Hello new mothers, how’s your cuddly and cute newborn? Are you facing some frequent queries about your little one’s food, bathing, sleep, stool passing, and clothing? Don’t worry you are in the right place, here you will get the necessary information to clear your doubts and queries.

Newborns are cute as well as confusing too. You must be patient for understanding this first stage of motherhood.

These are few basic and important factors to care about:

• Newborn’s Food: Breast-milk is the complete food. So, always prefer breastfeeding instead of formula until you have any medical issue as it is good for both mother and infant. There is no need for any juices, liquids even water too. Earlier your baby will take a lot of time for feeding but as he/she start growing, he/she will take only a few minutes. A thing to keep in mind is to feed the infant after every 2 hours and always make him/her burp after every feeding session by tapping gently on back in an upward direction until your cutie pie takes a cute little burp. Never bend down to feed instead rise your baby’s head so he/she can comfortably get the feed. Make sure your baby gets the proper and complete feed from both sides don’t change his/her position often. Sometimes infant starts sleeping while feeding in that case just tickle behind their ears. Vitamin D supplements are sometimes recommended by the Doctors for absorption of calcium and phosphorous in the body as it further prevents the weakening of bones.

• Newborn’s Bath: The very first bath of your infant should be a sponge bathe, as your baby’s umbilical cord stump is there. It will take 10 to 20 days to fall after childbirth. Make sure the water used for sponging should be warm and towel must be extra soft. When the cord stump falls, you can celebrate your infant’s big bath day in a bathtub. Note one important point that always keep all the necessary things handy and assembled which can be used while baby’s bathe beforehand to avoid any hassle and 3 days bathe a week is sufficient for a baby. Give a mild oil massage to your baby 30 minutes before bathing.  You have to give special attention towards cleaning baby’s hands, feet, genital areas, armpits and folds of the knees and neck. Do check your infant’s bathing water hotness by placing your elbow in water or you can put few drops on your wrist because your baby’s skin is very sensitive. Make sure to use a soft towel to pat dry your little one and choose the mild products for his/her new skin. Coconut oil is good for newborns as it helps them to keep warm and moisturized.

• Newborn’s Clothing: Here, you need to be extra careful because your cutie’s skin is very new and sensitive. Being choosy doesn’t harm in this case! Take your time to select soft, comfortable and easy to manage clothes for your newborn. Rompers and onesies are ideal for a newborn as they can be easily managed in case you are going out with your baby. Keeping your newborn warm is also a keen factor but it doesn’t mean to wrap him/her in blankets and rugs, if you do so it will overheat your baby and make him/her uncomfortable. Always use cotton fabric in clothes as they are breathable and never overheat your cutie pie. Dress your baby in 2-3 layers only not more than that. Avoid harsh and synthetic fabrics, strong detergents for washing baby’s clothes and clothes with tight elastics should be avoided too.
• Newborn’s Sleep: Every baby is different in all aspects which also includes sleeping pattern. So, never compare your baby’s sleeping habits with another one. Some babies have long period naps while some have quick naps. Newborns sleep in short stretches typically varying from 1 to 3 hours in daytime especially after the bath and 7-8 hours at night time but in short bouts as they need to be fed after every 2-3 hours. Point to take care of is your baby takes active sleep and not quiet sleep which leads them to wake up easily by any noise. But as they grow up, this active sleeping turns into quiet sleeping and hours of sleep get extended to 6 to 7 hours both in day and night each and you also need not worry about feeding in the night after regular intervals. After 6 months baby’s sleep schedule becomes slightly like adults as the active sleep replaces with quiet sleep. Don’t make your infant habitual to sleep by feeding them at night. Instead hold them in hugging position, gently start tapping on their back and take a short walk.
• Newborn’s Poop: Many new parents always inspect their baby’s stool and have many queries in the mind. Here is some information which relaxes your mind and solves your frequent queries. Baby’s poo depends on a few things like how old he/she is? , breastfed or formula-fed? Breastfed little ones may pass stool 3-4 time and urine 6-8 time a day normally whereas bottle-fed babies need to pass stool daily normally to avoid constipation and other stomach issues. If Breastfed babies pass stool once a week, this is also normal sometimes. Stool color also have significant importance here as it varies with time, first it was greenish black which is normally no need to worry about, then if you are breastfeeding your baby, it can be of yellow color and loose having light smell but if your baby is bottle fed then it smells strong, have yellowish brown color and bulkier too. After one or two weeks your baby’s poo may get thicker. When to worry about if your infant stool is very pale as it can be a sign of jaundice, green stool is also because of stomach problem and blood marks in the stool is also a case when you need to consult a doctor.

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Hope, this will help all the new mothers out there for making your new journey of motherhood smooth and joyful. Never hesitate to consult a Pediatrician if you ever feel doubtful for anything about your little one. GOOD LUCK!