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Everything you need to know about Newborn Baby Caring

It is always overwhelming to see the baby you have been waiting for in your arms. You have gone through pregnancy, and now you are ready to kick-start your life with your infant. Once you are at your home, the real challenge begins when you have to take care of your baby and prevent sudden infant death syndrome.

Many parents have been finding it difficult to know how to properly take care of their babies in these overwhelming as well as difficult first weeks. To help you pass through this challenging phase, we have assembled some successful tips. These common tips and techniques can assist new parents in feeling sure about caring for their infant.

Tips to Take Care of Newborns Properly

Here is everything you need to know to properly take care of an infant and avoid sudden death syndrome:

Handling a Newborn

If you have not got enough time to spend with newborns, their tenderness may be fascinating. These are some essential basics you need to remember.

Stay hygienic: Thoroughly clean your hands before holding your baby. Infants generally lack a strong immune system, so it won’t be wrong to say they are vulnerable to infection and other diseases. Ensure that whoever is holding and playing with the baby has germs-free hands.

Carefully place the baby’s neck and head: Consciously support the neck and head while carrying your baby.

Never violently shake your baby: Violent shaking can result in nerve bursts and neural bleeding resulting in infant death. When you want to wake up your baby, instead of shaking, tickle the baby’s feet and hands gently.

Make sure safety: Ensure that the infant belt is tightly knotted to the carrier or other seats. Do not try activities that involve bouncing and rough for infants.

Don’t play rough: Keep in mind that your newborn is not ready for violent play, for instance, being jiggled and thrown high in the air.

Bonding and Soothing

Bonding is one of the most adorable times of newborn care. These activities encourage emotional connection. The bonding majorly contributes to their mental growth and impacts the development of physical growth. Another method of bonding is loving your baby unconditionally.

Begin the infant bonding by supporting and gently stroking. Sometimes babies, for instance, premature ones, stillborn, and those with health issues actively respond to massage. Few special kinds of massage strengthen growth and development. Babies also love sounds, such as singing and talking. So, take it as an opportunity to bond with your newborn.

Newborn Bodies

The baby’s body is not just small but also has unique characteristics. Knowing what to look out for can also help soothe anxiety and takes care of your baby’s comfort and cleanliness.

Face: Watching a newborn having a blotchy and red is alarming sometimes. However, acne is not harmful as well as a common condition. To cope with this condition, wash the face and neck of your baby daily with lukewarm water and gentle soap.

Eyes: Many newborn babies have yellowish discharge that gets crusted in the eye or maybe the lid, which generally occurs due to clogged tear ducts. This is not a harmful condition but is expected to last a few months. You need to clean the eye with wet cotton to avoid stiffness.

Scalps: Many babies develop a scalp problem known as cradle cap. It generally fades away in a matter of a month or two. To prevent worsening the condition, wash the newborn’s head with gentle baby shampoo.

Nose: Newborn has a narrow nasal passage that tends to clog with mucus. They generally get it cleared by blowing their nose, but in most cases, they require help. You can help them unlock the nasal passage with a little bulb-shaped syringe.

Skin: Baby’s skin is sensitive and can develop red, itchy skin, and patchy, known as eczema. It is an inherited skin condition. As babies are dependent on you, so you can help them relieve itchiness with a sort bath and mild fragrance-free shampoos. You can also apply hypoallergenic petroleum jelly right after the bath to avoid diaper rash.

Nails: The baby’s nails are soft but are able to scratch the skin severely. The idea of trimming the nails seems scary, but once you do, it is not bad and dangerous.

Umbilical Cord: It is a sensitive area that can dry and cause irritation. Keep it dry, and ultimately it will fall off in a matter of few weeks. However, you need to rely on a sponge baths and avoid the cord area covering the diaper.

Bathing

Cleanliness is essential to stay healthy and avoiding different diseases. When you are giving a bath to a newborn, you need to be extra careful and stick to sponge bath till:

The circumcisions heal
The umbilical cord falls off

It may take around 1 to 4 weeks. Giving a sponge bath to your baby two to three times a week is enough because frequent bathing may lead to dryness. Keep these things ready for bathing a baby:

A soft and clean bath cloth
Gentle and unscented baby shampoo and soap
a new or up to date diaper
clean clothes
blanket and towels
a gently brush to instigate baby’s scalps

Sponge Bath

A sponger bath chooses a secure, safe, flat clean surface in the warm room. Fill up a bowl with hot water, put off the baby’s cloth, and wrap him in the towel. Gently wipe clean the eyes with a baby warm cloth. Afterward, wash the head with baby shampoo and move it to the body.

Tub bath

After two weeks or a month, the baby is expected to be ready for a tub bath. The first bath is supposed to be polite, gentle, and short. For this bath, fill the bathtub that is not too deep, undress the baby and immediately put him in warm water.

Make sure that the tub is not deep more than 2 to 3 inches. Give support to the baby’s head with one hand. Begin the bath from the head by rubbing the finger pads or soft brush gently. Then clean the baby’s face with a damp cloth and move to the rest of the body. Gently clean the rest of the body with mild soap and lukewarm water.

