The first days of a baby at home is the most difficult period because not only a newborn needs to adapt to the new world but also its parents. Usually, mothers get the basic skills for taking care of infants in the maternity hospital, however, after arriving home it’s difficult for young parents to adapt. At such a moment, people who already have experience in dealing with a newborn come to the rescue. But what if there is no one nearby who could help inexperienced parents? Perhaps parents can get the necessary information from this article.
Before arriving home, you need to prepare the room for a baby (make a wet cleaning and ventilate). It is necessary to prepare a place and accessories for bathing:
- small bath
- soft, large towel
- baby soap
- thermometer for water
Among the other essential items are:
- diapers, undershirts, bonnets, sanitary napkins
- two blankets (thin and warm)
- baby changing table
- children’s first aid kit (sterile cotton wool, ear sticks, thermometer)
- manicure scissors with rounded tips.
After bathing, it’s time to feed a baby. Not every mother can breastfeed, so you need to take care of baby feeding in advance. To do so, consult a doctor, monitor the market of the most trustful and famous baby food manufacturers to select the proper baby formula. On organicsbestshop.com you can find the best organic baby formula to minimize the negative consequences on immature organisms on your little one.
Detailed about bathing
You need to bathe an infant in the evening (in no case bathe immediately after feeding). Preparation for bathing consists of the following steps:
- boil the required amount of water (you will have to boil the water until the umbilical cavity heals)
- cool the water to 37℃
- rinse the bath with soap
It is best to bathe a newborn with someone who will hold a baby and someone who will bathe. Water mustn’t get into the baby’s mouth, nose, and ears. When the bath is ready, you need to carefully lower a kid into the water. With gentle movements, lather with soap the arms, legs, torso, and head and then rinse an infant, wrap it in a warm towel, and start swaddling. It is necessary to bathe a newborn every day. Baby soap can only be used once a week because it dries out the baby’s delicate skin.
You can see video about bathing a newborn here:
Baby’s first morning at home
After waking up, you need to start the morning hygiene procedures:
- wash the baby’s face with cotton balls soaked in boiled water
- wipe the eyes (each eye is wiped from the outer corner to the inner with an individual cotton ball)
- clean the nose with the help of ear sticks
- measure the temperature (a newborn has a temperature of 37.2 and that’s is the norm)
- trim its nails
When the morning routine is completed, you can gather an infant for a walk. The first walk takes no more than 15 minutes (the time increases gradually). If the air temperature outside is 0-5℃, you can go for a walk. In summer, you can only walk for half an hour in the morning before 11 am or in the afternoon after 4 pm.
What do you need for walks during the first weeks?
For walks with a baby, you will have to assemble a rather big pack of stuff. It should have at least a bodysuit, overalls, a hat, and a blanket. Most mothers are not intimidated by this list, on the contrary, they are happy to dive into the choice of the first clothes for a child. What else do you need for walking?
Pram carrycots
Choosing a pram is a big challenge. Until a baby learns to sit, a pram is needed for walking. You can also purchase a transformer “2 in 1” or “3 in 1” (also with a car seat). Think in advance where you will go, how you will return. Will you walk on paved sidewalks or dirt paths? All these matter when going out so that you can go back home whenever you need.
Baby car seat
A baby car seat is a thing you have to take care of before because on the car a kid will be transferred home after hospital. Don’t even think about the fact that a newborn will be safer in your arms because a baby chair is much safer.
Walking bag
Leaving the house with a newborn, it is advisable not to forget anything. Do not put the necessary things in the pockets of a pram and your handbag, you need to get a separate bag for walking.
About diapers
Diapers surely facilitate the care of a newborn. However, there are a few rules that not everyone knows about:
- diapers cannot be used constantly
- a newborn is not allowed to wear diapers during daytime sleep in the first month of life
- it’s forbidden to close the umbilical wound with a diaper
The next day after discharge from the maternity hospital, a pediatrician should come to visit a newborn. So that you will have the opportunity to ask the questions you have after arriving.
Babies are born with a specific set of reflexes
There are about 75 of them in total, it is not necessary to know everything, but the knowledge of the next can help:
- Sucking reflex. A child begins to rhythmically suck on any object that is in its mouth whether it’s a nipple or your nose, chin, collarbone, knee.
- The Moro reflex. With a sudden noise, an infant first takes the arms to the sides, while opening the fists, and then covers itself with arms.
- Stepping reflex. When a baby is held upright with the feet touching a solid surface, it starts to walk or dance. This reflex lasts about 2 months.
- Babinski reflex. When you touch a kid’s outer edge of the sole, the big toe bends back toward the top of the foot and the other toes fan out. This is a normal reflex up to about 2 years of age.
- Grasping reflex. If you stroke a baby’s palm, you’ll notice how immediately it grips your finger. In the first few days after birth, the baby’s grasp reflex is so strong that it might seem it can hold its weight.