Newborn Baby Safety for New Parents during Pandemic
Between playing, giggles, gibberish talks, bubbles, splashes, coos, and laughter- you always have to keep an eye on every corner of the house. Taking care of your newborn baby can be an overwhelming task.
You, as parents, have gone through pregnancy, labor, and delivery, and now you are all set to embark on your new life with your baby. But once you are home, you may feel like what on earth is going on, and what are you doing?
From feeding and bathing the baby to taking care of it, you will be all occupied, and being first-time parents can surely make you feel nervous. But that’s all normal because with no time you are going to be a pro.
There are several pieces of advice out there about how to take care of the newborn baby that it becomes difficult to decide which one to follow.
You don’t need to worry anymore because we have got you covered in this article.
We have mentioned in detail 100% successful tips to follow while taking care of your newborn baby. They will make you a pro from a nervous beginner within no time.
Tips to keep your baby safe
Taking care of your newborn baby is both challenging and exhausting simultaneously, but it is also the most beautiful and memorable experience of your life.
It is already challenging to take care of your newborn baby, but the coronavirus pandemic has made it worse. With so many questions and confusion, new parents get confused about the whole process.
Well, to help you out, we are mentioning a complete guide breakdown into pieces.
● Taking care of the newborn baby during the COVID 19 pandemic
New parents are facing extra challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak while taking care of the babies. Newborns are already at the flight risk of catching diseases, and infections and coronavirus have worsened.
To answer all your doubts and problems below, we have mentioned what you need to keep in mind while taking care of a newborn baby amid coronavirus.
1. Tips to take care of the newborn babies during the coronavirus pandemic
No evidence suggests that women who have recently conceived are at risk of contracting the virus because the immune system is standard. Newborns do not appear to be at the risk of getting seriously ill with the virus.
The best way to keep your infant safe during the COVID-19 pandemic is to follow social distancing. Avoid taking out your baby and don’t let anyone unnecessarily come in touch with him. Also, you can follow the points given below.
● Washing hands: Whenever you or anyone else come near the baby, make sure that you wash and sanitize your hands. Hands carry many viruses that may harm the baby, and during these unprecedented times where adults are advised to sanitize hands, it is essential for babies.
● Wear a PPE kit: You must keep a clean PPE kit at home for days you spend outside, and you want to come around your baby to ensure that you are not transmitting him anything and encourage others who come to visit your baby.
● Keep a mask: Mask is also one of the essential commodities you must keep with yourself when you are going around an infant because coronavirus can spread when people talk, breathe, sneeze, and cough. When you wear a mask, you are keeping the virus away from reaching the infant.
● Take medical help: if your baby shows any symptoms, don’t delay and seek medical help. They will help you in the process and will guide you properly.
2. Should newborn babies wear a mask?
Adults and children above the age of 2 are advised to wear masks. Newborn babies and toddlers should not wear a mask because
● They have small airways, and breathing through a mask can make it hard for them.
● Breathing through a mask can be difficult for babies as they can suffocate to death.
3. Can newborn babies catch coronavirus?
Well, the cases of COVID-19 are less severe in newly born infants, but that does not rule out the possibility of infection spread to them. Parents need to check on their freshly born as it may get transmitted to them from others.
As seen in some cases, children got affected with COVID-19, and untimely deaths have occurred to them. So, it is of paramount importance to adopt the right measures to prevent infection spread in children and adults.
Pregnant women have also been reported to pass on the infection to their neonates. Infants can also get infected soon after they are born. While most newborn positive cases have recovered, but severe cases have also taken place. Pregnant women should take extra care and follow precautions to keep their babies safe from the virus spread.
Infants experience mild symptoms such as cough, fever or chills, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of taste/smell, headache, etc.
Fever and cough are quite frequent in both children and adults; shortness of breath is mostly seen in adults. Children often have pneumonia, even when they are asymptomatic.
Thus, serious illness in infants is possible when exposed to COVID-19. Therefore, parents should keep a close eye on their children and frequently check if they show some signs of the disease. In case you have some symptoms, contact your nearest COVID center right away.
4. How can you protect your infants from coronavirus?
Protect your newborn by keeping them away from large crowds and retaining social distance of at least 6 feet from fellow people even in the house.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Wash your hands frequently, especially
- When you come back to your home from outside
- Before touching your child
- Before breastfeeding or preparing food
- Sanitize common touchpoint surfaces like doorknobs, cellphones, etc.
- Avoid touching your nose, eyes, and mouth.
