- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
August 2014 Moms
![[Deleted User]](https://core-api.thebump.com/core/v1/avatars/%5BDeleted%20User%5D)
[Deleted User]
member
Helpful NEWBORN Advice
[Deleted User]
member
The user and all related content has been deleted.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Helpful NEWBORN Advice
Anyone else use this & have it work?
I really loved those swaddler blankets. The ones that look like a little bag you stick them in & then it velcros around them? I highly recommend.
@scarfbandit 100%! I just used it today. There was a newborn with very young parents, the mom was trying to calm the baby down, I told her she needed to burp (clear "eh" sound) I also worked in a nursery in my gym, and I was always with the infants bc I could calm them all down fairly easy and quickly (4 babies at a time) . I always pass(ed) this knowledge on to any mom happily
2. Don't try to do everything yourself. Accept help.
3. If you are breast feeding, nurse nurse nurse whenever that baby is hungry. It will help your supply.
4. Don't even attempt a schedule in the first few weeks, it will stress you out.
5. Kellymom.com if you are breast feeding.
6. Sleeping through the night is 5 hours for a newborn. Most babies do not sleep through the night for many months.
7. Don't listen to people who say "oh your baby isn't sleeping thru the night at 6 weeks! Mine did!" Some did but probably most are not telling the whole truth or just don't really remember.
they have 3 distinct cries for the 3 needs - one for a change, one to be fed, one to be held
The neediness of newborns can be overwhelming. Ask for a break if you need one and take it if one is offered. Everyone will survive if you leave for 30 minutes.
If you don't think shushing (one of the 5 S's) isn't working, you're probably not doing it loud enough. The hair dryer, obviously not pointed at the baby, works great. My friend's baby napped in the bouncy seat in the bathroom with the fan on for weeks. You are not creating bad habits at this stage so do what needs to be done.
And just to reiterate, you are not creating bad habits during the newborn stage. If baby only sleeps in the swing, than crank that sucker up like a carnival ride. If you need to shush and sway, do it until your arms feel like they are going to fall off.
You will get lots and lots and lots of advice. Most people, outside of moms of newborns, have mentally blocked this period and are basing their advice on what they remember of older babies. What works for a 9 month old may not work for a newborn.
Read the Wonder Weeks books.
Swaddle with a blanket and a sack.
RNP's are awesome.
Babywearing seriously saves my life.
Ask for help when needed and accept it when it's offered.
Seek professional help if you suspect the baby blues are PPD.
You only need to survive each stage, not master it.
If the baby is howling and you desperately need a break and no one is around -- put the baby in her crib or RNP and take a shower. Shell be okay crying for 5-10 minutes. Really.
it's easier to go out to dinner with a newborn than a toddler. If baby has a meltdown you may need to haul ass but NBs sleep a lot.
Some babies love swings. Some love bouncers. Some hate both. Try out a few I'd you can..
_____________________________
I also swear by Happiest Baby on the Block. Video or book, it is outstanding advice and helped me with my colicky baby immensely. Instead of shushing, I used a white noise app on my phone set to almost full volume and it was perfect.
Baby's need held constantly the first few months so if you feel like you are holding them to much, you are not.
baby learns by how you react to them. If you pick them up when they cry they learn to trust others that way.
Sorry for the double quote... I you do this, then don't forget to measure your ounces of water you add properly. If you put formula in first, then add water to the ounce line of your bottle, you need to account for the space the formula already took up in the bottle. I always did water first for this reason, but if you know your math, it wouldn't be hard to figure out where you need to be on water if you flip it around.
The first day dh went back to work was soooooo overwhelming, I cried that day numerous times because I couldn't get baby to stop fussing. Like pp said, put baby down and let them cry enough to compose yourself. Cry/scream/walk it off.
Borrow some big ticket items like swings, bouncers if you can before you buy. Some babies are really picky and don't care if you spend 50+ bucks on that fancy swing. They will not sleep in it.
Once you get breast feeding down, pumping and giving dh a chance to feed is a must to keep your sanity. Not only will it help if you are going back to work by getting them use to a bottle by someone else, but then you can leave the house for a walmart run and take your sweet time.
Also if you get baby use to dh giving a bottle you can take shifts when it comes to sleeping. I slept from 5-10 or so then took over so dh could get decent nights sleep. Invest in some earplugs. No matter how heavy a sleeper you are now, it will change. I use to sleep through anything. After baby, even a little fidgit would wake me. You will be glad you have them when it's your turn to sleep, and same for dh.
2. Balmex is the best diaper cream, especially for breastfed babies that poop a whole lot. Buy the huge 16 oz jar for home and get the tubes for the diaper bag. It is a little more expensive but worth it.
3. Definitely a diaper station in each main room and at least one on each floor if you have a multi-level house.
4. Bananas and avocados stain clothes pretty much instantly. They are usually the first foods for a baby so don't let him/her eat them in nice clothes.
5. If baby is fussy go outside. My daughter was known around the neighborhood as the "outside baby" because it was one of the few things (other than boobies) that would calm her down.
6. Parents will try to give you advice but every baby is different. Some babies fall asleep in the car every time and some hate it and will cry to the point of vomiting. That does not mean you are a bad parent or don't know what you are doing! Some parents like to be smug like they know everything but in reality their baby was "easy" and didn't require as much as a colicky or high needs infant.
7. Ignore all breastfeeding advice from parents who solely formula fed. Ignore anyone (outside of your pediatrician or LC) saying "just give baby a bottle of formula and X, Y, Z will be better".