Positive Parenting – 5 Tips that Will Help You During Your Baby’s First Year
Photo: Wesley Tingey/Unsplash
New parents are always looking for tips as it’s their first time caring for a child full-time. While your baby’s first year of life is exciting, it can be overwhelming too.
Irrespective of your parenting style, it’s always a good idea to get helpful hints on parenting. Here are five of the most helpful tips to keep in mind as you start your parenthood journey:
- Germ-free Living
Newborn babies must be protected from germs in and around the house. To do this, you’ll need to take certain precautions such as using a proper bottle sterilizer when storing breast milk in baby bottles or even when bottle feeding. You’ll also go through baby wipes like crazy since they’re good for more than just cleaning up at diaper change times. So, be sure to stock up, and don’t be afraid to go for the big value packs!
2. Ask for (and Accept) Help
As any decent parenting book will tell you, there’s no shame in asking for help. In fact, you’ll need all the help you can get during those first few months with baby.
When trusted family members and friends reach out to help, accept their offers. You’ll need help dealing with the gamut of new emotions that often come flooding in when dealing with a newborn baby, not to mention the seemingly never-ending list of chores that come along for the ride.
Having your mum or an aunt help out for a few minutes while you take a walk or run errands can prove very beneficial in the long run.
3. Follow Baby’s Sleep Patterns
Contrary to popular belief, babies actually sleep quite a lot during the day. In fact, you might find that your baby sleeps for over 16 hours! Of course, your baby will most likely require feeds to fill through the night for quite some time.
That’s why it’s important to track your baby’s daytime sleeping routine. Doing so gives you a better chance of being able to catch up on that much-needed forty winks when they take their daytime naps. Then you’ll be ready to wake up whenever your baby needs you in the middle of the night.
4. Get Ready to Change Diapers
It is not uncommon for the parents of a newborn baby to feel like they’re doing nothing but changing diapers all day. It’s true that you need to regularly check your baby’s diaper to make sure that they’re not wet and try to change them as frequently as possible to avoid nappy rashes.
Babies do cry when they are wet or uncomfortable, but some babies are quieter than others, so it’s important to constantly check the diaper. Be sure to keep your diaper changing equipment ready at all times, including your nappy rash cream, wet wipes, and wet cotton balls.
5. Feeding Your Baby
The easiest way to track your baby’s feeding schedule is to only feed them when they’re hungry. For many breastfeeding moms, it can be difficult to figure out when their baby is actually hungry, so it can be tempting to keep checking if they want to latch.
The good news is that babies will cry when they are hungry. They may also put their fingers in their mouth or make suckling sounds. The most important thing is to ensure that your baby gets enough to eat so they can meet their nutritional needs.
Follow these tips, and you are bound to do well caring for your newborn. If you’re ever in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask for advice from your doctor or your family.