It is one of the biggest blessings to hold a newborn into your life and embrace a new phase in your life but at the same time comes with so many pressures of taking care of an innocent soul. New parents often find themselves loaded with different questions that many times they have no answer to as they seek to determine the right way of caring for their child. It is crucial for the welfare of the child and also in fashioning the relationship that is between the parent and the child, in this case the parent being the mother.

Let’s take a closer look at the newborn care basics and discuss it in detail. 

Newborn Care Basics

Following are the newborn care basics that parents must be aware of. 

Handling and Holding Newborn

When your baby is given to you after birth, you will find it difficult to gain confidence in holding him until you are familiar with the different positions that you can use to hold them.

The head and neck region has not attained great strength and it is imperative that your baby’s head should be supported every time. The neck muscles of the baby are also really weak and one has to lay the baby on a neutral plane to avoid chances of him/her slipping his/her head. 

When lifting your baby always use one hand to support its head and the other hand to support its bottom. Encase them, give them comfort, and shelter them as they are part of you.

When it comes to the ways where you can hold your baby you have many options. The cradle hold is one of the familiar and quite comfortable positions used in babies’ care. One more favourite hold is the football hold when your baby is cradled in your arm like a football and the baby’s head is cupped in your hand. Which is especially useful when you start breastfeeding.

Bathing and Hygiene Tips

Both you and your newborn can find bathing to be a rather relaxing activity. But one has to remember that newborns are not required to bathe daily. Because foot-binding causes the feet to become swollen and deformed, it is only necessary to wash them three times a week. Bathe the baby gently using just plain water and a soft washcloth face, neck and the diaper area.

When using the bath, make sure the room is warm and all the essential things to be used in the bath are available in the room. Half fill the baby bathtub with cold water to which you add a bit of warm water. When deciding to bathe your baby, use warm water and make sure their head is out of the water when placing them in the tub. Massage gently with a mild baby soap and wash his or her body and hair. When your baby is done with the bath, dress them up in a soft towel, make sure the baby is completely dry especially on areas with folds.

Diapering and Clothing Essentials

Diapering is one of the primary tasks of the first few years of a baby's life and some essentials include diapers, baby wipes, diaper rash cream, baby powder/baby wipe solution. You should make sure that you have adequate stock of diapers, stocks of wipes and also adequate stocks of diaper rash cream. When feeding it is also important to clean the baby’s bottom before putting a diaper on him or her and applying a solution to avoid rashes.

Regarding dressing, it is important to avoid the dressing of the newborn infant body in such a manner that causes discomfort and the dressing cloth should be one that is easy to put on and remove. 

Choose flexible and gentle materials such as the cotton fabric. Babies, especially babies that are born prematurely, are very sensitive to cold, therefore they should be dressed in several small garments that are well fit. Allow them to wear mittens so that they do not scratch their face. 

Understanding Newborn Sleep

Great stress should be put on the importance of sleep for your newborn child. However, it should be noted that their sleep patterns can be more or less unpredictable than human beings. Babies during their first month of life are apt to sleep for about 16 to 17 hours in a day but in multiple small bouts. 

Keep tracking of your baby’s sleep pattern so that you can be able to manage him or her accordingly.

Sleep Patterns and Schedules

As a newborn, your baby will be able to sleep for a stretch of two, three or four hours in a go during the first weeks. When they reach the next stage of development, they become capable of increasing intervals of the time they spend in sleep. It is also important to create a schedule, however basic it might be. 

For example, the schedule before going to bed. This may be done in the form of a warm bath, offering them food, and putting them to sleep singing lullabies.

Safe Sleep Practices (SIDS Prevention)

Babies should always be put to bed in a safe sleeping environment and this cannot be overemphasised for a newborn. These are some guidelines to follow when placing your baby for sleep. 

It is recommended that you should always place your baby on the back when putting them to sleep and so avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Have a firm mattress pad in the crib and a fitted sheet and do not place stuffed animals, pillows, or soft blankets in the crib with the baby.

Creating a Sleep-Friendly Environment

Your newborn will settle more easily if they are placed in a good sleep environment. Lighting should be kept minimal, noise kept to a minimum and temperature of the room low. One should use white noise machines to emulate the sounds of the womb since it can make your baby feel comforted.

Feeding Your Newborn

Perhaps, one of the most important care activities that are provided to newborns is feeding. Both breastfeeding and bottle feeding your baby are important; it is therefore important to understand your baby’s requirements.

Breastfeeding Techniques

Breastfeeding involves feeding the baby from the breast and is a natural process of feeding a baby since milk is produced by the mother’s breasts but it’s good to know that it may take some time to master. 

Make sure that your baby’s mouth encompasses the majority of the areola. This will eliminate soreness of the nipple and guarantee that the baby is feeding on enough milk. Nurse from both, and allow the baby to finish at his own will.

Formula Feeding Guidelines

If the decision is to use the ART, make sure you are using the art that is formulated for the newborn. When preparing bottles it is very important to adhere to certain instructions that are normally given on the formula’s container. 

The baby should always be fed while sitting in a semi-reclined position to minimise the chances of the baby choking. After 15 minutes and at the end of every feeding session burp your baby as this will ease digestion.

Recognizing Hunger and Fullness Cues

It is only necessary to feed a baby and when he is full, you should know as a parent will help you to feed him or her adequately. Hunger signs are hand sucking, biting on hands, and making sounds of sucking. 

Your baby will either push the breast or bottle away, bring their hands to their mouth and snap it shut or just abandon the breast or bottle.

Babyminding is one task that may be quite daunting but it remains one of the most fulfilling tasks. This is with regard to handling, bathing, diapering, sleep and feeding that if followed will ensure your baby gets all the care he or she requires. However, it is important to understand that every child is different so take your time as mostly your instincts will guide you as a parent.