New Born Baby Care Tips

Baby Health Care Tips

Baby health care is a serious subject which needs a basis with which the parents can refer to when it comes to their child. New and old parents rely on doctors to evaluate and diagnose their baby. Pediatricians are doctors who specialize in children usually twelve years old and below.

Sickness And Health

For the first year of a baby's life, he or she will be visiting the pediatrician at least one or twice a month. Baby health care requires that the newborn be monitored monthly to see how the baby is progressing in the growth department. This aspect of baby health care will show the doctor the baby's development and will also signal f there is something wrong with the baby. Monitoring the baby's development for the first year is just the beginning. Most, if not all, pediatricians keep a record of the child's weight and height every time the child visits the doctor.
Baby health care also includes keeping bay clean and healthy. Care should be exercised in using a new baby care product since there may be ingredients that the baby is sensitive to. It is best to use products for sensitive skin initially for baby to avoid exposing baby's skin to harsh chemicals and new elements.
Another baby health care tip is for parents to keep track of what they initially feed their baby. The initial introduction of formula needs to be monitored to see if the baby has any reactions adverse or otherwise to the formula. Baby health care will be a lot easier if the parents keep in mind that they should introduce foods one at a time to the baby to see f the baby has any allergic reactions.
Parents sometimes overreact to a fever especially if the child is fussy about it, but disregarding basic baby health care can also be hazardous to your baby's health. Monitor your baby's fever or sickness frequently. Since babies can not speak or complain they usually cry when there is discomfort or pain. Expect the child to be fussy when he or she has a fever or sickness. If the crying does not stop for more then twenty or thirty minutes, it may be a good idea to have a doctor check the baby. A cry of pain is different from crying due to discomfort. Parent should be able to distinguish this.
Baby health care is something that is quite broad. Consulting with your pediatrician may be the best way to be sure regarding proper baby health care.

Basic Baby Skin Care For Sensitive Skin

Baby skin care is a necessary thing since our skin is the foremost line of defense for our bodies. Babies often have their own kind of skin pretty much like adults but there are times when the babies have not managed to build protection or immunity from an alien element and may be sensitive to this when it comes in contact with his or her skin. Baby skin care is also important since damage to the skin at such a young age may affect the individual in the future. All aspects of baby health care are important to have a happy healthy baby.

Sensitive Skin Care

Babies with sensitive skin should have the right kind of baby skin care. The sensitivity of the skin can cause problems f or the baby even in his or her initial years. The right kind of baby skin care for sensitive skin is to avoid too much exposure to harsh elements or chemicals. Usually, it is the harshness of chemicals and additives in bath soaps, laundry soaps, shampoos and lotions that can trigger a reaction in baby's skin.
Baby skin care for sensitive skin requires reading the list of ingredients in the label of the item before purchasing to see if there are ingredients that the baby is sensitive to. Parents can also ask their pediatrician regarding what chemicals or ingredients their child may be sensitive to. Baby skin care requires that the baby take a bath at least once a day to promote cleanliness.
If the baby is still quite small, it may be best to place her or him on a secure bath seat and then proceed to bathe the baby. Most baby skin care soaps can be used for both soap and shampoo. It is always best to start with a baby soap that is for sensitive skin in order to circumvent any reactions that baby's skin might have with the stronger kid's soaps and shampoos. Avoid unnecessary cleaning of baby with soaps since even sensitive skin soaps can dry out the skin with much too frequent use.
Other baby skin care tips for sensitive skin are to protect baby's skin from the harsh sun and to cover up. Babies with sensitive skin may react to the sun in some ways. The sun is an aging factor as well as does some serious damage to the skin. Constant exposure will eventually show as the baby grows older.


Baby Burping and Feeding

Every baby needs to be burped during their feedings until they are able to support themselves sitting up and are able to burp on their own.

Babies that are bottle-fed usually need to be burped every half-ounce or so when they are newborns. By the time they are four to six months old, they will probably drink six to eight ounces before they need to burp. Babies that are breastfed are usually nursed between switching breasts and are usually able to complete feeding before needing to burp when they are four to six months old.

