Moms who gave birth to their first child are sometimes in terrible confusion: preparing for the appearance of the baby and caring for him raise so many questions that you simply don’t know where to run and what to do. There is no need for anxiety and despair, because there are already plenty of reasons for new parents to worry. This article contains the main rules and tips for caring for a newborn, so it can be safely used as an instruction on all matters of concern to parents.
Preparing a “dowry” for a child
There is a superstition that it is impossible to buy something for an unborn child, so some mothers do not specially prepare the “dowry” for children. These are just prejudices. It is a real pleasure for future parents and all relatives to go shopping, choosing tiny hats and vests. Preparing a "dowry" for future mother helps to tune in to early motherhood. In addition, when the baby is born, there will be such a flurry that it will be simply impossible to choose, wash and put things in piles for the baby. So, what needs to be prepared for the appearance of crumbs in the light:
- Diapers (In total they will need about 20-25. The ratio of thin and warm diapers is determined based on what time of the year the baby will be born. By the way, knitted diapers are very convenient: they are very soft, stretch well and fit the body).
- Blouses or body (Baby's undershirts without a fastener are no longer relevant, as they are not convenient. It is best to buy several blouses on the button or ties and several body).
- One-piece jumpsuit (Insulated jumpsuit for the first time is enough for one, but you can buy a few thin ones).
- Hats (The most convenient is knitted hats without ties. 2 thin and one warm are enough).
- Socks (Soft knitted socks come in handy even in the warm season. You can safely buy 4-5 pairs).
- Warm wool blanket.
- Bike blanket or plaid.
Some purchases can be left for later and, if necessary, entrusted to their grandmothers. These include, for example, mittens - anti-scratches.Not all children resist cutting their nails, so mittens may not be useful. Another purchase from this series is a pillow. Children up to a year can sleep without a pillow, using a folded diaper instead.
We read in great detail: list of things for a newborn baby
In addition to things, for the appearance of the baby you need to prepare a first-aid kit:
- Baby oil for processing folds (you can do with sterile vegetable oil), baby cream;
- Pipette, hydrogen peroxide, green vesicle for treating the umbilical wound;
- Zinc ointment for rash and diaper rash;
- Herbs for swimming, potassium permanganate;
- Gas pipe, hot-water bottle with cherry stones, carminative preparations (Bobotik, Sub Simplex and etc (see all colic drugs)) in case of colic;
- Wet wipes, cotton pads, sterile cotton wool, spout rinse aid - for hygienic procedures.
- Antipyretic (better in suppositories), antihistamine (Fenistil) (see all drugs on temperature).
- Absorbent diapers and diapers for newborns.
According to the situation, it will be possible to purchase nappy creampowder.
We look and download the full list of first-aid kits for a newborn baby – list here
Something for Mom
After discharge from the hospital, mom will also need some things that need to be bought in advance:
- Cream Bepanten from cracks in the nipples.
- Absorbent pads for the chest.
- Convenient linen for feeding.
- Sanitary pads (either special postpartum or conventional, but with maximum absorption).
- Postpartum bandage (for better recovery of abdominal muscles).
- Breast pads for breastfeeding (what are they for and why).
- Breast pump (how to choose and express).
If everything is ready for the appearance to appear, it is time to understand and master the basic procedures that a young mother will have to perform daily and more than once.
Morning toilet: wash my eyes, clean the nose
The morning toilet is an analogue of our washing with you. Prepare a small bowl of warm boiled water, cotton pads and sterile cotton wool. We wipe our eyes with cotton pads moistened with water, making movements from the outer edge of the eye to the inner. Then, in each nostril, we instill 1-2 drops of special drops for washing the nose (you can use saline solution). We wait a few minutes until the crusts are slightly soaked. At this time, we twist small flagella out of the fleece and carefully clean the nose with them, making circular movements. You cannot stick the flagellum too deep. We clean the ears with the same flagella. Remember that a newborn child can carry out toilet of nose and ears only with cotton flagella. Baby cotton buds with limiters are designed for children from 1 year. (See detailed related articles: eye care, how to clean your baby’s nose and article: baby care)
In the morning, you must definitely treat the umbilical wound. To do this, drop a few drops of hydrogen peroxide into a wound with a clean pipette. The peroxide begins to foam, separating the crusts and "bringing" them to the surface. We remove these crusts with a clean cotton swab, and then with a different stick we apply green paint on the wound (details about the treatment of the umbilical wound).
