Handling and Diapering Your Baby

When you arrive home from the hospital with a newborn baby, the simplest of tasks can seem overwhelming. For many parents, just holding the baby is nerve-wracking: they're so tiny and fragile-looking! And you may know in principle how to change a diaper, but the reality is so...messy!  But with a few simple guidelines, you'll soon be holding and changing your baby like a pro.

Handling Your Baby

For a new parent who has had no experience with infants, simply picking up and holding a baby is a little scary, dressing one is frightening, and bathing one is downright terrifying. Luckily, infants aren't able to squirm about much, so you don't have to worry right away about yours twisting out of your arms or escaping from your grip on the changing table. And babies are tough; they don't break under the stress of normal handling. (Don't worry about emotional fragility, either. Your baby's psyche won't be damaged for life if you are cross, in a hurry, or preoccupied once in a while.)

It is necessary to support your baby's head with one hand for about three months when you pick him up and to hold the baby against your shoulder so his head won't fall backward when you carry him. It used to be common to swaddle babies loosely in receiving blankets, and some parents like to enclose their infants' arms and legs this way until they are used to holding and carrying them. You'll soon find yourself going smoothly through the tasks that involve moving and handling your baby and subconsciously avoiding the sudden movements and loud noises that frighten or startle babies.

Diapering and Dressing Your Baby

You'll probably feel a little awkward and clumsy the first few times you diaper and dress your baby, but with a little practice, you'll handle him with ease and confidence. Use a waist-high table of some kind, so you won't have backaches. An old dresser with a pad on top will do, but modern changing tables have built-in safety straps to hold your baby when he is old enough to squirm and resist you.

If you use disposables, diapering is almost automatic: Lay the baby on the diaper, fold the front half of the diaper up over the baby, and fasten it with the convenient, attached tapes. (Those tapes sometimes tear; instead of throwing a diaper away, mend it with masking tape.) To keep wetness from soaking into outer clothing, use disposables with elasticized legs and turn the plastic top of the diaper to the inside. A cloth diaper can be given a figure-eight twist at the crotch for double thickness and a tighter fit. Pin the back of the diaper over the front, slipping one or two fingers between the cloth and the baby's skin to keep the pin from sticking the baby. Use a pincushion or a bar of soap to hold diaper pins. Do not use ordinary safety pins. Keep pins out of baby's reach, and never hold pins in your mouth. Whichever kind of diaper you use, lay an extra one over your baby boy to avoid being squirted as you change him.

The kinds of clothing you choose for your baby reflect your own taste and inclinations. Some parents are willing to spend the extra time necessary to iron natural-fiber, woven-fabric outfits because they like the look of a dressed-up baby; others opt for simpler knit clothing that needs little care. Whichever kind of clothing you prefer, look for garments that are easy for you to put on and take off the baby: those with few, if any, buttons; necklines with openings large enough to slip easily over the baby's head; and sturdy crotch fastenings that make diaper-changing easier.

Now that we've covered the basics of newborn care, like bonding with your little one and changing his/her diaper, we're ready to move on to the big questions that parents face -- how do I get my baby to sleep better? How do I get him to stop crying? Whole books have been dedicated to these two questions, and advice on the subjects abounds.

On the next page, we'll dig into these topics by discussing your baby's sleeping patterns and position, swaddling, noise, and pacifiers. We'll also touch on the pros and cons of the family bed.

This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.