Here are 13 Mistakes New Parent makes in Baby's First Year
Don’t let, yourself make wrong choices and decisions which can adversely affect your Baby’s Growth & Development in her First Year. This post will help you understand what kind of mistakes other parents are making and how to avoid them.
1 # Stopping Breastfeeding to Early
Do you know that for a mother, breastfeeding is the best way to connect with their newborn baby? Some of us enjoy this phase of motherhood and some don’t. The decision of Giving up breastfeeding should not be made in isolation by just thinking about yourself, but mothers should also take into account their baby’s health and need. For newborn babies, breastfeeding is the only way to get warmth, love & affection from their mother.
As per the doctor’s advice, mothers should not stop breastfeeding until their babies are 6 months old. It’s up to mothers till what age they want to breastfeed their kids, in my case I am feeding my little girl to date (she is 2 years and 6 months old). They are many benefits of mother’s milk which keeps baby healthy and infection-free.
Many moms make the decision to stop breastfeeding because they are worried about their fitness also some think that breastfeeding will adversely affect their beautiful personality. But it’s not true in fact, breastfeeding burns lots of calories and helps in weight reduction.
Therefore, before taking the harsh decision of stopping breastfeeding, just think about those women who are struggling and trying their best to breastfeed their babies but not able to produce milk.
2 # Allowing other People to Touch your Infants
I know it’s a difficult and little bit rude to tell people not to touch your newborn baby. I am not saying that you keep your baby away from your Family Members, Relatives, or Friends. You must know that infants are prone to catch germs & infections very fast.
So, try to keep your infants away from people until they turn 3 months old. Use good quality hand sanitizer and always keeps it near to infants so that each and everyone must sanitize their hands before touching/holding your baby.
3 # Introducing Bottle to Breastfed Baby at 1 to 2 Weeks
Please don’t be in a hurry to introduce or putting your baby on bottle feed. This is one serious mistake new parent makes when they put their infant on bottle feed as early as when they are a few days old. Normally they tend to do this because they want to have a good and uninterrupted sleep in the night, as babies on breastfeed trends to wake up every 2 to 3 hours to feed as compared to babies who are on bottle feed. Babies on Bottle feed easily sleep around 5 to 6 hours in one go because they are being overfed.
Friends, babies on bottle feed never go back to breastfeed as breastfeed is difficult and needs lots of effort from babies, as compared to bottle feed which easier and quicker way to fill the baby’s stomach. One of my friends introduced a bottle very early to her baby and always regretted it as her baby stopped taking breastfeed. She even tried many methods and different ways, but her baby never went back to breastfeed.
So, just for the sake of good sleep, don’t introduce or put your baby on Bottle Feed. Wait for at least one month before introducing it or use an alternative for giving a feed.
4 # Not Giving Proper Burp to Baby after Breastfeed or Bottle Feed
Giving a burp to your baby after breastfeeding or bottle-feed will help the Baby’s Digestive process and prevent the chances of vomit. There is an old saying that if your baby has taken proper burp then it means that her stomach is full. There does not fix the process to make Baby Burp, but the best way is to rub hands on her back from bottom to top movement, normally it will not take more than 5 minutes in making your baby burp.
Normally Breastfeeding Babies do not need much burping as compare to Bottle Feed Babies. The reason behind this is, that Babies who are on Bottle Fed tend to swallow more air during feeding.
5 # Over Protective towards your Baby
Loving your baby or kid is not wrong, but after doing anything is wrong. All parents are overprotective about their kids in some way, but are you overdoing it? Sometimes parents do not understand that over protecting their kids will affect their personality, growth & development.
Below are a few habits of overprotective parents
>> Not letting them try new things in which they can fall, cry or make themselves dirty,
>> Not allowing them to interact with new people around her
>> Not allowing them to play freely/independently inside and outside the house
>> Constantly keeping a close eye on them and not letting them feel independence
>> Let your baby grow the way they want. Let them enjoy their life and be a part of it. Enjoy parenthood!
