Your Baby (An owner’s manual)
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Like many new parents, my husband and I were on cloud nine when we arrived home from the hospital with our newborn son, Whit. Even though it took us more than an hour to get him dressed and in his car seat, and my body ached from childbirth, we were overjoyed and awestruck by our (okay, I’ll say it!) beautiful baby boy. Sadly, by the next morning, our mood had changed. After a long night with next-to-no sleep, we were both in tears, shocked that the hospital had allowed us to leave. We knew nothing about caring for a newborn. We’d never even changed a diaper!
But don’t worry: We got up to speed quickly, and so will you. In the first few weeks, there’s a lot to learn, and like us, you’re bound to encounter some bumps in the road. But with this step-by-step baby care manual, you can eliminate much of the guesswork (and hopefully some tears!). From changing diapers to caring for the umbilical cord to clipping nails, we’ve got expert advice for keeping your little one clean, clothed and happy as a clam. Sure, you may feel intimidated at first, but before long, you’ll be a bona fide expert yourself.
- Stick to sponge baths until your baby’s umbilical cord falls off (typically between 1 and 4 weeks) and, if relevant, his circumcision is completely healed (usually within a week).
- Before starting, gather your supplies: a mild unscented cleanser, two baby washcloths, cotton balls, two thick towels (or one towel and a waterproof pad), a diaper, diaper rash ointment or cream, and clothing.
- Place your baby on his back on a thick towel or waterproof pad next to your kitchen or bathroom sink.
- To prevent him from getting cold, make sure the room is warm, and only expose one area of his body at a time.
- Spot-clean from top to bottom, starting with his head and ending with the diaper area. Dry each part with a towel before moving on.
- Pay special attention to skin folds, especially on the neck, armpits, thighs and diaper area. Don’t forget to wash behind his ears!
- Wipe your baby’s outer ear with a warm washcloth or cotton ball. Do not attempt to clean inside the ear canal with a cotton swab.
- Use warm water and a sterile cotton ball to clean each eye, gently wiping from the nose outward.
- Until he really starts to get dirty (probably around the time he starts to crawl), bathe him no more than two to three times a week. Otherwise, you could irritate or dry out his skin.
- Once his umbilical cord has fallen off and his circumcision, if any, has healed, you can use an infant bathtub.
Just gotta try this Creamy Avocado Dip recipe via Momables.com - love how you can spread it on a sandwich in lieu of Mayo! 
Comment by lisa on Dec 24 2008 05:46:40:
EEh rectal thermermator! Do babies finger nails come long at birth? Yellowish discharge from circumsized penis? This sounds more disgusting than scary. Oh well I guess i will be running back to the website for adivce in 3 months.
Comment by Sandra on Sep 03 2009 12:55:27:
My doctor would be MORTIFIED if any of her patients took a rectal temperature. She never would. The hospital my babies were born at never did. It’s simply not worth the stress on mom, or the possible discomfort for baby. An underarm temperature is absolutely adequate for diagnosing an illness – the very slight variation in degrees does not make the difference between having a viral infection and not having one. Four children and the thought of a rectal never ever entered my mind.
That being said, I rarely took temperatures anyways. The ERs are overflowing with mothers bringing baby in with a “fever” of 99.1. Fevers are a good thing. They serve a purpose. Taking a temperature every 10 minutes serves no purpose.
Pingback by Newborn Checklists « I LOVE MY KIDS!!! Blog on May 21 2010 01:03:49:
[...] Your Baby (An owner’s manual) [...]
Comment by Rachel Jones on Jun 11 2010 06:27:42:
When my son was 3 weeks old i went in for his circumcision appointment.. we went in and things went well.. it took awhile for the clot to form but after it did we were aloud to leave..
when i came home i noticed his diaper was full of blood the dr said this may happen about 20 minutes later i noticed that his diaper was full again.. i called his docter and she told me to take him to Primary Childrens hospital. His poor little penis would not stop bleeding.. i was mortified.. finally after waiting about 6 hours (i got to the hospital about 12 in the afternoon) they had to take his circumcision ring out and sew up his penis.. when the checked his hemadacrite (or however you spell it) and it was down to a 14 i believe sombody that is healthy is supposed to be like 45.. he had to have a blood transfusion and was in the hospital for 4 days.. So mothers please be careful when choosing circumcision. it can have harmful effects..
Comment by Robin Bennett McCluskey on Oct 20 2011 07:30:55:
nice site for new Moms.
Comment by Susan Masten Drawbaugh on May 02 2013 10:30:00:
Here's something new that you probably haven't seen… otherwise I'm sure you would have recommended it in your article. It's called the Stay-dry Bath Apron & Towel. http://www.weefive.com It's soooo helpful during baby bath time!