If you have a new baby, there are some important things you should know. Even if this isn’t your first child, you should take in this information. There are many challenges new parents face and you will find that each baby is an individual and can bring along unique challenges that you didn’t face before.
As you may already know, babies don’t come with an instruction manual so here are some things you should know. First, you should only sponge bathe your baby until the umbilical cord falls off. This can take one to two weeks after the baby is born. After that, you can bathe your baby in a baby bath, small tub or even the kitchen sink. Just be sure you never leave your baby alone in the water. Even a very small amount of water can drown a baby and they will be very slippery from the water and can also be injured if they slip out of the tub.
If your male baby was circumcised, it should heal quickly and easily on its own. Be sure to follow your pediatrician’s instructions for keeping the area clean and dry.
Be aware of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) and the circumstances that can contribute to the risk of it. Male babies are more likely than females to have SIDS as are minority children. Premature babies also carry a higher risk. Statistics also show that babies of young, single mothers also carry a higher risk. Avoid placing blankets, stuffed animals and other items in the crib with your baby.
These are some basic tips for baby care of new parents. Of course this doesn’t even come close to the things you need to learn about your baby or how to care for a new baby but they are some basic starters. You should seek as much information as possible about baby care and always have a good support system to turn to for help with your baby questions.
By: Lisa A Mason
It is miserable to watch your child crying or scratching because of eczema, especially when nothing you do seems to help. There are many things that you as an adult may try, but he products probably would not be recommended for your baby, simply because they are too potent for your baby’s sensitive skin. So what are you to do? If your are like any concerned parent, letting your child suffer is simply not an option. Below are a few safe ways to care for your baby’s skin and eliminate their eczema naturally.
Shea Butter
100% natural unrefined shea butter does not look the way it feels at all. Scoop a finger full into your hand and it instantly warms and melts right in your palm. It is barely greasy and it immediately softens and nourishes the skin. Shea butter has been known to completely eliminate a child’s eczema on its own. It also is an effective diaper rash cream.
Jojoba Oil
This oil closely resembles human sebum, so it will absorb very easily into your baby’s delicate skin. You can apply this as often as you like to your baby’s skin. If your baby has crusty or dry skin on the scalp, gently massage some on the scalp and it will help loosen the dry or flaky skin. It is not greasy at all, and can be used on a mothers nipples if she has eczema and is nursing.
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender essential oil has a soothing scent and it calms the nerves. Placing 1-2 drops into your baby’s shea butter, lotion, shampoo, conditioner, or on the pillow or blankets can soothe/relax your child and help get him or her to sleep. You can also add a couple of drops to a vaporizer.
Black Soap
This soap is recommended for babies with very dry skin and for those with skin conditions like eczema, rashes, acne, etc. It is very gentle and non-drying to the skin, and this is the only soap used on infants by many mothers in Africa because of is healing and moisturizing properties. In Ghana and Togo, black soap is nearly the only soap used by mothers to wash their newborns, as its purity makes it gentle and non-drying. This soap has also been known to get rid of eczema naturally.
Everything you put on your skin is absorbed into the bloodstream, so it is extremely important that you pay attention to all the chemicals in the products that you are putting on your baby’s skin. Your baby’s skin does not need chemicals of fragrance which dry out and irritate their already sensitive skin. It needs products that nourish the skin. Nature has provided all that you need to treat and get rid of your baby’s eczema naturally.
By: Lavenia Price
When you have a kid your world really changes drastically. When you were used to put yourself before anything else, now things are not the same way. Maybe your room or house was one with lots of fancy stuff, really nice rugs, expensive electronics and all that. Now, once your baby came, your house changes from the normal, young people’s home to a place where security has become the priority. We don’t care to make huge changes in order to give the new member of the family a better place to live. With don’t have any other option if we want to have the peace of mind that our kids are safe. The same goes for personal hygiene products we use. We have to pay attention where we put those things or our children can take them and be at risk. Not to mention insecticides and other harmful chemicals.
When we talk about babies, we have to take all precautions necessary for their security. Their skins, eyes and whole body are too delicate to let them be exposed to such dangerous elements. That’s why some companies take special attention to baby skin care products.
I remember when my nephew’s baby was born. She looked so delicate and fragile and even a little drop of normal perfume, the ones we adults use, immediately irritated her skin. Is not that we wanted her to use that perfume, but some times my nephew was so distracted that a couple of times he dropped a little perfume on her little body. Of course, they were very young and didn’t know too much about baby skin care products and which ones could help them to keep the baby’s skin healthy.
Regarding clothing, I remember that after that incident, they became so careful that they washed her blankets and everything that came in contact with the baby so well that everything looked just like new every day. Of course, they started to study a lot about baby’s parenting and especially about baby skin care because the little girl was allergic to almost everything.
Just visit your nearest drug store or supermarket or even use the internet and you’ll find out that you have almost endless lines of baby skin care products. You can find all price ranges and perhaps you would like to opt for the best and a little more expensive ones which normally perform better in your baby’s skin. You’ll see that the extra money you spend won’t affect you at all because your baby just worth it.
By: Victor C.