As a new parent in McKinney, Texas, it is essential to know the best newborn practices to correctly take care of your child. By following the proper guidelines, you can ensure that your child has a healthy and happy start to life. It’s crucial to find a McKinney newborn care specialist for proper guidance. Here are four of the most critical newborn care practices that every parent should understand.
- Soothe and Stimulate Your Newborn
When your baby is born, it will likely be placed on its mother’s chest for skin-to-skin contact while the umbilical cord is still connected to the baby. This immediate touching and bonding helps newborns transition into life outside the womb and increase their chances of favorable health outcomes.
After the initial period, you can begin touching and playing with your baby to soothe them. For instance, gently stroking your child’s cheek may help them fall asleep. Playing patty cake or other games with chubby hands also gives babies a cognitive workout that will help them develop both fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- Keep Your Baby Clean and Dry
After birth, your physician will clean off the birthing fluids from your child’s body before placing them on your chest for skin-to-skin contact. Nurses may clean up babies born via cesarean section after they are taken to recovery, but no other attempts to clean them should be made until you have held them against their bare skin.
The reason for this is that newborns go through a “ wet stage” where they sweat profusely due to fluid loss during delivery, so cleaning them too much can upset their delicate pH balance. Once your child is born, their diapers should be changed often to ensure that the baby’s skin stays dry and does not get irritated from exposure to urine or feces.
- Monitor Your Baby’s Weight Gain
After birth, doctors generally will not check on newborns unless they receive medical care for other issues such as jaundice. As long as your infant gains between 5-8 ounces each week, there isn’t anything to worry about. However, it is still essential to ensure that the baby’s weight increases to avoid any complications related to low birth weight. If you are breastfeeding, be sure to track the number of wet and dirty diapers your baby has to get enough nutrition.
- Don’t Let Your Baby Get Overheated
Although newborns may not sweat due to their underdeveloped systems, they still need to maintain a stable body temperature. When an infant gets too cold, their arms and legs will become calm and clammy, but the skin will appear bright red when the child becomes overheated.
Sometimes babies can develop heat rash when their sweat glands fail to work correctly. To keep your baby from cooling down too much, keep blankets away from their face while they’re sleeping and dress them appropriately according to the weather.
The best newborn care practices are an essential part of new parenthood. You can ensure your child has the healthy and happy start to life they deserve by following the proper steps. If you have any questions or concerns about your baby’s health, be sure to consult with a newborn care specialist.
