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This article was medically reviewed by Shari Forschen, NP, MA. Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Health in North Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute care bedside nursing on a medical oncology floor. She received her degree from Medcenter one College of Nursing in 2003 and her Family Nurse Practitioner Masters from the University of North Dakota in 2014. Shari is a member of the American Nurses Association.
There are 20 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
This article has been viewed 12,134 times.
Babies do not come with a manual, but if you are looking to learn about babies, you have a wealth of resources to consult. Whether you are an expecting parent, babysitter, or a family friend, you can research baby development and care. Reading baby websites, books, and guides will inform you about standard baby care. If you are a new parent, in particular, you can take advantage of your doctor’s advice and classes to learn about the best way to care for your newborn. Some things are learned best through experience, however, and you can practice on other babies before you have to handle your own.
Steps
Method 1
Method 1 of 3:
Researching Baby Care and Development
Write down your questions. It is good to know what questions you have about babies so that you understand how to properly care for them. No matter if you are a new parent or an anxious babysitter, you should write down a list of what you want to know about babies. Some good questions include:- How do I make a bottle?
- How do I get the baby to sleep?
- How do I get the baby to stop crying?
- How do I change a diaper?
- How often does a baby need to be fed?
- What do I do if the baby is sick?
- Should I breastfeed my baby?
- How do we decide whether or not to circumcise our son?
- How do I take my baby’s temperature?
Read reputable websites. There are many websites on the internet that offer advice on babies. To make sure that the information is credible, look for websites that are hosted by a government, research foundation, or university. These can give you information about babies backed by research. Some good guides include:- ”Newborn Care and Safety” from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.[1]
- ”Tips for New Parents” from the NHS.[2]
- ”Babyproofing Your Home” from the National Safety Council.
- ”Babysitter Safety” from the University of Michigan.[3]
- ”A Guide to the Business of Babysitting: Infants” from the University of Illinois.
- ”Changing Diapers” from the Nemours Foundation.[4]
Find parenting blogs and magazines. Blogs and magazines can offer practical, relatable advice about babies. In addition to useful articles, many of these websites offer forums and social networking options with parents to help you find out more information about babies. Some good blogs and magazines include:
Consult baby guide books. There is a whole publishing industry devoted to books about childcare. You should either check out these books from the library or buy a copy yourself. Many books are written by doctors to help you figure out the best way to care for a baby. However, keep in mind that these books are not appropriate for every situation, but they are a good starting point to help you understand the complex task of childcare and parenting. Some famous books include:- What to Expect When You’re Expecting by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel.
- The Baby Book by William and Martha Sears.
- Gentle Baby Care by Elizabeth Pantley.
Speak to parents. The best way to learn about babies is to speak to the experts themselves. Parents of babies and newborns can offer great insight and information about babies. You can ask your own parents, your partner’s parents, or anybody else in your social circle who has had a baby in the past. Some questions you can ask include:- What kinds of mistakes did you make when you first had a baby?
- What should I avoid doing with the baby?
- Have you ever had a baby emergency before? How did you handle it?
- What is your best advice to deal with a crying baby?
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:
Educating Yourself as New Parent
Talk to your doctor or midwife. Your obstetrician, pediatrician, or midwife can offer valuable insight into the first months of your baby’s life. During the second or third trimester, you may want to have a serious talk with them regarding the care of your baby during their first months. Some questions you can ask include:- What should I expect in the first hour after the baby is born? First week? First month?
- When should I feed the baby? How do I know when the baby has had enough to eat?
- How long do babies sleep for?
- How will I know if there is a problem with my baby?
- What if my baby has colic? What do I do?
- Is co-sleeping safe?
Educate yourself on baby milestones. While every baby develops at their own pace, there are some general guidelines for what the baby should be doing at certain ages. These are called milestones. Knowing the milestones can help you understand how the baby is developing as well as what kind of behavior is normal for their age.[9]- Three months: Lifting head, making eye contact, opening and closing their hand, smiling.
- Four to six months: reaching for and holding objects, babbling, beginning to sit upright.
- Seven to twelve months: crawling, picking up objects with the thumb and forefinger, pointing, communicating with hand signals.
- Nine to Sixteen months: walking, talking.
Take classes at the hospital. Most hospitals with a maternity ward offer classes to teach parents the basics of caring for a baby. These skills can include how to stop a baby from crying, how to breastfeed properly, how to swaddle your baby, and how to check their temperature. When you are registering with the hospital for your birth, ask them what classes are available. They will be able to give you more information about registering and taking classes.- It is best to take these classes before you have your baby. After your baby is born, you will be very busy caring for your baby, so it is important to learn about how to care for your baby before your baby is born.
Weigh the pros and cons of breastfeeding. When learning about your baby-to-be, one decision you will have to make is whether or not you will breastfeed. There are many reasons why people decide to both breastfeed and bottle feed, and you will want to make the best decision for your baby and lifestyle.- Breastfeeding offers a free form of food to your baby. Breastmilk has important vitamins for your baby as well as antibodies that ward off disease. Breastfeeding can reduce the risk of SIDS and improve eye and brain development in babies.[10] There is also a reduced risk for ovarian and breast cancers in women who breastfeed. Breastfeeding is also better for the environment, since it reduces or eliminates the need for packaging.
