Newborn Care 101: Baby Care Tips For First Time Parents

First things first, congratulations on your pregnancy, and if you’ve already had a baby: congratulations on your new love!  

Having a newborn is one of the most exciting phases in the life of first-time parents. You’re on a constant rollercoaster regarding emotions: one moment, you’re all happy and confident in what you’re doing just to realise you know nothing a few minutes after that. This is often accompanied by the postpartum hormones raging and causing the new mum to feel every emotion on the spectrum – from extreme happiness to crippling anxiety. And dads often feel helpless too, not knowing what to do. It feels terrifying, doesn’t it? What can help you in such challenging times? 

Oftentimes, there’s someone more experienced to help you as new parents, like your parents or friends. And, more and more parents get prepared by taking pre-birth courses or reading books. Although all this can be very helpful, first-time parents are often left all by themselves. Many others say that no course can prepare you enough for those first hours and days when you come back from the hospital. Every baby is different, and so are the situations you must go through. Having the right, on-time information on what you can do in these early hours of your baby’s life and some baby care items is vital for you to calm down and feel ”I got this”. But before you start googling on everything baby and stock on registry must-haves and clothes, consider these simple but powerful tips on newborn baby care to make the transition smooth and easy for both baby and you.

Stock Up with the Right Baby Care Products

Having the right products for taking care of your newborn can be compared to having the right tools in a craftsman’s toolbox. You can’t get a job done properly without the right tools. It’s the same with having the right infant care supplies: sometimes, you can’t help your baby without having the right products on hand. Being so essential for baby care, it’s very useful to have some of these early on, even before giving birth. Others that aren’t as necessary you can buy later or wherever you need them. 

The good news is you can order essential baby care products online, with a single click from the comfort of your home and get them delivered to your address. This can be very convenient for new parents, as they don’t always get the opportunity to leave the house once their little bundle of joy arrives. What products do you need for a newborn baby? And how can you use the baby care products in your everyday care for your little bub?

Ensure Proper Skin Care

Newborns’ skin is sensitive, and therefore it’s prone to rashes. That’s why it needs proper care and hygiene. Younger babies pee and poop more often than older ones, so you need to change their nappies more often, or their soft skin will get irritated. And sometimes rashes happen although you’ve taken the best care of the nappy area due to some allergic reaction or simply because it’s so gentle. 

Having the right skincare products on hand can help you prevent rashes and other skin conditions or take care of them early on so they don’t get too complicated. If you decide on using reusable nappies, wash them using a mild detergent suitable for sensitive baby skin. If you’re using disposable nappies, choose ones with cotton lining.

Ensuring proper hygiene is essential for preventing rashes and ensuring your baby isn’t experiencing any discomfort. Every time you change the diaper, clean the area using water wipes. Then apply a nappy cream to moisturise and provide the barrier that your baby’s skin needs.

When choosing skin care products for your baby, make sure you go for trusted brands. Products that are specifically designed for babies are mostly free of parabens, dyes and phthalates but make sure to always check by reading the labels. Natural products are a safe bet because they don’t contain chemicals that can be harsh to your newborn skin.

Soothe and Comfort Your Baby

The best way to soothe a newborn is to keep them close to you. The skin on skin time with their mum and dad often calms them down since they can hearyour skin’s warmth andr beating heart. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by this, think of the great transition they’ve been through in the last days coming earthside: from the noisy, dark and warm environment in your womb they got to the outside in a world full of noises and lights they don’t understand. You’re the only thing that hasn’t changed and that’s why they only feel safe when they’re near you. 

However, there are going to be times that you need to get stuff done and that’s when you need props like soothers and comforters. Sucking’s power to calm babies is amazing. It lowers the heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels, it even reduces crying. Although breastfed babies often prefer the breast over a dummy, almost every baby will take on whatever they’re offered as means of comfort. Make sure you have several clean soothers on hand to reach for at any time so you can provide your baby with the comfort she needs. Also, having a dummy attached to your baby’s clothes with a chain and a clipper will prevent it from falling off to the ground and thus spare you the time for getting a new one over and over again.

Know Your Options on Feeding the Baby

Breast is best they say, and it’s great when both mum and baby succeed in breastfeeding. However, for some mothers,s breastfeeding isn’t an option because of medical issues,s and others don’t see themselves in that role. And that’s perfectly fine. The only truth is that fed is best: as long your baby is fed, she’s happy and so should you. No one should make you feel pressured to do something you don’t like.

Whatever feeding method you’re using, it can be useful to have some formula and bottles at home. In that case, you won’t feel pressured to do things you don’t want to, like continuing to breastfeed when it doesn’t go the way it supposes to. That way you can also have peace in mind that you have options whenever you feel your baby is hungry and not getting enough milk from you. And if you decide to bottle feed on purpose, then make sure you have all the equipment you need besides some formula and bottles. Such equipment might include different types of formula and bottles, bottle cleaners and other useful stuff.

Don’t Forget to Care for Yourself

When caring for a baby, it’s easy to forget about yourself. Until you feel so exhausted and sleep-deprived that you won’t be able to take care of anyone. That’s why it’s important to take turns with your significant other in caring for the baby. And if you’re a single mum, build your tribe as it does take a village to raise a child. When you take time to nourish yourself, you’ll be in a better condition to give your baby the attention and the care she needs.