Baby Tips for New Parents

by Ian Tham

The first few years of baby's life demand constant attention and care. First of all, you need all the help you can get. This is where the grandparents can play a role.

Ideally, you could either stay in your parents' home or your in -laws' home . The alternative would be to ask your parents or in laws to stay with you. If that is not feasible, see if you can stay in near proximity to your parents. You could also get a nanny or baby sitter. If both husband and wife are working the nanny will be under minimum supervision which isn't an advisable thing to do. In the beginning you may seek your parents' help to monitor and guide the nanny. You could also try to take some leave during the first few months of the nanny's employment. Alternatively you could put your child in a baby care center. There's no need to worry about abuse or baby neglect. There are baby care centers at hospitals that offer round the clock 24 hrs baby care. However I suggest you need to spend a couple of hours each day to establish bond with your baby.

When you are first time parents , the stress and pressure can be unbearable. This is understandable. That is why support from your parents is vital. It's also good to keep in contact friends with young children and have common interests. Both parties can share their experience of taking care of baby and also exchange tips and ideas . Handling a newborn baby requires special care. The body is still soft and fragile. Remember, you must always support the head and the neck of the baby when you are handling or carrying the baby.. Other tricky operations include bathing the baby. Prepare a baby bathtub half filled with water. Remember to hold always the head of the baby above the water surface. Otherwise the baby might accidentally drink the soap water and get indigestion. Water getting into the lungs might also cause bronchitis or in the worst case scenario baby might drown due to lack of oxygen after being submerged underwater for a period of time. With one hand holding its head take a sponge towel soaked in soap water and gently wipe the baby's body . Remember to pay extra attention to its face and buttocks as milk rash and sores are more likely to occur in these areas.

You need to understand behavior of baby. What does he want when he cries? Is he wet and dirty, hungry or tired? From past experience you will roughly be able to guess what his needs are. Trying to get baby to sleep is a mentally challenging and exhausting affair. I find placing the baby in a baby bouncer works perfectly fine in getting baby to sleep. The gentle rocking motion of the bouncer plus the comfortable and cooling cotton netting lets the baby sleep in no time. You may also try to sing a few songs to calm down the baby.

Always put baby in a baby cot .The barrier protects him and prevents him from falling onto the ground . Put the blanket away from his head in case of suffocation. Avoid using a pillow for the same reason. Make sure the mattress is firm and hard. Ideally speaking , get baby to sleep on its back rather than on its tummy. This is to prevent him from suffocating as it may find it difficult to breathe with its nostrils against the bed sheets. Do not sleep with baby on your bed as you may crush him or he may fall off the bed. You can consider putting the mattress on the floor but someone might accidentally step on baby .

Baby must be kept warm and dry.

The health of baby is very important. Make sure he eats and sleeps well. Babies are susceptible to illness. If they fall sick then you will have a difficult and stressful time as baby would require more attention and you will have to spend extra effort to take care of it. For example , giving medicine and sponging him if it has a fever. Don't bring the baby to air-conditioned malls where crowds thronged in them. Baby can catch a flu bug or other contagious diseases. If someone close to the family is sick, send the person away or bring baby to another place.