Infancy is a particularly delicate time in your child’s life. Everything is new at this stage, not just to your little one’s mind but to their body as well, so they need a lot of attention from their caregivers.
If you’re a parent, you’re probably wondering how to ensure you’re providing the care your child needs. Luckily for you, we’re here to help out.
The professional caregivers at our infant care centres in Singapore have created this list of essential infant care practices every parent should know. Go over them to get vital tips on supporting your infant’s growth!
1. Practise good hygiene
Infants don’t have very strong immune systems. Like most other parts of their bodies, those are still developing and need time to grow.
So, you should take care not to introduce germs or bacteria to your child through poor hygiene. Diseases and infections can be very dangerous to babies at this age.
Practise washing your hands with soap and water before picking up or touching your child. The same should apply to everyone who gets to interact with your baby, of course.
Make sure too that all of the items that come into contact with your baby are cleaned regularly. This applies to sheets, clothes, the crib itself, baby bottles, and even pacifiers.
2. Learn how to hold and handle the baby
This may sound basic, but it’s critical. A lot of parents don’t even realise that they may be holding or handling their babies in some questionable ways.
Now, some of the points here are relatively well-known. You should always support your baby’s head and neck, for example, whether picking them up or laying them down.
But some other things do seem to be less well-known. For example, infants shouldn’t be shaken at all or subjected to rough play, yet some parents start bouncing them on their knees for play already.
As much as possible, don’t physically jolt or jiggle children at this age. It can be dangerous for their bodies, which are still very fragile!
3. Reduce the risk of SIDS
SIDS or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is always a concern for infants. So, do everything you can to bring down the odds of it happening!
The first tip here is to lay your baby on its back to sleep. Sleeping like this reduces the risk of SIDS.
Avoid putting items in the crib that could be suffocation hazards too. So, for now, don’t give your baby pillows, a blanket, toys, and so on.
Finally, sleep in the same bedroom as your baby throughout their infancy. Don’t share the bed with them – babies should be in their own crib or bassinet – but keep the baby in the same room until they turn 1 year of age, for easy monitoring.
4. Prepare to test a lot of soothing techniques
Infants need a lot of soothing. And as it happens, they don’t all respond to the same ones.
So, as a parent, be prepared for a lot of testing. You may have to go through quite a few soothing methods before you find one that works with your child.
To get you started, here are some that tend to work, more often than not:
- Swaddling – This often triggers a calming reflex in babies. Experts theorise that it may be because it mimics the way they felt in the womb, when they were still held by their mother’s body.
- Swinging – The repetitive swinging or rocking motion seems to calm down little ones as well. Do it gently, however!
- Music – Obviously, don’t play heavy metal to test this. Look for soothing instrumental tunes and see if they calm your child.
Bonus Tip: Ensure the best infant care for your child even when you’re away
It’s pretty much a given that there will be times when you need help caring for your little one. As the saying goes, it takes a village.
Our tip here is to ensure that the other members of the village also know what they’re doing. For example, you can find an infant care centre with trained and experienced caregivers to look after your child when you can’t (say, due to work).
Our own infant care programmes at Bedok Reservoir and Wellington Centre are staffed with experts with years of infant care under their belts. If you want to learn more about us or what to look for in an infant care centre, get in touch with us now!