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getting ready

settling and sleepingpreparing older children

feedingbaby blues

coping with crying

Your guide to:

Tips for

babies

Congratulations!

Contents� Found us on Facebook yet? Visit facebook.com/SKIPcommunity

Parenting can be

hard work sometimes

If you’re stressed, down

or just need advice, think

about talking to a friend

you trust, your doctor, or

try a helpline.

Plunketline 0800 933 922

Are you OK? 0800 456 450

Baby on the way… 3

Preparing older children 4

Baby blues? 7

Every baby is different 8

Crying 10

Sleeping 12

On the move 14

Feeding 15

6 things that babies need from you 16

Baby on the way…

3

A new baby brings big changes… often ones you can’t control.

Even if it’s not your first baby, new things may come up that you didn’t expect or have forgotten how to handle since last time.

2

“Don’t be shy about

asking visitors to

help out - hang the

washing out, cook

a meal or take the

other kids out for

a while.”

Parent tip

Here’s some things you can do to prepare:

• Thinkbacktohowyouwereraised,willyoudothingsthesameordifferently?

• Talkaboutthingsbeforebabyarrivessoyouhavetimetothinkthingsthrough.Wherewillbabysleep?Howwillwemanagethecryingandthetiredness?

• Findoutwhatyou’reentitledto–parentalleave,familybenefitsorallowances.

• Trynottostress–babiesdon’tneedlotsofstuff–andyoucanborroworgetmostofitsecond-hand.

Older kids might find it hard when a new baby arrives. With all the focus on the baby they might feel left out or ignored. You might see a change in their behaviour. They may be more clingy or grizzly, or test the boundaries more.

To prepare

Younger children

• Starttalkingabout‘our’babywhenyourpregnancyisstartingtoshow–ninemonthscanbealongwaitforlittlepeople.

• Showthemtheirbabyphotosandtalkabouttheirbirth,whereitwasandifMumhadtostayinhospitalforafewdays.

•Makeanychangeswellbeforebabycomes.Thingslikemovingfromcottobed,orcarseattobooster.

Preparing older children

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Parent tip“It’s important for them to feel a part of everything. They need to feel important and responsible.”

Older children

• Readbooksonbabiestogetherandanswerquestionshonestly.

• Involvetheminchoosingthingsforthebaby.

• Talkabouthowtheywillbeabletohelpoutandwelcomebabytothefamily.

When the new baby is born

• Focusontheotherkidswhentheyfirstvisit–maybesomeoneelsecouldholdthenewbabysoMum’sarmsarefreeforhugging.

• Helpthemtoholdthenewbabyassoonaspossibleandtakephotos.

• Iftheywantto,askthemtohelp,eggettingthingsreadyforbathtime,choosingbaby’sclothes.Butdon’tpushitorworryifthey’renotinterested.

• Havesomethingplannedforthemtodowhileyourfocusisonbaby.

•Maketimeeachdaytoreadabooktogetherorjustcuddleandtalk.Ifthey’reupsetorangry,talkabouttheirfeelings.Butbefirmaboutalwaysbeinggentletowardsbaby.

• Tellthemstoriesaboutwhentheywereborn–showthemphotos.

BABYNAMES

T H E L I T T L E B O O K O F

It’s normal to feel a bit down or stressed at times with a new baby.

Here are some ways other mums and dads have coped

• Keeptalkingwitheachotheraboutwhat’sgoingon.Itcanbeastruggleforeveryonegettingusedtolesssleepandmoney.

• Acceptthatbaby’sneedscomefirstatthisearlystage.Mealswillbelate,washingwillpileupandbabywillwantafeedevenwhenyou’vegotvisitors.

• Letthehouseworkwaitifbabyneedsyounow.

• Don’ttrytogoitalone.Acceptanyoffersofhelp–meals,oddjobs,watchingbabywhileyoutakeashower.

• Getsleepwhenyoucan.Sleepwhenbabysleeps.

• Trytogetsomefreshair–ashortwalkorachangeofscenecangiveyoumoreenergy.

Baby blues?

Parent tip“Don’t expect to get much done in those first weeks. Anything besides looking after baby is a bonus!”

76

If you feel like you or your partner aren’t coping, talk to someone you trust, a friend, child health nurse or your doctor.

For more information check out: depression.org.nz or try the helpline 0800 111 757.

Parent tip

“Trust your instincts

_ do what you feel is

right for you and

your baby.”

is different No baby is naughty

Every baby

Like adults, every baby is different. Your baby may be easygoing and calm, or wakeful and active. They may settle quickly into a regular routine or be more unpredictable.Iftheyarefussyandunsettled,itdoesn’tmeanthey’rebeingnaughtyorannoyingyouonpurpose.Cryingistheirwayofcommunicating–seepage10formoreonthis.

Whatever your baby’s personality, here are some tips to help you all get off to a great start

• Givethemlotsofattention.Youcan’tspoilababywithtoomuchlove.

• Babiesfeelsafeandsecurewhenyourespondquicklytotheircrying.

• Singing,talkingandcuddlingallhelptheirbraintogrowandbuildastrongbondwithmumanddad.

