Bonding with Baby:10 Heartwarming Activities for New Parents .

Have you ever thought of becoming A new Parent and how you should bond with your Baby? Becoming a parent is a development process or stage filled with love ,joy and responsibility. One of the greatest beautiful journey is the opportunity to bond with your new baby. Bonding not only plays the role of togetherness and closeness ,but also strengthens the emotional and cognitive development.

Most of the New Parents have worries on how to create those heartwarming moments. I have prepared for you 10 Heartwarming activities that can help you strengthen the bond with your baby.

1. Skin-to-skin contact 

From the time your baby is born, you should practice skin to skin contact or kangaroo. Make sure everytime you hold your baby against you bare skin either on the chest which promotes physical closeness and warmth.It also helps in offering comfort and security.

2 .Bath time

Bath time can be fun and bonding experience. Gently wash your baby with soap,even allowing them to touch the soft cotton which  you are using to wash her. Sometimes the kid tend to wash herself,just let her wash even if it means rubbing herself with the cotton. Splash water and allow them to tap the water to produce the sound ,which helps them to enjoy.

3. Baby Massage

 After the baby has taken the bath,take the chance to gently massage your baby. While you're holding your baby close, gradually start stroking their legs and back. Then move on to other areas such as arms. Your baby should be calm,alert when giving massage.

Benefits of Baby Massage

• Promotes social, emotional and cognitive development.
• Helps a baby to relax and release tensions of daily stimuli.
• Decreases irritability and excessive crying.
• Reduces gas,colic and intestinal difficulties.

It's not best time for a massage ,when your baby turns their head away from you or stiffens their arms(according to Mayo Clinic).You should not do massage immediately after the child has eaten, because it will make the baby to vomit.

4. Eye Contact and Smiles

Baby are naturally drawn to faces that smile and eye contact. You can make various facial expressions,smile and gaze into your baby's eyes which makes the baby to learn non-verbal communication and develop relationship skills. For example when you smile and make eye contact, you show your child how to relate warmly with others.

Also you can try to imitate what your child is saying thus developing listening skills to the child.

5. Tummy Time

Tummy Time refers to placing baby on their stomach, while they are awake and someone is watching them. You can start a tummy time a day or two days after they are born. As your child gets older,you can have longer,more regular sessions throughout the day. You can start by:

1. Spreading the blanket or a mat on a clear area of the floor.
2. Place the a rolled up towel under baby's arms to help prop them up slightly.
3. Put a toy within baby's reach to help baby interact with the surrounding and learn to play.
4. Then sit infront of the baby to encourage interaction and bonding.

Benefits of tummy Time

     a)Strengthens baby's neck, shoulder and           arms for easier sit up,crawl and walk.    

      b)Prevents flat spots on back of the                   baby's  head.

       c) Helps in motor skills 

6. Baby Sign Language

Try to use simple baby sign language that are easily understood by your baby. You can use various signs to mean various activities. For example ,when the baby wants to breastfeed ,you can use your mouth by holding your both lips together and start mimicking

When feeling hungry  and she wants to eat you can you use both your fingers and hold them together as you continue rubbing them close to your mouth or you can make a yarn or make a C shape with hands as if you are holding the cup then move it  to your mouth.

When saying "Yes"you can use 👍,when saying "No " you can use your index ☝️ finger and shake it .

Baby Sign Language reduces frustrations and strengthens your understanding of each other.

7. Explore Nature Together

Taking your child around your backyard,either in the garden,flower gardens and tear some flowers 🌻 🌹 🌺 or walking around the forest,makes the child to enjoy the natural nature of creation. You can also try to lie down and watch the sky ,or even at night you can take him and watch the stars and moon. The cool and fresh air, sights and sounds of the birds,provides a stimulating experience for both of you.

8. Singing and lullabies

Singing your favourite baby songs to him/her makes your baby to enjoy the melody and sounds of your voice,and provide comfort and familiarity.It also helps in good brain development and makes the baby to a fall asleep easily.