Important hygiene articles:
Watch the video: Daily care for the newborn:
Change the diaper
Most modern mothers prefer to use disposable diapers. The baby has to change a disposable diaper about 10 times a day: the child should not be in the same diaper for more than 3-4 hours, and besides this, the diaper needs to be changed every time after the baby has cried. The second point, moreover, must be performed even at night, because the stool is not absorbed by the diaper and is very irritating to the skin.
Before changing the baby's diaper, you need to wash it. If he crap one's pants - with soap, if not - with warm tap water (if there is no way to wash it, wipe it with wet wipes).If there is irritation, you can apply a cream under the diaper to the skin, if not, just let the skin dry.
Be sure to protect the umbilical wound and make sure that the diaper fastener does not rub it. There are special diapers for newborns who have a notch in the place of the navel. If you use others, bend the edge of the diaper or cover the navel with a piece of sterile bandage.
We go for a walk
If the child is healthy - you can walk with him from the first day of life. Regarding children's walks, the rule "nature has no bad weather" is fair. You can cancel the walk only if there is severe frost, abnormal heat or other extreme weather conditions. In bad weather, you can take out the cradle with the baby on the balcony.
Usually babies sleep in a stroller, so mom can choose the time for a walk at her discretion. It is better to start walking with 30-40 minutes, gradually increasing the time of the walk. Over time, you can walk up to 4-6 hours a day, dividing this time into 2 “calls”.
The most important thing - dress the baby according to the weatherTake wet wipes, a diaper and a pram raincoat with you.
Feed
If there are no contraindications, you only need to breast-feed the baby. WHO recommends exclusively breast milk up to 6 months, which means that even water up to this age is not worth it, not to mention juices and fruit purees.
Feed the baby on demand. This means that for any crying and anxiety, the mother offers the baby a chest. The child can be at the chest until he releases it himself. You should not interfere with this process and try to regulate the time of sucking: nature and instincts are “smarter” of our mind, the child himself knows how much and how often he needs to suckle.
Important publications on the topic of HS
Bath procedures
You need to bathe your baby every day. The water temperature for bathing should be about 37 degrees, but here it is better to focus on the child: someone behaves calmer in cooler water, someone in warmer.
Boiling water for bathing, as they did before, is now not recommended, but until the umbilical wound has healed, it is better to add manganese to the water - it acts as an antiseptic. The potassium permanganate solution should be pale pink. After wound healing, if there are skin problems, you can bathe your baby in herbs.
For newborns, it is better to use a small bath. On the first baths, you can wrap the baby in a diaper so that he is not afraid of water. You can wash your child with soap and other means 2-3 times a week, and the rest of the time do with water. When bathing, do not forget to wash the head. At the end of bathing for hardening, you can douse the baby's legs with cool water.
After bathing the baby you need to carefully wrap it in a warm diaper or towel. The head also needs to be covered.
In detail: how to bathe newborns
After swimming
After swimming, you also need to carry out some procedures:
- Treat the umbilical wound in the same way as we did in the morning.
- Trim the nails while they are soft from the water.
- Wipe all the folds with oil (including the area behind the ears - crusts often form there).
We watch a video of how a baby is bathed:
Go to bed
Most babies on HBV fall asleep precisely with the breast. You can rock the baby in your arms, and then gently place it in the crib. The experience of mothers shows that it is better to swaddle babies for sleep: so their own movements do not cause them any concern, they are not afraid of their own arms or legs. By the way, it is better for a newborn baby to buy a cradle, not a crib. Limited space is more comfortable for a baby than a spacious bed that is not commensurate with its body.
The room before going to bed must be aired. It is believed that optimum temperature for the roomwhere the baby sleeps - about 20 degrees.
You can’t put the baby to sleep on your back - in a dream, the baby can burp and drown in vomit. So that the baby himself does not roll over on his back, laying him on a barrel, support his back with a small pillow or folded blanket. From time to time, the sleeping baby's pose needs to be changed, shifting it from one side to the other. This is necessary so that the bones of the skull are not deformed.
