Whilst there are many different things that you can fill your house with prior to the arrival of your new baby, there are only a few things that are truly essential. Your child will need clothes to wear and somewhere to sleep and bathe. In basic terms that is about it.
First and foremost, your new baby will need somewhere to sleep. You should look to get something practical and functional that will fulfill all of your requirements. The mattress should be nice and thin and soft and should fit nicely within the crib, covered by a cotton sheet.
You must make sure that there is no pillow or any sort of cushions as these can prevent the air from circulating properly which can lead to the baby over-heating which can prove fatal. For coverings, use cotton blankets and make sure that they do not have any loose threads hanging off as these can prove to be a choking hazard, particularly as the child get older.
When you out your baby to bed make sure that they are on their back. Keep a lose eye on them using a summer baby monitor or something similar that allows you to see and hear your baby whenever you are not around.
In terms of clothing, do not concern yourself with anything fashionable as this is purely vanity on the parents part since the child will have no idea what it is wearing. Go for clothes that are safe and comfortable instead, as these should be your primary considerations. Soft machine washable fabrics are good, and try to get hold of cotton clothing ahead of wool or synthetics. This will prove less likely to irritate the baby’s skin.
During bath time, you can quite easily start off by washing your child in the sink, but many parents will not want to do this. Instead look to get some sort of baby bath that is attachable to the main tub. A good option is a spa baby as these allow the child to relax and sit upright and it reduces the possibility of drowning.
Make sure that you have some baby bath towels at hand for drying the baby, choosing soft fabrics that will be nice against their skin. You will also want to get a car seat for the car for when you travel.
Knowing when an infant is ill can be a challenge for new parents. Medical professionals field so many questions from mothers of newborns that they often treat concerns as nothing more than just new-mama nerves. Rather than trust her own instincts, a mother can begin to doubt herself.
Fortunately, even new parents can objectively measure their baby’s health.
THE FIRST WEEK During the first week of life a baby should nurse at least 8 times a day for more than 15 minutes at each feeding. Listen and you should hear the baby swallowing milk. Baby’s first bowel movement will be a black paste called muconium. You should see it progress from greenish-black to a brown soft play-dough consistency. By day 4 or 5 the color will be yellow. Wet diapers will appear by the second day. The number of wet diapers will increase to two or three each day be the end of the week.
A baby that is not doing well will also give hints to his condition during the first week. If a baby has no desire to nurse, has a weak suck, feeds less than 8 times per day and can’t manage to feed for at least 15 minutes, these are reasons for concern. If a baby falls asleep before nursing for 15 minutes, makes a clicking sound when nursing, and has dimpled cheeks when sucking, these are also indications that there is some difficulty. If the pattern of stools don’t progress and transition and there aren’t wet diapers within two days of birth, this is not normal. Such symptoms persisting for two days mean your child should be seen by a health care provider.
THE FIRST FOUR WEEKS The signs that your baby is healthy will be pretty much the same throughout the next month. For weeks 2 through 4, the baby will continue to nurse at least eight times a day and have 2 to 4 yellow bowel movements per day. Urine should be clear, not yellow, 6-8 times per day. The baby’s suck will gain in strength; You should see some milk at feeding and hear your baby swallowing. Your baby’s alertness will increase as well as his size.
Take special note of anything out of the ordinary: infrequent feedings, small stools or missed stools, decreased urination or bright yellow urine. Measure your baby’s length and weight; these should increase. You’ll know something is not right if your baby’s sucking becomes weak, you can’t hear swallowing at feedings, the baby becomes lethargic and slow to respond or stops sleeping between feedings. These behaviors for two consecutive days mean you should seek medical assistance.
WEEKS FIVE THROUGH TEN A baby may change from 8 to 7 feedings per day during this time. As your little one grows, he can take larger feedings. Bowel movements will continue to change and will settle into a pattern of either several small stools in a day or a large bowel movement every 2 days. In breastfed babies, this is normal because the body assimilates much of the milk with little waste. Six to eight wet diapers will continue daily, but check to be sure there isn’t a concentrated yellow color. You should notice that your baby is increasing in his awareness, has a stronger suck, audible swallowing and a little milk dripping at feeding time.
During this 5th to 10th week you may have reason for concern if your baby doesn’t nurse at least seven times per day or produce the right amount of wet (not bright yellow) diapers each day. Make a note if your child stops gaining weight or doesn’t grow in length. A baby that isn’t getting enough nourishment may have a weak sucking reflex and may nurse without an audible swallow. If your baby becomes slow to respond, sluggish and stops sleeping between feedings, contact a health care provider. A couple of days in a row of these indicators mean that something is not well with your baby.
MONITORING YOUR BABY Knowing when your baby last ate and how often can be complicated enough if you were operating on a full night’s rest. Expecting a new, sleep-deprived mama to do this can be overwhelming. One solution is to keep a pencil and a notebook near the sleeping baby. Whenever mama feeds or changes the baby, note the time and what was done along with your observations. For example, you might write: “4:00 p.m., b-fed 15 min., wet diaper – clear, no poop” Start with a clean sheet each day. Write the date at the top of the page.
This way, should anything seem out of the ordinary, you can refer to your notes and present them to a doctor if needed. This is also a good way for a new mama to bond with her baby. You may be too tired to figure out why your baby is crying, but a quick check of your notes will tell you if it’s been too long since he ate (hunger) or if he hasn’t had a bowel movement that day (constipation). This helps mama learn the different sounds of her baby’s cries. This goes a LONG ways towards helping a new mama learn to trust her instincts when it comes to her baby.
Yet, BEST advice is often the most common advice, and it comes from the not-so-new mothers. Don’t take for granted any of those first weeks. Other things can wait while you take the time to get to know your baby. Too soon, they are no longer little.
Interested in more child training tips? No Greater Joy is a ministry dedicated to helping parents bring up children they enjoy. They have written a bestseller called To Train Up A Child that has helped thousands.
Babies are beautiful and cute, but they can’t communicate to the point where we completely understand what they are feeling. They either laugh, cry, or whine about something. It’s up to us as parents to try to understand what they are trying to tell us. Companies that create and develop various products geared toward babies can also help us along the way.
Many items are created specifically for babies, while others are created for everyone alike. Take for example baby bath tubs. These are created specifically to keep your child safe from any harm, while taking a bath. They are generally made with a hard plastic that will reduce any injuries from occurring, should they bumped themselves against the surface.
The fact is, there is a lot of danger when it comes to bathing your baby. When you apply soap, they become extremely slippery. So it’s best to keep them in tubs that are designed for them. Furthermore, make sure that the water temperature is correct. You can do this by checking it with your elbow. Don’t use your hands as they have become more desensitized over time.
To make baby more pleasurable for your baby, make sure that the room temperature is just right as well. If you find it slightly chilly, a portable space heater can correct this very quickly. Keeping your baby warm is crucial. When the bath is done, quickly remove him and wrapped him in his towels.
Protection throughout your home and especially in the car is crucial. So it’s important that you choose the right car seat. The Snugride car seat can offer you everything you’re looking for and protection, just as the numerous manufacturers who developed them.
It’s always best to choose a product that is highly recommended. However, for those people who are budget conscious, that might be a challenge. But, if you start shopping early on, you might be able to find bees, top products on sale. You can even buy them online, as many people have gotten incredible deals over the years in this manner.
The truth is that you have to consider many things when it comes to your baby. Proper clothing, right temperature in the rooms, and a slew of other things. Important to stay on top of things and make sure that everything is right. Although it might seem like a challenge in the beginning, everything will fall into place and work properly as you gain experience and confidence as a parent.
