Things about raising a baby.

Seeing your baby for the first time is the most magical moment that you will ever have in your whole life.

Let’s talk about breast feeding. It’s hard and it’s not for everyone but don’t ever let anyone tell you what you should and shouldn’t be doing. It’s your body, if you can breast feed without any problems, that’s fantastic but If you can’t, don’t stress about it. There are heaps of people who don’t breast feed and I am one of them. I started off breast feeding but it wasn’t for me and I found my baby settled better on formula. Everyone’s different and everyone had different beliefs, just do what’s best for you and your baby.

Next thing I wanna talk about is picking your baby up all the time when they cry. You CAN NOT give your baby to much love and attention. We can tell when something is wrong with our baby or if they just need some love. It’s very important for bonding with your child. All your baby has known is you, they laid inside you for 9 months, of course they are going to be unsettled and cry a lot. They need you and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Now let’s talk about swaddling your baby. It’s not for everyone and babies tend to roll over in their sleep if their swaddled. You can minimise this by allowing one arm to be out of the blanket or sheet. If you choose not to swaddle then that’s 100% your choice. You are the parent/guardian, you know what works and what’s best for your child.

Dummies/pacifier. Everyone’s different some parents/guardians like them, some don’t and again it all depends on your baby. I find my baby settles more with a dummy and it’s great for those days where you just need a little peace and quiet. I put abit of Vegemite on my babies dummy every now and then. It doesn’t hurt him and he loves it. Also keeps him quiet and happy.

Rotating baby to assist with flat head syndrome. It’s important that you rotate your babies head every rest/sleep/nap time. Also allowing them to sleep on their side. This just prevents your baby ending up with a flat head from always laying on the one side. I noticed my baby was beginning to get a flat head and I actually made home a pillow out of socks that his head sits inside to prevent it from going flat which I use of a night time but I do also rotate him while sleeping through the day.

White noise machine. I use a white noise machine which I bought from big W for my baby. As soon as he hears that noise he knows that it’s either nap time or bed time and he will go to sleep all on his own. I can sit him in his bassinet wide awake and he will be asleep within minutes. It’s honestly a life saver.

Feeding your baby. It is recommended that your baby is to be fed ever 2-3 hours, however I allow my baby to sleep as long as he needs, I do not wake him up at all. This tends to work very well for my baby as he always wakes up happy because he is getting the sleep that he needs. Every parent/guardian is different, if you find your baby is happier when he is woken up to feed every 2-3 hours then that’s great. You keep doing what you do best.

Tummy time. Gotta love tummy time. It is extremely important for babies to do tummy time for a few minutes everyday. It allows them to have a break from laying on their back/sides all the time. It's an important way to help babies strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles, and improve motor skills. Be sure to stay with your baby and watch closely during tummy time.