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There are so many tips on newborn babies out there and being a first-time parent can be daunting and sometimes terrifying. Anyone that is a parent has been there and there are always things that we wish we could have known. These are all newborn tips that I wished I had known!
I have everything you need to know in this post, but it is quite a long read. You can grab the PDF eBook for £5 if you would rather read it in your own time and have the newborn tips and hacks to refer back to, as and when you need them. The PDF eBook includes the entire article including images, helpful post links + some awesome product links for some seriously helpful stuff. You can purchase it by clicking the book below. Oh, and by the way, the eBook doesn’t contain ANY of the adverts!
There are hundreds of newborn tips for first-time parents, I’ve compiled a list of 20 newborn tips that I wished I had known before I had my first child.
Each child is different and some tips may not work for everybody, I have tried to include newborn tips for first-time parents that can be used for every baby.
It’s always good to remember as well that everything can be adapted to suit your baby and your needs as a parent as well. These will help save your sanity as a first-time parent and make it a little bit easier for you to navigate this new territory.
I know how hard having a newborn can be, you’re just becoming a parent and feel like your completely winging it right? Yea, I felt like that as well, that’s why I created the free must-have baby items cheatsheet so you can make sure you have everything to make your life easier with a little one. It’s FREE to download, just click the button below and it’s all yours.
20 Newborn Tips to Help First-time Parents
Babies don’t need as many layers as you think.
One of the most important newborn tips you’ll receive. Follow the rule of 1 more layer than you. I was just like you, I assumed that they needed to be bundled up in onesies, coats and blankets and hats.
When my midwife told me that my son didn’t need to wear a hat inside anymore I wasn’t actually sure if I should believe her or not! Baby’s are better cooler so that they don’t overheat, remember you can always add a layer if you need to.
Have nappies upstairs and downstairs.
With my first child, I lived in a flat. This obviously made it really easy to just quickly grab a nappy. Fast forward 2 and a half years and I live in a house, with two children and one of them in nappies.
This means that just grabbing a nappy isn’t really possible when they are downstairs.
Newborn Tips: I’ve found having a changing basket upstairs and downstairs is the way forward. Nappies, wipes, nappy sacks, nappy cream and muslin cloths are essentials to have to hand.
Wet wipes will remove virtually any stain.
Grass, mud, blood, sweat and tears! oh and chocolate… wet wipes are a great quick fix if you need to get a stain out when your out and about.
Newborn Tips: If the stain isn’t completely removed, just smear a thick layer of fairy liquid on the stain before popping it in the washing machine.
Cluster feeding in the evening is normal.
I only breastfed my second child, so I was initially unaware of cluster feeding.
I just couldn’t understand why my little one was permanently attached to me in the evening, plus this is when your milk supply is at it’s lowest (seems our bodies got that backward).
This is your baby stimulating your milk flow to create more milk for them and so they can try and take on a larger quantity of milk to sleep longer at night (we wish!!). Read in-depth about cluster feeding here.
You can never have too many muslin cloths.
Snot, puke, wee or dribble. You name it, the muslin cloth is extremely handy. I have about 30 of them! I find they are an easy cover-up for breastfeeding in public as well. These muslin cloths are really cute.
Invest in either a microwave steriliser or self-sterilising bottles.
I remember my mum sterilising bottles for my younger brother with the Milton formula. I also remember her hands cracking and bleeding because of it.
This is something I knew I wanted to avoid any chance of that, so I invested in a microwave steam steriliser for the breast pump and MAM bottles for the few bottle feeds. MAM bottles are great because they sterilise in the microwave in 3 minutes and only need a bit of water added to them.
Related: What is Cluster Feeding?
Steralisig bags are your best friend if you are staying somewhere other than home.
Although pretty much everyone has a microwave I could use the steriliser in. I had to buy a bigger microwave to accommodate the steriliser, so I’m aware that it might not fit in everyone’s microwave.
Sterilising bags work in exactly the same way! Sterilising bags can also be used over 30 times before you have to throw them out.
You do NOT need a wet wipe warmer, or a self-swinging chair.
Your baby gets used to the wet wipe being cold and they also learn to bounce themselves in a standard bouncy chair.
Spending money on a wet wipe warmer or a self-swinging chair is literally just wasting money. There are A LOT of products out there that you think you need, but honestly, you don’t.
I wish that people had told me all 20 of these newborn tips before I had my son.
Don’t buy lots of clothes in one size
Baby’s grow incredibly quickly and pretty much live in onesies till they start to move about more.