9. Reading A loud

You can choose age appropriate story books and start reading aloud to your baby. Even if the baby doesn't understand the flow of the story,but the baby can hear the soothing sounds of your voice . Reading helps in the language development and bonding.

10. Baby wearing

Baby wearing is the practice of carrying a baby in a sling or baby carrier. Baby wearing promotes attachment and bonding.

It also makes parents to be more responsive to their baby's needs and mother's are more likely to breastfeed easily.

Conclusion 

Bonding with your new baby is an incredible and heartwarming journey. Taking bath time,baby Massage, singing lullabies, reading aloud creates beautiful moments. Each child has got her own uniqueness and the most important thing is to be present, patient and responsive to your babies cues. Cherish these early moments and they are the foundations for a strong,loving bond that will last a lifetime. 

Do you have any other tips on creating bonding with your baby? You can help me in the comment section and help me to share the content to New Parents in the city.

DON’T DO THIS When Feeding Baby | Things That Cause Feeding Aversion

Did you know there are things you may be doing, most likely without knowing it, that could lead to your baby developing a negative association with eating food?

I’m going to cover the top 5 mistakes I see parents make that could lead to the development of feeding aversion.Babies can have a feeding aversion towards taking breastmilk, formula or food.

I equip parents with knowledge, so they can care for their children with confidence.My definition of feeding aversion is that a baby who is physically capable of feeding or eating - so this means the child doesn’t have a medical or developmental reasons that affects the ability to eat solids - but shows partial or full refusal of food.

An aversion is the avoidance of a thing or situation that the baby associates to be an unpleasant, stressful or painful stimulus.Keep in mind that when we’re starting solids we’re laying the foundation for the baby’s eating patterns, and their perception of food and the feeding experience.

Therefore we want to create a positive association with eating and give babies an opportunity to start learning how to listen to their hunger and fullness cues.

With most of the things  a lot of parents do at least one of them,but they don’t realize that it’s causing the baby to have a negative experience and can potentially lead to the development of feeding aversion when giving your baby food, but what you can do to correct it. 

The first thing that you should not do, is start solids too early.And by this I mean introducing the baby to food when the baby is not developmentally ready to start solids. Many parents start their baby on solids as early as 4 months, even though is advisable to be started around 6 months.

There are certain developmental signs that the baby should be showing that indicate a readiness to safely start taking solids.And by 6 months of age is typically when most babies show all of these developmental signs.

I’m going to briefly mention them so you know what I’m referring to:

- the baby should be able to sit upright with little to no support.

-The baby needs to have good head control.

-The baby should no longer have the tongue thrust reflex, which is also known as the tongue protrusion reflex.

-The baby needs to be showing an interest in food.

The baby should be reaching for and grasping objects and bringing them to the mouth. It’s not until around 6 months that most babies will be showing all of these signs.

So what’s the big deal if you start giving the baby food too early?Not only can starting too early cause the baby to have digestive upset, but for some babies it can be a negative and frustrating experience when they're truly not prepared.

Also starting solids before a baby is developmentally ready increases the likelihood for gagging and choking episodes to happen.

These make for very unpleasant mealtime experiences that can lead to the baby developing a negative association with eating solids.

So if you’ve started solids and are realizing that you started too early, and your babyis not developmentally ready for it, then stop giving the food and go back to solely giving breastmilk or formula until your baby is showing all the signs of readiness to take food.

And if your baby was born premature or has other underlying medical conditions, you might need to to wait a little longer before your baby is ready for solids.

The second thing that can lead to the baby developing feeding aversion, is spoon feedingincorrectly.Did you know that there’s a right and a wrong way to spoon feed?Many parents place the spoon towards the top of the baby’s mouth and at an angle.

And then they scrape the food off the upper lip or gums so it comes off the spoon.Scraping food off a spoon is not the normal, natural way for a baby to eat.

And offering the spoon at an angle causes the baby’s head to be tilted up and back,which is not a good position to facilitate a safe and comfortable swallow.

