Having a baby is magical. Bringing a new life into this world and letting them see the beauty of it can be a profound experience. However, raising a baby is a challenging task. Everything you do may have an impact on your child’s development.
Most parents’ main goal is to raise a happy and healthy baby. You’d want your child to grow cheerful and full of life. As impressive as it sounds, the learning process can be complex. It requires plenty of effort to keep them happy.
Focusing on their health can help relieve your worries about them being sick. When healthy, they can enjoy their youth—playing and making friends rather than drinking medicines.
How To Raise A Healthy Baby
Having a healthy baby is hard work. You have to take plenty of steps to ensure your child’s well-being. Below are some ways to raise a healthy baby:
Complete Their Immunizations
A baby’s body is still developing. They might lack immunity to fight germs, bacteria, and illnesses. Giving them immunizations can benefit your baby to become stronger. Vaccines can help your child fight off diseases.
Sometimes, babies might feel a bit ill after receiving immunization. However, it’s your baby’s way of adjusting its immune system to fight off diseases. You can click here to learn more about your child’s immunization. You can also consult with your pediatrician to get a complete list of your child’s immunization.
Try Breastfeeding
Breastmilk provides the best nutrition you could ever give to your baby. It has natural antibodies that help your child fight infections. Your baby may also be less likely to develop allergies, ear infections, and diarrhea.
You can consult a lactation consultant if you have trouble producing breast milk. They can offer boosters or massages to help stimulate breast production.
Feed Nutritious Meals And Snacks
If your baby is already six months old, you may now feed your baby soft solid foods. It’s essential to provide them with nutritious meals during this period. By feeding healthy foods, they can develop better health and strengthen their immunity.
You can feed them mashed fruits and vegetables. You can also try baby-led weaning (BLW), wherein you let your baby try to feed themselves. With BLW, you prepare finger-sized food and steam it into an easy-to-bite texture.
Every time you offer your baby a meal or snack, ensure they’re nutritious. It shouldn’t contain any preservatives and should be 100% natural.
Keep Them Hydrated
When your baby reaches six months old, you can now offer your baby water. You can put them in their bottles, sippy cup, or open cup. It’s best to prepare a cup of water along with their meal and snacks to keep them hydrated.
During summer, try to offer as much water as possible. Keeping your child hydrated throughout the entire day is best. You can also provide cold water if your baby’s teething or the weather’s warm.
Clean And Sanitize Baby Items
Germs and bacteria can be present in every corner of your home. Exposure to these microorganisms can be dangerous for your child. If your baby puts something into their mouth, they might develop diseases and illnesses. With that, it helps to clean and sanitize everything your baby can reach.
Besides your baby’s bedding and furniture, cleaning and sanitizing their items is best. These include their toys and feeding bottles. You can wash them thoroughly under the sink or use a UV sterilizer. You can also purchase antibacterial wipes to keep your child safe if you go outside.
Baby-Proof Your Home
Every room in the house could be a potential danger zone for your baby. If your baby begins to crawl and explore, it’s time to start baby-proofing your home. Missing this step can risk your baby’s health and safety.
It’s best to keep small items away from your baby’s reach. These include coins, hair clips, buttons, keys, and sharp objects. You should also secure any cupboards that your baby could open.
Keeping your cleaning products away and out of reach is a must, particularly toxic chemicals. When inhaled or consumed, they can poison your child, requiring immediate attention. You should place all dangerous items away from your home, such as your garage or shed.
Keep Baby Away From Smoke
Your home should be smoke-free. If anyone smokes a cigarette in your home, you must always keep your baby away from them. Even if they’re not smoking in front of your child, the fumes could still get to their clothes, then to your baby. Hence, there might also be a possibility of your child inhaling second-hand smoke.
If anyone in your family smokes, it’s best to encourage them to quit. You can consult a doctor or join a support group to help them quit smoking.
Engage In Active Play
Your baby needs to keep themselves active all the time. It helps them enhance their bones and muscles and improve their strength. Meanwhile, playing with them encourages bonding and develops better health.
Active play for your baby doesn’t have to be too intense. You can encourage them to stretch their hands and legs while lying on their backs. You could try dancing with them or giving them a playful toy. It’s also best to practice tummy time to help strengthen their neck control.
Protect Child’s Skin
Protecting your baby’s skin is best, particularly when you head outdoors. The sun’s rays can harm your baby’s skin, which can cause health complications. With that, ensure you apply enough sunblock to your baby’s skin. Consult a medical professional before doing so.
There’s plenty of sunblock that’s safe for kids. However, it’s best to choose a product with natural ingredients. Ensure that you apply sunblock on your child’s face as well. Alternatively, you could dress your baby in UV-protected clothing and a hat. Keeping your baby away from direct sunlight exposure is best.