Spitting up is common with both breastfed and bottle-fed babies. If you think your baby is spitting up too much of her meal, then you need to discuss this with your pediatrician.

You can burp your baby several different ways:
Put baby on your knee and place your palm around her chest, with your fingers supporting her head. Use your other hand to gently pat her back with a cupped hand.

Put baby high on your shoulder with heads and arms dangling over your shoulder. Keep a tight hold on her so that she does not wiggle away and gently pat her back.

While you are sitting, put your baby over your thigh, while supporting her upper chest and head with one hand and keeping her feet between your legs. Use a cupped hand to pat her back gently.

Cradle baby in your arms with her bottom in your hands. Wrap one leg and arm around your arm and face her away from you. Use other hand to pat her back.

If your baby needs a dose of simethicone, then do not hesitate to give it to her. You cannot overdose her and it will help with gas pains. If your baby has bad gas then you can help her by bending her knees to her chest and using a light rocking motion. It will help relieve the gas and make her much happier.

Feedings at night should be dictated by your baby unless otherwise directed by your pediatrician. Let her wake up when she wants to eat. Most newborns will go three to four hours at night before needing to eat and this time will gradually increase until you get complete nights sleep!


Choosing Baby Equipment for Baby

After your first visit with your obstetrician, you will find your mailbox inundated with all kinds of baby magazines and ads for every possible piece of baby equipment that you can imagine. This does not even take into account all of the people that will gladly give you advice, even when not requested. Although many of the items are handy and work well, there are many that play upon your fears as a first time parent or are just silly! There is a list following that tells you about the items that you will want to think about purchasing. To save money, you can even look at second hand stores for many of these items or ask friends with babies older than yours if you can borrow or purchase their items.

A car seat is mandatory, as hospitals will not even let you leave with the baby until you show them that you know how to buckle the baby in the seat. Many times, they will also follow you to the car to make sure it is installed correctly in the car. Car seats will be outgrown at least twice before your child grows out of them by the age of eight. If you are considering a second-hand car seat, ensure that it meets safety requirements.

A baby monitor is a great tool to be able to hear the baby from any room in the house. This way you do not have to stay close to their room all the time. At night, I recommend that you turn the monitor off because you will hear every moan and movement that the baby makes and this can keep you awake. You need to get your rest to take care of your baby.

When you are choosing a crib, you need to look for one that has these features.

o Choose a good quality mattress that is firm.
o The mattress should fit the crib snugly on all four sides.
o The guardrail should be at least 26 inches above the top of the mattress.
o The crib slats space should be no more than 2.375”.
o The crib bumper will help keep the baby’s legs and arms out of the crib slats.

A bouncy seat is a great place for you baby to be when it is not possible to hold her and is a great place to feed them their first meals of rice cereal. They cannot usually sit up well enough for a high chair when they begin cereals and the bouncy seat is a great answer to this problem.

A sling or backpack is a great tool to carry baby if you use caution with it. If you use it too much, however, your baby could possibly have neck or back problems. Choose a sling or backpack that fits you very well and that grows with the baby. The Snugli is great for younger babies that cannot sit up and for older babies the Hip Hammock works great.

A playpen is a great way for you to get things like housework done and keep the baby safe. Around five months old is when a baby should be placed in it, unless it is used for a sleeping area when you are traveling, etc. Containing a baby that cannot crawl or roll is not necessary and you can use a floor gym for entertainment.

Basic Baby Care For Preemies

Preemies are infants born too early from their due date. The due date is usually flexible for most pregnancies. In fact, doctors give a few days more or less for the due date. So the due date is just an estimate for many deliveries unless it is a cesarean section which needs to be scheduled. Premature babies are usually delivered a couple of months before their estimated due date. In this day and age, there is little risk of the baby dying due to premature birth unless there are underlying conditions surrounding the birth.

Baby care for premature infants is basically similar to those infants or babies born around their due date. There will be some adjustments regarding the capacity of the premature infant when it comes to eating as well as baby care regarding special needs.