Feeding the Newborn Baby

No matter if you are feeding the baby with a bottle or with breast milk, you might be wondering how common you are required to do it. Usually, doctors recommend feeding the babies according to requirements whenever they look or act hungry. The babies give hints by putting their fingers in their mouths, crying, and making different noises.

A newborn may need to be fed for 2 to 3 hours on average. If breastfeeding the baby, provide him an opportunity to feed from each breast for 10 to 15 minutes.

Some babies sleep for a long time. In this case, you may need to shake and wake them up. You can also contact a doctor if the babies seem uninterested in eating.

In the case of formula feeding, it is easy to monitor the baby’s diet, but in case you’re breastfeeding, it can be a little challenging. If the newborn looks full, makes around six wet diapers, baby sleeps well, and gains optimal weights, then he might be intaking enough.

The other notable way to notice a diet baby is to notice the breast. If the breast feels full before feeding the baby, the baby is getting enough food. Sometimes, babies also intake air that makes them cranky and fussy. To help avoid this, burp your baby after every feed. However, if the baby seems gassy, burp your baby during feeding.

Follow these burping tips for optimal food consumption:

Hold the baby upright and put the head on the shoulder. Gently pat the baby’s back while supporting the back and head.
Make your baby lay straight face-down on your lap. Cradle the head of the baby and keep it high from the chest and gently pat the back.
Make your baby sit on your lap, cradle the baby’s chest and head of the baby with one hand by supporting the chin of the baby in the palm of your hand and use your second hand to pat the back.
If the baby is not burping, change the position again at the back. Keep in mind to always burp your baby when the feeding time ends and make them stay upright for 10 to 15 minutes.

Sleep Basics

Babies do not enter the world with normal human-friendly habits. It is primarily due to their little tummies, which require a feed every 2 to 4 hours. So, you cannot expect them to sleep the entire night. However, there are some rituals that can make bedtime easier for them.

Sleep Close to them

According to the research, staying close to parents maintains the baby’s heart rate, manages the level of stress, improves the immune system, and makes feeding easier. Sharing a room also minimizes the chance of sudden infant death. Moreover, sleeping beside the baby keeps them in a lighter phase of sleep so they can try self-soothing.

Bedtime rituals

Stillborn babies cannot differentiate between day and night and their habits. You may find the baby sleeping more in day time while she’s awake late at night. In case your baby is following this method, force them gently to change their sleeping time by keeping the light low at night. Make sure that they are getting bright light in the AM and keep them as occupied as you in the morning.

Naps

Check your baby’s sleeping routine after about three months before they develop the habit. You do not have to be strict, but setting some rules and following them help both parents and babies. At the age of 9, many babies automatically develop the habit of napping around 9 to 2 pm.

Crying

Usually, newborn babies cry a lot because it is their only way of indicating their problems. However, excessive crying can sometimes be alarming. You need to figure out if it is a normal laugh or if they need something. lactation

Here are some tips to help soothe the crying baby.

Figure out the potential cause, such as if they are hungry, wet, tired, gassy, or feeling hot or cold.
Generally, newborns cry because of hunger, so let them suck on your breast for breast milk, pacifier, or fingers.
To soothe newborn babies, try recreating a womb-like environment by securely and gently swaddling them. Then snugly and strongly handle them and jiggle them while making bug sounds.
Walk, sway, rock and take them for a walk in a stroller.
No matter what method you choose, always make sure that your baby is cool. If you are stressed or tense, your baby will get the aura.

Examine the Poop or Stool of Newborn

Sometimes in the initial days after the birth, your baby is expected to pass a thick dark-green and nearly black poop known as meconium. Remember that it is normal for all newborns. In a matter of few days, a normally fed baby will start having six or more bowel movements every day, which will be light greenish and yellowish, generally filled with seed-like particles.

On the contrary, if your baby is formula fed, they are likely to pass one or more stools daily, which are thicker in consistency and yellowish in color. As long as your infant is not showing the signs or symptoms of diarrhea, variation in the stool in terms of consistency and color is normal.

Fever

Fever in infants can be a prominent symbol of serious illness. If the baby shows a rectal temperature above 100 F, call the doctor. Other signs, along with fever, such as not eating, drinking, and pain, can also show that your baby is unhealthy.

When to call a doctor

The thumb rule to ensure the best baby and women’s health and if you need to call the doctor or not is fever. As your baby ages, you can relax about minor or low-grade fever, but you need to be extra careful at this age. Check with the doctor if you feel any such symptoms.

Shows prominent changes in eating pattern.
Has an unusual or watery appearance.
Has a fever of more than 100 F,
Baby is sleeping excessively, unresponsive and lethargic.
Has a red or swollen rash on any part of the body.
Baby is extremely irritable and cries for extended periods.
Showing the symptoms of constipation and mute.

Conclusion

Taking care of a newborn baby is as difficult as keeping him in the womb. While raising the baby, you need to be extra careful and take every sign seriously. They can be cranky, irritating, and annoying because they have small tummies and are entirely dependent on you. Hence, deal with them politely to avoid sudden infant death syndrome.

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