We read on the topic:
- How much time does a newborn baby sleep during the day
- How to put a child to sleep without tears and vagaries
We watch the video, it's just brilliant! The method of Nathan Daylo how to euthanize a child:
The most popular questions exciting young mothers
A reverent young mother shudders at each sneeze of her baby and falls into confusion before many unfamiliar phenomena. Let's try to deal with the most common questions of young mothers.
Strange color and dry skin of the baby
The skin of a newly born baby may have a reddish, yellowish tint. The first is associated with a very thin layer of subcutaneous fat: the red tint is the blood vessels that are visible through the skin. Yellowness (jaundice) is a consequence of the increased content of bilirubin and leaves when the liver begins to work more actively.
Dryness and peeling of the skin is also normal. In this way, the skin adapts to the new air environment. Peeling usually takes place a month after birth. This process can be accelerated by lubricating flaky areas with baby cream or oil (see article: Why newborns flaky skin on the head and body - what mom needs to know).
In detail: proper skin care for a newborn baby
Kid hiccups
Many children begin to hiccup in the stomach. Usually, hiccups in infants occur due to excess air entering the stomach during feeding. The best way to get rid of it is to abuse the baby with a “column” and massage the tummy (article on hiccups and how to deal with it).
Baby spits
Spitting up is a consequence of the underdevelopment of the digestive system and a special children's mechanism of "struggle" with overeating. As a preventive measure, ensure that the baby correctly grabbed the chest (so he does not swallow excess air), and keep it "column" after feeding. In general, regurgitation is not nearly dangerous. Normally, once a day a child can even burp with a “fountain”. If this happens more often and regurgitation lasts longer than 6 months - you need to contact a neurologist (see article on regurgitation).
Baby sneezes and coughs
If there are no signs of a cold at the same time (runny nose, high fever) - these are natural reflexes of self-cleaning of the body from mucus in the throat and nose.
Important:
How to dress a baby
The body of the crumbs still poorly retains heat and maintains a constant temperature. This must be taken into account both at home and on the street. Overly coiled, the child can easily be overheated, and when left undressed, on the contrary, it can be supercooled. The main rule of dressing for the baby: dress like yourself + one layer of clothing.
Clothing for crumbs should be sewn from natural fabrics, have a comfortable design and safe fasteners. It is best to choose blouses and overalls that can be easily put on without turning the child’s arms and legs and without shoving the head into a narrow neck. All accessories (buttons, buttons) must be of high quality and securely sewn so that the little one cannot tear off and swallow a small piece of clothing.
How to understand whether a child is warm
The temperature of the arms and legs in this matter does not mean anything, because they are often cool in infants due to poor thermoregulation. To understand whether a child is warm, you need to touch his neck: if it is cool, it is better to dress the baby warmer.
Can I give a baby a pacifier?
If there are plans for a successful and long-term breastfeeding, it is better not to, in any case, up to 6 months, until lactation is fully established.The nipple confuses the baby, it begins to confuse the mother’s breast and her silicone substitute, and may completely refuse the breast. In addition, it is believed that sucking the nipples has a bad effect on the formation of the bite. We read on the topic: how to choose a pacifier and how to wean from the nipples
What if the baby sucks a finger?
Finger sucking is a manifestation of the sucking reflex characteristic of infants. The first thing to do is to offer the baby a breast: perhaps he is hungry. Sucking a finger can be a manifestation of a stressful reaction: the baby sucks to calm down. In any case, this cannot be ignored. Try to understand the cause and eliminate it (see how to wean a baby suck fingers).
Is it worth it to run to the child at the first cry and take him in his arms?
The answer is yes. Whatever the cause of the crying, you cannot ignore it. A child can cry not only from hunger and physical discomfort. He may just need his mother’s affection and warmth - this is the same vital need that must be satisfied (see how to understand the reasons for crying a newborn baby).
How to deal with colic?
Prevention is always better than treatment, therefore, as part of the prevention, put the child on the tummy, do a light massage of the tummy, wear a “column” after eating. If the attack does begin, give the medicine, put something warm on your stomach (a heating pad, a diaper heated by an iron). In emergency cases, when nothing helps and the attack does not go away, put the vent pipe Important: how to save a child from colic.
How to handle a child so as not to scare him?
Newborn babies react very specifically to sounds: under the monotonous hum of a vacuum cleaner, the baby can sleep peacefully, but the sharp loud sounds of the baby are very scary. Surrounding the baby with silence is absolutely not necessary, but in order to prevent the child from being scared, sharp sounds should be avoided.
