Momma T's 5 Tips for Newborns

I wrote this when Stella was only 6 months old. I felt so inadequate to give advice, but knew if I didn't write it I would forget by the next time I have a baby.

Now that Stella is over a year old I realize this is good stuff! So I will now post it :)

I can so relate to other moms not knowing what is right or wrong.. I was trying so hard to not use a paci those first two weeks. HA! My mom came to visit me in Manitoba from South Mississippi. She stuck that "plug" in and there was no turning back, I finally had some peace. Not to mention a break from SERIOUS PAIN (no one tells you about the pain of nursing!).

These tips are what worked for me, I totally appreciate that not everyone will agree. I do hope my tips will help someone though! It seems I have a lot of pregnant friends and the babies are just starting to come!

1. Have a bedtime routine.

I started doing a bedtime routine around 4 weeks old. It helps your baby to know it's time for bedtime sleep. It can help them differentiate between nap time and nighttime sleep. I read that massaging muscles brings out melatonin! For the first two months I used olive oil, my midwife said that it pulls out any dirt while also keeping in the natural oils. Since my little one isn't so fresh out the womb anymore, I have been using Renew lotion from Melaleuca, it is sent free and doesn't have any chemicals or bad stuff :)

2. Baths!

Speaking of oil... my midwife also said to use olive oil for baths instead of soap or shampoo for the first two months. She said it's only necessary to do baths once or twice a week. Really, the baby isn’t getting dirty... They do get this white stuff in their creases (arm pits, in leg and neck rolls) which she said to put coconut oil or olive oil on a cotton balls and wipe daily. I keep a little bowl of oil and cotton balls above the changing table for this and to wipe behind babies ears.

3. Diaper Rash

One time my midwife asked if I was using diaper rash cream. I told her no, we'd had only had one rash and during that time I did use cream. She said to use it all the time to avoid a rash. So interesting to me! I had never heard of such. We didn't do that... I was using cloth diapers most of the time and right now were at month 5 and still have only had one rash when baby was about a month. I did decide to use diaper cream at night. I just didn't change the diaper after bedtime. I would just feed in the middle of the night and put her back to bed. I would wait to change until the morning when I got baby out of the crib. She never leaked out and still hasn't had a rash!

4. Sleep train!

At four weeks we had the little one transitioning to her own room. By six weeks she was in her crib, with a bed time and learning to put herself to sleep. We had a friend tell us about a book- Babywise, $15 book on amazon. She sent me this link for Pinterest which gave the gist of sleep training. We started with Baby Whisperer method and then moved into Babywise.

So we started with a routine- sleep, eat then play repeat. Then we moved to slowly stretching to a somewhat timed schedule (feeding every two hours).

I know sleep training is frowned upon by a lot of moms... I say do your own research, make your decision and stick to it. Personally, I vote sleep train. My baby sleeps well and we have a great bond. I know sometimes she may need some extra mama lovin' so I don't always stick to the "rules".

#5 is the most amazing thing alive for newborns and infants. The Link above is a more in-depth post from a doctor. In essence you can recall the 5 S’s in a moment of craziness (frequently happens in the early days) or really anytime. “Shhh”, swing (sway), swaddle, sooth (paci), and side (tummy to your chest or stomach).

I found that doing these things, and holding their hip while lifting their bum up and down really helped a lot. I watched a few YouTube videos about this to really get a grip on it and that way when I was in the stress of the moment it came right to me, the more I practised it more natural it was.

Having a new born isn't easy... hopefully these few things are helpful.

My first year with my little one was really amazing, I am so looking forward to the next year! Her little personality is just getting more and more lovely.