Everyday family life with a baby is always full of small and large challenges for parents. Sometimes it's the little tips and tricks that can make a big difference. Perhaps you have already read the Life hacks from pregnant womenand the Lifehacks from women who have recently given birth read. Mums and dads keep sending me little tips on how they make everyday life with a baby easier. I've put together some of them for you here.
Do not immediately put the sleeping baby down in the cot
Many parents have already experienced and enjoyed this: The child has fallen asleep blissfully in mum or dad's arms. Now it is carefully placed in its cot - and the little eyes open again and an instant protest makes it clear what the baby thinks. The reason for this is that they are still in the light sleep phase after falling asleep. Because the eyelids often twitch during this phase, it is also known as the rapid eye movement phase (REM phase). Only after some time does the baby slip into deep sleep before the next REM phase begins. Newborn babies have a sleep cycle of around 45 to 50 minutes, which increases to around 70 minutes at three to four months. However, these are only average values.
Lifehack from parents: After the baby has fallen asleep in your arms, wait another 10 to 15 minutes (and enjoy this quarter of an hour!) before you put your baby down. By then, your baby will be so deeply asleep that they will no longer notice the change in their sleeping environment.
Recently, a Japanese research team calculated the exact time of 13 minutes after which a baby can be placed in the cot without waking up. But of course, none of these values can be applied across the board to every little person. Every child is different - even when sleeping. You will quickly find out how long your child needs to sleep deeply without being disturbed. You can find out more about baby sleep on my blog here.
Simply change the nappy in the cot at night
Despite advertising promises to the contrary from nappy manufacturers, it can still be necessary to change nappies at night. Especially if there are faeces in it. Not only is it uncomfortable for your child to lie in a full nappy for a long time, but this condition also irritates your baby's delicate skin. And you don't want a sore nappy bottom in the first place.
Lifehack from parents: Swaddle your baby on the spot, i.e. in the cot. With a dim light, in a quiet, subdued atmosphere. This will make it easier for both you and your baby to fall back asleep. And your baby won't get the feeling that it's time for a nap. Avoid carrying your baby to the changing table first, switching on the light and going through the whole programme. This can make the child wide awake - and you are back to the often tiresome topic of "Go to sleep, my child, go to sleep". Mums and dads quickly develop a routine of changing their baby's nappy "on the side" in the cot.
Do without impractical children's clothing
There is so much adorable baby clothing out there in which the little ones look absolutely gorgeous. Parents and grandparents can easily succumb to a little shopping frenzy. However, when it comes to suitability for everyday use, parents often realise that not everything that looks cute is actually practical. What's more, some items even affect the child's physical well-being. For example, baby shoes (often from well-known brand labels) for children who are not yet able to move, let alone walk. Such models unnecessarily restrict the little feet and hinder the baby's ability to explore and feel its body.
Lifehacks from parents:
- Do without Baby shoes without any real benefit. A pair of these Flexible crawling shoes made of soft leather can be practical for older babies, but otherwise they are sufficient. (Stopper) socks. Your child only needs "real" shoes when it is safe to wear them. run can.
- Also Hoods on tops that are not "outdoor jackets" only bother the little ones when lying down. The baby has an uneven surface under its back or neck - adults wouldn't want to lie like that either. So you can safely save yourself the money for cute little jumpers with hoods.
- You can also save your child so-called Crawling tights with non-slip knees. These are designed to provide more "traction" on slippery floors and prevent quick scuffing. If this is important to you, simply cut the toe off a pair of stopper socks - and you've got affordable knee pads for little explorers.
Use second hand baby clothes
Babies have highly sensitive skin because its natural protective layer is still very thin and permeable. This skin barrier consists of an upper horny layer. In addition, the sebaceous and sweat glands form protective fats (lipids) and a protective acid mantle. However, babies' sebaceous and sweat glands are not yet fully developed. This makes the delicate skin more susceptible to external irritants, which can also come from chemical production residues or bleaching agents in baby or children's clothing. It is not uncommon for such substances to trigger allergies. Incidentally, this applies to all new goods - from the cheap segment to expensive sports brands.
Lifehacks from parents:
- Without exception, ALL new items purchased for your child should be washed at the highest possible temperature before being put on your baby.
