To help you in these first weeks as a first-time mother, here are a few tips
The arrival of a baby is one of the greatest joys you can experience in life, but also one of the most stressful experiences. Especially, if it’s your first child. And understanding a newborn is not easy. To help you in these first weeks as a new mother, here we give you a series of tips for caring your child that will answer many of your questions.
How many times does your baby eats?
Possibly food is one of the issues that most headaches gives to first-time parents.
The first thing you need to know about this issue is that newborns have a very small stomach and that means they eat few times several times a day. This means that you must feed them on demand either by breastfeeding, as recommended by the WHO (World Health Organization) or using formula.
Once they’ve eaten, the ideal is to help them expel their gases. To do this, lie your baby on your shoulder and pat softly on the back. That will help your baby, although it’s also likely to have no effect. In that case, a massage your baby in the guts to release all gases.
If after breastfeeding your baby regurgitates, don’t worry. It’s because your baby has taken too much milk.
How can you bathe a newborn?
The hygiene of the child also tends to raise many doubts in first-time mothers. Should we bathe our baby every day? Hot or warm water? What is the best cream?
Although the usual practice is to bathe the baby every day both for hygiene and as a way to relax the baby, the fact is that there are many experts who recommend that it’s not necessary to do it daily, because there is a risk that the skin of the little one will dry out.
Whatever your choice and the recommendation of your pediatrician, the truth is that water should be warm, at about 36ºC and you should use neutral soaps as natural as possible.
As for moisturizers, they are necessary for your baby to enjoy a smooth and hydrated skin. Try using them without parabens, preservatives and only use natural ingredients.
Irritation in the diaper area, what do I do?
Due to sweat, urine and feces, it’s very normal for the child to have irritation in the diaper area. In that case, change the diaper very frequently and wash its butt with water and neutral soap. Then, choose a good paste cream that serves as an insulator. Another option is to add some virgin olive oil to the area.
This last advice also serves for any irritation in another part of the body: Neck, armpits, groin…
Should I cut my baby’s nails?
Are your baby’s nails too long and has dawn with a scratched face? At this moment, it’s time to arm with courage and cut your baby’s nails. It must be done very carefully, because they are very thin and soft. One option is to file them instead of using nail clippers.
However, to prevent the child from getting injured again, it’s best to put on some mittens. In addition to preventing scratches, it will keep your baby’s hands warm.
How do I lay the baby on the crib?
When laying your baby in the crib, you can put your baby on its back and on its side. In fact, the best thing is that you vary your baby’s posture to avoid plagiocephaly, or malformed skull bones by abusing of a certain position when lying your baby on the crib.
You must also remember that you should never sleep your child on its stomach, as there are certain indications that suggest that this position could be related to cases of sudden infant death.
How long does a baby sleep?
One of the big questions that parents ask is whether their baby will sleep well or not. Well, that doubt can only be answered by your baby.
The general trend is that newborns often sleep intermittently almost all day, about 16 hours. And as they grow up, they need to sleep less but their naps are longer.
What is the best toy?
Although it’s still a bit early to start with didactic games, the truth is that after 4 or 5 months is a good time to start thinking of your baby’s first toy. The best games are those that allow babies reinforce their visual-manual coordination and begin with their cognitive and emotional development. For this, the rattles, teethers and park toys with bright colors and sounds are ideal for these first months.