Just had a baby? Is it hard to wash him? The more you wash him, the more his skin gets dry? Then using a moisturizer gives a weird reaction to his skin? From buying diapers to buying baby freebies every step is essential for babys growth. You can know more about baby freebies with this article. Recent studies have shown that 70% of the young and new parents don’t know anything about taking care of a newborn, and then they do things of their own volition, which is very detrimental to the baby’s health. If you’re about to have a baby or just had a baby, you should take out five minutes from your life to read this article on how to take care of a newborn baby.
How to take care of your newborn baby
Everyone knows how to change and clean a baby, but what is overlooked by many parents is the skin’s hydration conditions. It is a known fact that a baby’s skin can absorb water way faster than an adult’s, but it can also lose water quickly too! Over 10% of the mothers surveyed believed that their babies had dry skin, but they were suffering from clinical dryness. The market is equipped with many baby lotions that can make the baby’s skin soft and silky if used regularly and properly, thus eliminating the risk of dryness or any other irrational skin disease.
Handling a newborn could be a daunting task because of its fragility, and a minor mistake can cause a mishap. Here are some pro tips on how to handle a newborn-
- The head is the heaviest part of the human body, and the baby’s head and neck should always be supported when picking him up.
- The immune system of a newborn is very inept and could catch up to infection pretty quickly, so it is of utmost importance to wash or sanitize your hands before you touch your baby (even if you’re the mother).
- At no cost should a baby be shaken, neither for playing nor in frustration. Shaking could easily lead to internal bleeding in the head and cause imminent death.
- The baby should permanently be fastened or placed inside four walls like a crib because a newborn’s body cannot handle the slightest bounce, which also rules out tossing him into the air (not even for fun).
The above points should not be misinterpreted for swaddling a baby. A parent can swaddle a baby with precision, but that should only happen after they’re two months old because they can roll over independently.
Diaper requirements
As mentioned earlier, everybody knows how to dipper, but a lot of times, a mother who is alone with the baby can run into instances that can lead to an unmitigated disaster. To give a heads-up, an average baby will dirty a dipper 70 times a week and approximately ten times a day. It is necessary to make sure that everything is in close proximity so that the parent doesn’t have to leave the baby unattended even for a minute. With diapering comes a common concern of a diaper rash which frequently happens to a baby, leaving the acutely aware parents dumbstruck. Mostly, a rash will occur due to the over-sensitive skin, which gets irritated by wet or dirty diapers. A typical rash should go away in a few days, but wet wipes and ointments in the genital area could ease the job.
Feeding the baby
A lot of questions are asked by new parents regarding the feeding of a newborn and particularly the timing for it. Usually, the baby will hint at you by crying or making sucking noises, but in general, a baby should be fed every 2-3 hours. At night, the newborns sometimes have to be woken up to be provided. Consulting your doctor should be more helpful in this case.
If your baby is sleeping too much, gaining weight, and crying less for food, it probably means that it is being overfed. Burping comes in handy in this case. Babies would often swallow a lot of air while eating, which would make them fussy. It is recommended to burp your baby every 60- 90 milliliters if you bottle-feed him with baby milk formula or breast milk.
Baby sleeping needs
After doing all this, you would expect to sleep peacefully through the night along with the baby, but you’re wrong. Yes, a baby eats, poops, and sleeps for 16 hours a day, but the sleeping cycle is usually 2-4 hours max. Your baby needs nourishment, and hence it is essential for you to wake him up and feed him every four hours (or simply don’t worry, the baby will give you a clue by crying in the middle of the night). Also, some important tips for baby sleeping are-
- Put the baby in a bassinet and do not stuff it with toys or too much blanket.
- You should alternate the position of the baby’s head every time he sleeps to reduce the chances of a flat spot on one side of the head.
- It is always recommended to put your baby on the back to sleep to reduce the chances of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome).
Conclusion
Parents usually panic when it comes to newborns. There are many things to be processed, but more importantly, a parent should be mentally calm and financially prepared to take care of an infant, which is not that difficult after all.
