baby care tips

Baby Care Tips

These tips can help even the most nervous first-time parents feel confident.
31. Reconnect
To keep yourself from feeling detached from the world, Jacqueline Kelly, a mom in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, suggests: Get outside on your own, even for five minutes.
32. Enlist backup
Make your first journey to a big, public place with a veteran mom. Having my sister with me for support kept me from becoming flustered the first time I went shopping with my newborn.
33. If you re on your own
stick to places likely to welcome a baby, such as story hour at a library or bookstore.
34. Keep your diaper bag packed
There s nothing worse than finally getting the baby ready, only to find that you re not.
35. Stash a spare
always keeps a change of adult clothes in her diaper bag. You don t want to get stuckwalkingaround with an adorable baby but mustard colored poop all over you.
36. Finally embrace the chaos
Keep your plans simple and be prepared to abandon them at any time.
37. Rethink Bath Time
Even if you enjoy it as a nightly ritual, know that you don t have to fully bathe your baby more than twice a week at least until he s crawling around and rubbing sweet potatoes in his hair. The rest of the time, sponge baths around the diaper area, mouth, and any skin folds (around armpits, thighs, and double chins), will do the trick.
38. Block the Sun
Keep your baby out of the sun as much as possible.For babies younger than 6 months, apply sunscreen only to small areas that might be hard to cover with clothes, such as the face and hands. Rub it in well. You can apply sunscreen to all skin areas of an older baby s body, but be careful around his eyes. Also, try not to take him out between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That s when the sun is the strongest and can do the most harm. Sunscreen sticks or blocks with titanium dioxide or zinc oxide might be gentler on skin. Reapply sunscreen every 2 hours or after your baby sweats or gets wet.
39. Remember the Tush
Diapered skin is often wet, exposed to a lot of friction from rubbing and then there s the poop. All can irritate a baby s skin. To take care of this sensitive area, change your baby s diaper often. Cleanse the area gently with disposable wipes that are alcohol and fragrance free, or use a damp washcloth. Let your baby air outwhen possible, and use a barrier cream before strapping a diaper back on. A barrier ointment containing either zinc oxide or petroleum jelly should be applied liberally to the skin after every diaper change,Theos says. It helps keep your little one s skin from getting too wet and raw.
40. Be Careful With the Baby s Laundry
When washing baby clothes, use a detergent that s free of perfumes and dyes. Many brands carry a free and clear product,Theos says. Fabric softener, in any form, should be avoided. And don t save the free and clearproduct just for your baby s laundry use it for the entire family. A rash could appear anywhere on the body that is covered by clothing, or on the face, due to contact with bedding or parents clothing,Theos says.