Best parenting tips from parents to parents on how to feed, comfort, and more during Baby’s first few days at home. Jasmine, our daughter, was born six weeks ago. She is finally getting better sleep and extending her eating intervals. When she is awake, she is also growing more alert. On the other side, my spouse and I had the sensation of being struck by a truck. We have managed to get by, which astounds me. During the first month, newborn babies need hands-on attention around the clock.
Here are the best parenting tips for caring for a newborn infant during the first month: how to nurse, calm, sleep, include your partner, go out, and maintain your sanity. Keep in mind that you and your kid are both beginners. Both of you will discover your groove with some practice and time. We spoke with experienced parents and infant professionals to make your first month easier. This is what they discussed.
Best Parenting Tips for Newborn Babies
Here are some best parenting tips for newborn babies:
Best Parenting Tips Regarding Sleeping
Your baby is probably asleep if he is not feeding. Even though it happens in small bursts, newborns can sleep up to 16 hours daily. As a result, you will experience greater exhaustion than imagined yet feel constantly attentive. Even the most optimistic among us may grow to dislike the extreme lack of sleep.
Quit dwelling on your fatigue. The primary objective at the moment is to take care of your infant. According to Vicki Lansky, author of Getting Your Child to Sleep and Back to Sleep, “You are not going to get a full night’s sleep, so you may either be exhausted and furious or weary.” “Being exhausted is easier.”
Work in shifts. The grumpy infant is rocked by Mom one night, then by Dad the next. Bill and Jessica, who live in Denver with their parents, devised a plan for the weekends when Richard wasn’t working. “I got to sleep despite staying up late with the baby. Richard completed all the morning tasks before getting to take a nap.”
The proverb “Sleep when your baby sleeps” is one of the best parenting tips. Take naps together and go to bed early, advises Washington, D.C. mother Sarah Clark.
What if your child has problems falling asleep? Whatever it takes, please do it. Let your infant sleep on your chest or in the car seat while you rock or nurse them to sleep. “Concerning bad habits, wait a while. Your survival is at stake! “Los Angeles mother, Jean Farnham.
Best Parenting Tips Regarding Soothing
In the initial hazy weeks, it might be challenging to determine exactly what Baby wants. Trial and error will be how you learn.
“The secret to calming fussy babies is to imitate the womb. Swinging, shushing, swaddling, letting babies suck, and keeping them on their sides all encourage the soothing reflex, “says Harvey Karp, MD, the man behind the books, films, and DVDs titled The Happiest Baby on the Block.
Sing songs. Instead of focusing on the unproven notion that music makes a newborn smarter, consider the likelihood that it will help him relax. A mother from Anchorage, Alaska, Kim Rich, claims, “The Baby Einstein tapes saved us.”
Get things going: A parent from Los Angeles named Alexandra Komisaruk discovered that diaper changes led to temper tantrums. Using paper towels and warm water in a pumpable thermos, she says she prepared warm wipes. You can alternatively get an electric wipe warmer for a newborn with delicate skin.
You will also need other strategies. Performing deep knee bends and lunges while holding my daughter helped to calm her down, said Brooklyn, New York, mom Emily Earle. The plus side was that I regained my leg shape.
Relax by soaking. Try taking a warm bath together if all else fails and Baby’s umbilical cord stub has fallen off. According to Boston mom Emily Franklin, a relaxed mother can soothe a baby.
Best Parenting Tips Regarding Participating Partners
In a two-parent household, it is crucial to divide the workload and allow each parent to understand what needs to be done for the baby to thrive.
Leave them alone. Many new dads are hesitant to engage involved out of concern about doing something wrong and angering Mom. In the New Father: A Dad’s Guide to the First Year, author Armin Brott advises mothers to refrain from condemning their husbands when they make mistakes.
After all the family members have left, take time off work. Check to determine if partners can utilize their vacation or sick days if they do not have access to parental leave through their jobs. That is what Brooklyn, New York, resident Thad Calabrese did. “I had more to do, plus I got to spend some alone time with my son.”
Split up the work. Los Angeles father, Mark DiStefano, took charge of the grocery shopping and housekeeping. “Each afternoon, I also took Ben for a short walk so my wife could have some alone time.”
Partners also want to have some fun. To hold the infant on my chest as we napped, says Bob Vonnegut, a father from Islamorada, Florida, “I used to take my shirt off.” “I cherished the beat of our hearts pounding in time.”
Best Parenting Tips Regarding Remaining Sane
No matter how thrilled you are to be a parent, providing continual care for a baby can wear you out. Discover how to care for yourself by decreasing your standards and taking quick pauses.
First, disregard unsolicited or unclear counsel. Julie Balis, a mother from Frankfort, Illinois, says, “In the end, you’re the parents; therefore, you determine what’s best.”
Alison Mackonochie, author of 100 Tips for a Happy Baby, advises forgetting about housework for the first few months. “Be sure to focus on getting to know your child. If somebody complains about the dirty dishes or the mounting dust, smile and offer them dish soap or a duster!”
Accept assistance from anyone kind—or gullible—enough to offer it. Jeanne Anzalone, a mother from Croton-on-Hudson, New York, advises, “If a neighbor asks to keep the baby while you shower, say yes!”
Do you have many folks who want to assist but are unsure how? Abby Moskowitz, a Brooklyn mother, advises, “Do not be scared to tell them exactly what you need.” One of the few instances in your life where you can command everyone to do anything!
However, avoid assigning little tasks to other individuals. “A diaper change takes two minutes. You will need help from others to complete time-consuming tasks like cooking, sweeping, and diaper shopping, “says Cleveland mother, Catherine Park.
Re-engage. To prevent feeling cut off from the rest of the world, a mother from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Jacqueline Kelly, advises, “Get outside on your own, even for five minutes.”
About and Out with Baby
Recruit support. Go to a large, public location for the first time with an experienced parent. In Denver’s mother, Suzanne Zook’s words, “Having my sister with me for support stopped me from being flustered the first time I went shopping with my newborn.”
Indiana parent Christin Gauss advises that if you are alone, “stick to areas likely to welcome a baby, such as a story hour at a library or bookstore.”
Keep your diaper bag full, advises Brooklyn mom Fran Bowen. Nothing is worse than thinking you are finally prepared for the baby, only to discover that you are not.
Keep a backup. In Long Beach, California, parent Holland Brown always has a spare set of clothes for herself in her diaper bag. “You do not want to be trapped wearing mustard-colored feces all over yourself while holding a cute baby,” she said.
Accept the chaos as it is. Keep your plans straightforward, and be ready to change them at any time, advises Tarrytown, New York mother Margi Weeks.
Remember that everyone survives; you will, too, if nothing else. Your child’s first smile will come soon enough, and that will help make up for all the initial stress.