• Smileatthemlots–eventuallythey’llsmileback!

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All babies cry – some more than others. It’s their way of telling you what they need. At times they’ll cry more than usual and be harder to calm. This could be because they’re teething or having a growth spurt.

Crying

Copingwithcryingcanbereallyhard,especiallywhenyouaretiredtoo.Trytorememberthatthisstagewon’tlastforever–thingswillsettledown.

Try:

• checkingtheirnappy.Aretheyhungry?Tired?Toohotorcold?Orjusttoomuchgoingon?

• takingthemsomewherequiet

• holding,rocking,talkingorsingingsoftly

• givingthemawarmbath

• moving–arideinthebuggy,aslingorfrontpack.

If you’re losing it, put the

baby somewhere safe and

walk away. Breathe slowly

until you feel calmer.

Helpful numbers

SKIP Resource sample illustration style v1.410.08.12

1110

Parent tip“If you start stressing out and no one can take over, it can help to phone a friend.”

Are you OK?

0800 456 450Plunketline

0800 933 922

12 13

SleepingSleeping like a baby? It’s a misleading term – sometimes you may feel like your baby never sleeps.

To help them settle and sleep longer:

•Watchfor‘sleepy’signs–yawning,jerkymovements,clenchedfists.Ifbabiesgetover-tiredtheycanbehardertosettleandwakemoreoften.

• Tryandputbabytobedwhentheyarerelaxedandsleepy,butnotquiteyetasleep.

• Soothethemwithgentlestroking,singing,orrocking.Softmusicmightalsohelp.

� For more tips on sleeping, visit skip.org.nz/sleeping

“What works to

settle one baby

might not for another.

Try different things

until you find what

works for your baby.”

Parent tip

On the move

Parent tip

“Think of this first

couple of years as

a short time in their

lives when they

need you a lot.”

Your baby might be ready to try solids around six months. Just like everything they’ve learned so far – it takes time. So be patient.

Babiesmaynotwanttositstillforlong.

Theymaynotlikeanewfoodatfirstbutkeepofferingit.

Makefoodtimecalmandstressfree–foodbattlesarenofunforanyone.

Theywillbereallymessywhentheystartfeedingthemselves.Putsomenewspaperoraplasticmatdownforeasiercleanup.

Tryandkeepyoursenseofhumour.

Fingerfoodisgreatbutbepreparedtomoptheceiling!

Feeding

1514

Parent tip

“Don’t get in the habit

of offering other food

if they’re refusing

what’s on their plate.

Calmly remove it and

consider dinner is over.”

Babies soon learn how to get around. First rolling, then pulling themselves along the floor, crawling, cruising around furniture and walking. Making sure they’re always safe can be tiring – but they’re worth it! And remember exploring is how they learn.

•Makingyourhouse‘babysafe’cansaveyoualotoftimeandworry.Formoreinformationonthis,visitwww.plunket.org.nz/safety

• Crawlaroundyourhouseyourselfanddoasafetycheck–it’samazingwhatyoufinddownthere!

• Sometimesachangeofscenecanbegoodforeveryone.Trytogetoutofthehousewhenyoucan.

Brain Box Did you know?

By six months your baby’s brain has grown to half the size of an adult’s. Everything you’ve done since they were born – talking, listening singing, cuddling, playing – has helped baby’s brain connections to grow.

There are six areas where your baby needs your support to grow into a happy capable child.

Talking + listening• Learningtoreadbaby’scues.• Chattingtobaby.• Copyingsoundsyourbabymakes.

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A structured secure world

• Buildingacloseattachmentwithyoutosupport

alltheirfuturelearningandrelationships.

• Keepingbabysafefromharshvoices,angryfeelings

andharmfulsituations.

•Makingsurebabyhassafeplacestosleepandplay.

6

that babies need

from you6things

Consistency + consequences• Doingthingsinthe

samewayeachtime(egchangingnappies)sotheyknowwhat’snext.

• Buildingroutinesthatsupportbaby’sneeds.

• Helpingbabybuildtrustingrelationshipswithafewkeypeople.

5

Love + warmth

• Cuddling.

• Rockingandsinging.

• One-on-oneattention.

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2

Limits + boundaries • Helpingbabytorestwhenthey’retiredoroverstimulated.• Noticinghowbabyrespondstodifferentpeopleandplaces.• Knowingyourownlimitsandlookingafteryourself.

4

Guidance + understanding• Understandingthatyourbabyisdependenton

youforeverything.• Knowingyoucan’tspoilyourbabybymeeting

theirneeds.• Helpingbabytoexploreandlearnwiththeir

eyes,ears,mouth,noseandhands.

3

Other booklets

parenting styles – what works best?

your child’s temperament

putting it all togethermanaging your own stress

and more....

ages and stages

Your guide to:

Tips for under-fives

tantrums jealousy and fighting

toileting

and more....

supermarket survival

Your guide to:

tips for under-fives

The

tricky bits

Happy Birthday!

4

tips for under-fives

SKIP the tricky bits – SKIP tips for under-fives

skip.org.nz