In general, all the movements and actions of the mother should be smooth. The baby can be very frightened if, when bathing, he is suddenly immersed in water, or if he is sharply put on a changing table. While the child has not adapted - everything that surrounds him in the "big world" can be alarming, so caution is needed in everything.
We read on the topic:What to do if your child is afraid of loud sounds
What to do if diaper rash appears?
Almost all mothers face this trouble. Red crusts and severe irritation appear when the baby's skin has been in contact with moisture for a long time. Contrary to prejudices, in a disposable diaper, diaper rash in a child appears much less often than in diapers. If the diaper is not overflowing, moisture is absorbed into it quickly and the baby's skin hardly contacts it, so you should not refuse the diaper in favor of diapers in case of diaper rash.
Irritated skin needs healing and hydration. You do not need to constantly wash your baby with soap with diaper rash: the soap dries the skin very much and only enhances the feeling of discomfort. It is necessary to wash the baby with water, and then lubricate the irritated place with oil or a healing cream (Bepanten, Bubchen). Be sure to arrange air baths, that is, leave the baby just naked, without a diaper and a diaper. When evening bathing, you can use herbs (chamomile, a string) - they also have a healing effect.
We read in detail: diaper rash in a newborn - causes and treatment
Recommendations for dads
The main advice to the popes is to properly prepare for the meeting of the wife from the hospital. Flowers, balls and decorating the room are great, but any mom will appreciate it more if you free her from homework, which can accumulate a lot in a few days in a hospital. After discharge from the hospital, I want to get home as soon as possible, to finally wash myself in my bathtub and lie on my bed, so that mountains of unwashed dishes and scattered things will not please my spouse at all. Moreover, not all women are ready to flutter after giving birth.Most do not feel important: weakness, pain from sutures, fatigue. This must be taken into account not only at the time of discharge, but in general the first time after the baby is born. To get into the rhythm and begin to cope with the child and household chores, a young mother needs time.
Caring for a newborn only at first glance seems like something very complicated. Within a month, any mother does all the manipulations “with her eyes closed” and, by the intonation of her cry, understands that her beloved child is worried. The most important thing in caring for your baby is to do everything with love and to “get involved” in the life of the little man as much as possible. It is this, and not "mechanical" care, that makes the child happy, calm and healthy.
The article sheds light on a lot of questions that beginner parents have, but I’m interested in learning something else. What if the baby starts to hiccup after feeding? What is the reason for this phenomenon?
About the diapers.
I don’t want to seem like an old-fashioned grunt, but when I gave birth to my first child, nobody even dreamed of such diapers ...
Gauze, diapers always hanging around the apartment - this is of course horror, but they have one significant plus! When the child crap one's pants - in such a diaper he feels discomfort, and it will be much easier to accustom him to the pot over time.
I liked the article, but for the first three months we had only one liquid baby soap on Greenlact Little lactose, and then gels, shampoos, and foams began to be added.
And we bathed with soap only once every one and a half two weeks, and so it was enough to wash with some water. Well, they washed it after large trips to the toilet with soap. It is gentle and does not irritate the skin.
And I was surprised by the lack of pants and sliders in the list of clothes. Is this some kind of weird fashion to leave my feet naked? And with a temperature for sleep of 20 degrees I also do not agree. It is also a fashion for modern pediatricians to engage in extreme hardening. Our mothers and grandmothers always wrapped us, even in the summer. And babies weren’t sick before, as they are now 10 times with snot up to a year ..
The rest of the article is very good!
I disagree with many. Tired of this agitation of feeding at first squeak. The child does not need so much. And about the nipples, everything has long been refuted about the wrong bite.An article for those who do not care about themselves and their families and who believe that now everyone should give up everything and everything only for the child. Mode is such a word and everyone is happy with it.
This baby skin care company was advised by a pediatrician. I bought a diaper cream in the first month of my baby’s life. Because she was afraid that diaper rash might appear. Each time I change the diaper, I do not use the cream, only a couple of times a day I put it on the baby’s ass, usually after an evening bath, and after the baby has pinned. And this is quite enough for us, for all nine months I do not know what diaper rash (pah-pah) is. I am sure that a huge merit of cream is in this