Going Home

Depending on how premature a baby is, the need for baby care may vary. Some premature babies that are normal can actually go home after spending just several days under observation in the hospital. The parents are usually taught the right baby care for premature babies of its age. Baby skin care for a premature baby may be different since there are some preemies that have not developed so well yet with regards to skin. This does not happen often, though, and babies born seven to eight months can be under similar baby care instructions as those babies born full term.

Baby care usually concentrates on feeding the baby and meeting his or her most basic needs. There are some premature baby formulas if the mother is not yet capable of breast milk. Some premature babies may not have fully developed digestive systems which means they can not enjoy even breast milk as of yet. Even the size of the nipples for the baby bottles for preemies is different. Special instructions regarding baby care when it comes to feeding may be more on this aspect.

Bathing the premature baby may be difficult or dangerous for the first several weeks of his or her delivery. Baby care regarding bathing premature babies state that a sponge bath may just be what the baby's body can accept. A very soft and light sponge or washcloth is needed for giving baby a sponge bath. Baby care with regards to soap requires the gentlest soap possible or even just plain water.

Baby care for premature babies may be difficult to assimilate initially but as the child grows and adapts, the problem is gone.


Caring For A New Babies

A new baby is one of the most precious additions to the family. There are so many things that new parents need to remember regarding caring for a newborn. Safety is probably the foremost of these things as well as giving the new baby as much love as they possibly can. Many of the things that a parent needs for the baby are usually given as a new baby gift during baby showers, christenings and welcome home parties.

New Baby Basics

There are a great many things that should be remembered when caring for a newborn. Among these things is to practice patience with the baby. Babies have no other way to communicate except to cry, which is why for every little thing it wants, the baby usually cries. A new baby usually drinks milk every two to three hours every day. Since there is no set time and this time is an estimate, you can expect your baby to be variable when it comes to eating time.

Feeding the new baby with breast milk or formula is one of the many things that new parents should think about. Breast milk is basically made up of all the nutrients and protection that baby needs for the first few months of life. Breast milk gives colustrum, which boosts the baby's immune system and helps to protect from sickness. On the other hand, if the mother does not have the capacity to produce enough breast milk, the parents might need to supplement with formula or use formula fully to feed the new baby.

Holding the new baby is one thing that needs to be learned. Since the baby is not able to support his or her body as of yet, it is advisable to support the neck and back with an arm when carrying the new baby. Avoid letting the baby's head hang limply and make sure that as the baby is being carried the arms or legs are not pinched or trapped.

The clothes that a new baby is to wear should not be too warm or too cool. Avoid using buttons that might come off as well as safety pins that might poke baby. Cotton is the best clothing to use for a new baby since this is one of the least allergenic materials. Snaps are preferable to buttons and ties. Mittens are not preferable since these can hide the state of the new baby's fingers and hand. There have been some cases of a piece of string tangling in the baby's hand and cutting off circulation.

A Few Newborn Baby Gift Ideas

You know someone who just had a baby and you've been invited to a party where you're expected to give gifts. You're tempted to give gifts to the parents since you know very little about this new little tyke. However, it's more customary to come up with baby gift ideas since the party is in the baby's honor. The following are some newborn baby gift ideas that are sure to be a hit. When coming up with newborn baby gift ideas, it's a good idea to find out what the baby's sex is, what the parents already have for the baby and what they desperately need.

The Baby's Sex

Is the baby a boy or a girl? Or did the parents have twin boys or twin girls, or maybe a twin boy and girl? These are important aspects when coming up with newborn baby gifts.
You know that for boys, you should get blue items and for girls, you should get pink. This is important if you decide to get blankets or bibs, or even baby clothes. These things make for great newborn baby gifts as parents of newborns can never have too many blankets, clothes or bibs. And anyone who has ever had a baby can tell you, parents of a newborn will go through these things like crazy.

Feeding, changing and Sleeping

For the first few months of a baby's life, this is what its life will consist of: feeding, changing and sleeping. The baby wakes up, it's fed, it's changed and then it will usually go to sleep. Rinse and repeat. So newborn baby gifts that revolve around these activities will be very helpful to the parents as well as the baby. Bottles, nipples, diapers, formula, a crib, blankets, crib toys and other items that have to do with feeding, changing or sleeping will make for the perfect gifts for this occasion.