Raising a healthy baby can be challenging, but it’ll be worth it. They can enjoy their youth and allow themselves to do anything. On the other hand, it’s helpful to encourage them to develop healthy habits.
How To Make Your Baby Happy
There’s something about a baby’s smile or laugh that makes everything bright. Seeing your baby smile can instantly lift your spirits, no matter how down you feel. A happy baby encourages you to enjoy life and see the brighter side of things. It’ll be great to let them spread joy in their surroundings.
Listed below are some ways to make your baby happy:
Make Time For Cuddles
Your baby’s safe space is you. You’re the only thing that feels familiar and safe for them. Giving unlimited cuddles can make them feel more comfortable and secure. It won’t take too much of your time to give your baby a little snug.
You can also give your baby cuddles randomly. They might be playing around, trying to fall asleep, or just lying flat on their backs. With cuddles, you can make your baby feel loved.
Give Your Undivided Attention
Being a parent isn’t easy, especially when you have many things to do. It might be challenging to focus on your baby if you have older kids, work, or a handful of household chores. But as much as possible, try to give your baby undivided attention whenever you’re with them.
Play with your baby, put your phone away, and give them your full attention. These make them feel important and loved. Everything else can wait. Your baby needs you to always be there for them since they’re learning the basics.
Read To Them
A great way to bond with your child is by reading to them. Reading with your child encourages quality time and improves language skills and cognitive development. There are plenty of books that are age-appropriate for your child. You could read them a short story or show them a picture book.
When reading to your child, repeat every word to help them understand. You can also make eye contact and use a cheerful voice with your child.
Teach Them To Care And Share
You can already teach your baby how to care and share. Always remember to tell your child why they should do it. You can say ‘sharing is caring’ or teach them to show respect.
Did you know that teaching your child the idea of sharing will help them learn how to be grateful? It also teaches them to be more thoughtful of others and to respect others’ time and ownership. When you start teaching them at a young age, you’re helping them develop good habits.
Talk To Them
Even if your baby cannot talk back, talking to them can be a fun experience. Talking to your child helps develop their speech and social skills. You can speak to your child about anything.
You can tell them about how your day went. It also helps to ask them how much they enjoy playing. Meanwhile, it’s best to maintain cheerful eye contact and see yourself as someone happy to be with them.
Allow Them To Get Lots Of Sleep
Your baby needs many hours of sleep. Depending on your baby’s age, they could sleep for 12 to 16 hours, including naps. Sleeping helps your child grow happier and healthier. When a baby is sleepy, they can get irritable. Since they still don’t know how to sleep independently, they can show their frustration by crying.
You can carry them in your arms and swing them back and forth to help them go to sleep. Singing them a lullaby can calm their nerves. Significantly, never interrupt a sleeping baby and let them wake up whenever they want to.
Give Freedom Of Choice
If your baby can show their likes and dislikes, you can give them freedom of choice. Your baby can say ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ or they can nod their head in response.
You can ask your child basic questions about what they want to wear or the food they want. Giving them freedom of choice makes them feel happy and valued. You can practice this in the later years, during the toddler stage.
Explore The World
While it’s safer for you and your child to stay indoors, it’s healthy for your baby to explore the world. And no, it doesn’t mean leaving the country but letting them see the outdoors. It could be at your local park or somewhere close to nature.
Letting your child explore the outdoors helps them discover the world’s beauty. It makes them more appreciative of their environment. You can let them wander around and have fun when they grow older.
Celebrate Milestones
Your baby will experience different milestones—from their first smile, laugh, and holding your hand to clapping their hands. You should always celebrate your baby’s achievements, no matter how small they are.
They don’t have to be too grand, but something cheerful. You can say, ‘Hooray,’ ‘Great job,’ or ‘Wow.’ Say them in your most excited voice and emphasize how happy you are. Celebrating your child’s milestones and hearing joyful noises can brighten their mood. It can make them think that what they did is impressive.
Take Care Of Yourself
It may be challenging to make your child happy if you’re not in a good mood. If you’re stressed, you might struggle to cheer up your baby. You might also see it as a chore, not something to help your child with.
Take care of yourself whenever you can. Take breaks, even if they’re short. You can take a walk in the park or learn a new hobby. You can also ask someone to care for your child, so you can have a date with your partner or hang out with your friends. If you feel good, you can face your child in a happy mood, ready to share positivity.
Seeing your baby smile will always lighten up your mood. Raising a happy baby doesn’t just benefit you but their well-being as well.
Takeaway
Raising a happy and healthy baby isn’t an easy task. You must dedicate time and effort to ensure your baby grows well. While some might require extra attention and work, your efforts will benefit your child’s development.
Take your time to be with your child. Focus on their health, development, and happiness. One day, you’ll be surprised that they’ve grown up, and you can no longer carry them in your arms.
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