To care for the newborn at home, parents need to spend a lot of time with the baby, as it is very small and fragile and needs a lot of attention.
Therefore, parents should take some basic precautions to maintain the comfort of the newborn and ensure that they grow strong and healthy, such as: feeding it properly, changing diapers frequently and washing it at least 3 times a week.
Here are the 7 essential treatments to care for the newborn at home in the best way possible:
The baby’s room should be simple and always clean, to prevent the accumulation of dust and bacteria harmful to health. The essential and recommended facilities for the room are:
In addition, the room should be spacious and ventilated, maintaining a pleasant temperature, which can vary between 20 and 22 C. The floor should not have carpets or many toys, especially stuffed, as they accumulate more dust, facilitating the appearance of allergies.
Baby’s clothing should be cotton, without ribbons, hair, elastics or buttons and, if possible, 2 separate pieces should be worn, such as blouse and trousers, as it is easier to dress and change.
To avoid irritation of the baby’s skin, all labels should be cut and only other clothing worn by parents should be worn, for example, if parents wear 2 sweaters, the baby should be 3. In winter, warm clothes must be made. wool, as it is hotter and summer clothes should be entirely cotton, as they help the skin breathe better.
In addition, baby clothes should be washed separately from adult clothing and ideally drying in the dryer, as this softens it. If it is best to let clothes dry naturally, your baby’s clothes should be dried inside the house to avoid contamination from the outside. See more tips on how to dress your baby
The newborn should bathe 3 times a week and whenever it is dirty and the bath should only be done with water for the first 15 days. From there, you can use pH-neutral, non-alcoholic soap and you don’t need to use shampoo, washing your hair with the same body product.
To keep your newborn healthy, you need
The bath should be fast, not exceeding 10 minutes so as not to alter the composition of the baby’s skin and can be given at any time of the day except after breastfeeding. Refer to step-by-step instructions for bathing your baby.
The umbilical stump, which is the rest of the umbilical cord left in the baby’s navel, should be disinfected at least once a day after bathing. To do the cleaning, follow the step by step:
After dropping the umbilical cord, you should continue cleaning with a saline solution until completely dry and free of injury and the layer should be bent under the navel, to prevent urine or faeces from reaching the navel and causing an infection.
Normally, the newborn is fed breast milk, which is the best food for the healthy development of the baby. However, in some cases, the newborn must be fed with artificial milk:
The baby should breastfeed whenever they want, so there is no defined frequency of breastfeeding, however, it is common for the baby to be hungry every 2 to 3 hours during the day and should not go more than 4 hours without eating. , even at night.
Each diet takes an average of 20 minutes, first faster and then slower.
The mother can breastfeed sitting or lying down, the important thing is that the mother feels comfortable and that the baby can have a proper grip on the chest. Check how to know if your baby is breastfeeding properly and how to breastfeed.
When the woman does not produce enough milk or when the baby has another specific need, it may be necessary to give her artificial milk in addition to breast milk. However, the use of artificial milk should not be initiated until after the pediatrician has been indicated.
To give the bottle, you have to prepare the milk and for that you must:
In the end, the baby should be purified to release excess air in the stomach. To do this you have to place it vertically and give it small blows to the back.
Crying is your baby’s main way to alert parents to certain discomfort, such as a dirty diaper, hunger or fear, so knowing how to identify the type of crying is important to be able to soothe the baby more quickly.
To understand crying, you should pay attention to the sound and movements of your baby’s body, which usually help identify the reason for crying.
Some ways that can help calm the newborn include finding a quiet environment, a massage, breastfeeding or wrapping it in a blanket. Learn more about the following techniques: 6 ways to stop mourning your baby.
The best way to keep the newborn safe on site is to never leave it alone, as it is still very small and fragile. However, other important security measures include:
All of these treatments help the newborn be safe and grow healthier, avoiding complications and even certain diseases.