When you finally become a parent for the first time, the first week, month or year will feel like it has skates on. The time will just whizz by you and it's going to be a lot to take in. This is why we thought that it would be best to introduce you to some of the things that you will be encountering on this new journey you have just embarked upon. It's going to be hectic. It's going to be messy. But it's also going to be the best time of your life. Whether you are raising the child with family or with a partner, you can really appreciate how complex it is to be a parent that is worth his or her weight in salt. We want to focus specifically on the very first week. Why? We’ll explain.
Why the first week?
You’re right, we didn’t have to cover the first week as there are so many other important times. But, we thought that the first week makes the biggest impression on us as parents. It's when the thoughts of doubt start to creep in and it's at this stage that fighting them off is so crucial for the month and year as a first-time parent. The first week will also be when you are truly alone with your newborn child for the very first time. No nurses will be watching you, and maybe even in-laws and your own parents won’t have time to watch over the child as you sleep and rest. Many people find that their schedules just clash and although parents would like to help you, they need maybe a week or a month before they can become full-time babysitters. So this is why we chose to cover the first week and give you some helpful tips.
Get used to the quiet
You’re probably thinking that once the child is home you’ll never have any rest. This is so wrong. You’ll find that there is a lot of silence in the home during the day. The child is sleeping and growing, and disturbing her or him will mess up their body clock and that’s when you find they are awake at all hours of the night.
So, this is also when first-time fathers and mothers begin to realize the gravity of their situation. They have a child that is completely helpless, totally dependent on them and they don’t actually understand them. Many parents actually want their child to cry and whine because it gives them a sign of what to do. It's the silence that confuses parents, and they think they’re not doing a good job or that there is something wrong with the child. Some parents have even brought their baby into the emergency room because ‘the child won’t cry’. This is because the child is resting, content and comfortable. We just expect the baby to cry because that’s what we have come to know, but there's nothing abnormal about a quiet baby.
Daily hygiene routine for you and him/her
Get used to having a daily hygiene routine yourself. If you don’t already, you should. This is because your baby’s immune system is very weak compared to your own. A common cold can be very dangerous for a baby unless he or she has had their vaccine. Many babies only get their vaccines about 8 weeks in, and then onto 12 and 16 weeks. But we’re talking about the very first week. So until 8 weeks have come and gone, you need to be very careful with your hygiene and prevent any and all germs from spreading from you, other family members, and even pets.
So you should be cleaning your hands regularly. Use a dry squirt soap that you can use anywhere around the house. These days everyone has sanitizer bottles in the home, so clean your hands this way before picking up your baby or wiping their nose or mouth.
The baby also needs to have his or her hygiene routine. This is because their newborn skin is very soft, flabby, and can get sweaty. So you need to have moisturizing wipes on hand to wipe the folds of your baby’s arms, legs, neck, and feet. You should also only wash your baby in lukewarm water while using an exfoliating scrub or cloth.
Their sense of sight
In the very first week, your baby won’t open his or her eyes. Any kind of light will still be too sensitive for them. However, this does not mean you should keep the baby’s room dark at all times. It's important to not put your baby in the way of direct sunlight. Not just to protect the eyes but to prevent dry skin from forming and also to watch the baby’s body temperature. Far too many parents think it's a good idea to place the baby’s cot next to the window. It's not always the best thing. If you want your baby to get fresh air, then turn the air conditioning on and or have an air purifier on, working in the room.
You’ll begin to realize the importance of caring for the baby’s sight when it comes to Caring For Your 2 Month Old Baby. Now is when his or her eyes slowly begin to distinguish shapes, colors, and various depths. They can see and understand the differences between toys and clothes. If your baby has cross-eyed, this is when this begins to slowly dissipate and their eyes become normal.
The baby’s crying
And of course, you have to understand when the baby is crying and what to do about it. Some baby’s don’t flat-out cry, they whimper or whine. Eventually, it will turn into a cry when they are very uncomfortable but you don’t want to wait until this occurs.
It's important to do some research on baby cries and understand the differences. Some will be long, some will be short and they can also come with a different pitch and tone. There are plenty of online books about baby cries and what they could mean. There’s no real hard evidence behind the various opinions but it could be helpful to do the research just to find out what the various calls could mean.
You can also record your baby’s cries and post them onto parent forums. This can be incredibly helpful to some parents because other parents will give them advice on what it could be. Sometimes the baby may need burping due to trapped gas, other times the baby might want more feeding than usual. Or you can give them a bit of comfort through familiarity. Swaddling is the most common way to do this but eventually you’ll need to know how to transition baby out of swaddle.
Take it slow
Nobody expects you to be a great parent after just one week. You should realize that being a parent is a process. It takes time to learn things, to adapt, and to begin to understand how you can mold your household routine around the baby instead of dropping everything to look after him or her. So take it slow, keep learning, and keep trying.
If you ever need help, just ask. So many parents suffer in silence and then begin to wonder why they had a kid in the first place. Nobody can do it all on their own, so never ever be afraid to ask someone for help.
You can also record your baby’s cries and post them on parent forums. This can be incredibly helpful to some parents because other parents will give them advice on what it could be. Sometimes the baby may need burping due to trapped gas, other times the baby might want more feeding than usual. In many cases, the mother's milk is not caloric enough to meet the needs of the newborn. Many parents decide on a combined diet using baby formulas to support their baby's dietary needs. If you decide to feed your little one with milk formula make sure to provide them with the highest quality and organically certified formulas (for example Kendamil formula) from Europe. When switching to artificial feeding, it is necessary to consult the pediatrician about the baby’s diet and how to recognize that the baby is not suitable. Check https://sellformula.com for trusted baby formula brands.
The very first week of being a parent will be exciting. It's going to be hard and it will let you know where you need to improve. But it's all about the learning process, making incremental improvements, and slowly becoming more confident.