If you think about the position of your head when you’re eating, it’s typically in a neutral or slightly downward and forward position instead of being up and back.It’s definitely easier to swallow when the head is in the neutral position or a little down and forward.

Instead of dumping the food into the baby’s mouth by scraping it off the top lip or gums,we want the baby to learn to suck the food off the spoon.

Babies develop better lip control and movement by actively being involved in removing the puree off the spoon.

Also spoon feeding correctly helps position the baby’s tongue in the proper place to push food back towards the throat to swallow.

 The steps you can take to ensure that you’re spoon feeding correctly.

a) You should be sitting instead of standing when feeding the baby.While standing, you will have the tendency to offer the spoon at an angle, and the position of your baby’s head will be up and back in order to be able to look at you.This makes it more difficult to swallow comfortably.

b )Start with just the tip of the spoon dipped in the puree.Then gradually work up to offering a spoonful.Hold the spoon several inches in front of your baby's face, parallel to the feeding tray, instead of at an angle.

Wait for the baby to notice the spoon and open the mouth.Gently place the spoon on top of the tongue and hold it there until the baby closes the lips around the spoon.Then remove it straight back out of the mouth.This allows the baby to suck the puree off the spoon while you are bringing it straight out of the mouth.

Give your baby time to move the puree back and swallow.This typically takes a second or two.When you’re just starting solids, the baby may push some of the food back out and then swallow.

With time, this forward/backward motion will begin to fade and the baby will start to swallow more food.If you’re finding this information helpful, hit the thumbs up button below.

c )The third thing you should not do is force the spoon into the baby’s mouth or have battles over the spoon with your baby.

Some well-meaning parents, out of loving concern for their baby’s physical wellbeing start to pressure, force or trick the baby to eat.

They hate doing it, but keep forcing the food into the baby’s mouth because they worry that the baby will not gain enough weight or will become unwell if they don’t get the baby to eat what they believe is the amount of food the baby should be eating.

However ,when babies are pressured or forced to eat, it becomes an unpleasant or stressful feeding experience.

When repeated, the baby can develop an aversion to feeding.This sets up a vicious cycle.Due to developing a feeding aversion, the baby will fuss or refuse to feed, which in turn stresses the parents out and makes them feel compelled to force the baby to feed.

By doing this, they are unknowingly reinforcing their baby’s feeding aversion.

c )Another thing that I see is that some babies grab for the spoon, and want to be in charge of guiding it into their mouths, especially as they get older.Or they want to keep holding onto the spoon after it’s removed from the mouth.

Some parents end up getting into a tug-of-war with the baby over the spoon so they can continue to put puree onto the spoon to feed the baby.But this can cause the baby to develop a negative association with eating.

I know that most parents are very nervous when it comes to feeding their baby solids and find it difficult to figure out how much to offer.

Wouldn’t it just be easier if the baby would say, “I’m done, I don’t want to eatanymore?”Fortunately even before they can speak, babies do show cues as their way of communicating.

When the baby refuses to open the mouth to take more food, turns away from the spoon,loses interest in continuing to eat, or starts becoming very fussy during the meal, those are signs that the baby is done and we should not try to make the baby eat more.

Babies need to develop an awareness and learn to trust their fullness cues.

Something I find helps parents keep it in perspective is knowing that the baby will most likely only take a few teaspoons at each meal in the first weeks of starting solids.

Breastmilk or formula will continue to be the baby’s primary source of nutrition and solids will just be complementary.

For most babies it’s not until 8 or 9 months that they really start taking to solids.Babies need to learn how to safely take and swallow food first before they increase the amount of solids they take.

Ultimately we want babies to grow up to be independent eaters, so from day one, we should let them be the ones in control of how much or little they eat at each meal.

As far as how to respond when the baby grabs the spoon, this is a sign of progression in the baby’s development and should be encouraged and celebrated.I recommend getting short handled baby self-feeding spoons, such as the Tiny Spoons from ezpz.

