Baby Care Tips – How to Carry, Feed and Burp Your Newborn Baby

If you are a new parent, then it is a big challenge to take proper care of your baby. You won’t be having sufficient knowledge and experience in caring for your new born. There will be times when you will be left wondering about what to do. This article deals with important baby care tips for new parent.

1. Picking up and holding your baby.
Whenever you pick up and carry your baby, make sure that you support the baby’s neck and head as the baby cannot hold the head up on its own.
When lifting the baby, lay him on his back.Then scoops him up with both arms. One arm should support his head while the other should support his lower back and bottom.
You can also hold your baby in upright position close to your chest. For this, make sure that one of your arms supports the baby’s head and neck while the other supports the bottom.
This can be a good way to carry your if he is crying or if he wants to sleep. However some babies will not fall asleep in this position and might start staring at other objects in the house, which will make going to sleep more difficult.
2. Feeding your baby
You need to feed your baby every 2-4 hours. Babies who are breastfed might feed more frequently as breast milk is easily digested than formula milk. As the baby grows, its feeding frequency might decrease but the duration and amount of milk per feeding would increase.
If the baby is full, it will turn away from nipple or bottle. Older babies might push away the bottle or mother’s nipple when they had enough.
Most of the water requirements of the baby will be met by the milk they consume. So you don’t need to give them water until they reach 6 mos. of age. Only in some rare cases, if the babies show signs of dehydration, they need to be given clean water.
Sign of dehydration to watch out for are – lethargy, dry sallow skin etc. Check with your doctor if you suspect the baby of dehydration.
3. Burping the baby:
Babies need to be burped after every feeding. They tend to swallow lot of air during feeding. This can make their stomach upset, making them uncomfortable. So they need to be burped.
In order to burp the baby, hold him in upright position against your chest and shoulder. Hold the baby in this position for a few minutes. You can even pat his back.
You can even make the baby sit upright position against your chest and shoulder. Hold the baby in this position for a few minutes. You can even pat his back.
You can even make the baby sit upright on your lap for a few minutes. Make sure that his head and chest rest against your body properly.