- Use your elbow or a tissue to sneeze; avoid the use of hands.
- Put on a mask if you are sick at all times & limit your contact with the child.
5. Is it safe to take the infants to visit the doctor for vaccines or regular health check-ups?
Yes, it’s fine. Health centers are ensuring the right steps to keep patients safe. They undertake regular cleaning and limiting people in the reception area, screening everyone who enters the premises, and asking everyone to wear masks above 2 years.
Call and enquire with the staff to follow what they allow. Like, they may allow only a single parent or caretaker to accompany the child.
Vaccines & checkup visits
Staying on top of vaccines ensures your child’s health & safety. Ask your doctor about the regular checkup guidelines they follow. Doctors prefer visits through telehealth while some even choose an in-person visit with the child & the parent. The doctor will make sure your child gets the vaccines safely.
If you feel your child is sick, don’t wait to get treatment. Call your doctor right away for expert advice.
6. Can you allow visitors at home?
It is in the best interest of your child’s health to limit the number of visitors at your home. That does not mean, nobody can come to your place. Just make sure to follow COVID guidelines when someone comes to your home.
● Wear a mask at all times
● Keep hand hygiene at work
● Don't let your child come close to the visitors
Baby falls are Common
It is very common for the babies to fall off a bed while sleeping or moving around. And, it is equally important to monitor the situation and stay alert in such cases.
You have a lot going on as a parent when you have a baby wiggling and moving around you. Even though a bed fall won’t cause serious harm to your baby but injuries are possible. It's best to stay alert and undertake precautions in case of such accidents.
First Things First
Firstly, don’t panic. Stay calm to evaluate the situation and address the problem wisely. Look out for help if:
● Your baby lost consciousness
● The baby is bleeding a lot
● There is any serious injury
Moving your baby in conditions of head or spine injury can be fatal. You can move them gently to a safer location only if there is a risk of further injury. If you see your baby vomit or have a seizure, turn them gently onto their side while keeping the neck straight. Check them over and look for any possible signs of injury.
Common Injuries
There is a list of common injuries that can happen to your child after a fall. They are:
Concussion
It is a head injury, which, happens due to the blow inside the baby’s skull. It can be hard to identify such a situation in a toddler. Possible signs are:
● Unpacifiable crying
● Vomiting
● Loss of consciousness
● Prolonged sleepiness
● Unwilling to eat
● Irritability
Scalp injury
The scalp is the protective layer on the head and it contains many small blood vessels. Even a small cut can be fatal and bleed a lot.
Bleeding often causes a bump or swelling on your baby’s head that can take a few days to go away.
Skull fracture
The skull is a bone that protects your brain. Your baby may get a fracture on the skull for a fall from a high place. Newly born may develop:
● A recessed area on the head
● Fluid drops coming out of the eyes and ears
● Bruise around the eyes or ears
Go for emergency services right away if you see any such signs.
Brain injury
A fall can damage or rupture many blood vessels, nerves, and internal tissues. Your baby's brain is a delicate structure and should be taken care of in case of an injury. Call for emergency services if the injury is serious.
Fire Safety – Learn it now
Handling a fire is quite scary and it gets even worse when you have to deal with a baby on board. Learn to keep your child safe when there are smoke and fire around.
Kids are not aware of home fire dangers and risks. And it gets very important for the parents to keep the precautionary tips in mind. Begin by installing the fire safety kit in your house, getting ready an escape plan, and sharing with your kids about the path to fire safety.
● The special one: Assign one person to bring newborns and children out safely. Get a backup plan for young kids as they may catch smoke at times.
● Escape Route: Prepare a fire escape plan with two routes for an escape out of your house.
● Caring and safety go hand-in-hand: It is caring to keep your baby in arms but avoid doing so while carrying anything hot or while cooking.
● Stop Overloading Electrical outlets and wall sockets: Refrain from plugging multiple cords into a single electrical socket as it may catch fire.
● Smoke outside your house: Mobile oxygen is 100 percent pure and is extremely flammable. Well, it’s explosive and aids fire burns instantly. Your cigarette carries all of that!
● Gasoline Safety: Always store gasoline in closed rooms as children should not access it. Make sure you store small quantities in safe containers.
● Store numerous fire extinguishers: Always keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen and other areas to take care of fire adversity in your home.
● Use portable & certified space heaters: Keep away explosive objects and materials from your space heater. Ensure you use a verified space heater with K-1 type kerosene only at your home.
