There are certain parenting tips for newborns which should be taken care of. And parents should be knowing the basic things on how do you take care of a newborn baby for at least 6 months after the birth.
The lifestyle of a baby is entirely different from that of a grown-up person. For doing each and everything they need the help of their parents. And we are ready to parent our baby the best way we can, aren’t we?
Well let see foremost important things which we should be taking good care of with our baby,
How do you take care of a newborn baby till 6 months
1. Bathing your newborn baby
After the birth of a child, you can bath them on the 2nd or 3rd day. It’s good to use coconut oil on the body with a gentle massage. It can help to make the skin shiny and increase the blood flow.
Use mild warm water for bathing. Be very careful with the water, newborn baby’s skin will be very thin that they may get burnt easily. Better not to use soap or shampoo. Make it quick, don’t take more than 10 minutes for bathing.
After bathing gently wipe off excess water on the body with a smooth cotton towel. It’s better to leave the inner areas of ear and nose as it is. Since skin over that areas might be very thin.
2. Holding the baby
While holding a newborn baby there are few things we should take care of. For about initial 3 or 4 months baby’s neck muscles will be less strong that they may not be able to hold their heads themselves. Parents or whoever supposed to be holding the baby during this stage should take extra care to put a hand support behind baby’s head.
Apart from that use your other hand to give support behind the hips.
And if you are holding the baby on your shoulders, make sure to hold them a bit higher such a way that their hands will lay behind your neck, And put a hand support behind the baby’s head and neck.
3. Clothes for newborn baby
It’s not that necessary to wear them clothes until one week after the birth. Just after the birth, it’s always better to wrap the baby with a towel, you can wrap the entire body except the face. Such kind of wrapping clothes for newborn babies are readily available in the market.
A week after the birth you can start using small baby clothes which can cover the body from neck to knee. Use only cotton underwears for baby. This can help to avoid fungal infections. And always change the undergarments after they urinate or excreted stool.
4. Sleeping habit
Initial 2 or 3 weeks after the birth it’s quite common for the baby to sleep for about 16 – 20 hours a day. If you find this with your baby, no need to get tensed. It better to leave them to sleep as much they want. Gradually the baby’s sleeping time will decrease with the passage of time.
When the baby becomes 1 year old, the sleeping time will get reduced to 10 – 12 hours a day. And it will be 8 – 10 hours of sleep for a 2-year-old baby.
It’s not necessary to provide babies with pillows until 6 months. When you leave the head and body to the same level it will increase the blood flow to the brain, this can be beneficial for brain health and growth. leaving them to sleep on their stomach is not recommended.
5. Skincare for babies
Since skins of babies are very thin and nice it is necessary to provide an extra care on them. Climate changes are a major factor affecting the health of baby’s skin. It’s good to have bath two times a day if it’s a hot climate, this will help to get rid of the sweat and germs from the body. Keep the skin dry as much as possible. If you find any kind of itching feeling its better to consult your child physician without delay.
Prolonged use of diapers can also affect baby’s skin. Use those in a hygienic way, change those regularly.
6. Should you clean ear wax of baby?
Ear wax seen inside the baby’s ear are not dangerous at all and don’t try to pull those outside. Usually, ear itself will eliminate the accumulated wax. You can consult your baby physician if the ear wax accumulates such a way that the baby is facing difficulty in hearing.
- Also read Walker for babies good or bad?
7. Advice for visitors
Habitually babies have less immunity towards infections and diseases, especially those born in premature delivery. Hence there are certain things which the visitors of the baby should take care of. Avoid laying on the mattress of the baby, don’t kiss or hug them so often, this can cause spreading of infection if possible. Also, avoid using mobile phones at least around 5 metres from the baby. Mobile phone radiations are very harmful to the baby’s health.