- Teach your baby the difference between night and day by offering lots of natural light and day to day noise between 7am and 7pm and try to keep noise and lighting to a minimum between 7pm and 7am.
- Encourage your baby to self soothe and fall asleep naturally by putting her down awake. Try to avoid rocking or feeding her to sleep as this can lead to sleep issues as she grows and develops.
- However you decide to feed your baby, winding is essential. Successful winding will take time but keep moving your baby using different positions and wait for her to burp, once she does this you will feel her naturally relax. If your baby is windy it will be very difficult for her to settle to sleep.
- In the first few weeks your baby will usually only feed and sleep so try to avoid over-stimulating as this can cause over-tiredness.
- Try to keep visitors to a minimum in the early days as this can be very tiring for a new mum. Feeding and looking after a new baby takes time and it’s essential for you to look after yourself. Try to catch-up on some sleep when you can.
- Working towards a routine in the first few weeks will help both you and your baby to establish a positive feeding and sleeping schedule.
- It is important for your baby’s development to have tummy time for a few minutes each day. This will help develop her neck muscles and head control.
- When you feel suitably recovered it’s important that you get out and about with your new baby. A great way to make new friends and increase your confidence.
- To avoid your baby over-heating layers are a practical solution to keeping your baby comfortable. You can then add or remove layers as required. The nursery should be between 18-20 degrees.
- Try to include bath time as part of your baby’s bed time routine. A lovely warm bath and some baby massage is perfect to help your newborn relax and help her settle.
