Baby Care Guide For First-Time Parents. Part 1

Welcoming a new member to the family? Don’t worry! Here are some babycare tips for new parents, just take five minutes to read our guide.

New parents will do their best to ensure that their newborn grows up happy and healthy. Hence, many families will hire a nanny to take care of the baby. During the confinement period, nurses at the confinement centre will also teach parents the right way to hold, swaddle and care for their newborn including how to burp, bathe, massage their baby, how to change diapers, and more. Also, new parents can seek help from a pediatrician or lactation consultant on how to breastfeed or bottle feed their baby.

New parents should pay attention to the following points on how to hold their baby:

1. Wash your hands before holding your baby, because your little one has yet to develop a strong immune system and is at a higher risk of infection.
2. Support your baby's head and neck when they are upright or lying down, as this is the most vulnerable part of a newborn baby's body.
3. Avoid vigorously shaking or tossing your baby in the air as this can cause direct injuries.
4. To wake your baby up, speak softly into his ear, blow on his cheek or tickle his little feet.
5. Cradling your baby with skin-to-skin contact is one of the best ways to bond with your baby.

Swaddling Techniques: Ensuring Comfort and Calm for Babies

Swaddling is an effective way to keep your baby warm, especially for babies who are a few weeks old. Here’s how to swaddle your baby:

1. Spread out a soft blanket and slightly fold over one corner. Gently place your baby face up on the blanket while keeping your baby's head over the folded corner.
2. Take the left corner and wrap it over your baby, go under their left arm and tuck it under their back. Take the bottom right corner near your baby's feet and bring it towards the head to wrap it around the body.
3. Tuck the corner under your baby’s back so that only your baby’s neck and head are exposed. Check that you can fit your hand between your baby's chest and the blanket to make sure your baby can breathe easily and that the blanket is not too tight.
4. Stop swaddling your baby when they are more than two months old as they may roll over while being swaddled and affect their breathing.
5. The correct swaddling method can not only make babies calm, cry less, and sleep soundly, but also prevent the baby from being frightened by the reflex movements of the limbs, and even help premature babies to develop better.

Mastering the Art of Diaper Changing for New Moms and Dads

Changing a newborn baby's diaper may seem like a challenge for many new parents, but it's not mission impossible, just pay attention to the following points:

1. If your baby has yellow discharges in their eyes, wipe the eyes with a cotton ball soaked in warm water. This is usually caused by a blocked tear duct.
2. Use baby clippers to trim your baby's nails after bathing or when they are asleep. It is important to trim your baby’s nails as babies can accidentally scratch themselves.
3. Before changing your baby's diaper, make sure you have everything ready, including a clean diaper, warm water, towels, and diaper ointment.
4. Lay your baby on their back and wipe them down with a washcloth and warm water. Alternatively, you can use cotton balls with water or diaper wipes.
5. Diaper rash often occurs because the sensitive skin of newborn babies is easily irritated by wet diapers. So change wet diapers often and make sure the bottom is dry, otherwise the moisture can cause diaper rash, and use ointment or diaper cream to treat or prevent diaper rash.