Are you expecting? Or, are you a new mother? If your answer is ‘yes’ for either of these questions, then congratulations. You have stepped into the most wholesome phase of being a human. New motherhood is an example of the concurrent birth of a new baby and a new mother. Being a new mother is just as exciting as it is frightening. As a result, you are prone to worry about taking care of your baby without making any mistakes that ail the newborn.
Now you have responsibilities to take care of. From skin care products to feeding, clothing, all needs the attention of the mother. But there is no need to worry; here are five tips that will help you take care of the newborn baby without missing out on any crucial caregiving that the newborn requires.
5 Newborn Baby Care Tips
Babies are very fragile, gentle, and delicate. Whenever you touch or hold them, you need to be extra careful. So, when a baby is coming to light up your world, you have to be very careful to give the best care that they deserve.
Here are the five most important things you need to remember when taking care of a baby.
Handling
Newborn babies are very tempting because every time you see one, you want to hold them. But it would help if you remembered how fragile they are and handled them with extra care. So, here are a few things you must do when you are holding a baby-
Always wash your hands before holding the baby. Babies have a very timid immune system, and you cannot risk them getting infected by any virus or bacteria. As a responsible mom, make sure everyone who holds the baby washes their hands.
Support the baby’s head and neck when you are holding the baby. When carrying the baby upright or laying them down, be sure to hold their heads and be gentle. Also, be very cautious when you are traveling with a newborn, and be extra supportive. Shaking a newborn is strictly prohibited. Shaking may cause internal bleeding in the baby’s brain. If you want to wake them up, do it by gently touching or tickling them instead of shaking them.
Bathing and Hygiene
Give your newborn only sponge baths for around four weeks after birth. Until the umbilical cord falls off and the baby’s navel heals fully, you only need to stick to a sponge bath for the little newborn. Also, bathing the baby only three or four times a week is enough. If the bathing is more frequent than that, the baby’s skin may dry.
For a sponge bath, you need.
1. A clean and soft washcloth.
2. A bucket of warm water.
3. Mild organic baby soap.
4. Towels.
5. Clean Diaper.
6. Clean clothes.
When giving the baby a sponge bath to make sure that the room is warm, you need to lay down the baby on the floor or on a bathing table. Now, you need warm water; make sure that it is only warm, not hot.
Soak the washcloth in warm water and gently wipe your baby’s body with the soaked cloth. You can use the baby soap, but make sure to wipe the baby with the washcloth soaked in clean, warm water. Also, always maintain your hygiene before washing the baby or even touching him.
Clothing
You can have the motherly joy of dressing up your baby in cute little outfits, but that fancy has to wait for at least a month.
But for the first few weeks, stick to the normal clothes that are soft and comforting. Also, do not buy too many clothes for the baby because the baby will grow rapidly, and all those clothes will not fit him after months. Instead, you can keep a few onesies, baby sleepers, socks, etc.
Feeding
Until the age of six months, the doctors only recommend breast milk for the babies. But you may wonder how often you should breastfeed the baby. Generally, the doctors recommend that you breastfeed the baby whenever they feel hungry. How do you know the baby is hungry? The babies cry when they are hungry; they also may put their fingers in their mouth; they can make gestures of sucking, suggesting that they are hungry.
You need to feed the baby after every two or three hours. When breastfeeding, let the baby nurse for around ten to fifteen minutes. In each feeding, the baby may take two to three-ounce of milk. Some babies need to be woken up for feeding.n If this becomes a habit, you need to consult with a doctor.
Diapering
Diapering is a very important part of a baby’s care. The babies are experts at getting themselves dirty at least ten times a day. So, you need many diapers. As to which type of diapers you may use, you can use cloth diapers, or you can use disposable ones.
A mother always has to stay prepared to change the baby’s diapers. Here are a few things that you can keep close in case the baby does the dirty work.
1. New Clean Diapers.
2. Diapers Ointments.
3. Diaper Wipes.
For every change of diapers, lay down your baby and change the diapers gently. Clean the genital area and apply ointments to prevent rash or irritation.
Conclusion
Just after the baby’s birth, keep him close to the mother because it helps create a bond between the baby and the mother. Skin-to-skin attachment with their mother right after the baby’s birth will help them grow in a better place.
The five tips are definitely not enough since a mother has to do a lot more than that. But these tips are the ones that will get you started to take care of your newborn baby.
