Newborn Parenting Mistakes: 11 Common Errors New Parents Should Avoid

Motherhood is a phase of constant learning that presents us with new challenges every day. No woman can ever be 100% ready for motherhood. There are simply things that you have nowhere to read. However, mothers put a lot of love and effort into being the best parent for their children. As in any exciting endeavor, they make mistakes, but they also try to learn from them. For this, in today’s article, #MommyVeronika has collected 11 common mistakes that inexperienced mothers make in the first months of their children’s lives. 

1. Overfeeding or malnutrition of the baby

Pediatricians advise to feed your baby every two hours to get the necessary amount of milk. While breastfeeding, it is difficult to measure exactly how much breast milk the child has drunk. Watch for signs of hunger such as thumb sucking or crying. It is good practice to breastfeed at regular intervals. Newborns need around 8 to 12 feedings every 24 hours. Each feeding should satiate the baby for 2 to 3 hours. You can increase the period of one feeding to 4 hours, preferably at night, if your baby has been eating well during the day. Some babies are hungry every hour at first, while others are more calm and sleepy.
If you are giving your baby formula, start with the dose recommended on the package because there is a risk of overfeeding your baby when bottle feeding. Newborns have a small stomach that fills up quite fast. Overfeeding won’t do any serious harm, but it will eventually lead to choking and/or reflux, and the baby will regurgitate most of what they drank.

2. Not waiting for the baby to burp

Burping is just as important as feeding for the newborn. Babies should burp every time they finish feeding. Hold your baby upright after a feed or prop him on your shoulder for 15 to 20 minutes to prevent vomiting.

3. Feeding anything else except milk too early

This misconception often leads to digestive problems and allergies in the child. Ask any doctor and you will get the same answer, namely that solid foods can be introduced no earlier than 5-6 months of age. It is good to start when the child is already sitting independently and has one tooth – this is a physiological sign that the little one is ready to start eating other foods. However, some mothers, in their attempt to raise a baby prodigy, start feeding them bread or juices even when their child is only 2-3 months old. These foods are the last thing a baby needs and no competent specialist will ever recommend them this early.

4. Baby’s skin is not dried enough after bathing

When bathing the newborn, thoroughly dry them with gentle patting movements, without rubbing. The folds of the neck, arms, legs, thighs, wrists and armpits must be completely dried, otherwise the retention of moisture will cause irritation and redness. Use detergents that are suitable for delicate baby skin. Find a complete guide on how to bathe a newborn baby here.

5. Don’t neglect navel care

Frequent bathing of the newborn can slow down the drying process of the navel. In the first weeks after birth, it is recommended that the complete bathing is not done more often than once a week (daily grooming of the buttocks and genitals is, however, mandatory). It is strongly recommended that while washing you make sure you don’t wet the area around the navel. Look out for signs of infection, such as redness and/or swelling in the area around it.

6. Don’t skip scalp care

Some newborns develop a condition called baby boils, crusts or milky crusts (the medical name is seborrheic dermatitis). With it, an uneven layer of dead skin and sebum forms on the baby’s scalp. This condition is not dangerous for the baby, but it is unpleasant and creates discomfort for both the child and the parents. To prevent crusts, massage the scalp avoiding the fontanelle, wash with a suitable shampoo and then comb it while still wet with a special comb. Do this no more than 1-2 times a week, as frequent washing of the baby’s head tends to worsen the condition of the scalp. In case you notice an unpleasant smell or discharge of pus from the crusts, consult with a pediatric dermatologist and check that it is not a fungal infection of the scalp.

7. Leaving the baby alone on the changing table

You might think that a newborn cannot fall over, but you’d be surprised how often pediatricians and neurologists see babies who have sustained injuries after falling from a height. This is exactly why it is important NOT to leave your child unattended on the changing table (or anywhere else high up for that matter). To avoid such danger, always prepare diapers, wipes and change clothes in advance.

8. Do not overheat the newborn

As a general rule, newborns should be dressed in one extra layer of clothing over what you are wearing. Suppose you are wearing jeans and a t-shirt. To provide warmth to the baby without overheating, you can add a bodice or blouse to the kicks and bodysuit, or cover it with a light blanket (depending on the season). Make sure to maintain the same room temperature at home – the recommended one is 20-22 degrees, and when driving a car, run the heating/air conditioning at similar temperatures.

9. Don’t shake the baby too hard

The usual way a child falls asleep: rocking to the point of seasickness – taken sometimes too literally by some mothers. Motion sickness has nothing to do with sea sailing or extreme driving. You may also have seen someone violently rocking the stroller in an attempt to put the baby to sleep. This should not be done! The effect of such shaking affects the baby so strongly that it might lose consciousness. Thus, the mother thinks that the child is asleep, but in fact it has really fainted. No! Gently rocking from side to side while holding the baby close to you is the correct way. The goal is for the child to relax, to feel the warmth and calmness of its mother – to recreate an atmosphere close to the one it was in for 9 months.

10. Don’t put toys in the crib

Toys will soon begin to attract the baby’s attention, and you should approach them carefully. This is usually taught by a neurologist at the first visit, but it’s even better to know about it sooner. If you insist on the toys near the child, they should be held above its head at a distance of 20-30 cm and moved left and right so that the baby can learn to fix their eyes and train the eye muscles. All other toys should be removed from the bed. Apart from possibly being physically damaging, they can also lead to strabismus (cross-eyed vision) because the eye muscles of newborns are still very, very weak. Be patient – soon you won’t be able to play more together with your child.

11. Do not teach the child to sit or walk prematurely

This should NOT be rushed under any circumstances. The child should and will only sit when their body is ready for it. Early intervention in this direction can lead to many problems with the musculoskeletal system of your little one. Remember! There is time and place for everything!

Keep in mind that caring for a newborn is often accompanied by many difficulties, especially for young parents. Lack of experience, getting used to the new lifestyle and the fact that each baby must be approached individually are factors that lead to some of the more common mistakes being made. The priority for the family should, however, always remain the health and safety of their newborn.