Taking care of a baby is not easy at all as all newborns have special needs, very different from adults’ needs. Very often, first time mothers have to face thousands doubts on what is actually right or wrong to make their baby grow up in the best way possible. Obviously, in these circumstances, the ideal solution would be seeking professional advice but if you are still not sure about something or if you need further information, here are some tips on child care.Nursery
To protect your baby’s health, it is extremely important to follow some rules regarding nursery maintenance. Make sure that the room temperature is around 20° C and it doesn’t have to be below 20° C. It is important to regulate the humidity level that has to be around 50 – 60%. For this reason it would be advisable to have a humidifier for children. They have been specially designed to guarantee the right level of humidity in the room where your baby is going to sleep.
The environment has to be safe and cosy: your baby was so used of the womb that she needs to feel the same way she used to feel inside your tummy. In order to guarantee that, leave your baby to sleep in the pram and do not put her in the cot during the first months as she may feel lost.
The sides of the cot have to be tall enough and it is very important to use an anti-suffocation and anti-mite mattress. The best position to avoid the risk of SIDS is sleeping on the back.
Umbilical stump
One of the main issue that all mothers have to face is taking care of the umbilical stump. At birth, it is cut about 5-10 cm from the skin, wrap it in a sterilized lint and hold it firm with an elasticated net. The lint has to be changed daily for a period of 7-8 days, after that, the stump falls spontaneously. From now on it is essential to treat the wound with oxygenated water for at least 4-5 days until the wound has healed.
Bath time
The baby bath and bathing your newborn baby can be an exciting and scary experience during the first few weeks of life because most babies are very fragile and quite slippery when wet. During the first one or two weeks of life, your baby will need an actual “bath” until their umbilical stump falls off. For most newborns this occurs right around age 10 days. Until then it is fine for you to sponge bath your newborn. Try to keep the baby’s water worm but not hot. A good range is between 35 – 37° C. Gradually slip your baby into the tub feet first, using one hand to support the neck and head. Wrap your baby in a baby bathrobe. It is better not to apply baby powder as it could be dangerous to be inhaled. So it would be preferable to apply a mild baby lotion.
Baby bottles, teats and soothers
All the objects in contact with your baby’s mouth must obviously be clean. At the end of each feed, it is very important to wash them carefully and before the next feed, they must be sterilized. In order to do that, you can choose the classic old remedy which is boiling all the stuff for at least 15-20 minutes or you can rather get a sterilizer you can find on the market. The soother has to be used very carefully: do not put anything on it such as sugar or honey as it would increase the risk of tooth decay. It is recommended not to give the soother everytime baby cries because it may lead her to be totally dependent. Moreover, the soother should be used during the first years only as it may cause dental problems.
Walking and travelling
Go for a walk with the pram or with the pushchair is very good for your baby and it should be done daily. The best place to walk is in green areas, like a park for example, away from the city traffic so both you and your baby can breath clean air. During the first months, it is better to avoid long trips that take more than the time interval between each feed, especially if the situation doesn’t allow you to feed your baby. It is highly recommended not to travel during the hottest hours of the day especially because a tiny baby has less capacity to adapt to the outside temperature.
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