Younglabs | 5 Things You Should Never do to Your Baby

New parents get a truckload of advice on what to do with a baby and what the best parenting styles are for it. However, more than what you should do, you need to know what you should not do to a baby. There are more don’ts than do’s when it comes to taking care of a new-born. As India’s leading intelligent parenting platform, we bring you the most important things you should never do to a baby:

1. Casually put them to sleep anywhere

The most dangerous thing you can do to a baby is to just put it down for a nap anywhere and let it curl or turn into any position. Every baby should sleep on their back, in their own crib, without any toys or soft bedding. Each of these things is important every time your baby goes to sleep at any time of the day. The risks of not doing this are many including SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

2. Feeding at a low frequency

In the first week of a baby’s life, it needs to be fed every few hours. A lot of parents decide on limiting the baby's food or do it only when the baby seems hungry. According to paediatricians, you need to feed the baby more frequently even if that means waking them up from a sound sleep. This is essential for them to gain the right weight and develop basic immunity. Only when the doctor okays it, you can prolong the interval between meals.

3. Shaking the baby

This is a sight you might come across often. Mothers tend to rock or shake the baby for various reasons, either to get them to go to sleep or stop crying. However, rocking can have damaging effects on the baby’s internal organs and bodily functions. It is recommended to sway babies gently without reckless shaking or rocking to ensure no harm is done to their bodies.

4. Taking new-borns to crowded places

Yes, it is tempting to show off your new-born with all the attention they grab. But as parents of infants, you must beware of crowds. The exposure to infections and undetected issues is immense and you may not even know when they are caught by the baby. Moreover, strangers touching the baby’s cheeks or holding it can also cause problems and irritation. The skin and health of the baby at this age are extremely sensitive and utmost care must be taken to prevent damage. It can also hinder social and emotional development in early childhood. Limit exposing the baby to crowded spaces as much as possible.

5. Starting solid food in first six months

Even though you might think the baby is ready to take solid food, in the first year you need to be extremely careful of its diet. Do not go with thoughts like the baby “maybe” ready for solid food or “let's see” if the baby digests it. Avoid solid food until recommended by the paediatrician. The baby might show signs of digesting carbs but what you can give instead are pureed veggies and fruits. Heavy solid carbs can have a negative impact on the baby’s health.

These are the biggest “Do Not’s” that Younglabs recommends to ensure you do not bring harm to your baby unknowingly. Awareness is the first step towards intelligent parenting and children’s social and emotional development in early childhood.

Get in touch with us at younglabs , your ultimate source for parenting information and India’s largest intelligent parenting platform, to know more about raising a baby the right way and best parenting styles for all age groups.