Newborn babies are the pride and joy of every new family. Their birth marks a defining moment in your life and is an unforgettable experience.
We all want to cherish such moments and raise our children to be beautiful human beings in the future, and so we want to grow them in the best manner possible.
Unfortunately, inexperience can get in the way of passionate young parents who may make some blunders while raising a newborn baby
If you are interested in learning about DIY baby weight measurement techniques, you can find helpful information at DIY baby weight measurement techniques.. It is essential to raise your child correctly to see them prosper as they grow.
It is easier said than done, however, as raising a newborn baby can be hard work and requires you to forsake many nights worth of sleep.
In the end, it is worth it, as your children come first in every matter.
With that said, we identify some common mistakes new parents make for you to avoid.
It can also help with the first-time parent’s checklist.
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Ignoring your Baby
One of the most severe mistakes new parents make is ignoring the calls or cries of their newborn.
True, it might be 4 in the morning, and we all cherish our beauty sleep, making the cries of our baby sound like an angry demon, but it is an absolute must to respond when they cry.
Whenever a baby is crying, it is attempting to communicate because it needs something.
If parents ignore the calls of their baby, feelings of insecurity or even trauma might build up.
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Using Pillows that are too soft
When we take care of a newborn baby, we all instinctively rush to bombard the infant with softest and most comfortable looking pillows and mattresses.
However, the reality is that you can use any firm mattress and your baby will sleep on it happily.
Soft pillow and cushions may cause suffocation, and they might not provide proper head support either. Use of a flat head baby pillow can remedy that.
You should also check your baby’s sleeping position and make sure they do not sleep on their belly.
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Not Burping your Baby
Burping is a significant activity needed for your baby. These little ones suck in a lot of air that needs to be let out. It is essential as a parent to induce these burps.
Always do so before and after feeding your baby, as well as before they sleep.
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Not Changing Diapers Regularly
Another tedious task that is undesirable. When you are overworked and exhausted, changing diapers can easily be overlooked.
However, if you wait for too long, it can result in bad diaper rashes and quite possibly urinary tract infections.
So to avoid a painful time for young one, muscle yourself out of bed and change that diaper when it is time.
It is not worth conserving diapers when your child’s comfort and health is at stake.
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Letting too many People Hold your Baby
It is no surprise that your baby must be adorable, as is every baby in the world.
That said, you should make sure that physical contact is kept to a minimum when other people are with your baby.
At a very tender age, their immune system is quite weak and are prone to illnesses. Such stuff like kissing should be avoided as airborne diseases can be transmitted.
Again, despite how cute they look, baby health comes first.
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Read Also: Keep Your Child Safe: 5 Rules for Stranger Safety
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Smoking near your Baby
Cigarettes contain all sorts of toxic pollutants that are harmful to your baby, especially given their weak immune system.
Even then, you should also change your clothes after you smoke as your baby is still prone to certain diseases.
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Ignoring Fevers
Given how it has been stressed that newborn babies have fragile immune systems, any fever or illness should be taken seriously.
While in older children it is possible to wait out a fever, babies three months and younger are not equipped with dealing against simple fevers.
That is why you must consult a doctor soon if your baby has an illness to get them treated with the proper medication.
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Avoid Crowded Areas
With your newborn’s immune system being fragile, it is not suitable being outside for too long.
Even worse is a crowded area where there are more pathogens to spread diseases.
You might have to curb your social life just a bit.
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Bundling up your Baby
We all want to cuddle our young ones and wrap them in many layers of warmth and protect them from the cold.
While this may seem like a great idea, tightly wrapping blankets around your baby can constrict their movements causing joint problems later.
Also, there is a greater chance of suffocation and cutting off their blood circulation.
Lastly, you do not want to overheat your baby either. There are more efficient ways of keeping your infant warm at night.
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Shaking your Baby
It is quite well known that vigorously shaking a baby is a terrible idea.
It is sad to say that this act still happens in the modern world, but frustrated parents can shake their babies to stop them from crying.
This causes some severe brain damage as their skulls are not yet fully formed.
A form of this is known to parents as a shaken baby syndrome.
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Wiping From Back to Front
Another common error parents make, and this is particularly relevant for baby girls.
When you are cleaning your little one’s bum during a diaper change, don’t ever wipe from back to front.
You should wipe in single strokes from front to back.
It’s because the region around your baby’s anus could have microorganisms that could cause a urinary tract infection when introduced to the urinary meatus.
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Ignoring your Baby’s Sleeping Position
It is important to check up on your baby’s sleeping position.
Below six months, your baby will not have proper control of their head and neck, so it is for you to adjust their head while sleeping.
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Trapping them inside
We all get protective of our babies, wanting to confine them to the safety of our homes and away from the outside world that is ridden with dirt and diseases.
Sure, it’s not ideal to take your baby to crowded places where he might catch an infection.
But on the opposite side, you might be tempted to keep him locked up indoors during his or her first months.
Your young baby will still need sunlight and fresh air, after all.
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Not Brushing Their Teeth
Believe it or not, but this has to happen. Babies need oral care has any residue of food in their mouth might get contaminated and be harmful to them.
Because of this, make sure that you clean your baby’s gums gently with a moist piece of cloth regularly.
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Scheduling your Baby’s eating habits
You might think that an organized routine will help get your baby accustomed to food at a particular time.
This can be convenient for parents who are always on the move, but the result does not always work.
Babies tend to eat once every 2 to 3 hours, but if yours want to eat a bit earlier, just let them.
Likewise, if they are not hungry, do not force them into it.
You should keep a baby scale in the house to help you identify the progress of your baby as well.
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Disciplining your Baby
While this topic can be debated on for children of older ages, it does not help at all or discipline or punish your baby at this age.
They are much too young to understand their actions and disturbing behavior from parents can have adverse effects on them too.
It is even more important to not hurt them out of frustration and instead use positive behavior.
The time to teach them what is right will come soon enough.
Conclusion
Taking care of your little angel might seem like a hellish experience, but with a little effort and lots of love, you will blaze through it in no time.
Every baby may have different needs and moods, but in general, they all have the same requirements.
We hope this article helps you to raise your child effectively while avoiding as many annoyances as possible.
Steph is a passionate mom who co-founded Wumblers to share her parenting journey with others. She graduated from Concordia University with a masters degree in Education Technology and worked as an advisor for many years. Steph loves being a mom and wants to have more kids.
Learn more about Steph and Wumblers here.