6 # Not Keeping your Home Safe for Your Baby
When your baby starts to crawl or walk, it’s the first sign that you should gear up yourself. Now, it’s the time when parents need to make their house Babyproof, so that nothing comes in-between the baby away. Don’t forget to cover electrical points and wires, sharp corners of furniture, and create empty space inside the house.
7 # Stop Buying so many Clothes for baby
The happiness of becoming a parent makes us so happy that we start shopping for too many things at a time, without looking at our pockets and wardrobe. It’s good to buy goods for your babies, but no need to overdo it. Don’t run and buy everything for your baby because most of these things may not be used even once and they will be soon useless as a baby; grows very fast in the first few months.
This will create a mess and sooner you will be short of space to keep baby’s things at home. So make a rule to buy things when it’s needed the most. It will also help you in saving some extra buck.
8 # Dental Problems in Babies
Do you know that babies as young as 6 months of age may need Oral/dental consultations? Your baby can face a problem from the day a first tooth comes out till he had completed a set of teeth if proper care is not taken. Some babies develop tooth decay too early due to prolonged exposure to liquids and food items.
Whenever you saw some symptoms which show your baby is having a dental problem, please consult a pediatrician. Just remembers that untreated dental issues can lead to serious infections & diseases. Therefore, take precautions before it gets too late.
9 # Background Check on Baby Caretaker
Sometimes you are in a hurry to hire baby caretaker that you forget to do a proper background check. I know that it’s difficult to find good caretakers, but it does not mean that you forget your responsibility. Before hiring someone for your little ones, check his or her papers, do police verification, and check where they stay and other required documents as per your local laws and regulations. Talk to people around the place where they live.
Please remember our babies are going to spend maximum time with their caretakers and they are as hygienic as their caretakers are, so it’s our duty to impart best practices in our caretakers before they are hired for the job.
10 # Forcing Baby for Potty Training
I know it’s important for you to plan or start your baby potty training. This will help your baby when he or she will go to playschool. But do you know that forcing your baby for potty training too early will not show good results all the time as it may disturb potty timing in babies as they start fearing POTs,
Wait till your baby has its full control of her body and is able to sit on pot comfortably, also make sure you buy proper potty seats, which are not only comfortable and attractive but also which also fits the size of your baby.
11 # Ignoring Yourself
This is the most common mistake made by every new mom. We all get so much involved in our baby’s world that we forget to take care of ourselves. I have made the same mistake and now I regret that. Taking care of yourself does not mean that you are not taking good care of your newborn. You just have to take out some time for yourself to relax, enjoy tv, go out for short shopping trips on weekends, meet friends & have a good time in a beauty parlor. These are a few ways you can take care of yourself. And by doing this you will reduce the chance of getting Postpartum Depression and other stresses which you may experience in your journey of motherhood.
12 # Not using Car Seat
Many parents don’t realize that buying and using car seats are very important for your baby’s safety in-car. By buying proper car seats you are ensuring your baby’s safety while traveling. A car seat saves your baby from accidents and injuries while traveling. Also, it will help you to take your baby on long journeys. You need to have the Best Car Seat for your Baby’s First Year.
Car seats are mandatory in almost all countries, these days, for kids up to 3 years of age. In the market, you can find the car seat for infants till they reach 20 Kg weight. Choose the right car seat, according to your requirement and install it properly.
13 # Not Reading/Understanding Symptoms Correctly when your Baby is Sick
Don’t get nervous or get confused when your baby is not well. You just need to follow the correct treatment suggested by the pediatrician most of the time when babies are experiencing high fever, parents start getting cold feet and they forget all the instructions and start panicking.
This is the time when you need to keep patience and do the right things as instructed by experts and if required don’t hesitate to visit the hospital. Just remember one thing that Baby’s First Year needs more care when we talk about Health and Growth.
