New Parents Survival Tips

Lately, quite a few of my friends are having their first kid.  Given now I am a veteran as I have two kids (4 years old and 3 months), I thought I share some tips from my experience.  I know this is by no means the only way to do things as there are so many great ways to be a new parent.  I just found these survival tips useful and wanted to share in case it helps.

What you do NOT need to do

1. don't need to bath baby the first month.  Babies are so clean and they don't do anything, so bathing them is extra work that you don't need especially the first 2-3 weeks.  You can start wiping the baby with a wet warm towel after that until probably 2 months old before you need to bath them.  Even then 3 times a week is probably enough
2. Don't need bottle warmer - waste of money - just get a container and put in hot water and put the bottle in there to warm up for 5 min.  works well and free :-)
3. don't need to boil bottles all the time - do it once when you first use it and then just use water and soap thereafter.  You can boil them once a month if you want but Dr says it's not needed

What to DO to survive 

For your baby

1. Feed more often during the day and let them sleep at night - every 2 hour from beginning to beginning and then let them sleep as long as they want for the night sleep.  Don't wake them up to feed unless your baby has weight or health issues after birth.  For healthy babies, you want to create a routine where they know when it's day or night and the frequency of feeding will help with that.
2. Swaddle them to sleep at night - new borns missed the feeling of being in the mother's womb and all snug.  The swaddle replicate that feeling of safety and keep the baby from waking themselves up when they move their arms uncontrollably.  They still don't realize until 2 or 3 month that the arms and hands attached to them are theirs. There are different kind of swaddle blankets out there.  I found this one to be the best. see link  http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Blanket-Baby-Swaddling-Beige/dp/B000G0L2TM
3. Realize babies sleep 16 hours a day the first 3-4 weeks of life.  baby center has a good article on what you can expect regarding the amount of sleep by age.   http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-sleep-does-your-child-need_7645.bc
4. Go out with them if you are physically ready after first month .  Babies don't mind noise at all as the womb is super noisy.  They can in fact sleep better if it's noisy.  You can take advantage that they sleep a lot and go to dinner as long as you get the breastfeeding down and okay to do it in public with a cover up.
5. Most babies love strollers and car rides.  Due to the vibration from the movement, most babies fall sleep in strollers and car ride which enable you to go places.  I say most babies as I do know a friend whose baby didn't sleep in stroller or in cars.  Every baby is different so be aware.
6. If you want breastfeeding, #1 goal in the first month is to make breast feeding work for you and your baby.   I won't lie.  This was hard to do for me with both kids.  Get help from a lactation consultant if you need help.  It's worth the effort and stress.  I must say I love breastfeeding now and I did a lot to make sure I have enough milk for kids.  I will write a separate post about breastfeeding :-)
7. White noise helps sooth baby - sounds of dishwasher, washing machine and hair dryer can calm a fussy baby as they sound similar to sounds they hear in the womb.

For the parents

1. Sleep whenever you can. As much as the baby sleep, you WILL be sleep deprived, especially the mother if you plan to breastfeed 100%.  So whenever your baby is sleep, you should also sleep.
2. Accept help when offered. don't be shy and let people help if they offer.  The best way for people to help is bring your food or do errands for you.  You are unlikely to be comfortable with them looking after your newborn
3. Get delivery  Find restaurant in advance that deliver and put them on speed dial. The last thing you want to worry about is cooking if you are on 24 hour duty with your new born.  I also recommend delivery site in SF called Eat24.  https://eat24hours.com/  Our favorite places on there are Bento House and King of Thai.
4. Drink lots of liquids - needed for breastfeeding.  You need twice as much liquid as a normal person.  So drink soup, water, often

This is what I can think of so far.  To all the experienced parents out them, add your comments below as to other survival tips you suggest.  thanks

Lei