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When it comes to a new born baby, basic baby care is very important. There are some things that new parents may not know or may not think of when it comes to taking care of the baby. For starters, you will learn in the hospital how to hold your baby the right way. What you want to do is never let your baby’s neck or head hang, always have support for the head. Simply scoop up the baby while the baby is on their back and place your arm like a cradle, make sure the head and neck are supported by the crook of your arm. Always keep a hand on the babies back for extra support.
Try to keep you baby on a reasonable feeding schedule. Babies normally eat every three to four hours. Some babies stick religiously to that and others get as much sleep as they can. If your baby sleeps through a feeding, don’t wake them up they will eat when they are hungry. Breast fed babies eat more than bottle fed babies do because breast milk digest faster and they become hungrier more often. As the baby gets older they will go longer between feedings. A very important thing to remember after the baby is done eating. Make sure that the baby burps, if the baby does not burp they could get a buildup in gas and the gas bubble will cause them pain. Trust us this is cry they will let out that you won’t want to hear. Make sure that you change your baby before a feeding; they can use up to 10 diapers a day, sometimes more. You have to keep an eye on the color of the urine, the urine should be light or dark yellow, and if the color is amber yellow then the baby is not getting enough to eat. The babies stool will be dark green or black, it means that the baby’s digestive system is working well. One of the most difficult things in baby care is the baby bath. When they are newborns, it may be a good idea to get some help. Babies become very slippery when they are wet. It is hard to balance the baby with one hand and washing the baby with the other. Also keep in mind that the baby will not like the bath at first so they are going to cry. Doesn’t exactly make for nerves of steel. The more you get to do it the better you will become and you won’t need any help you will be a pro. Newborns will sleep about 10 and 21 hours of the day. Babies will not sleep through the night until they are about 3 or 4 months old. Babies are on opposite schedules. So in order for you to teach the baby that daytime is for playing and nighttime is for sleeping, start by not turning on the lights at night. At night after a feeding, place the baby back in the crib and try not to let the baby sleep longer than 4 hours at a time during the day. Now for sleeping, never place the baby on their stomachs, SIDS is a real disease that happens to babies up until the age of 2. Do not dress the baby too warmly at night, if the temperature is under 75 degrees dress the baby in a onesie and a nightgown. If over 75 only dress in one light layer. Never use blankets, they can suffocate the baby, the same goes for pillows. Place the baby on a flat sheet that has nothing the baby can choke on. Do not use blankets or anything fluffy under the baby either. A simple crib sheet is fine and do not place toys in the crib either. Though the baby may be too small to play with them the can be dangerous as well. One thing that 99.5 percent of parents will have to deal with is Colic. Colic occurs from birth to about 5 months of age. The baby will cry uncontrollably and there is hardly anything you can do to soothe them. Colic is a pain the pain gets in their bellies and it can be helped with gas drops but sometimes colic just happens and no one knows why. Some babies cry for colic at the same time every day. If your baby cries for more than an hour call the doctor, usually these fits of colic last about 30 minutes or less. Try switching the type of bottles you use, your baby may be getting too much gas. Dr Browns makes an excellent bottle that will really help reduce the signs of colic. Also try giving the baby gas drops before they eat, it may help reduce colic. A baby crying due to colic will break your heart, do what you can to help. Some babies also get what is called Cradle Cap. This is dermatitis of the scalp. It is like baby dandruff. It occurs mostly in babies under a year old and it is easy to take care of. You can try using either mineral oil or baby oil and massage lightly into the baby’s scalp. The use a comb made for cradle cap and comb out the skin. After doing that wash your baby’s hair to remove all of the oil. It may take a few months for it all to disappear but it will. Some new parents tend to become paranoid when it comes to the baby. If they feel a little warm they are ready to have the baby at the doctor’s office. If they cry for more than 15 minutes they see it as a sign of something wrong. Trust your instincts, if the baby feels warm, simply take their temperature. If the baby cries for more than 1 hours then you can become concerned, 15 minutes is nothing when a baby cries when they don’t feel good. Don’t panic and don’t underestimate your parenting abilities, you will be great. You will see.
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