The arrival of a newborn baby is not exactly full of fun and excitement. First-time parents, most especially, have a propensity to experience mixed emotions about the whole thing. This is probably the reason why most people turn to experienced parents such as friends or relatives for some much-needed parenting advice. Those who are not that lucky to have support groups normally hit the shelves of bookshops in a dire effort to get hold of My First Baby books.
Almost immediately, parents find themselves entangled in a predicament when the baby starts to cry. In reality, you don’t really need to worry too much when this happens. Keep in mind that an infant basically throws a crying fit every time he or she is hungry, wet-bottomed, uncomfortable, provoked, or in pain. You simply need to attend to his or her needs in order to settle him/her down.
Having a checklist in handy may also help you a lot and eliminate the risks of experiencing a panic attack. Try to check through your list each time your baby cries to ascertain the cause of you’re his/her distress. Once the main problem has been identified and dealt with, you’ll soon observe your little one go back to his/her peaceable state. It’s also an excellent idea to take advantage of this opportunity to lull your infant to sleep. This way, you can make use of the free time to do a few things for yourself.
Establishing Routines
As much as you want to hold your baby all the time, you simply can’t-and shouldn’t. Remember that you also need to take care of yourself, as well as perform certain house chores. Just imagine how you’ll be able to attend to other important matters if you always carry your baby around the house. Time-management is indeed a valuable skill that parents ought to acquire and develop.
Your little one is likely to become accustomed to a particular routine if you keep adhering to it. So start establishing a schedule for sleep and daytime naps. This way, you can squeeze in a chore or two while your little angel slumbers.
See to it that the place where you lay your baby down is safe, comfortable and well ventilated. Appropriate clothing and covers are also important as such factors can affect your infant’s quality of sleep.
Utilizing Sounds
The truth of the matter is that babies can actually fall asleep almost anywhere. They can even doze off in the noisiest of places with no trouble. Of course, this requires a bit of getting used to. That’s why parents who expose their little ones to the sound of a vacuum cleaner or other noise-producing household appliances earlier on have no problem performing house chores while the baby is asleep. Their infants have certainly adapted well to the noise.
Various sounds have also been proven to assist parents in settling their little ones down. Apart from recreating the “shushing” sound-which is reminiscent of their time in the womb, playing some relaxing music is also an excellent way to lull a baby to sleep. Make an effort to turn this practice into a habit so that your baby will soon associate a particular melody with sleeping time.
If you just remain patient and resourceful, you’ll definitely come across a boundless supply of “My First Baby” parenting tips. So do all you can to get rid of-or at least reduce-the anxiety that goes along with becoming a first-time parent.