You can put puree onto the spoon and lay it onto the tray close to your child to pick-upor hand it to your baby to self-feed.The great thing is that the ezpz spoons come as a 2 pack.So while your baby is eating puree off of one spoon, you can preload the other spoon and have it ready to go.

d )The fourth thing you should not do is scrape or wipe food off the baby’s face during the meal.Obviously after the feeding session is over, you need to clean the baby, so then it’sfine for you to wash or wipe the baby up.Most babies get very fussy and upset when their faces are wiped.

The process of learning to eat is going to be a messy one.It’s all part of the experience.When we scrape food off the baby’s face with the spoon or wipe the face in between bites, we end up creating negative sensory experiences during the meal.

So I encourage you to let your baby get messy.Put a bib on and cover the floor with a splash mat to make clean-up easier, but hold off on cleaning your child until the end of the meal.

 e )fifth thing that you should not do is stay on purees for too long.Pureed food feels safe for parents who worry about the baby choking on regular foods.As a result, some parents continue to offer only pureed foods to their child for much longer than necessary.

Babies become familiar with taking their feeds as smooth purees, and have more difficult accepting different textures as they get older.

A research study found that babies who were not introduced to other textures besides purees by 9 months, had significantly more feeding problems and limited diets as they got older.

We find that babies who experience more textures and flavors early on, are less likely to be picky eaters.Babies aren't meant to be on pureed food for life.

The goal of weaning from breastmilk or formula is to transition them to eat real food that the rest of the family is eating.Of course this happens as a progression over several months.

But after a week or two of your baby taking smooth puree with ease, there is no reason why you can’t transition to offering a more lumpy texture of puree and finger foods.

By 6 months, most babies are able to grab and bring things to the mouth.Therefore there is no reason to doubt their ability to self-feed strips of food starting as early as 6 months.This will allow for exposure to a greater variety of textures.

The safe size of finger food to offer a baby who is 6 to about 8 to 9 months of age is as a strip that is about the thickness of an adult pinky finger.

And once the baby develops the pincer grasp, which is the ability to pick things up using the tip of the thumb and index finger, you can offer smaller pieces of food.Did you know that babies are no more likely to choke on finger foods than purees?

In the comments section below let me know your takeaways from this video.

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Bathing a Newborn Baby (with Umbilical Cord): Step-by-step Video

Hello, good people today we are going to discuss on how to bathe a newborn baby after delivery.

Congratulations mommy and daddy on your new arrival.  Hygiene is an important aspect of baby care and a daily bath is essential to keep your baby clean and fresh.  You can make a baby anytime but it is advisable to do so before our feet.

Bathing your baby too soon after feet can cause your baby to be uncomfortable and spit out milk if it is your first time bathing your little one . You will probably feel anxious but with constant practice you will gain confidence and your baby will get used to bath time ande enjoy it.

Most babies find warm water soothing and embark, may help a fussy baby to relax and calm down. If you are still new to baby bathing, you may want your spouse to help you. You will need the following items to bathe your baby :

- Abathtub

 -Jug of water 

-Cool boil water

- Cotton wool

-Balls bin or a plastic bag to contain

soil cotton wool balls ,a face cloth

towel ,bath soap, baby clothes, a diaper

and a baby wrap.

 If necessary before you start do remember to wash your hands with soapa water and ensure that you have all the necessary items *Remember, never your baby unattended during bath time.

 Preparing the bath fill the basin with cold water first ,then warm water up the one-third level of the tub. Mix the water well and use the inner part of your forearm to test the temperature of the water make sure it is comfortably warm and not too hot.

Squeeze two drops of baby soap into thew and mix well . Place your baby on to the bath towel and gently remove the best talk to your baby so that he/she feels reassured.

Leaf has diapers on and wrap them up with the towel, keeping his head and feet wrapped within the towel ,cleaning your baby's eyes. Dip the cotton ball into the cool boiled water and squeeze out the excess water. 