I have loads of clothes from Millie that is too cute to get rid of but doesn’t fit her anymore and she only wore them a couple of times. Plus, people are going to buy you too many baby clothes anyway.
If you are expressing milk then invest in a good breast pump.
I used a Phillips Avent breast pump with my firstborn, for about 6 weeks, and then it broke. I then invested in a Medela breast pump and have never looked back. For my second child, I bought this breastpump..
Medela is much better quality and is often the same brand of hospital breast pumps. They do have a higher price tag, but if you want to express then you want something that is going to last and do the job that its meant to.
Related: 12 Breastfeeding Tips for Success.
If you are formula feeding, be prepared to switch formula brands until you find the right one for your baby.
My son was a mixture of breastmilk and formula. We started out with Sma, then switched to Aptamil, then had to switch to Aptamil thickened milk.
We were not prepared to have to switch and didn’t realise that formula milk was different from different brands. Luckily with my little girl, we haven’t had to switch at all.
Newborn Tips: Every child is different and every formula is different, it’s just about finding the right one. Consult your health visitor or doctor before you switch to a thickened formula.
Those little folds on the shoulders on your baby’s vest? they are there to avoid poop disasters!
I didn’t find this out until we had, had multiple poo disasters. There should definitely be a manual! These ingenious little flaps mean that you can literally just pull it down off their arms.
Newborn Tips: Try and fold over the explosion in the vest as best you can, this helps to prevent the spread of poo!
Clip baby’s nails while they are asleep to prevent an arm-wrestling match.
Newborns somehow acquire the strength of the Hulk whenever you try to clip their razor-like nails. However, if you wait until they are asleep, it is much easier.
Newborn Tips: Wait approximately 20 minutes until you attempt to do this. This will ensure they are properly asleep.
If your baby kicks their socks off as my daughter does, ‘Sock on’s’ are a game-changer.
No matter how long the socks are, they will kick them off. My oldest never did this, but my daughter, on the other hand, kicks her legs so much that even tights end up halfway off!
Sock on’s are a great invention, they prevent you from losing those tiny socks and make sure that those even cuter little feet don’t get cold.
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You’ll probably put a change of clothes for your baby in the nappy bag. I suggest putting a spare top in for yourself as well.
My oldest seemed to throw up a tsunami of milk at least 10 times a day, which led to a lot of washing. For us and him!
Having a spare top in the nappy bag means that you and your baby can walk around without sick stains all over you, and not have to smell like sour milk all day.
Don’t always trust the blue line that appears on your baby’s nappy.
Nappy companies have invented a great way for us to buy even more nappies than we already do.
That blue line tells us when the nappy is wet, however, nappies are so absorbent now that often the nappy isn’t actually worth changing just yet.
Newborn Tips: If the line is blue, check the inside of the nappy with your hand, if the nappy doesn’t feel wet, it doesn’t need to be changed just yet.
Related: The Fourth Trimester Transition.
A white noise machine will help settle your baby to sleep because it reminds them of being in the womb.
I didn’t have one of these with my firstborn. We use one every night with my second.
The sleep aid even has a cry sensor, so if she is unsettled it will trigger the white noise to settle her back down again. This means more sleep for us and a more settled sleeping, baby.
Thinking of co-sleeping? Sabrina over at livin’ your best mom has the post for you and some more great advice and tips on newborn babies
When your baby has gas, try moving their legs like they are riding a bike and pushing their knees to their chest.
A baby with gas is never a happy time. They are crying, usually uncontrollably. We are at our wit’s end and all you can do is walk around the house bouncing them.
Try bicycle legs and pushing their knees to their chest, this should help relieve any gas bubbles they have trapped.
Newborn Tips: If crying persists you can try gripe water or Infacol. Your baby may be suffering from colic, so these products help to group together all the little gas bubbles into bigger ones which make them easier to pass.
Related: Why a Naptime Routine is Important for Your Baby.
Always keep the nappy bag stocked.
If you’ve used nappies when you were out, restock it as soon as you get home.
That way you won’t get caught out on a day where you have had no sleep and walked out the door without checking the nappy bag first.
Buy a baby wrap.
Buying a wrap to wear your baby is a great way to keep them settled if they are grouchy. It also keeps your hands free and moving around will only help your baby sleep more.
Don’t forget your free stuff.
Were there any tips for newborn babies that you wished you had known? Are there any tips here that you’re glad you know now? let me know!