- Bottle feeding allows your baby to be fed without having to pump milk. It may be convenient for some working mothers as a family member or friend can feed the baby while they are at work. Bottle feeding is also a good option for babies who have trouble latching onto the breast or for mothers on certain types of medication.[11]
Find a lactation consultant. If you choose to breastfeed, you may want to seek the advice of a lactation consultant. A lactation consultant can help teach you how to feed your baby, encourage baby weight gain, and store breastmilk. They can also help you any breastfeeding problems, such as painful nursing or latching issues.[12]Advertisement
Method 3
Method 3 of 3:
Mastering the Basics of Childcare
Spend time with friends or relatives with babies. A good way to learn about babies is to spend some time with one. If you know someone who has a baby, you can ask them to teach you how to care for them. This supervised visit will show you how to treat babies while letting you play with one at the same time. You might ask your friend or relative to teach you:- How to properly hold a baby.
- How to give a baby a bottle.
- How to play with babies.
Look up strategies to stop babies from crying. Babies cry for a number of reasons. They might have a wet diaper, or they may be hungry. While you should always try to satisfy the baby’s needs, sometimes it may seem as though the baby is crying for no reason. There are a few tricks you can try:- Swaddle the baby.
- Hold the baby.
- Give the baby a pacifier.
- Make a shushing noise or use a white noise machine.[15]
- You can ask other parents for their favorite tips or consult a baby care guide.
Practice swaddling and changing diapers. Diapers are an essential part of baby care. If the baby is a newborn, you may even have to swaddle the baby. You can practice both skills on a doll before you have to change a real baby.- To swaddle, form a blanket in a diamond shape. Fold the top corner down to form a triangle, and lay the doll so that its shoulders are lined with the flat edge. Take one top corner, and bring it across the doll’s body to tuck under it. Take the bottom corner, and tuck it into the first tuck. With the last corner, bring it across the body, and tuck it in near the neck. Do not ever cover the baby’s face while swaddling.[16]
- To change a diaper, remove the old diaper. Wipe off the doll with a baby wipe. Slide the diaper through the baby’s legs. Pull the diaper’s tape over the front of the diaper to secure it.[17]
Learn when to call the doctor. While infants can become sick quickly, not every sniffle is an emergency. Knowing when to call the doctor is an important skill to develop. It can also help give you peace of mind when you are caring for the baby. Some things you might want to look out for include:- Red or bleeding umbilical cord area.
- Change in appetite, such as refusing to eat for several feedings in a row.
- Diarrhea.
- Rash.
- Eye discharge.
- Instead of dribbling spit-up from their mouth, the baby may project vomit.
- For babies younger than three months, call the doctor for any fever. For babies older than three months, call the doctor for a fever above 102 degrees Fahrenheit (38.9 degrees Celsius).[18]
Reduce the risk for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is a rare occurrence when a baby passes away with no explainable reason. While the causes are uncertain, there are certain things you can do to reduce the risk of SIDS. These include:- Place the baby on their back to sleep.
- Do not smoke or let others smoke around the baby.
- Check the baby to make sure they are not too hot or too cold while sleeping. If they are sweating or hot to the touch, remove some blankets.
- Tuck in the blanket below their body. Make sure that the blanket is no higher than their shoulders. There should be no bedding or bedclothes on the baby’s head while they sleep.[19]
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Tips
- Learn all you can before the baby is born. The more prepared you are, the easier it will be.Thanks
- Don’t be afraid to ask for advice. Taking care of a baby is hard, but there are many others who have done it successfully before.Thanks
- Make sure that the information you are researching comes from a sound source and is backed by scientific research.Thanks
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Warnings
- Never shake a baby, or you risk injuring them permanently.Thanks
- Do not leave a baby in a bath unattended, even for a minute.[20]Thanks
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References
- ↑ http://womenshealth.gov/pregnancy/childbirth-beyond/newbon-care-safety.html
- ↑ http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/being-a-parent.aspx
- ↑ http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/babysit.htm
- ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/babysit-diapers.html
- ↑ http://www.parents.com
- ↑ http://www.parenting.com/
- ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/
- ↑ http://www.cafemom.com
- ↑ http://www.parenting.com/article/month-by-month-guide-to-babys-milestones
- ↑ http://www.marchofdimes.org/baby/breastfeeding-is-best.aspx
- ↑ http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/breast-bottle-feeding.html#
- ↑ http://www.babycenter.com/404_what-do-lactation-consultants-do-and-how-do-i-find-one_8876.bc
- ↑ http://www.ilca.org/home
- ↑ http://www.llli.org/
- ↑ http://www.helpguide.org/articles/secure-attachment/when-your-baby-wont-stop-crying.htm
- ↑ https://www.nct.org.uk/parenting/how-do-i-swaddle-my-baby
- ↑ http://americanpregnancy.org/first-year-of-life/changing-a-diaper/
- ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/in-depth/healthy-baby/art-20047793
- ↑ http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/reducing-risk-cot-death.aspx
- ↑ http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/babysit.htm#know
About this article
Shari Forschen, NP, MA
Family Nurse Practitioner
This article was medically reviewed by Shari Forschen, NP, MA. Shari Forschen is a Registered Nurse at Sanford Health in North Dakota. Shari has worked in healthcare since 1996 and her expertise lies in acute care bedside nursing on a medical oncology floor. She received her degree from Medcenter one College of Nursing in 2003 and her Family Nurse Practitioner Masters from the University of North Dakota in 2014. Shari is a member of the American Nurses Association. This article has been viewed 12,134 times.
Co-authors: 10
Updated: September 27, 2021
Views: 12,134
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 12,134 times.
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