Living with a newborn can be mad at the best of times, and it’s hard to be organised when you’re tired and stressed for caring for a little one. So, anything that makes the daily routine of naps, changing and feeds easier is very welcome.
Here are eight simple life hacks to make daily life with your newborn so much easier and less stressful.
1. Coconut oil to clean up
It can hard to shift meconium (the tar-like poo that a newborn produces) with baby wipes, so use some coconut oil and it should glide right off, saving time and hassle. It's a life-saver for those first few days and won't irritate their delicate skin.
2. Bike exercise for gas
If your baby has gas pains in their tummy, they’ll let you know by crying loudly. To relieve their discomfort as quickly as possible try this exercise: lay them on their back and gently rotate their legs in a bike-pedalling motion, elbow to knee, and they should be fine in no time.
3. Swaddling made simple
Do you find swaddling to be a complete nightmare, and worry that your baby will unravel themselves and get cold at night? Invest in a simple zip-up or Velcro sleeper instead, solving all your swaddling problems. If you do want to try swaddling with a blanket, this is the most effective way to do it.
1. Place a square swaddle blanket in your baby’s crib like a diamond.
2. Fold down the top corner toward the middle, to make a flat edge.
3. Lay your baby down on the blanket with the flat edge on the back of their neck.
4. Put your baby’s arms flat against their body, and bring one side corner across their body and tuck it underneath them, leaving an arm free.
5. Fold the bottom corner up and over the shoulder of the remaining free arm. Fold the remaining side corner over their flat arm and across the body, tucking it under their body.
4. Follow the 90-minute rule
Don’t keep your newborn awake for longer than 90 minutes at a time. They need 16-20 hours' sleep in total and will become cranky, fast, if they stay awake for longer than this. It might be tempting to try and keep them up so they'll sleep at night, but nap time during the day is important also.
5. Sleep when they sleep
A lot of mums find that they get caught up in household chores and other things while the baby sleeps, and think they have to be on top of everything. Your sleep is more important than chores, so try and get a rest in while your baby is asleep. Even a short nap will help your overall wellbeing. In a few months, they may not sleep as well so make the most of this time.
6. Wake them up gently
If your newborn is a sound sleeper and hard to rouse for a night-time feed, try opening their onesie or changing their nappy. The rush of air on their skin should wake them up and you’ll get a change in, also.
7. Nappy tricks
To make changing times easier, place a clean nappy underneath your baby before you take the dirty nappy off. Clean your little one up, then drop the wipes into the dirty nappy, and lift it out of the way. The new one will be underneath, ready to fasten.
Newborns use up a crazy amount of nappies, so you’ll be glad of this trick to make it speedier.
8. Listen out before you wake them up
Babies sometimes let out cries in their sleep, or wake up startled and fall asleep again. So, before you run into the room and pick them up, use a baby monitor to check if they settle or if they really do need you.
If you wake them up every time they cry, you won't be able to judge how long they normally sleep for.