● Avail of proper maintenance: Ensure regular keep up of your heat sources, get them inspected, and regularly. This lowers the chances of chimney fires. Avoid using a cooking stove in your kitchen if possible.
Teach your kids about fire safety
Firstly, it is necessary to teach young kids about fire safety at home. Fire is a tool to use & not to play. Teach them not to carry lighters and matches if found. Inform the adult right away.
Adults should always keep a close eye on their toddlers. You never know when a fire hazard occurs. Ask them to stay away from cooking stoves, candles, or any other heat source.
Drill for your Fire Escape Plan
Make a habit of practicing fire escape plans in the dark. Let your kids do the same to come out safely and swiftly. Prepare multiple scenarios and practice your rescue plan with kids. Teach them numerous methods.
Make your kids learn the Stop, Drop, and Roll trick – Stop moving, set down, and roll when clothing catches fire. Teach them how to proceed through rooms and hallways to stay safe from the smoke spread.
Ask them to touch the door before opening it. If it’s hot, let them not open it.
Help your kids deal with a Home Fire
Babies are relatively young to remember a home fire, but younger ones know a home fire feeling. Help them to cope up with the loss of their possessions, and loved ones.
Younger children may have a hard time learning that people are irreplaceable. Toddlers may fear and feel insecure at such times even after a home fire.
● Include them in a disaster fight plan
● Give them a soft and open space to deal with their emotions
● Address their concerns
● Try to answer all their queries.
● Let them draw it out if they are unable to express it in words.
● Bring in a new routine right away
● Give them hugs and affection, both physical and emotional
● Credit positive behaviors
● Share upcoming changes with them but not enough to incite fear in them
House fires can wreak havoc in their lives, physically and emotionally. It may be challenging for younger kids to recover from the trauma.
The best thing is to keep mindful precautions at a place to avoid any such frightening situation at home. Your every precautionary step can be the key to save your child’s life. No protection is trivial when it comes down to fire safety.
The Toy is the Birth Right of your Baby
Playing is a child’s right, and toys are the tools for them to get the job done. Toys help them learn, evolve, and explore things. They are mostly safe but some toys can result in injuries. It may be due to a flaw in the product design or it may happen if the proper instructions are not followed while playing with toys.
You may have to face a long list while planning to buy toys for babies. The challenging part is to choose the right ones among them. Here are five such things to consider before buying toys for your cute baby:
● Age matters the most: Look for the age on the toy package. Make sure it matches your baby’s age. Keep it in mind while gifting toys to other babies.
● Safety is foremost: Look for small screws and related parts while handing over the toy to your baby. After all, safety should be your primary concern for your baby.
● Boosts creativity: Give them toys that demand a sense of creativity from your kids to play. It will empower them and can be a great tool to infuse specific interests in kids. Let them enjoy the fun of toys.
● Promotes Physical Activity: Gift your kid physical toys that can boost the overall development of a kid.
● Encourage Learning: Ensure that toys your kid play with stimulating his or her mind. Look for the toys that ask them to solve a problem or demand critical thinking to play.
Injuries from toys more often occur than you expect. The significant risk for them is choking on small toys, tiny parts of big toys. Children may also get injured by riding toys like tricycles, wagons, and foot-powered scooters.
Toy Safety points: Learn these safety tips to keep your baby safe from injuries.
● Age Limit: Check out the toy package to see if it is right for your child’s age.
● Do a Size Check before giving kids toys: A small toy can be a choking tool for your kid. Check if it fits in a tube and assess the toy's size and handover to your kid if it seems safe.
● Avoid magnets: Magnetic sets can endanger your child's life as they might swallow or inhale them.
Here are a few more tips you should keep in mind while buying toys for your kids.
● Focus on quality and safety while buying out toys for infants. Also, consider the child’s age, interests, skills, and ability before picking up a toy from the toy store.
● Check for safety instructions on the toy box, and read them carefully before passing the toys to your kids.
● Refrain from giving small toys and accessories to them as the mouth is their active part as of now.
● Check out the toy carefully – if it contains some toxic chemicals such as lead or mercury. Exposure to such chemicals can damage their brain and intellectual development.
● Discard the plastic box instantly after you unpack the toy box. While playing with plastics, they may swallow them.
Facts on Toy Injury
● Over half of the injuries happen to children below 5 years of age
● 14 children on average get treated in emergency departments as a result of swallowing or inhaling toys or toy parts.
● Riding toys leads to over 40% of toy injuries to young kids aged between 5 to 16.
