborn is a journey with its ups and downs. There will be sleepless nights, night breastfeeding or baby formula feedings, and diaper changes. Still, it can be a rewarding experience for both parents when they’re equipped with the right information and resources. Follow the guidelines mentioned in this article, including choosing the right nutrition for your baby, such as HiPP Formula. When confused, seek a doctor’s advice about congenital disabilities and other matters. You can give your child the best start to their life by loving and caring for them throughout infancy.
