Understand needs of your newborn

Welcome to parenthood! Managing your newborn baby’s needs is a challenging task. Right from nappies to baby’s food everything should be available at fingertips. Therefore, you need to have right idea about the things which your baby will need in first three months. Read on to find what your baby will need during first three months.

Feeding

Newborns feed very, very frequently, but this isn’t a problem to be solved – it’s perfectly natural! Your newborn’s tummy is quite small, so it’s understandable that he needs to eat often.

A newborn is only fed with milk. No matter whether you breast feed your baby or feed him with formula milk, you have to be very careful and prompt in this regard. The stomach of a newborn is very small and so it needs to be fed often and almost at regular intervals of time. Usually the interval starts from 2 hours and goes up to 3 or slightly more by the end of 3 months.

Sleep Schedule

The average newborn sleeps much of the day and night, waking only for feedings every few hours. It is often hard for new parents to know how long and how often a newborn should sleep. Unfortunately, there is no set schedule at first and many newborns have their days and nights confused—they think they are supposed to be awake at night and sleep during the day.

Massage

Daily infant massage is a great way to bond with baby. Researchers are finding that massage may promote better sleeping, relieve colic, and perhaps even enhance an infant’s immune system, motor skills and intellectual skills.

Safety

Your newborn baby is not nearly as fragile as you might think. However, you should still handle your baby gently, not just for safety, but also to keep him feeling secure. Newborn babies have very little protection against infection, so it is important that you provide a clean, hygienic environment.

To make sure your baby is safe at all times you should:

• Supervise young children whenever they are near the baby.
• Keep animals away from the baby. The change in the household when there is a new baby may upset some pets.
• To avoid serious scald burns, do not drink hot drinks when holding your baby.

Dressing your newborn

A little preparation goes a long way when shopping or registering for baby clothes. You’ll be changing your baby’s clothing several times a day, so make sure outfits are uncomplicated and open easily for diaper changes. In general, you want soft, comfortable clothing with no irritating tags or seams.

Avoid clothes that wrap around your baby’s neck too tightly and those that have cords or ties. Check buttons, ribbons, and decorative items to make sure they’re on securely – if they come off, they’re a choking hazard.