Now that you have successfully delivered the baby in the hospital and returning back home, there may be various things running in your mind about how to take proper care of your little one. Some parents may drift along on cloud 9 as the baby arrives while few may feel overwhelmed about various issues concerning the new baby. For the first few weeks taking care of the baby can really be a challenging task for first time parents. But the baby’s homecoming from the hospital can be made stress free by simply keeping a few things in mind. So let’s discuss the newborn baby care tips in details.

Leaving the hospital: 2 or 3 days after your delivery, it’s time to carry your baby home and this is the first time that he will be in the open environment. So pack a comfortable outfit for the baby so that he is warm, but remember not to overheat him. Use many layers of clothing only if its winter and cold outside else you can use a jumpsuit and a soft towel to wrap the baby. Use a cap to keep his head warm.

How to handle the newborn: If you are a first time parent, then these newborn baby care tips can be of immense help. Since newborn babies are very fragile, here are few basic things that you should always remember. Whenever you handle your infant, you should wash your hands first as little babies do not have a strong immunity and are susceptible to infection. Another baby care tip that you should strictly follow is to support his head and neck while holding him upright or while laying him down. Be careful not to shake your little one vigorously as it can cause bleeding in the brain and even result to sudden death. If you want to keep him awake then gently tickle on his feet or touch the cheeks.

Bathing basics: You can give your baby a sponge for the first few days till the cord has healed. After that you can give him a bath two or three times a week. But before giving a bath, arrange a tub of warm water and check the temperature by dipping your elbow into the water. Use a soft wash cloth or sponge to clean him. You can also use some mild soap or shampoo. Wrap him with a soft towel soon after the bath to keep warm. Before giving the first bath to your baby, take help from a nurse or someone elder in your home.

Help your baby sleep: Newborns usually sleep for more than 18 hours a day and they usually cannot differentiate between days and nights for the first few weeks. To teach him appropriate sleeping pattern, avoid turning on the lights at night and put him right back down after every feed and diaper changes at night. If your infant sleeps more during the daytime, then wake him up and play with him to make him sleep during the night. Do not put pillows or stuffed animals beside or under your baby while he sleeps as it increases the risk of death caused due to suffocation.

Following the above newborn baby care tips will surely help to handle him efficiently and confidently.

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Newborn Baby Care Tips: Essentials That Make Things Easier For Parents by lBijayani Swain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/newborn-baby-care-tips-essentials-that-make-things-easier-for-parents-7403870.html.