Let’s take a look at some important calming and bathing Newborn Baby Care Tips
1.Tips for sleeping and soothing a newborn
Newborns usually sleep about 16 hours a day but in short bursts. They will cluster feed at first so it is normal for newborns to feed about 10 to 12 feedings a day, which adds up to about every 2 to 3 hours. Babies stomachs are around the size of a cheery the first day and until 12 hours after birth many are not interested in feeding. As they start to awake, first parents are not used to the unusual pattern of waking, feeding, and trying to go back to sleep, but if tired enough no matter how hard you try to stay awake your body will fall asleep on its own, hopefully not with the baby in your arms.
If tired put baby in bassinet or give to someone else. It makes sense to sleep when your baby sleeps. Take turns with a partner. Couplet care is recommended and most hospitals agree breastfeeding rates improve if baby is put to breast right after birth, and placed skin to skin. The baby will usually sleep for hours after. If baby gets too upset from environment, noise, diaper changing and has eaten, dads and moms help your newborn to calm comfortably, by swaddling the baby, placing side lying, facing out, swinging while shushing in the baby’s ear, all in the book, “Happiest Baby on the Block”, and allowing the baby to suck on his or her little hand if nails are long mittens or a sock on the hand inside out allows the baby to have the hand that it wants to suck on, all trigger the calming reflex If not breastfeeding, then a pacifier may be used otherwise lactation educators don’t recommend them until your milk is established in a couple of weeks because it may cause the baby to have an improper breastfeeding latch and cause sore nipples.
You can play light music, or white noise, or sometimes ocean sounds all on your phones, to calm them down also. A diaper change or a cold environment, can often lead to a meltdown. For example, babies can wake up due to a blanket off or a wet diaper, so keep the room temperature warm but not hot and have good circulation SIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, has been attributed to unventilated stuffy overly hot environment, also those cute bumber pads that come with your bedding set, stuffed animals, loose blankets items in crib or bassinet, co-sleeping, cigarette smoke, and last but very important, never put baby to sleep on the stomach.
The Back to Sleep program is a reminder never put baby on tummy to sleep. These newborn baby care tips are very helpful to help both the baby and the mother. Tummy time is when baby and mother are awake and baby is supervised for a few minutes on their stomach for newborns to practice lifting their heads and develop muscles for crawling later.
2.Newborn Baby Care Tips for bathing
It is very important to follow the bathing tips for newborns. It can be difficult for parents to handle a small, slippery baby while they are bathing so there are some tips which are recommended. Before the baby’s umbilical cord has fallen off ,which varies average time around 7 to 10 days do not immerse the baby in water. It is not recommended to use alcohol or any other product on the umbilical cord just keep it dry. Now it is time to give the sponge bath, or we should say, washcloth bath. In my 28 years of being a newborn nurse in a hospital, we never used a sponge we used a washcloth. Their are many YouTube videos on how to bathe a newborn before the cord comes off but, it is imperative that when bathing, all supplies are gathered first, and that includes baby wipes.
What, my darling? Yes, babies can stool, poo, or urinate during the warm bath, especially boys, so get ready to throw a diaper over the stream before it hits you, wash cloths, towels, possibly organic or natural ingredient infant soap for hair and body that does not sting the eyes, baby comb, and any clothing that will be used. To begin the baby should be bathed with a washcloth starting with each eyelid. Then use a new part of the washcloth to wash the next eyelid then face. Always stand next to the baby and support baby never leaving its side, babies can move and slip. Go from face to body then legs and last genitals, placing a dry towel to each area to dry, this sometimes can calm a cold and upset baby. Do not immerse the baby’s umbilical cord in water, keep it dry while giving the sponge bath.
Report to your Pediatrician if the umbilical cord site has active bleeding, purulent drainage green or yellow which indicates infection. Infection can go from the umbilical cord insertion site to the baby’s bloodstream and cause sepsis, serious infection in the blood. That umbilical cord was attached to the placenta and it housed two arteries and a vein which transported nutrients and oxygen to your baby and took away waste and un-oxygenated blood. When the cord falls off it will look shiny at the insertion site, but that area should dry quickly.
Now that the baby’s umbilical cord has fallen off, it’s time to take a real bath in a baby bathtub. To keep the baby warm, make the environment comfortable and remember safety first, keep all important things ready and Never leave the baby alone to gather supplies that were forgotten. Before bathing, check the water temperature to be slightly warm but never cold, or hot, as this makes a big difference between a happy baby and a baby crying and remember hold by back of neck and buttocks to transport to safe area with an open dry towel, as newborns tend to very slippery.
Before you know it they will start to roll and babies can roll off of beds, changing tables etc. if leaving the baby unattended. If you feel you need to, get help, until you feel comfortable with bathing your baby. After learning how to safely pick up and handle your baby and put them down and wrap them then that is when you will have more confidence. Some classes have you practice with a doll just to get used to these things. Most Hospitals offer baby care classes before you have your baby so that you can get support from others learning with you.
Why does everyone say that babies do not come with manuals? For fathers a cute way to appeal to them is by a baby’s user manual laid out like a man would read about his car.
The Baby Owner’s Manual: Operating Instructions, as a baby RN, I enjoyed seeing a new father reading it in his baby and mom’s maternity room for helpful hints on baby’s care. He was beaming with confidence with his first baby wrap right from the book.