Is your Baby Sleeping – Take care of it
Newborns have a hard time adjusting to the first few days of life. Let them get used to the new environment around them first.
Sleep often comes easily to some babies for a few lucky parents, sleeping quietly through the night. All you need is to walk a few times and that’s enough to put him to sleep. While for many, getting a baby to sleep is a never-ending hustle.
No one has the power to make babies do anything. However, there are some insightful tips to help you out a little.
● Reduce their napping time. Once they get old enough to play, one nap a day is enough. Wake them up with pleasant music or happening words. There is no sense in offering bed moods for your kids.
● Let your babies be able to comfort themselves after a certain amount of time. You should not go on rocking him on your arms for nights and that too for years. Anyone will crib about it. Instead, put him in his bed and let him sleep. The kid will learn to sleep alone in a matter of time.
● There is no winning in making him sleep in the same room as you. As it may wake him up and you both will start playing with each other. That can make it hard for you to fall asleep.
● Make sure your baby does not get out of the room on his own. Design the door as a horse-stall door and cut it in half. Cover the down part to restrict him to his room and leave the upper part open to have a sense of his actions from your room. Or else they could wander the entire house.
● Give your kids a nice bedtime by playing music to him from another room. This is a lovely old tip to make your babies fall to sleep. Control the music from your room and you will see, 5 to 10 minutes is enough to sleep.
● Darken the room. Keep it calm and peaceful and let the lullaby play.
● Make their bedtime a routine with no exceptions. Help them build a practice that will naturally trigger them to sleep. One warm hug and a few kisses with one good night wish. Happy Sleeping!
● Avoid feeding or drinking him at bedtime. Neither overfed them nor leave them hungry. On some days, you will understand the actions you need to take.
Pro Tip:
You can also interact with other experienced parents, but these tips are enough to get you started. Stay collected!
Many moms feel that they cannot calm down their baby and as a result, they end up overdoing rocking or putting the baby on the washing machine or going out for a walk leaving them alone. Well, these tricks can work but the danger it poses to your baby’s life cannot be avoided.
Babies end up falling asleep but they can easily sense your stress at the same time. Well, it is not uncommon to get worked out by the responsibility of handling a baby. What you can do is keep your tensions at bay and offer your baby a relaxed behavior to calm them down for a night of comfortable sleep.
Take care of yourself and then take care of your baby. Depriving yourself of sleep will do more harm than good to your baby.
Have a closer look at your baby’s personality. Some of them want to stay awake for longer and explore around. Those babies demand longer park walks, more play, and will sleep a little. Do not stress yourself. It is natural for babies to act that way. But the good thing is they can’t resist for long as they will sooner or later fall back to sleep.
How to Make Your Baby Sleep in Minutes
The simple answer is Patience!
Apart from that, we have listed out some time-tested methods to make your baby sleep in a jiffy:
● Sleep signals: Babies are remarkable beings and will playfully tell you when they want to sleep. They give straight signs of sleep; a yawn is enough to tell you it’s time to go to bed.
● Wrap them with a cloth: Infants do not realize arms and legs as their own. So, moving them could make them awake and keep them puzzled. Instead, wrap them with a smooth cloth to give them the comfort that will make him fall to sleep. Use a fabric to stretch it around but not overly big.
● Wrap Tip: Double wrap them, once with a tight and stretched cloth and other with a loose and firm wrap.
● Ready the Bed ASAP: Ready the bed before he falls to sleep. Babies sleep easily when they get something to snuggle their faces around. You can place a rolled towel around him.
● Turn off the lights and music, do not make any eye contact, whisper “shhh” softly when needed, or you can even sing a lullaby for your baby. You can also bounce him straight up and down to calm him down, it will require less effort to make him go to sleep.
● Once he is in the process of falling asleep, stop moving or bouncing around him. All you need to do is WAIT! It takes around 20 minutes for babies to get sleep and can wake up at least 7 times at a stretch. Count numbers whenever he wakes up to let him back to rest. Relax! You won’t even have to count till 8 if you follow the process carefully.
● Give them the extra time to calm down if they wake up again in the middle of sleep. Avoid making any eye contact with him. S/he is mentally working to sleep even if s/he seems awake to you. Just try to hold him or her tightly to let them feel cozy.
● Remember we all learn to sleep and should follow the guide to fall asleep
● Wait till your child’s breath slows down. In the next few minutes, he is bound to fall asleep. Make the transition phase for your baby as smooth as possible.
