How To Introduce Baby To Siblings
Older children may be excited to meet their new sibling. Or they may be angry or resentful about the new baby.
Some parents give siblings a small big brother or big sister gift from the new baby. You can also have a caregiver hold the new baby while you cuddle with your older child.
When youre home and recovered, you can let your older child pick a special spot where they want to take the new baby to celebrate their arrival. Or you can arrange a safe area for the sibling to hold the new baby, depending on the older childs age.
If baby will be sharing a room with their sibling or youre planning to move your older child from their crib to make room for baby, prep the older child well ahead of time.
Plan to transition an older child from their crib a few months before the arrival of baby so theyre less likely to feel like theyve been displaced for baby.
If baby is moving into their room, discuss this change with your child in a positive light. Consider letting them help decorate or set up babys area.
The Baby Medicine Cabinet
Discuss the use of over-the-counter medications or treatments with your doctor.
- Thermometer: There are many types available. Some doctors prefer that you use a rectal thermometer to get the most accurate temperature. A digital, plastic thermometer that you can place under your baby’s armpit may be easy for you to use for the first six months, but a rectal temperature is the most accurate in the first 3 months of life. Ear thermometers can be used after age 3 months.
- Pain reliever/fever reducer medicine: Do not use aspirin! Acetaminophen is the only pain reliever/fever reducer approved for for the first 6 months of life. Ask your pediatrician about the proper dose based on your babyâs weight.
- Teething rings to soothe teething gums.
- Small gauze squares to clean wounds.
- Cool mist vaporizer. Good for when baby has a cold.
- Pedialyte or Ricelyte to be used as directed by your child’s pediatrician for fluid replacement during diarrhea or vomiting.
- Infant sunscreen. If your baby is younger than 6 months, keep them out of the sun as much as possible. But no matter how old they are, apply a baby-friendly sunscreen if they’ll be exposed to sunlight.
Keep your baby in the shade as much as you can. Their skin is thinner and more sensitive. Cover them up with clothes and a hat, limit their time in the sun , donât let them get overheated, and get them out of the sun right away if they show any signs of sunburn or dehydration, including fussiness, redness, and excessive crying.
Summer Essentials For Newborn Babies
In addition to the detailed checklist mentioned earlier, here are several items you will need for a baby born in summer.
- Baby vests: Bodysuits or vests with popper buttons and envelope necks are ideal summer-wear options. Pick light colours and fabrics to keep the baby cool when the temperatures are soaring high.
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Sleepsuits: Newborn babies live in sleepsuits for the first couple of months. Carefully chosen sleepsuits in the right fabric can make the season comfortable for your little one.
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Sunshade for the car or pram: This one is ideal for travel. Fix a shade on your babys pram and on your car windows to protect him from heatstroke.
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Summer hat: Pick a lightweight hat with a rim to shield your babys eyes from the sun.
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Muslin cloths: Most rocking chairs, prams and car seats have synthetic fabric which makes babies sweat. Lining the seats with good quality cotton or muslin sheet will keep your baby cool when he is sitting over it.
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Sunblock: Sunblocks are essential to protect a newborn baby for any sun damage. Check with your babys paediatrician for the best type of sunscreen you can use on your newborn babys delicate skin.
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A Reliable Breast Pump
Even if you dont anticipate heading back to an office anytime soon, youre going to want to get yourself a breast pump right away. If you have any trouble with milk supply early on, a pump will become your best friend . And if you dont, you can use it just enough to stock your freezer so others can feed your baby when you need a break. Best of all, health insurance pays for all of some pumps, and part of others.
Image: Medela.
Medical Emergencies In Newborns
You may want to enroll in an infant CPR and basic first aid class before your baby is born. Consider reenrolling in a class even if you took one before the birth of a previous child.
Look for a class at a community center or hospital near you. You can also ask your OB-GYN for recommendations.
