No one ever said that parenting was easy. You need to put a lot of effort in order to ensure the best possible development of your infant. But, it’s not just about the growth of the baby; it’s also about its safety! The job of the parents is to make sure their newborn is completely safe. Although this might seem like an easy task, ensuring the baby’s health is a serious matter.
The danger of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is high, not only in developing countries by around the whole planet. Basically, SIDS is the unexplained death of a baby, which happens suddenly for no apparent reason.
The good news is that SIDS can be prevented easily. In fact, everything is in the hands of the parents. If you take all the necessary measures, the health and safety of your infant are guaranteed. In order to help you out, here are 10 baby health care rules you need to adhere to!
1. Get a Proper Mattress
As the babies spend most of the time sleeping, you need to ensure their good sleep with a quality mattress. The most important thing about it is its firmness. Unless the mattress is firm enough, it’s not good for your baby! Why? Because the baby’s weight will push downwards, which will increase the risk of suffocation!
Another thing to pay attention to when shopping for a baby mattress is its material. The material must be hypoallergenic, but even that is not its most important feature. It needs to be made of breathable materials. If you get such mattress, the risk of SSID will drop significantly. What this means is that even if the baby somehow manages to turn on the back, won’t suffocate.
2. Baby Needs to Sleep on the Back All the Time!
The newborn needs to be laid down on the matters with the face facing upwards. This is not only because this position promotes a proper baby development, but also because it reduces the risk of SSDI. If you put the infant on the side, even a slight move make the baby’s nose facing the mattress. And if the mattress isn’t made of breathable materials, the newborn would be in danger of suffocating.
3. Make Sure Baby’s Nose is Uncovered
The number 1 cause of death among infants is suffocation. That is why you need to make sure that your baby’s nose and mouth are always uncovered. This way, nothing will obstruct the baby to breathe properly. Even if you think that the baby is cold, refrain yourself from covering its face with a blanket.
4. Baby Needs to Sleep Alone
The baby needs to sleep alone in its crib. This means that even if it feels nice napping beside your baby, you mustn’t do it at any cost! Furthermore, those who have more than one child need to get a separate crib for each baby.
5. There’s No Room for Toys in the Crib
You might think that your baby is emotionally attached to a certain toy, but that toy can be a serious threat to the baby’s wellbeing. Toys have no place in the baby’s crib! The crib is reserved for the infant and nothing else!
6. Be Extra Careful When Handling the Baby
In the first few weeks of their lives, the infants spend their days sleeping, eating, and defecating. In fact, sleeping takes most of their time. But, when the baby is awake, the parents tend to play with it, which often includes carrying the newborn around.
If the infant is not handled properly, it can cause all kinds of serious health problems, like those related to the baby’s neck, which is extremely sensitive during the first months of baby’s life. And even if you know how to handle a newborn properly, you should refrain yourself from keeping the infant up for too long. Even slight moves can upset the baby’s stomach, not to mention that too much action can ruin the infant’s sleep pattern.
7. Feed Your Baby with Nothing but Formula/Breast Milk
In the first couple of weeks of life, the main source of the food for the baby is breast milk or formula. This is not only because these foods are full of nutrients the baby needs for proper development, but also because their stomachs can’t digest other types of food.
8. Pay Attention to the Baby’s Temperature
The parents often worry that their infant is feeling cold, especially if the baby is born in winter. Although it is important not to allow the newborn to sleep in a freezing room, it’s equally important not to let the temperature get too high. You will see that the baby is feeling too hot if there are drops of sweat on its chest. The solution is simple – just open a window and let the cool breeze in.
9. Refresh the Air in the Baby’s Room
The fact is that the recycled air is not good for the health and development of an infant. So, rather than turning on the air-conditioning when you want to refresh the air in the baby’s room, it’s much better to open a window. Of course, this doesn’t apply to those living in polluted cities, where the air quality is poor.
10. Don’t Hesitate to Call the Pediatrician
The best advice we can give you is to save the number of your pediatrician. This way, you can give them a call every time you need help. Our advice is not to think twice whether to call the doctor if you spot that something strange is going on with your infant.
We believe that it’s best to let a professional check up on the baby, rather than hoping the issue will go away on its own. The job of the pediatrician is not only to be there for you in the case of emergency. They also need to provide you with tips on how to ensure the wellbeing of your baby. All you got to do is ask them!
