As a new parent you might be short on sleep but you'll have plenty of one thing: questions. To help get you through the long days and longer nights, we've gathered our favorite tips to make life that much easier when you've got a new baby at home. Feel free to casually drop these hacks into everyday conversation with your fellow parent friends, too; we won't tell where you got them.
1. Baby car kit
You'll be prepared for almost any baby emergency with this handy car emergency from Two Twenty One. Stock your kit with an extra change of clothing for both you and the baby along with spare diapers, wipes, blanket, formula (if needed) and bottle. As your baby grows, change out the supplies with emergency pouches of baby food, upsized diapers and bigger clothes.
2. Double swaddle
There's the swaddle you learn in the hospital and then there's the double swaddle. The latter is guaranteed to calm even the fussiest baby. Hellobee offers an easy tutorial to help you master this secret swaddling technique.
3. Teething popsicles
Some babies start teething early, which makes them grumpy. But relief is at hand! Whip up some mother's milk popsicles to help soothe aching gums. Take pacifiers or popsicle forms, fill with breast milk or formula and freeze. Once baby is on solid food, change up your popsicle game by using frozen fruit, yogurt and other treats.
4. Cough remedy
Some old wives' tales actually work. Example: this cough remedy. Put a thin swipe of Vicks BabyRub Soothing Vapor Ointment on your baby's feet and cover with socks. Be sure to use the baby, not the adult, ointment. The adult version is much too strong for an infant.
5. Medicine tracker
When your baby is sick, medicine doses can start to blur together. To prevent under- or over-dosing, draw a chart on the side of the medicine bottle to check off doses. This is also a great communication tool if more than one caregiver is giving baby medicine.
6. Put the pedal to the gas
Little babies can get gassy and that means they can get loud. To defuse the situation, put baby on her back and move her legs like she's pedaling a bicycle. This helps move gas around and out. See it for yourself in this YouTube tutorial.
7. Diaper tricks
Put a fresh diaper under your baby before you begin changing his current diaper. Then all you have to do is clean baby’s bottom, pull away the used diaper and quickly secure the clean one. This is great if you have a baby who likes to pee when fresh air hits his bits.
8. Baby onesie secret
Those little envelopes at the top of your baby’s onesie aren’t just to help them fit over huge heads; they're meant to help during a blowout diaper situation. Avoid having to cut your baby's clothing off by pulling the onesie down and off. See it for yourself.
9. Less diaper cream mess
Wiggly babies and diaper cream-covered hands can lead to disaster. Prevent stains and other problems by applying diaper cream with a make-up brush. If you don’t want to sacrifice a brush, purchase the Diaper Cream Applicator to keep mess at a minimum.
10. White noise lullabies
From iPhone apps to fuzzy Cloud b Sheep Sleep Machines, parents swear by white noise to help their little ones sleep. As Precious Little Sleep explains, babies love white noise because "the womb is deafeningly loud. It's just slightly less loud than a lawnmower. Loud is normal to a baby. Life outside the womb is uncomfortably quiet. White noise sounds like 'home' to a baby." So load up your iPhone with a white noise app or grab a cute and fuzzy sleep machine for better sleep.
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