In the class, youll learn to identify signs of an emergency. Its important to watch out for the following and seek emergency medical help right away if you notice them:
- Your baby is having difficulty breathing. Signs that baby is having trouble breathing may include:
- rapid or irregular breathing
- turning blue in the face
- seeming to have difficulty taking air in
- making grunting noises while trying to take a breath
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Bathing Baby: What You Need
- Baby bathtub
- 4 terry cloth bath towels
- 4 to 6 washcloths
- Baby soap. Many brands make baby shampoo and soap all in one.
- Brush and comb
- Rounded-tip nail scissors or clippers.Baby’s nails grow quickly and can scratch their face.
- Bulb syringe nasal aspirator. These are used to suction excess mucus from baby’s nose and mouth .
You may want to check with your baby’s doctor before the first bath. Most doctors recommend that you wait until the umbilical cord has fallen off and the circumcision site has healed before giving your baby a tub bath. In the meantime sponge baths work great.
Five Basic Needs Of Infants And Toddlers
18 April, 2017
From a helpless newborn to an active toddler, your child covers a great deal of developmental ground in the first few years of life.
Encouraging and supporting his growth is a big job, and it can feel overwhelming. Focus on tending to his five biggest needs first — and take pride in the fact that you’re probably already meeting them.
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Basic Needs Of Newborn Baby
What a baby needs
There are certain physiological needs that are essential for the newborn baby to adjust to the new reality that has come to live from birth, but also occur in this same period, emotional needs that are equally basic and which is more easy sometimes forget:
Need for proximity: The neonate has a real need to be as close as possible to the mother, and have a physical contact with her to mitigate the disruption that has caused the exit of the womb.
Need for constant stimuli: The newborn is guided by subtle perceptions: as quality of pressure, smell, etc.. If in the first weeks of life is not maintained constancy and caring environment, is taken aback by the changes with great difficulties in orientation, which is the starting point for the recognition and differentiation.
Needs of pace: At birth, the child has established a certain rhythm. It is important to adapt to it to assist the recovery of balance. Forcing the infant to follow a different rate equivalent to subject him to an extra effort will cost him greatly, and it can also become a disruptive factor of his personality.
How Much Do Newborn Babies Sleep
A newborns schedule can feel unpredictable. Newborns will sleep an average of eight to nine hours in the daytime. They may sleep up to another eight hours total at night. But this wont usually be for the same stretch of time.
Newborns also have very small stomachs. Theyll need to get up about every three hours to eat until around 3 months of age. Once theyre a little older, theyll be able to go longer between feedings.
Some babies will sleep through the night starting at 4 months. Others wont sleep through the night until later. Your pediatrician is your best resource for letting you know how often your newborn will need to be fed throughout the night as they grow.
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If You Are Formula Feeding:
- Lots of bibs
- Burp cloths
- Bottle and nipple brush
- Formula
- Thermal bottle carrier
- Several dozen cloth or re-usable diapers
- 8 waterproof covers
- Baby ointment or other barrier cream to prevent rash
- Snaps, Velcro or safety pins to secure re-usable diapers
- Disposable wipes or a couple dozen washcloths for cleaning babys bottom
Winter Essentials For Newborn Babies
During winter, the temperature drop makes it harder for your baby to stay warm without additional clothing. Heres a checklist for you to take care of your babys health and well-being when the mercury level drops.
- Baby quilt: You can find a variety of baby quilts in the market. They are available in various sizes, patterns and colours. Choose the ones which are soft, non-bulky and would keep your baby warm.
- Flannel sheets and blankets: Invest in good quality blankets or flannel sheets with hoods. These are ideal to wrap your newborn in and to add another cover to keep him warm.
- Full-sleeved vests: When looking for full-sized vests, go for cotton vests since they directly go on your babys skin. Wollens and sheets can then be used for an additional layer of clothing for your baby.
- Thermal wear: Depending on how cold it gets in your region, you may go for thermal pants and vests too.
- Sweater or cardigan: Sweaters and cardigans come in handy when you need a final layer for your newborn babys winter clothing. However, some wool could give your baby a rash. If it does, opt for several layers of cotton clothing along with a woollen blanket.
