The Secrets Of Good Newborn Care

One of the most important parts of being a parent of a newborn is looking after your baby properly and good newborn care raises the chances of your baby growing up healthy, happy, and developing at the right pace. This is because unless a baby has a specific physical problem caused either by genetic or outside reasons, giving the appropriate infant care should head off the development of any problems. This definitely conforms to the golden rule in medicine – “Prevention is better than cure.”

Newborn feeding

The Secrets Of Good Newborn Care - DieselDemon / CC BY 2.0

One of the most important activities performed by any baby is eating, and you as a mother should decide what your little one is going to eat. The ideal food for any baby is mother’s milk, and if you are able to, you should take the route of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is clearly the healthiest, most nutritious, and cleanest way to feed a baby. These days, part of the maternal care offered in many hospitals around the world includes a lactation counsellor, who visits the wards to offer help to women wishing to know more about breastfeeding. They can show you the correct way to hold your baby while feeding that will facilitate your baby’s digestion and not damage your back and how your baby can latch on properly to feed.

Sometimes, however, you may find that breastfeeding just doesn’t work for you. This could be for a variety of reasons. Some women just don’t enjoy it. Other women try it, but find that they just can’t manage it. In some cases, where the mother and baby are ill after the birth, it doesn’t work out after the baby has been kept in an incubator and fed with a bottle for some time, or if the mother has been confined to bed. But whatever the reason is, you need to find a good baby formula. You can do that by consulting with your doctor or paediatrician, and depending on your baby’s needs you should find the best formula for them.

Now that you have worked out how to feed your baby, the best thing to do is give the little one the breast or bottle whenever they seem hungry. Newborn babies tend to eat on average every three hours, but this is just an average. Some babies need to eat more, and others less. Go with your baby’s appetite, and you will soon see that it will regulate into some kind of pattern. At the beginning, breastfed babies may feed a little more erratically until your milk supply comes in. But you will get there.

Hygiene Care for Newborns

If you are bottle-feeding your baby always make sure to be meticulously carefully during these early days to sterilise the bottles and any other feeding equipment.

Although a newborn has their mother’s immunity for a while after birth, this soon drops, especially if your baby is bottle-fed. This is because a breastfed baby still takes in the mother’s antibodies through her milk, which is something that a bottle-fed baby does not get. As you would not want your baby to catch any gastric infections, you must be very careful with sterilisation. Read all of the instructions on the box of formula very carefully before making it up, to be absolutely sure that you are keeping to the rules of hygiene and good care.

Keeping your baby clean is also another important part of the care of newborns. You don’t need to give your baby a full bath every single day, but you should top and tail your baby at least once a day. This is done by laying your baby down on the changing mat with some warm water and baby soap, and simply washing your baby’s bottom and hair very gently and rinsing off the soap. You don’t need too much soap in these early days – just enough to make sure that your baby is clean. Wash those little fingers as well very gently and softly holding them between your own. Make sure that the soap you are using does not contain strong perfumes or have a high pH. Ideally, you should stick to baby soaps because newborns have very sensitive skin.

The Best Care is Love

Of course, the best way to care for a newborn is give them love. Keeping your baby clean, changing their nappies, and feeding them well are only one part of the story. Babies need love to thrive. Showing your baby love means understanding them. For example, when your baby is crying, it is not to annoy you or manipulate you.

Newborn babies cry uncontrollably sometimes. This is because they can’t express themselves in any other way. They are unable to talk, to laugh, or even to smile. Their sole means of communication is crying. And if you find that your baby is well fed, clean, and warm enough but is still crying, then – give your baby a cuddle. You can’t spoil a newborn baby and at this age the more love they get, the better. Newborn care is not only about changing nappies and feeding, love and cuddles are very important for a baby.