Top Tips for New Parents
If you are a recently new parent or are expecting your baby’s arrival in the coming weeks or months then you probably have a lot of questions about what to expect and how things should be done to take the best care of your little one. First time parents often find themselves feeling a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of new information they need to get their heads around, and it can be easy to forget to ask the important questions when you’re facing information overload.
There is an old joke that babies don’t come with an instruction manual, and while we may wish they did, most babies are very different and you can’t really take a one size fits all approach. The early weeks are a special time but they can be an exhausting whirlwind for mums and dads, so here are some tips for new parents to get them off on the right foot from day one.
Washing and bathing a newborn
When you first bring your newborn home you may think that one of the first things you need to do is to bathe them. The truth is, you don’t actually need to bathe your newborn for the first few days and doing so can dry out their extremely delicate skin. Rather than a full wash, you might like to ‘top and tail’ them, cleaning their face, hands and bottom gently with some warm water and cotton wool, and a soft cloth to pat their skin dry.
You can give them a full wash if you prefer, especially if they enjoy it. Whether you are topping and tailing or giving them a full bath, try to do it when they are awake, alert and happy. Avoid giving them a wash when they are very tired, hungry, fussy, or have just eaten. Before you start your little one’s bath, get everything you need to hand so you won’t have to leave them unattended. Make sure the room is warm and peaceful and use water that is warm but not hot.
Getting your baby to sleep
Some babies love to sleep, others don’t seem to need much at all - and that’s OK! All babies are different, but in order to grow and develop properly they do need to get enough shut eye each day. If you have a baby that struggles to get to sleep you can try various things to soothe them such as placing them in a Babybjorn carrier and carrying them around until they doze off or get into the routine of putting them down for a nap as soon as they have been fed and changed.
You can also help them by turning down the lights and keeping noise to a minimum around nap time as this will help them to make the association between sleep time and awake time. Just be aware that if you use a carrier to help your baby get to sleep you will have to wean them off this behaviour before it becomes too much of a habit for them. Babies respond well to routine, so if you can keep their nap and sleep schedule consistent and try to give them similar conditions while sleeping they should find it easier to drift off.
Looking after yourself
It can be easy to get carried away in focusing on your baby’s needs, and while it’s vital that you meet their needs you also need to take good care of yourself too. An exhausted, overly stressed out parent might not find childcare as enjoyable as they thought it would be, and the last thing you want is to look back on those first weeks and months with regret at how tired and grumpy you felt. Caring for a little one can feel like a constant stream of impossible tasks and it can be very difficult to get anything done.
You might be doing the laundry when your baby needs a change, or wakes up hungry and crying from their nap - it can really throw you off. Try to spend a little time each day doing something you enjoy. Have a bubble bath or indulge in your favourite hobby, or just switch off and enjoy some TV for a bit. If you have a partner, make time for each other, and make sure you both get some time away from your childcare responsibilities every day, even if it’s only for an hour.
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