Clean your baby's eye by starting from the inner corner of the eye and move outwards. Use a new piece of cotton ball for each eye and him in one stroke .Do not use the same piece to clean back and forth, observe for any sticky or yellowish discharge on your baby's eyes and bring him to the doctor if the discharge persists. Cleaning your baby's face ,wash your baby's face using cool boil water. You can either use a face cloth or cotton balls dipped in the water clean your baby's face from center outwards making sure you wipe the forehead the nose the cheeks and the mouth area.

Washing your baby's hair, carry her baby using a football fold with the palm of your hand supporting his head and neck and tucking him between your arm and the side of your body. Tilt his head slightly backwards over the bath basin and wash his hair then dry his head gently with the corner of the towel wrap. please your baby on the table to unwrap him and remove his diapers.

If your baby is soil,clear his buttocks area with wet wipes .Wash your hands after cleaning ,if your baby has passed motion you are now ready to place baby into the tub of water for his bath.

Washing the baby's body position your left hand on the baby's shoulder to support it and hook your fingers under the baby's armpit to have a good grasp slide your right hand under the buttocks and grip the baby's tie and lick the baby into the bathtub.

Allow your baby to sit in the tub with your left hand still supporting a baby shoulders while keeping your baby's head above the water level release your right hand grip and bathe the babies front and private area with the help of a face cloth once done use your right hand to take over the grip under the baby. Stamped it and allow him to lean forwards over your right arm while you clean his back and buttocks with your left hand. Talk and sing to your baby as you bathe himt make bath time enjoyable.

 When you are done lift him out of the water the same the same way you brought him in. Place your baby gently onto the towel and pat him dry.Pay attention to the skin force and be sure to dry behind the ears in between his fingers and toes under his armpit  and private area.

Before dressing your baby, be sure to clean the umbilical area.The UH glycol cod will drop off in about five to seven days .If you notice any bleeding or foul-smelling discharges you should relieve the cord and consult a doctor .If symptoms persist cleaning your baby's umbilical cord wash your hands before cleaning them like a cod ,use cotton balls dipped in cool boil water and squeeze dry to clean the base of the cord with one circular motion discard then swap after use, then with a clean swab clean the sides of the card from the base upwards each time using a new piece of swamp.Clean the core clamp and the tip of the cord. 

Dressing your baby do not move a dress ,your baby wear clothes that are comfortable for the environment you may apply baby lotion on your baby before dressing him up, but baby powder is not encouraged. 

Cuddle your baby often to reassure him to encourage your spouse to take part in bathing your baby. As it is a wonderful opportunity for bonding with your baby feeling clean fresh and comfortable .It is time, for a good feed babies usually sleep better after one.

bath - congratulations on successfully

bathing your baby practice makes perfect

and all mommies and daddies can do it. 

https://youtu.be/0GfOv7XvKYM

Guide To Taking Care Of a Newborn Baby

  

Care of a newborn baby

Spending time with newborns can be a bit

challenging we have some basic keys that

might help

Here are a few basics to remember

Handling a baby.

Wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer

before handling your baby.  They're prone

to getting sick because of weak immune.

So it's only safe to clean your hands

before handling them.

Support your baby's head and neck

cradle the head when carrying your baby.

Never shake your newborn whether in play

or in frustration.

Shaking can cause damage such as

bleeding in the brain and even death.

If you need to wake your infant tickle

your baby's feet or blow gently on a

cheek.

Make sure your baby is securely fastened

into the carrier stroller or car seat.

Limit any activity that could be too

rough or bouncy.