- Woollen caps and booties: Most sweater sets come with socks and caps for your baby to have a matching set. Wearing booties over a pair of cotton socks also provides an additional layer of clothing.
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In The First 24 Hours Of Life Every Newborn Needs These 5 Things
Cheap, simple ways to save millions of newborns every year.
The first 24 hours of a baby’s life are crucial. About a third of newbornsaround 1 million babiesdie within the first day.
New research in the Lancet explains why. The main causes of death are infections, asphyxia and low birth weightall preventable with these five simple, low-cost strategies that UNICEF can deliver even in the poorest countries.
Feeding And Burping Your Baby
Whether feeding your newborn by breast or a bottle, you may be stumped as to how often to do so. Generally, it’s recommended that babies be fed on demand whenever they seem hungry. Your baby may cue you by crying, putting fingers in his or her mouth, or making sucking noises.
A newborn baby needs to be fed every 2 to 3 hours. If you’re breastfeeding, give your baby the chance to nurse about 1015 minutes at each breast. If you’re formula-feeding, your baby will most likely take about 23 ounces at each feeding.
Some newborns may need to be awakened every few hours to make sure they get enough to eat. Call your baby’s doctor if you need to wake your newborn often or if your baby doesn’t seem interested in eating or sucking.
If you’re formula-feeding, you can easily monitor if your baby is getting enough to eat, but if you’re breastfeeding, it can be a little trickier. If your baby seems satisfied, produces about six wet diapers and several stools a day, sleeps well, and is gaining weight regularly, then he or she is probably eating enough.
Another good way to tell if your baby is getting milk is to notice if your breasts feel full before feeding your baby and less full after feeding. Talk to your doctor if you have concerns about your child’s growth or feeding schedule.
If your baby tends to be gassy, has gastroesophageal reflux, or seems fussy during feeding, try burping your little one after every ounce during bottle-feeding or every 5 minutes during breastfeeding.
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Layette: Baby’s First Clothes
- 6 undershirts that snap on the bottom or tie on the side, commonly called “onesies”
- 3 to 4 infant gowns with elastic bottoms. These make for easy diaper changes. All you have to do is pull the gown up over the belly to change the diaper and then pull it back down when finished. There is no stumbling around trying to snap the gown back together, which is especially nice when it’s 3 a.m. and all you want to do is get baby back to sleep so that you can get back to sleep.
- 6 sleepers/stretch suits . These are nice to put baby in during the day, but are not essential items. When buying these, make sure you get the kind that zip up the front. These are easier to get baby in and out.
- 3 to 4 pairs of booties or socks with stretch elastic band at cuff
- 3 to 4 receiving blankets
- 1 sweater and hat
Health And Safety Checklist
Itâs good to have some essentials at home in case you need to take your little oneâs temperature or put an adhesive bandage on a small scratch. These are some basic items to have at home:
â First-aid kit. You’ll want to have basic items at home like a baby thermometer, tweezers, antibiotic ointment, adhesive bandages, and petroleum jelly, all in one place. You may wish to have another first-aid kit in the car or in the diaper bag so that you have some of these essentials when youâre on the go as well.
â Bulb syringe. This can help gently remove mucus from your babyâs nose.
â Nail clippers or a soft emery board. Your little oneâs nails will need trimming from time to time, and doing this will also help prevent him scratching himself.
â Soft-bristled hairbrush. Even if your little one doesnât have much hair, a brush can help loosen scales if your newborn ends up with cradle cap.
â Sunscreen. Generally speaking, your little one should be kept out of direct sunlight for at least the first six months. However, a little sunscreen may be applied to exposed small areas like the face and hands if adequate clothing and/or shade isn’t available.
â Gentle detergent. This can be used to wash all of your newbornâs clothes and bedding for the first few months. If your babyâs skin shows any signs of irritation, you can try a hypoallergenic detergent, perhaps one designed especially for babies.
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