Being a first-time parent is a tough job, especially when you have no one to advice you around. Thanks to the internet, however, there are a number of resources out there to help you you’re your baby through this period. From feeding to sleep patterns to getting their cribs sorted, there are a number of things a parent needs to be aware of.

Here are a few tips for new mothers to help them through the first 30 days of their baby’s life:

1. Helping the Baby Latch

There are many mothers who face the problem of getting their newborns to latch on while feeding. If you are facing problems getting your baby to latch you can try using breast shields to help you with the process. Once your baby begins nursing with the breast shield let it nurse for a minute or two and then remove it and try to get the baby to latch on naturally. Breast shields should not be used through the feeding unless your healthcare instructor has explicitly mentioned so.

2. Keep the Baby Awake During Feeding

Babies love to sleep and eat, and many often fall asleep mid-feed. This is something that can and should be addressed. Many mothers complain that their child falls asleep while feeding and they do not want to wake him or her up. There is an easy way to address this. Gently stroke the cheek of your baby with a finger this will not only rouse it but also do so in a gentle and considerate fashion. A child that has had a full feed will sleep better, try this simple trick to help your child eat better.

3. Get Her Comfortable in a Crib

There are times when the baby only prefers to sleep on the mother. The warmth of the mother is second to none and it is something the baby prefers over everything else. That, however, can be a bit of a tricky situation when the mother has other things to do. Often, when the baby is removed from the mother while sleeping it wakes up crying, because suddenly the warmth is gone. So, to avoid this situation often, you can warm up the baby blanket with a hot water bottle until it is nice and toasty. Once the baby has fallen asleep wrap him or her up in the blanket and put them in the crib.

4. Sleep When the Baby Sleeps

This is an age old advice passed on from mother to mother. The best way for a mother to get rest is to sleep when the baby sleeps. Take rest when your baby is asleep, and get the dad to do some of the work. Take naps together, if possible in the same bed.

5. Swaddle Them Up

The best way to soothe an irritable infant is to mimic the surrounding of a womb. Swaddle them in their blankets to help them feel comfortable. Shushing and swinging the baby are also good ways to help get them calmed down. It has been found that sucking or keeping the babies on their sides also triggers a great calming effect on them.

6. Let the Dad Handle It

First time dads are often more scared of handling the baby than the mother will ever be. This, however, should not deter you from letting the dad handle the baby. Even if the baby fusses or cries, let the father handle it. They need to understand and learn how to calm the baby down, feed it, swaddle it and do the other myriad tasks that come with having a new born.

7. The First Bath

Once the baby’s umbilical stump falls off after the third week, he or she is ready for their first bath. Try and keep a warm washcloth on the baby’s tummy when bathing so that she isn’t too shocked by the temperature. If your house tends to get cold make sure that you turn up the heat before you take the baby in for a bath so that the temperature doesn’t shock him or her when you get them out of the bath. The best way to manage this is to take a bath along with your baby.

8. Layer the Crib

This is probably one of the best advice given to new moms. While one may be tempted to get the most expensive and best blankets for the baby’s crib, understand that he or she will poop and pee all over the crib at some point of time. This makes it imperative to layer up the crib in order to just peel off the layers that have been soiled and still have ample layers left to put the baby back in the crib when he or she is cleaned up.

9. Keep the Baby Bag Handy

The baby bag is a mother’s salvation. Everything from the baby’s favourite blanket, to his or her bottle including diapers occupy a space in these bags. There is nothing worse than stepping out of the house without checking your baby bag. You do not want to get caught without a diaper or a bottle outdoors.

10. Stimulate Only When Necessary

While babies will cry when they are hungry or if they have soiled their diapers, there is also another reason why they wail. Parents often feel that stimulating the baby is the best way to keep the baby distracted, more often than not the baby just wants to sleep. Try and make sure that your baby is sleeping enough, newborn babies sleep for far longer than adults.

Accept Help

While you may be tempted to do everything for the baby all by yourself, it is a good idea to get help from experienced sources. Try and enlist family to help with the baby and do not be shy to ask for advice when you feel like you are at a loss to explain what is happening to your baby.

There are a number of little things that can help your baby be comfortable in the first 30 days of his or her life. While a lot of these things come instinctively to parents, there are some that need support and guidance. We at RMC help provide new mothers all the information they need for their newborns.