Bonding and soothing

physical closeness can promote an

emotional connection with the baby

begin bonding by cradling your baby and

gently stroking him or her in different

patterns

massage your baby gently certain types

of massage may enhance bonding and help

with infant growth try singing reciting

poetry and nursery rhymes or reading

aloud to your little one if they're

being fussy

some babies can be sensitive to touch

light or sound and might startle them

it's better to keep noise and light

levels low to moderate

Swaddling

Swaddling is another comfort technique

first-time parents should learn

make sure not to wrap the baby too

tightly

babies should not be swaddled after

they're two months old as babies can

roll over while swaddled it increases

the risk of sudden infant death syndrome

(SIDS)

Diapering

Before diapering your baby it is more

convenient to make sure you have all

supplies within reach so you won't have

to leave your infant unattended for

diapering you need a clean diaper

fasteners if cloth prefold diapers are

used

Diaper ointment

Diaper wipes or a container of warm

water and a clean washcloth or cotton

balls

Lay your baby on his or her back and

remove the dirty diaper

You can use water cotton balls and a

washcloth or wipes to gently wipe your

baby clean.

Apply ointments for prevention of rash

or to heal any rashes present.

Always remember to wash your hands

thoroughly after changing a diaper.

Diaper rash is a common concern that

happens because the baby's skin is

sensitive and becomes irritated by the

wet or poopy diaper. It can be helped by

giving a break from diapers applying

ointments and baths.

Some tips to help with diaper rashes are

changing the diaper as soon as possible

after bowel movements.

Clean the area with baby soaps and water

then apply a thick layer of ointment for

preventing rashes.

If you are using cloth diapers use a

fragrance and die free detergent

give the baby skin time to air out by

giving some diaper free time.

The diaper rashes can be an infection if

getting worse over time it would be

better to consult a doctor for that.

Bathing care

 A sponge bath is recommended until the umbilical cord off and the navel heals completely. This process takes up about one to four weeks.

the circumcision healing process takes

up about one to two weeks

A bath two or three times a week in the

first year is fine . More frequent bathing may be drying to the skin. These items should be ready before thing bathing your baby

* A soft clean washcloth

* Mild bar soap and shampoo

* A soft brush to stimulate the baby's

scalp

*Towels or blankets

* A clean diaper

*Clean clothes

*First tub baths should be gentle and

brief.

An infant tub of two to three inches of

warm water should be preferred.

Feeding and burping

A newborn baby needs to be fed every two

to three hours.

Give your baby the chance to nurse about

10 to 15 minutes at each breast if you

are breastfeeding.

In the case of formula feeding your baby

will most likely take about two to three

ounces 60 to 90 milliliters at each

feeding.

Some newborns may need to be awakened

every few hours to make sure they get

enough to eat.

Consult your doctor if your baby doesn't

seem interested in eating or sucking. If

your baby seems satisfied and produces

about six wet diapers and several stools

a day ,sleeps well and is gaining weight

regularly then he or she is probably

eating enough.

Try burping your baby every two to three

ounces ,if you bottle feed and each time

you switch breasts if you breastfeed

some recommended burping tips are:

hold your baby upright with their head

on your shoulder

support your baby's head and back while

gently patting the back with your other

hand.

Sit your baby on your lap, support your

baby's chest and head with one hand by

cradling the baby's chin in the palm of

your hand and resting the heel of your

hand on your baby's chest.

Be careful to grip your baby's chin not

throat.

Use the other hand to gently pat your

baby's back.

Lay your baby face down on your lap.

Support your baby's head making sure

it's higher than his or her chest and

gently pat or rub his or her back

Sleeping basics

Newborns typically sleep for periods of

two to four hours.

It is not necessary for your baby to

sleep through the night like adults.

Babies must develop their sleep patterns

in cycles, so if your newborn is gaining

weight and appears healthy, it doesn't

matter if they haven't slept through the

night in three months.

It's important to always place babies on

their backs to sleep to reduce the risk

of SIDS

It is better not to use blankets quilts,

sheepskins ,stuffed animals and pillows

in the crib or bassinet these can

suffocate the baby . Becoming a parent or

handling a baby for the first time can

be anxious but you'll find your routine

eventually.

Thank you for watching  the video please

do not forget to like and share the

video also please subscribe to the

channel to stay updated on our latest.

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