- Even better: opt for second-hand children's clothing! Any harmful substances are sure to have been washed out without leaving any residue after several washes and can no longer harm your baby's sensitive skin. Second-hand children's clothing is not only easy on the wallet, but also on the environment and is therefore sustainable. What's more, little ones quickly outgrow their shirts, shirts, jackets and knickers, so you can't even tell that many second-hand items have already been worn. You may be able to buy or swap second-hand baby clothes from family or friends. Children's bazaars or corresponding platforms on the internet (for example Vinted) offer you a wide selection. In addition, the right Baby care to ensure that baby's delicate skin is well cared for.
Gently help the baby to "fart" off flatulence
The tiresome topic of flatulence - which parents are not familiar with this? The baby's tummy hurts, but it can't "blow out" the air and therefore has to cry even more - which can often make its wind even worse. Parents of little boys in particular can tell you a thing or two about this, is my impression in view of all the feedback from them. One mum wrote to me saying that she discovered how she could help her son to "fart" while changing his nappy or cleaning his bottom.
Lifehack from parents: As she gently cleaned his bottom and his bum hole with a warm flannel, the little one suddenly let out a long fart. The mother noticed that he always "squeezed" when the warm cloth touched his bum hole. Since then, she has done the following when her baby is troubled by wind in his tummy: she holds a warm, damp cloth over her child's bum. "This is usually followed by a big fart - and everything is fine again," she wrote to me.
Baby's photo as a source of strength
As parents, experiencing how your baby develops is exciting and thrilling. This is accompanied by countless moments of happiness - e.g. those recurring moments when your child is so happy to see you, to feel you, when it cuddles up to you with confidence or when it makes "funny faces" and "tells stories" together with you. Parents feel deep gratitude for all these little miracles.
But there are also those other moments. Namely those in which parents doubt themselves or feel helpless and alone, in which they are overtired, annoyed and irritable, in which everything is just too much for them.
Lifehack from parents: Even if it doesn't feel like it right now - but it will pass. Your favourite photo of your baby can help you with this. Pick it up at times like these and look at it whenever you need a motivational boost or a little power boost. This tip was sent to me by a mum who put the photo of her beaming son next to her bed. The picture reminds her of the moments of happiness with her baby that will undoubtedly come again. Because as the saying goes: "Everything is just a phase..."
And this is also an everyday tip, but one that is particularly close to my heart:
First, gain some distance when the baby cries incessantly
There are situations in which the baby screams and screams and doesn't seem to want to stop. No matter what parents do: feeding, nappy changing, rocking, comforting, rocking, singing - nothing, absolutely nothing can calm the upset baby. This not only frays parental nerves, but often overwhelms parents and makes them downright desperate. Many parents then get the feeling: "I can't take any more!" Sometimes they also develop a feeling of failure along the lines of: "I can't even calm my child down." And it's not uncommon for anger towards the child to set in, even though nobody wants to admit it.
In any case, parents of incessantly crying babies are sometimes shaken by quite intense feelings. It is then all the more important that these feelings do not turn into aggression towards the crying bundle! Otherwise it can be really dangerous for the baby. That's why a baby must NEVER be shaken - in the worst case, this would put the child's life in danger!
Lifehack from parents: When nothing works: put your baby down safely, for example, in his cot or on a blanket on the floor - and leave the room for a short time. This is an important SOS measure! It serves to protect the child and calm you down. In another room, close your eyes and slowly breathe in and out deeply ten times. You will notice how your tension eases a little and you feel a little better. Then you can turn your attention back to your child with a little more calm.
Don't be afraid to seek help - especially if you often find yourself in situations like this. Perhaps someone else can temporarily carry the child and calm them down. One mother told me that in her desperation she simply rang the neighbour's doorbell and asked for help. Bravo! You can also contact your midwife or a crying clinic. You can read more about crying and cry babies on my blog here.
But to prevent you from having to leave your crying baby alone in the first place, here's my tip for you:
Protect your ears from the high frequencies of the baby's cry. Because these are the frequencies to which our nervous system reacts particularly sensitively. High frequencies at the volume of a healthy baby always cause stress in adults. You can protect yourself from this with special earmuffs preserve. They only filter the high frequencies and reduce excessive noise. With these, you can still hear and understand your baby.
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