Giving birth to a new life is a complete rollercoaster of emotions – anxiety, happiness, fear and concern – for both parents. While as adults, you are well equipped to take care of yourself, having a newborn at home completely changes the equation.
Of course, the mother is much more involved, since she is the one giving birth; even a new father, especially if it is your first child goes through a lot of emotional turmoil. While it is a beautiful feeling to hold a newborn in your arms, it also teaches you of how to be scared of the smallest things that you did not notice earlier, like the sharp edges of a table.
This is the time when most people feel at a loss and look around for any kind of guidance they may get.
10 tips for first-time parents
- Holding A New Born Baby – This is the first thing for new born baby care that every first-time parent needs to learn. Ask your doctor or nurse to show you the right way and ensure that your baby’s neck is supported with your hand all the time. Practice with an experienced person till you get it right.
- New Born Baby Massage – This is very important for the strengthening of the baby’s bones and needs to be done carefully. The correct posture and the correct amount of pressure is very important. Learn from an experienced person and give your baby a massage in their supervision until you are able to do it on your own.
- Bathing Basics – The baby’s skin is very sensitive and hence it is important to learn how to clean and bathe a baby. The temperature of the water, the soap or wipes being used, the oil being applied, everything needs to be proper and hence you should learn from a professional how to check for each of these.
- Feeding A Baby – This is a crucial aspect since the baby is not able to talk and cries to communicate anything. Thus, it is important to understand when to feed the baby. As your doctor will tell you, mother’s milk is the best food for the baby for the initial few months. Keep in touch with the doctors to understand when you can start other liquids and then slowly introduce solid food to your baby.
- Diapering A Baby – Another critical aspect of living with a newborn is to learn how to maintain hygiene. How should you clean the baby and when and for how long should you keep your baby in the diapers. Make sure that your baby is not getting a diaper rash. Change frequently so that the baby is not left in a wet or heavy diaper for a long time.
- Sleep Tricks For A New Born – This is a tricky situation as for the initial few months, the baby will only eat and sleep. The more sleep a child gets, the better their growth. Thus, it is essential that they get as much quality sleep as possible. A simple way to ensure that your baby is getting enough sleep is to maintain their schedule even with respect to the sleeping time.
- Soothing and Comforting A New Born Baby – When the baby comes to the world for the first time, it leaves behind the comfort and safety of the mother’s womb. Thus, the child may feel scared at times. It is important to know how to soothe and comfort the baby, whether rocking a newborn or singing to them or even humming gently, each child has a different preference. With a little effort, you can find what comforts your baby.
- Help Baby To Bond With Dad – A baby bonds naturally with the mother and feels very comfortable with her. It is very important that the baby also bonds with the dad. The new mother can help the baby with this by slowly introducing the child to small games with the father.
- Choosing Good Products – There are a plethora of products available in the market for children. It is critical to choose only the best quality products for your child, whatever be the price. The most expensive products need not be the best.
- Mistakes To Avoid:
- Panicking On Anything And Everything – With a child, there will always be unexpected situations. But your panicking will scare them further, so do not panic. Stay calm and work towards finding a solution to whatever problem you have at hand.
- Waking your baby up to breastfeed – Your child will wake up on its own when they are hungry. Do not wake them up forcefully to breastfeed.
- Neglecting oral care – A child puts almost everything in their mouth. So make sure you clean their mouth properly and ensure there are no sharp objects lying around.
Author Bio:-
A brainchild of IIT alumni Vipin, Abhishek and Garima, Care24 offers professional care from trained caregivers that help the patient recuperate at home. Care24 has been in operation since 2014 and has successfully helped 40000+ families heal at home in Mumbai and Delhi.