Newborn Baby Care for New Mums

Advice that helped us!

At Carol App, we understand that being a new mum can be overwhelming especially when you arrive home from hospital with your newborn and are trying to figure it out. These are some basic tips that helped us when we first had our babies and that may also help you. Remember that every baby is different, always listen to your intuition and do what's right for you and your baby. Every mum's journey is different.

Feeding your Newborn During the first few months of your newborn's life, nutrition is their main priority. Whether you're breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or both, remember that every baby is different, and there's no specific set schedule. Typically, newborns need to be fed every 2-3 hours, but absolutely feed on demand if your little one is hungry more often than this.

Newborn Sleep: Quality and Quantity Newborn babies sleep a lot, typically up to seventeen hours a day, but each baby is unique. To help them sleep comfortably, make sure the environment is calm and quiet and maintain a regular bedtime routine- we found that creating some kind of bedtime routine from early on really helped with getting our babies to sleep longer stretches at night from 4 months+.

You could start to incorporate a baby bath after the first few weeks once the umbilical cord stump has fallen off (the umbilical cord stump usually falls off between 5-15 days after birth) as recommended by your midwife, to help establish some kind of bedtime routine, ensuring you keep your baby warm and comfortable when putting them down to sleep. It's important to remember to only bathe your newborn in plain water and warm water (not too warm) for the first month or so as they have such delicate skin which is sensitive. One to two times per week for bathing newborns is plenty as bathing your newborn too frequently can lead to dry skin or eczema.

Understanding Togs and Layers for Newborn Clothing When it comes to clothing your newborn, comfort and safety come first. Knowing The term 'tog' stands for thermal resistance and measures the warmth of a baby's sleeping bag. The higher the tog, the warmer it is. Sleep layers, on the other hand, refer to the layers of clothing your baby has on under the sleeping bag. As a rule, the combined tog rating and layers should equal the room temperature. For example, in a room heated to 20°C, a 2.5 tog sleeping bag and a long-sleeved bodysuit would be appropriate.

Read More: Our Favourite Baby Sleep Suit!

Always remember that your intuition is powerful. Trust in yourself, and know that you're doing an amazing job. You aren't alone in this journey. For more advice and tips, keep visiting us at Carol App. We're here to support you on this incredible journey!