BATHING

Your infant doesn't need much bathing if you wash the diaper area thoroughly during changes. 2 or 3 times a week during her first year is plenty. If she is bathed more frequently, it may dry out the skin.

During the first week or two, until the stump of the umbilical cord falls off, your newborn should have only sponge baths. In a warm room, lay the baby anywhere that's flat and comfortable for both of you - changing table, bed, floor, or counter next to the sink will do. Pad hard surfaces with a blanket of fluffy towel. If baby is on a surface above the floor, use a safety strap or keep one hand on her at all times to make sure she doesn't fall.

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DIAPER RASH

Diaper rash is the term used to describe a rash or irritation in the area covered by the diaper. The first sign of diaper rash is usually redness or small bumps on the lower abdomen, buttocks, genitals, and thigh folds - surfaces that have been in direct contact with the wet or soiled diaper. This type of diaper rash is rarely serious, and usually clears in the 3 or 4 days with appropriate care.

The most common causes of diaper rash include.

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BOWEL MOVEMENT

In the first few day of life your baby will have his first bowel movement, which is often referred to as passing meconium. This thick, dark green or black substance filled his intestines before birth, and it must be eliminated before normal digestion can take place. Once meconium is passed, the stools will turn yellow-green.

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URINATION

Your baby may urinate as often as every one to three hours, or as infrequently as four to six times a day. If she's ill or feverish, or when weather is extremely hot, her usual output of urine may drop half and still be normal.

Urination should never be painful. If you notice any signs of distress while your infant is urinating, notify your pediatrician, as this could be a sign of infection or some other problem in the urinary tract.

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DIAPERS

Until disposable diapers were introduced about thirty-five years ago, the only choice was to use cloth diapers, and either launder them at home or use a commercial diaper service. Today, modern disposable diapers meet the needs and expectations of most parents, and make up 80% or more of all diapers changes in virtually all developed countries. However, diaper choice is a decision that every new parents faces. Ideally, you should choose between cloth and disposable diapers before the baby arrives, so you can stock up or make delivery arrangements ahead of time. In order to plan ahead, you should know that most newborns go through about ten diapers a day.

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HOW YOUR BABY SLEEPS

Even before birth your baby's day were divided between periods of sleep and wakefulness. By the eighht month of pregnancy or earlier, her sleep periods consisted of the same two distinct phase that we all experience:

• RAPID EYE MOVEMENT(or REM) SLEEP, the times during which she does her active dreaming. During these periods her eyes will move beneath her closed lids, almost as if she were watching a dream take place. She may also seem to startle, twitch her face, and make jerking motions with her hands and feet. All are normal signs of REM sleep.

• NON-REM SLEEP, which consists of four phases: drowsiness, light sleep, deep sleep, and very deep sleep. During the progression from drowsiness to deepest sleep, your baby becomes less and less active, and her breathing slows and becomes very quite, so that in deepest sleep she is virtually motionless. Very little, if any, dreaming occurs during non-REM sleep.

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HELPING YOUR BABY SLEEP

Initially, your infant doesn't know the difference between day and night. Her stomach holds only enough to satisfy her for three or four hours, regardless of the time, so there's no escaping round-the-clock walking and feeding for the first few weeks. But even at this age, you can begin to teach her that nighttime is for sleeping and daytime for playing. Do this by keeping nighttime feedings as subdued possible. Don't turn up the lights or prolong late-night diaper changes. Instead of playing, put her back down after feeding and changing her. If she's napping longer than three or four hours, particularly in the late afternoon, wake her up and play with her. This will train her to save her extra sleeping for nighttime.

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DAY TO DAY - RESPONDING TO YOUR BABY'S CRIES

Crying serves several useful purposes for your baby. It gives him a way to call for help when he's hungry or uncomfortable. It helps him shut out sights, sounds, and other sensations that are too intense to suit him. And it helps him release tension.

You may notice that your baby has fussy periods throughout the day, even though he's not hungry, uncomfortable, or tired. Nothing you do these times will console him, but right after these spells, he may seem more alert than before, and shortly thereafter may sleep more deeply than usual. This kind of fussy crying seems to help babies get rid of excess energy so they can return to a more contented state.

Pay close attention to your baby's different cries and you'll soon be able to tell when he needs to picked up, consoled, or tended to, and when he is better off left alone. You may even be able to identify his specific needs by the way he cries. For instance, a hungry cry is usually short and low pitched, and it rises and falls. 

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