ttc 101

chapter eight: new baby care tips

1. Onesies can also be pulled down during messy accidents

Nearly every onesie will come with those envelope flaps near the collar. At first I thought this was designed to accommodate different-sized heads and to make it more comfortable for baby to pull a shirt over his head.

Turns out, those envelope flaps are much more functional than fitting over a baby's head. They allow you to pull the onesie down.

Normally, you'd undress the baby by lifting the onesie over the head. But at some point, you'll likely face the dreaded poop explosion. One so full it spills out of the diaper and onto the onesie—not exactly something you'd want to pull over the baby's head.

The envelope flaps allow you to then pull the onesie down over the baby's shoulders, removing it without going near the baby's head.

2. Eliminate gas with the elbow-to-knee trick

One of the biggest challenges with newborn baby care after birth is the baby's gas and digestion.

My little guy had a serious case of gas, so much so that he was difficult to put to sleep. He'd fuss and cry, and I felt helpless with how to help him. I tried gas drops, which only seemed to help a little. I even tried different bottles, hoping that a new brand would ease his troubles.

Nothing seemed to work—that is, until I learned the elbow-to-knee trick.

Now, I had heard about doing bicycle kicks with a baby to expel gas. I tried this move, moving my baby's knees closer to his chest, hoping he'd toot a little gas out of his tummy. It still didn't work.

But then I tried the elbow-to-knee trick, which instantly removed my baby's gas. Every time I'd touch his elbow to the knee, he'd give a little fart, then another when I repeated with the opposite limbs. It seemed like a miracle!

So, here's how you do it:

Lie your baby down on his back.Move his right elbow and left knee towards each other as if they were going to touch.Do the same with the opposite elbow and knee: Move his left elbow and right knee towards each other.Alternate a few times until your baby stops farting.Hopefully each time you connect one elbow to the opposite knee, your baby will fart and expel some gas. This will keep him be more comfortable and better able to sleep.3. Keep your baby awake no longer than 90 minutes

Before I had kids, I figured babies sleep anywhere. After all, at family parties, we'd pass babies from person to person, and I never considered whether they were asleep or not.

When I had my first, I did the same. I didn't follow any type of routine, much less look at the clock to see how long he's been awake.

The result? He felt cranky and overtired, which made it harder to put him to sleep. I couldn't lay him down drowsy and awake—instead, I had to hold him in my arms, rock or feed him to sleep.

Turns out, babies can only stay awake for so long. And more importantly, they don't "just fall asleep" when they feel tired. If they're overstimulated, hungry, uncomfortable or tired, they have a hard time falling asleep.

I then began to be more conscious of how long my baby was awake. I learned that an hour and a half is about the most a newborn can stay awake. And I looked for sleep cues and didn't hesitate to put my baby down for a nap, even he'd only been awake for 45 minutes or an hour.

And guess what—he began to sleep better. He was less cranky and overtired and instead seemed to welcome his next nap. When I had twins a few years later, I remembered this handy trick and avoided keeping them awake too long, making them easy sleepers from day one.