New to Parenting? Try These Tips to Ensure Your Baby’s Well-Being
The early few years of a baby’s birth are demanding and risky. Babies go through an extensive transformation while transitioning their journey from the womb to the outside world. They fight against several odds like neonatal defects, labor injuries, pregnancy complications, preterm birth, low weight, and sudden death syndrome to ensure survival. Since they have lower immunity, they also give in to minor preventable infections.
Parenthood duties may seem daunting when you know these statistics. But your role as a parent is to observe your child’s needs and facilitate them accordingly. They do not have obscure and complex needs. Hygiene, nutritious food, comfort, quality rest, and a healthy environment are the few prerequisites for your baby to grow healthy. So, upgrade your awareness about pediatric health and parenting. And ensure a healthy environment so their bodies can function, adapt, and mature.
The following sections explore tips for new parents to ensure their baby’s health and well-being.
- Observe apparent behaviors and actions
You cannot generalize and cater to your baby according to any standard parenting style. Every baby has a different nature and disposition. Their actions, gestures, and behaviors also vary as per their needs and well-being. For this reason, you have to study them as they grow and satisfy their requirements. Their behaviors, actions, and gestures can help you understand cues about their health and well-being. For instance, babies with congenital conditions like cerebral palsy exhibit uncontrolled movements, unstable body balance, involuntary muscle contractions, stiff muscles, swallowing difficulties, excessive drooling, and irritable sleeping pattern. You must keep track of your baby’s behaviors and actions and observe such unusual signs.
Thorough monitoring and observation are necessary to understand if your baby needs urgent medical assistance. You can explore cerebralpalsyguide.com for better know-how and information regarding the connection between physical and behavioral changes in a baby and congenital conditions like cerebral palsy.
- Ensure proper hygiene
Babies’ encounter with the environment outside the womb is full of challenges. During the first two to three months of birth, they only rely on passives or innate immunity until their immune system starts functioning. They are vulnerable to various bacterial and viral attacks and infections. A proper hygiene protocol is essential to minimize their exposure until their system recognizes pathogens and develops antibodies. Hence, keep their surroundings thoroughly clean. Ensure regular and thorough cleaning of their clothes, nappies, and feeding supplies. Use baby-friendly products while cleaning or bathing your baby. But do not wash them regularly. Daily bath can dry their delicate skin and cause irritation or rashes. Instead, you can use a sponge bath to clean them whenever needed.
In addition, ensure others also follow the same practices when coming in contact with your baby. And do not let them touch the baby without sanitizing their hands. Keep your baby away from their exposure if they have an infectious disease. They can pass on their germs and pathogens even without touching your baby.
- Provide mother’s feed at regular periods
Since babies have a small food storage capacity, they crave feeding in several sessions and feed only a small amount each session. But new parents struggle to comprehend and follow a newborn’s eating pattern and habits. Sometimes, you cannot tell if the feed is enough for the baby’s needs. But you will get a hold of their feeding pattern in no time. Even if babies cannot talk, they are well-equipped to communicate their needs. They cry, rub their hands on their face, tilt their neck to look for feed, or suck their fingers to tell they are hungry. So, feed only when necessary and do not force them for more or less. If you interfere with their feeding pattern, they may suffer from indigestion.
And one more thing. Do not use other substitutes for a mother’s milk. Mother’s milk is crucial for the baby’s well-being. It contains essential nutrients and antibodies that other alternatives cannot suffice. Mother’s milk is also a light diet for their delicate digestive systems to process without trouble.
- Connect and sense
Newborns do not only need your feed to nurture and grow healthy. Their cravings for interaction and emotional bonding are similar to a grown-up person. So, connect and coordinate with your baby both physically and emotionally. An emotional connection is necessary for their healthy growth, even if they do not understand the language of emotions. That’s why physical touch is one of the basic protocol requirements during a baby’s birth. Doctors also advise parental touches, kisses, cuddling, and interaction to develop a strong emotional bond with your baby.
No matter how small and insignificant, these small gestures contribute to your baby’s well-being. You can sense and understand their needs and behaviors while spending time with them. And a harmonious relationship with your baby also minimizes their health issues and your visits to a pediatrician.
- Get assistance
Parenting is not easy, so don’t expect yourself to be a master when it is your first time. It’s a long journey where you learn, observe, and revise your efforts and steps countless times. Even seasoned parents also make mistakes while tending to their newborns and grown-ups. So, do not feel pressured to give your best all the time. If you don’t know or cannot manage parenthood duties, seek assistance. Learning is better than risking your baby’s health and well-being. Your parents and other relatives with kids can be a source of guidance. Since they have already walked through the same challenges, you can learn from them.
In addition, you can also connect with parenting and social support groups. They have specialized trainers, educators, and pediatrician experts to assist new parents regarding parenting basics and pediatric complications. You can connect with other parents who visit these platforms with the same concerns and challenges and learn from each other.
Conclusion
Patenting is not magic or rocket science. It’s similar to other responsibilities in life. As you learn how to lead an independent life, you also learn how to nurse and look after your child. So, don’t freak out if you have welcomed a newborn into your home. You can do well in parenting with practice and patience. Your child’s growth, well-being, and personality will further reflect the outcomes of your endeavors and help you tweak wherever necessary. Thus, immerse yourself in the journey and enjoy the process.