● Voila! Just leave him peacefully. If your child prefers music at night, it is now time to turn up the music. Do not overstimulate him or her or that could make him or her awake.
Crawling - The first step to your Baby walk
Crawling is a natural act for your baby. Frankly speaking, there is no way to teach kids how to crawl. They learn it by themselves. But what you can do is give them three dosages of diet and slowly increase their time duration to make them more comfortable.
Not only does this make them comfortable for crawling, but it also exposes them to regular specks of dust and grit that they should adopt to as soon as possible.
Most babies start the process of crawling after their first 5 to 6 months of life. Although, there are other ones too who wait for long or show early signs of crawling on the 4th month itself.
All babies are unique and should be treated that way. One size fits all does not work when it comes to baby care. Parents need to stay extremely attentive to their child’s actions to observe and learn what they need and what they don’t.
What You Must do to Make your Baby Crawl
Add the desire in him to crawl towards you. It would be enough to get him stimulated to start moving towards you. Well, he may have his own ways to do that! Just let him do what he tries to.
Sit down on the floor just a few feet away facing him so that s/he gets the drive to crawl towards you. Hold your arms out to him, smile, and help him learn to do things on his own.
You need not do anything else, or he will start changing his movements according to you. Just stay in the same position and let them learn the crawling activities and coordinate as he moves forward. Let the natural process continue and don’t ever think of rushing him or you could lose the entire fun of the process.
Please understand that his little body is new to him or her and s/he will take some time to get adapted to it. Slowly, s/he will learn to control every muscle movement that has not been used before.
Just imagine yourself for the first time doing a complex task with your hands. Was it so easy? You usually do with your right hand and try doing them with your left hand for a day. Now it makes sense, right. Everyone takes their own time to develop a skill to perform.
The most helpful thing you can do is fire up his or her interest to learn and try. You can even physically assist just to offer them support. You will learn, s/he can achieve so much on his own.
● Start with small things, ask him to lie down on the floor, let him play a little by himself and as he collects fun in it – start making him learn things. No force is required, just a gentle push is enough.
● Your baby may not know how to lay from a seated position, it may be just out of his hands. What you can do is help him stretch. Praise his little achievements and never get irritated or frustrated when he/she falls. It is the process of learning that s/he is undergoing. So, let them have the time to learn things.
● Even if your baby gets frustrated, put the toy around him to lighten him up. Let him win for this time and you will see, that has given him the right push to finish up things efficiently in the future.
Give a Safe Bath to your Baby
A baby bath can get quite serious if you are a new parent or an experienced one. It’s a pressing issue to keep your baby safe and secure during a bath. They have slippery skin and pose a challenge for parents to hold them without slipping out of their hands.
Consider giving a sponge bath for the first few weeks of his/her life. Follow these steps wisely to give a smooth bath to your baby.
Collect your baby bath items in one place: Gather all the things needed for a bath before you start scrubbing your toddler. Keep things at your hand’s stretch so you won’t need to go away from your child during bath. Include a dry towel, washcloths, and soap for your baby bath.
Prefer an ideal location: Pick up a suitable location for your baby bath. Bathtubs are a better place for your baby to take a bath. You can also place your baby into a sink or tub and place support behind your baby’s head. Choose a spot that is clean and warm that helps you move freely at all times.
Keep basics of bath in mind:
● Give support to your baby’s head, back, and neck with one arm while you use your other hand to bathe him.
● Clean your baby’s eyes gently with a cotton pad dipped in lukewarm water. Make sure you use a clean towel if not a cotton pad to wipe them.
● Start cleaning your baby face from the nose and moving outwards to the ears and at the back of the head.
● Go for the genital/diaper area at the last stage of bathing. Use warm water and soap to clean the area and wipe after with a towel. For girls, clean them from front to back while for boys, wash them back to front.
Here are some cool tips to bathe your newly born baby with care.
● Lukewarm water can be ideal for your baby health.
● Choose a stable position for both you and your kid.
● Watch out for a video to bathe your offspring in a tub.
● Pour water on your baby but make sure s/he does not have any problem breathing.
● Avoid scrubbing, just apply gentle pressure to dirty parts with no pressure movements.
The Gist of It
Welcoming a newborn into the fold is no easy job. Giving birth to a baby is the most wonderful feeling on earth. The second-best feeling is to see them grow and play. However, it is not at all easy for new parents to handle their kids. All you need is to cut back on stress and follow the above guide to lead and healthy and peaceful parenthood.
Essential Baby List, Baby List, Baby Essentials List, Baby Essentials, Best baby products