For the first few weeks after birth, you need to gain experience in multiple things you have not faced before. Here are some tips on surviving the first month with a newborn at home without stress.
A Friendly Environment
A slightly darkened but well-ventilated room is a place where a newborn will feel best. A baby who has spent nine months in the dark environment inside the belly has yet to get used to the light. Therefore, it feels best where the light reaches, but there is not too much of it. On a sunny day, it is worth covering the window with semi-permeable curtains, and in the evening, instead of the top lamp, turn on the side lighting or night lamps.
Newborns have cool skin because their thermoregulation system is still immature. However, this does not mean that the baby is freezing. The children’s room does not need to be additionally heated. The air temperature appropriate for a healthy, full-term newborn is about 22°C.
Peace and Quiet
During the first month, the newborn should have relative peace. Take care of peace and quiet at home. The point is not to completely isolate the baby from sounds but to ensure that they are not too loud during the first weeks. If your vacuum cleaner is noisy, it is better to move the baby to another room while cleaning and turn on the TV or music at a moderate volume.
Feeding on Demand
Healthy newborns want to eat, on average, every hour and a half, counting from the end of the previous feeding, both during the day and at night. If you are bottle-feeding your little one with European baby formula, the time between feeding may be a little longer than with breastfeeding. One feeding can take up to 40 minutes because the baby gets tired of sucking quickly. After feeding, you need to lift the baby slightly so that it burps. This helps prevent regurgitation.
If you are breastfeeding, you may be unpleasantly surprised in the first few weeks by sore nipples and engorgement. Proper latching of the baby to the breast and the use of ointments accelerating the epidermis regeneration help with the pain. During breast engorgement, you need to feed the baby often, and before feeding, make warm compresses on the breasts and take some milk from them.
Accessories Hygiene
If your baby is bottle-fed, the bottles and teats must be sterile. The newborn’s digestive system is still immature, and any bacteria can cause severe ailments. Accessories should be thoroughly washed and scalded before the first use and washed immediately after feeding, preferably using a special liquid for cleaning baby accessories. You can shop Holle and HiPP Organic baby formulas at Organic’s Best.
Frequent Changes
The newborn’s skin is several times thinner than the skin of an older child. Even a few minutes of contact with feces and urine can irritate it and even cause painful sores. Therefore, an infant should be changed immediately after it poops, and if the diaper is clean, change it no less often than two hours after the previous change.
If diapers also absorb stool, do not use anti-nappy cream. Otherwise, the cosmetic will clog the absorbent channels in the diaper, so that stool and urine will stay on the skin instead of penetrating the diaper.
Swaddling a Newborn
Some newborns require almost constant attention. Excessive stimulation may result from problems with adapting to the new reality, and that’s when swaddling may work, helping provide the baby with sensations similar to what it felt in the mother’s belly.
Lay your baby on a thin blanket or cloth diaper. First, cover the legs with it, then wrap the arms so that the baby is not too stiff. The cover should not be too thick. If you are not skilled, it is worth getting a soft swaddle.
Holding the Head
Newborns are not made of porcelain. However, in order not to hurt the baby, you should hold the baby’s head while carrying it so that it does not bend backward. The baby will be able to hold the head around 3 months of age.
