Now that you’re a parent, you may finally be realising why everyone always says that having a newborn in the house is chaotic, to say the least. Your sleep pattern (and theirs) is completely erratic, getting them to eat can be difficult, and the changing…oh, the changing.
If only there were some list of helpful parenting hacks that could help mums and dads of newborns ease into the transition smoothly. Luckily, there are some helpful tips out there that can help make your lives as new parents a bit easier!
Check out the list and let us know if these helpful tips made your parenting duties a little bit easier:
1. Sleep when they sleep
Sure, it sounds simple enough, but believe it or not there are parents out there who aren’t napping when the baby is sleeping. You might think it’s wise to get things done or get some personal time, but it’s not! You’re robbing yourself of precious shut-eye and you’ll need it you want to be as alert and awake as possible down the road. Sleep when your baby is asleep and you’ll get as much rest as you possibly can!
2. Don’t assume crying means they’re ready to wake up
Baby’s often wake themselves up by crying, or cry in their sleep but that doesn’t mean they’re ready to wake up. As a parent, it’s your first instinct to check on them and make sure all is well and that’s perfectly fine! Just make sure that you don’t assume that because they’re crying means they’re fully awake. Don’t pick them up and get them out of “sleep mode” see if they’ll cry for a minute and then settle back down by themselves.
3. When changing diapers, put the new diaper under the old one
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Wipe off your newborn and throw out the dirty diaper, but this time around have the fresh diaper right there where you need it. It’ll save you a little bit of time and effort, which is valuable for new parents!
4. Buy a button/velcro/zip sleeper
Swaddling is no longer the preferred way to keep baby cosy. In fact, it can be rather dangerous if done incorrectly. Invest in something safer and easier like a button down, velcro, or zipper sleeper to keep your baby nice and comfy!
5. If you have to swaddle, do it the right way
- Place a square swaddle blanket in your baby’s crib like a diamond.
- Fold down the top corner toward the middle to make a flat edge.
- Lay your baby down on the blanket with the flat edge on the back of their neck.
- Put your baby’s arms flat against their body and bring one side corner across their body and tuck it underneath them, leaving an arm free.
- Fold the bottom corner up and over the shoulder of the remaining free arm.
- Fold the remaining side corner over their flat arm and across the body, tucking it under their body.
6. Use almond or coconut oil on baby’s bottom to make cleaning easier
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Using these oils doesn’t just moisturise your baby’s bottom, it also serves a helpful purpose. The moisture will help wiping and make for an overall cleaner and easier changing experience!
7. Use a hospital pacifier to make medicine intake easy
Remember the pacifier you received at the hospital? The one with the hole in it? Well, there’s actually a good purpose for it now! You can fill the hole in the middle with medicine to help make intake a whole lot easier! It will take longer because of how narrow the hole in the nipple is, but it’s still an easy and simple alternative.
8. Use onesies correctly
Yes, onesies are adorable, but they actually are designed with “butt flaps” for a reason. It’s time to start taking advantage of the flaps and make changing/wiping a lot easier instead of having to remove the onesie all together.
9. Don’t feed them to make them sleepy, feed them when they wake up
Your newborn isn’t much different from you. They need meals like breakfast to give them nutrients and energy throughout the day! It’s a bad habit to feed them before they sleep, and it’s certainly not good to feed them to make them sleepy.
10. Bicycle kick exercises can help relieve gas
Babies get gas, and they can’t exactly reach for the antacids like mum or dad. Help them relieve their gas by laying them on their backs and rotating their legs in a cycle (like riding a bike).
11. Use white noise to put them to bed
If you train your baby to sleep in a silent room, they’ll be trained to be a light sleeper. Try using something that makes a little bit of white noise, like a ceiling fan (on low) or an electric fan (pointed away, also on low). Alternatively, you can find white noise apps or machines that make a tranquil level of white noise that can train your baby’s ears to be less sensitive to a little bit of noise.
12. Never keep baby awake for longer than an hour and a half
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Common logic will tell you that if you keep your baby awake longer, then they’ll need/want to sleep longer. Common logic doesn’t account for how much newborns actually need to sleep. Don’t keep them awake for too long! They need sleep and you don’t want to interfere with a newborns development…plus, they’ll start to get fussy if they’re up for too long!
This article was originally posted by Popsugar
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