Baby Comes Home and you mad on Parenting and Childcare formulae

The   highly   anticipated moment of bringing the baby home from the hospital is fraught with myriad emotions of its own. The little bundle of joy can shake up your world far in excess of its small size. By this time books about childcare, parental advice, neighbor’s suggestions about the love, patience, protection, food etc that the baby will require almost exhaust you.  Along with it will come the realization that there is now a human being that is totally dependent on you. Looking at your robust infant a year from now, you’ll be surprised that you had ever been so nervous.

New parenthood comes with its own set of dilemmas. Some men would have never held a baby in their arms. Part of the new father’s role would be getting used to looking after the baby, not just changing diapers and giving a bath but establishing a rapport with the baby. It shall come as surprise to all as the baby accepts him real fast. New mothers   are apt to feel that the baby tends to monopolize their time leaving them with very little time for themselves or the family. The mother’s body too is yearning for some well deserved rest.

When you first begin taking care of your baby a fatigue sets in during the first few weeks as it becomes a constant feeling of feeding-the-mouth and cleaning-the-bottom. Most first time parents don’t have enough self – assurance at the start. Like anyone in their first job, they are sensitive about possible inadequacies and touchy about criticism. It helps if you have a few arrangements made before hand. The first thing is to arrange for a small, soft and safe cot for the baby or any other place that is equally comfortable as per your convenience.

The next important thing  is a place to bathe and dress him; it could be the kitchen sink or a plastic tub. He shall also require a few sets of comfortable clothing, it must be soft and easy to put on and take off .Then there is the formula milk to be made, you will require bottles, diapers or nappies and wipes or old cotton cloth to take care of the spills etc. Sleeping, eating and working may be initially governed by when the baby wants to sleep and eat. Slowly with time you may be able to adjust it to your routine.

Every baby’s pattern of development is different. Love him for the way he is. More than a perfect parent a child needs a loving parent. At all times try to hold him, soothe him and enjoy him. All human beings would like to make their children happy. Despite all the nitty-gritty of parenthood, I am a strong believer that the most important responsibility of a parent is to bring up a child in such a manner that he is socially well adjusted. That I believe is the paramount responsibility of parents. Nothing shall make a child more grateful than the fact that he has been carefully nurtured for a meaningful presence in our world.

Sibling rivalry is common phenomena of all ages and the bond always wins

There are no easy solutions to what psychologists call “sibling rivalry” Preparation sometimes helps, talking about the baby with the other child or children in the house, taking pains to reassure them that your love for them will not diminish. You may get nice books with great illustrations for them if you so wish. Make sure that one of the parents sits with the child while he reads the book so that it does not make him feel that the book was a ploy to get him or her out of the way. Try and spend as much time as you can exclusively with the older child before the new one arrives. However, sometimes all your best efforts and even the older child’s willingness to have a sibling, cannot predict the reactions that will be triggered on the actual arrival of the baby.

To the parents the arrival of a new baby is a happy event but to an older and sometimes only child, the feelings may be mixed. Once the “centre of attraction”, he may now start feeling relegated to the background. No matter what you may do, a keen sense of competition inevitably sets in. As the demands of a new born baby is more on the mother’s time, the father can now step in spend some time alone with the older child.

It may annoy you but try to remember that it is only natural for the older child to feel a twinge   of jealously when you spend time with its sibling. You cannot ignore these feelings in your child and don’t be too harsh on them. They are just as bewildered by the strong emotions and do not know how to deal with them. Fortunately, for parents children adjust over a period of time.

Just as things smoothen out a bit and you are relieved to have tided over the situation satisfactorily, trouble comes back. The one year old baby’s walking and beginning of gibberish talking may draw so much admiration that competitive feelings begin to surface again. The rivalry is more intense now and sometimes may lead to actual harm to the baby. It sometime requires a superhuman effort to deal with the situation. Try and encourage interaction between them with minimal parental intrusion but definitely under parental supervision. Older brothers and sisters are important part of a baby’s life. Make them an integral part of caring for the baby; the baby will love their company more than yours! Sometimes, it also makes sense to champion the case of the elder child as the younger one may unknowingly damage his cherished possessions.

There are no fixed rules for handling sibling rivalry; it varies with each group of children. Encourage the children to appreciate each other, encourage them to learn to share their parents’ love and affection. There are no ‘quick fix’ solutions to such problems and only time will tell whether you have been able to lessen rivalry among the siblings.

Few precaution, little habit change for keeping the baby safe

The joy and safety are just simple balance in daily life

When a baby is around seven to eight months old, it is capable of movement and can reach places and objects which were once out of range. Now is the time to take extra precautions to keep the baby safe. Accidents can happen in split seconds, hence the need for taking these baby safety measures.

Keep baby safe from unwanted rise - The first precaution is to install gates on all staircases if they are near the entrance of the house. You will be surprised to see how many times in a day your baby will sneak to the stairs. A fall on the staircase can be very damaging to a small baby.

Another trouble spot is the electrical outlets especially those near the floors. Well care for Toddlers safety, they have a remarkable tendency to put their fingers or sharp objects into the electrical sockets. Another propensity is the baby tugging at objects, pulling chords of lamps and irons and toppling along with them, just imagine the safety hazard. These must therefore be unplugged when the baby is moving around in the house and really enjoy the safe cheers.

Baby Safe in eating kind hazard - Harmful chemicals, detergents, sprays, pesticides, medicines and cosmetics should from now on not be stored in the lower cabinets well beyond baby reach to keep the play safe. It is also wise to remove small objects that can be swallowed, sharp objects that can hurt them and breakables from places within the toddler’s reach. If there is a baby chair in the house, it must be kept away from gas stoves and heaters so that the baby is not able to harm itself when seated on these high chairs. Safe baby sitting at safe places makes happy family.

As the baby grows older, he gets surprisingly strong and a new balance has to be found between his safety and his freedom to explore and learn. For a one year old, it is easy to lean out of his pram or your arms and pull down objects from shelves both at home and in the marketplace. It needs extra vigilance on your part whether you are in the market or at home for safe baby outing.

The baby in kitchen with safe arrangements - When cooking always turn the handles away from the areas where the baby can reach with little or no effort. When seating the baby for meals keep all hot objects away from the reach of the child.

Medicines should be kept in high places for baby safety. Extra precaution is needed when someone else falls sick in the family and medicines may be out of their usual storage places.

Have you considered unsafe furnishings? Another thing you may have to give up on is long, dangling, beautiful tablecloths. The child is bound to use it to haul himself up, and in the process bring all your cutlery and food down. Your priceless decoration pieces should definitely be out of his reach till he reaches a maturity level where you can explain things to him.

The decoration and baby both are safe if you follow simple habitual rules. My personal experience has been that once the child is about one year old, you sit down with him on the carpet and let him touch these delicate materials under your supervision. The craze for these things comes down and you can now keep your house full of delicate decoration pieces.

However, the greatest precaution has to be in the bathtub. Never leave the baby unattended and hold on to the baby even if you may have to turn around to see or pick up something. A single moment of neglect can be life threatening. A small baby can drown in a few inches of water.  All the above precautions are to keep the baby away from harm, as any neglect when the baby in near water can be fatal. With all these precautions you can assure safety and freedom for the baby.