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Baby Care Tidbits Every Parent Should Know!

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New parents face many problems and issues that they are expected to understand and deal with immediately(Baby Care). Unfortunately, newborns do not come with an instruction book so here are a few topics that you may need to know about.

Bathing your baby: (Baby Care)

Until your baby’s umbilical cord falls off one to two weeks after their birth, only give her sponge baths. A cotton ball or cotton swab dampened with alcohol can help to dry the umbilical stump or follow your pediatrician’s directions. After the stump falls off, you can give him a bath in a sink or shallow tub.

Caesarian delivery: (Baby Care)

A caesarian is usually performed to make delivery safer for you or your baby. C-sections can be done for many different reasons including stalled labor, complicated labor, problems with the baby that may make delivery difficult, or other problems. It does not matter if you deliver vaginally or by a caesarian section, you are still a mother with a beautiful new blessing.

Circumcision:

Many doctors agree that there may be some benefit to circumcision, but it may not be absolutely necessary. It may help to lower the risk of urinary tract infections and eliminate just about any chance of penile cancer. Circumcision does not cause long-term emotional problems for your child.

Crib death (SIDS):

Many studies have been done regarding SIDS. Although the cause of SIDS has not been definitely defined, there are some correlations that have been made between SIDS and the following things:

Male babies are more likely to die from SIDS than females

Prematurity makes it more likely

Minority children are affected by it more often than non-minorities

More children of young, single mothers die from it

Children who live in a home with one or more smokers are more likely to be affected

Some people say that sleeping with your baby can reduce the risk of SIDS, but the American Academy of Pediatrics disagrees with this statement and goes on to say that there is a greater risk of SIDS in babies who co-sleep.

Back sleeping is what most pediatricians recommend for babies to decrease the SIDS risk. The reason for this is widely debated between health experts. If you have concerns, talk to your pediatrician.

A Guide To Sleep training 6 month old breastfed baby

The ” experts ” use many different methods (Sleep training 6 month old breastfed baby) to deal with sleep problems in your developing baby and child. Again, do what works best for you and what you feel comfortable with.

1. The Ferber Method (Sleep training for breastfed baby)

The Ferber method involves letting the baby cry herself to sleep, on the theory that if you’re firm about bedtime, she’ll learn to comfort herself to sleep. This doesn’t mean just plunking the baby down in her crib and walking away. It differs from what you may already be doing in that it encourages you to put the baby in her crib while she’s still awake, so she gets used to falling asleep without you. But this might also mean letting her cry for a few weeks. This can be stressful for everyone in the household.

2. The Controlled Crying Method

Another method is the controlled crying method. Again, this involves your usual bedtime rituals of bathing, perhaps a snack and a story, rocking and cuddling. Put your baby in her crib and kiss her goodnight. If she starts to cry, wait 10 to 15 minutes before going in to comfort her. Try to resist picking her up, just shush her quietly and pat her on the back. Some experts suggest not talking, as this can reinforce the waking and crying behavior. You want to reassure your baby that you’re there, but you still want to encourage sleeping.

3. Gradually Increasing Intervals

After the first half hour of crying, increase the intervals before you check on the baby by a few minutes each time, up to about 15 to 20 minutes between checking. This can take some time and can be trying on your nerves, but in time, your baby will learn that you’re not going away and that you’re nearby. This teaches your baby self-comforting, but also gives her the confidence and security that you’re there for her.

FAQs

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Sleep Requirements For New Babies A New Mother Should Know

Sleep Requirements for New Babies: As a new mother, you probably will wonder whether your baby is sleeping enough or too much. There are guidelines of what to expect, but these can vary from baby to baby. Even if you’ve had children before, each baby will be different.

Newborn Babies Usually Sleep (Sleep Requirements for New Babies)

Newborn babies usually sleep about 16-17 hours in 24 hours. Most babies will not sleep through the night until they’re at least 3 months old. There are several reasons why. First, their stomachs are very small and they’ll get hungry faster, especially if you’re breastfeeding your baby. Breast milk is much more easily digested than formula, and your baby will need to be fed more often, especially in the beginning.

Shorter Sleep (Sleep Requirements for New Babies)

Babies also have shorter sleep cycles than adults do and have shorter dream cycles. In general, though, a newborn baby should sleep about 8 or nine hours during the day and 8 hours or so at night. These won’t be in 8-hour cycles, of course. In the beginning, those sleep times will be very short.

Two Years of Age

As the baby gets older, up to about 2 years of age, she’ll still be sleeping 13-14 hours, but the amount of daytime sleep will diminish month by month. By age 2, your baby should be sleeping through the night with a 2-hour nap during the day. Again, this will vary by child. Your baby might need a slightly longer nap or two short naps. At this age though, try to discourage naps too late in the afternoon, as this can make it harder to get them to sleep a few hours later at bedtime.

Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the night, parents are often dismayed when he/she begins to awaken in the night again. This typically happens at about 6 months of age and is often a normal part of development called separation anxiety, when a baby does not understand that separations are temporary.

4 Baby Care Tidbits Every Parent Should Know!

Baby Care Tidbits, New parents face many problems and issues that they are expected to understand and deal with immediately. Unfortunately, newborns do not come with an instruction book so here are a few topics that you may need to know about.

1. Bathing your baby: Baby Care Tidbits

2. Caesarian delivery: Baby Care Tidbits

3. Circumcision

Many doctors agree that there may be some benefit to circumcision, but it may not be necessary. It may help to lower the risk of urinary tract infections and eliminate just about any chance of penile cancer. Circumcision does not cause long-term emotional problems for your child.

4. Crib death (SIDS)

Many studies have been done regarding SIDS. Although the cause of SIDS has not been defined, some correlations have been made between SIDS and the following things:

Male babies are more likely to die from SIDS than females.
Prematurity makes it more likely.
Minority children are affected by it more often than non-minorities.
More children of young, single mothers die from it.
Children who live in a home with one or more smokers are more likely to be affected
Some people say that sleeping with your baby can reduce the risk of SIDS, but the American Academy of Pediatrics disagrees with this statement and goes on to say that there is a greater risk of SIDS in babies who co-sleep.
Back sleeping is what most pediatricians recommend for babies to decrease the SIDS risk.