You can attend all the newborn care classes you want during your pregnancy, but diapering and feeding a baby doll just isn’t the same. When your baby arrives, you will still feel overwhelmed. Nobody is really ever prepared to be responsible for another life. But, don’t worry. Your parental instinct will soon kick in.

It’s a good idea to ask the nurses at the hospital for help with basic baby care. Don’t hesitate to ask them to show you how things are done more than once. Practice makes perfect, after all. Make sure that you and your partner are comfortable with the basics of caring for a newborn before bringing your baby home, like:

  • Changing diapers
  • Handling a newborn (e.g. supporting the baby’s neck)
  • Bathing, dressing, and swaddling the baby
  • Feeding and burping the baby
  • Proper cleaning of the umbilical cord
  • Clearing the baby’s nasal passages with a light bulb syringe
  • Taking the temperature of the newborn
  • Soothing the baby

Caring for Your Newborn

There are a lot of things to consider, such how to bathe and feed the baby, as well as change diapers. Here are four useful tips that can help you navigate the baby basics.

  • Holding your baby for at least 2 hours a day helps them cry less.
  • Swaddle bathing is recommended by some pediatricians until the umbilical cord falls off and heals, which usually takes around one or two weeks.
  • Newborns go through a lot of diapers a day, so make sure that you have a lot of them before getting discharged.
  • Whether you choose to breastfeed or formula feed your baby, make sure that you hold them up at an angle while feeding.

Importance of Regular Visit to a Pediatrician

Every healthcare provider follows a check-up plan developed for the average child, which works well for most families. Your visit to the doctor’s clinic can be more valuable if you take a more active role. Keep in mind that your baby’s pediatrician is mainly monitoring normal development, but they only have a limited time to observe your baby. So, you should also do your part as a parent by monitoring your baby’s growth and development. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, do not hesitate to speak up, so the doctor also knows if it’s a cause for concern.

As a first-time mom, it’s normal to worry a lot about your newborn’s health. Newborn care is not easy, but you can still get through it with the help of an experienced pediatrician from Pediatrix in Phoenix.