Parenting Guide: The Ultimate Guide for New Parents

Method

Here’s how you can change a dirty nappy easily in a few steps –

1. Put your baby down on his or her back on the changing surface

2. Unfasten the nappy and lift the baby’s bottom from the nappy by holding their ankles gently upward. If there is too much of a mess, bring the nappy’s upper half, sweeping it toward the lower half of the nappy.

3. Put the dirty nappy away from the baby’s reach to be disposed of later on. Cover it with a disposable cleaning packet while putting the nappy in the bin.

4. Clean the baby’s bottom thoroughly so that there is no chance of getting rash. When cleaning a baby girl, wipe her from front to back to prevent urinary tract infection.

5. Bring a clean nappy underneath your baby’s bottom. Ensure that the tabs of the nappy are on the side. Many nappies these days have signs to indicate their front.

6. If the baby has rashes, apply doctor prescribed ointment before closing the nappies.

7. Close the nappy pulling it over the baby’s belly. Make sure to fold the nappy down to avoid irritation on the umbilical stump area until it falls off.

8. To prevent rashes, change and clean baby bottoms often and right after their bowel movement.

9. Wash the cloth nappy with soft fragrance-free detergent.

10. Clean the changing surface and wash your hand properly. This will prevent contamination.

Try to keep the baby out of nappies so that their bottom can breathe, and this will also help prevent rashes.

How do you give a bath to your baby?

Giving your bath is beneficial to keep the baby comfortable. It also helps you bond with the baby and helps the baby to fall asleep. But you should stick to a sponge bath until the umbilical cord falls off and the navel heals completely. This can take one to four weeks.

1. Give your baby a bath 2-3 times a week.

2. Ensure that your baby is warm.

3. Do not leave the baby alone in the tub.

4. Do not keep the water running.

While giving a bath, you will need-

Sponge Bath

On a cleaning table, lay down your baby and discard clothes and dirty nappies. Put a towel underneath the baby to keep him or her warm. Start by cleaning their face. Damp a washcloth or cotton balls and wipe the babies eyes, nose and lips. Use new cotton balls and dampen the washcloth each time before cleaning each part. Use mild soap on the cloth and wash the baby’s face. Pat clean the face and dry it.

Build a lather with baby shampoo and gently wash your baby’s head and rinse it. Softly wash the rest of the body, especially under the arms, behind the ears, around the neck, and in the genital area. After you’ve cleaned those areas, make sure they’re fully dry before napping and dressing your baby.

Tub Bath

Get an infant tub that will fit your baby comfortably. Fill it two to three inches of warm water. Do not use hot water. By supporting your baby’s head, put his or her lower body in the water very slowly and gently. Wash your baby face and head using your finger pads. When rinsing shampoo, keep the baby’s eyes covered so that suds don’t get into the eyes. Thoroughly rinse the rest of the body by pouring and rinsing water on the body with your hands. Dry them immediately and cover them in a towel to keep them warm. Babies tend to get cold quickly.

How to put your baby to sleep?

Babies can sleep a lot. They nearly sleep sixteen hours a day. But they sleep for two to four hours at a time. Like us, they do not sleep throughout the night, and putting your baby to sleep can be challenging. Your baby, like adults, forms their own sleeping pattern. If you and your baby get into a routine, they will tend to sleep following that routine.

Always put your baby on their back to avoid sudden movement while sleeping. If your baby sleeps on a crib, do not populate the crib with too many toys and blankets as they may create suffocation. Alternate the baby’s head position from right to left each night to prevent flat spots.

Newborns do not have a fixed routine of sleeping. So, in the beginning, they are alert at night. To stimulate night sleep, keep the lights dim and other home activities too low. These activities will create a calm environment. Do activities like playing and other activities with the baby in the daytime when they are awake.

Put the baby down to a bed when they are drifting off or about to fall asleep and not when they entirely fall asleep. This will teach the baby to self-soothe herself to sleep.

How to build bonds and soothe your baby?

Bonding with your baby is an essential and memorable part of parenting. This also does not happen in one day. The baby knows the voices around him or her from the womb. When you start spending time with them, talking to them lovingly, they relate the voice to the face.

The newborns grow their emotional attachments with you with your physical closeness. Babies are happier and also become cheerful children when they have loving parents and other relatives.

Start bonding with your baby by cradling them to your chest and cooing to them. Additionally, sing them soft songs and be happy around them. They will pick on your behaviour. Holding them skin to skin can be great for both mother and father to build a bond. These activities will create bonds and also soothe them. To stimulate your baby’s hearing, you can sing them a song, talk to them, tell them rhymes.

Some babies can be sensitive to lights, sounds and touch. Keep lights and voices low around them and talk to them slowly.

If your baby is uncomfortable and crying, cradle them or hold them upright and stroll. Also, you can rock and sway them slowly. This is a relaxing activity. Swaddling the baby will also help the baby when they cry too much, as it creates a womb-like environment.

Crying is the only way a baby can speak to you. So if they need something, they will call for you to take care of it. They will usually cry when they are hungry, want to sleep, feel discomfort after spoiling the nappy or any other discomfort they feel.