Tips for New Parents

Having a new baby in the family is one of the most special times you will have. Many new parents are nervous when they bring their new born home from the hospital. Here are a few simple tips that will help make this a enjoyable experience for both you and the baby.

1. Plan as much ahead as possible
2. Sit with your partner and come up with a routine on who is in charge of what and when. Be sure to adjust this new routine as you get know your new one and his/her demands.
3. Have the numbers of your pediatrician and lactation consultant ready in case you need them.
4. Remember to get a baby monitor and turn it on when ever you are away from the baby. The ones with videos work even better.
5. Get a blanket which is soothing for the baby and master wrapping techniques. It works wonders to calm down a cranky baby.
6. Get as much help from family and friends as possible
7. Know your limits and remember your world has changed and you might not be able to do all the same things as before.
8. Be sure to eat healthy and drink lots of water as you go thorough a phase of extreme physical exertion and sleeplessness.
9. Have plenty of healthy snacks and easy to make meal ideas and ingredients around the house.
10. Take 5-10 minutes off to get a soothing shower everyday in spite of your hectic routine. It will works wonders for you. Use a stress relieving body wash like the ones with lavender or your favorite smell to help soothe you.
11. Play some soothing music with the sounds of nature like rain or ocean or anything you like to calm down both your baby and you.
12. Rest up when ever possible and be easy on yourself.
13. Remember to enjoy ever moment with your baby.

Tips for Parents to be ....

Babies are a bundle of joy. The thing they teach you the most is - you can never plan everything ahead of time. They just come up with ways to throw all your plans down the drain and put you in a totally unexpected situation. But there is some much joy and a world of wonderful experiences a baby takes us through that makes everything so worth it.

But being prepared ahead of time helps us cruise through the journey more easily. Here are some tips for parents to be to help them prepare ahead of time and wait the arrival of the new one.

• Choose a Pediatrician: As soon as the baby arrives you will be asked to choose a pediatrician for the new born check ups and for the 2 week doctor's visit and the regular baby care after that. Be prepared by choosing a pediatrician ahead of time.
• Lactation Consultant: Find out if your hospital offers lactation consultant services and choose a good one ahead of time. If you are having feeding issues with the baby it always helps to have the help of a lactation consultant
• Stock up your Pantry: Stock up your pantry and other basic necessities like toilet paper, soaps etc so that you don't have the need to run to the grocery store in the week or two after the baby is born. It also helps to stock up a few healthy snacks which you will need as you are feeding the baby round the clock.
• Baby Care Classes:Take classes on baby and infant care and learn basics like feeding the baby, wrapping, holding, bathing, first aid etc. It will be so much useful when you have the new one when you have few of the skills acquired ahead of time.
• Get Baby Stuff ready
• Organize your home: With so many new baby things coming into you house it requires some careful planning and organizing before the baby arrives. Be cautious to give importance to practicality than aesthetics when organizing the baby things. It is so easy for parents to get distracted by the cuteness of baby things and forget practicality.
• Relax and Enjoy:It might be a while for parents to get time to relax when the new one comes. So it helps if you take sometime during your pregnancy to relax and do things you enjoy while you wait for the new one.