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How to Look After Your Baby’s Health and Happiness

Parents have the responsibility and joy of ensuring that their children are as happy and healthy as possible. Whether this is your first baby or you have more than one, you might be understandably anxious about getting things right for your child.

The good news is that you’re not alone. While parental instinct is a thing, most people don’t just magically know how best to look after their child. It takes research, practice, and patience to get to that point.

A medical professional will be able to provide advice, as well as family planning services, and experienced friends and family members. The trick is sometimes to sift through all of this advice to find what works best for you.

Here are some tips to make everything easier for you while ensuring you baby is healthy and happy.

Plan Ahead

A lot of these tips are best applied in advance of your baby’s arrival. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to prepare for everything. If this is your first time, you might feel especially overwhelmed as it’s a whole new way of life, with a massive amount of responsibility on your shoulders.

But it doesn’t have to be sudden. You should regularly go to the doctor for checkups of mother and baby to make sure everyone is healthy. Follow the advice of the doctor. Every pregnancy is different, so the advice might vary from mother to mother. Some mothers are able to continue with their normal routine until shortly before their baby is due, while others need bed rest and a lot more care.

Stock up on essentials before the baby arrives. If possible, try to cook freezer meals in advance as well, and find other ways to make your lives that much easier. Ask friends and family to help when possible. Don’t expect others to look after your baby for you, but figure out your support group before you need to lean on it.

Look After Yourself

While your child’s health and happiness take priority, you also need to make sure that you look after yourselves as parents.

One of the primary principles of first aid is that you need to treat yourself first. Otherwise, the doctor or first-aider can become incapacitated and unable to help anyone else. This same principle applies to looking after anyone who is dependent on you.

If you aren’t physically or mentally well, you might not be able to care for your baby. Burnout can have crippling symptoms and becoming overwhelmed isn’t good for anyone. This is why a support system is so important.

Make sure that your health and your relationship are still priorities in your life. Again, your children are more important because they are so dependent on you, but whenever possible, take care of yourself as well.

Baby-Proof Your Home

When your baby is newly born, there’s not much they can do other than cry, eat, sleep, and poop. They are completely and utterly dependent on you for everything, even needing you to support their heads. But that very quickly changes.

As your baby grows and develops, they will soon grow from this helpless infant into a small, slightly less helpless child that has an incredible talent for moving very quickly and exploring the world through curious fingers and teeth. The world is, unfortunately, a dangerous place.

Ideally, you should think about home design when you’re expecting, but some baby-proofing steps can be taken when your child is a baby. Baby-proofing involves making your home as safe as possible.

Sharp corners can be covered up, electrical outlets can be blocked from curious fingers, and stairgates can be installed to make some parts of your house inaccessible to toddlers and children. You can also baby-proof toilet seats, cupboard doors, and almost everything else in your home.

Toddlers are different. Some are very curious and can and will climb or break into whatever they can. Others are a bit easier to handle and are happier with a toy that you gave them. The trick is learning about your child and knowing what they’re like so you can be prepared for them.

Doctor’s Checkups

Most people know that they need to regularly see a doctor while pregnant, but it’s important to continue with post-natal checkups to make sure your baby is okay and that your family is coping well. This will allow a doctor to check on your baby’s progress and look for any conditions or illnesses that can crop up.

It’s also a great weight off the parents’ minds, as a doctor can check on any concerns you may have and reassure you when your baby is okay.

These checkups should continue as your baby grows so your doctor can make sure they reach their milestones and are developing properly.

Baby Skincare

Skincare might seem like an adult concern, especially when you consider the impact of aging on our skin, but it’s also a big part of your baby’s life. A baby has very delicate and sensitive skin, and it’s easy for them to be hurt or irritated when something goes wrong.

You need to use gentle products and clothing to prevent dermatitis and other skin conditions. Nappy rash can cause a lot of pain and, in extreme cases, damage and infection.

Your baby can’t look after their own skin, so it’s up to you. In most cases, gentle products and moisturizers can protect your baby’s skin well enough. But you may need specific products for certain skin conditions, like Mustela baby acne products, to keep them healthy.

Love and Attention

Finally, while physical health is a focus and concern for all parents, babies also need love and attention to stay healthy. Their brains are growing as much as their bodies and its up to parents and adults in their lives to keep them active and engaged.

Cuddle your child, talk and sing to your child, and interact with them as much as possible. They are always learning and loving, so do everything you can to give them the best chance to be healthy and happy.