Newborn Do's & Don'ts

OK, now on to the good stuff! I’m definitely getting to the point in this pregnancy of wishing she was here already! Even though the thought of a toddler and an infant together freaks me out a bit, I’m getting extremely excited to meet her and introduce her to her big brother.

Having recently held one of our friend’s newborns, I was reminded just how tiny these little humans are. But just because they are tiny, doesn’t mean there aren’t important aspects of their day-to-day we shouldn’t consider for ideal development.

My son at just a week or two old sleeping on his back.

As we dig into this information, please note that I’m going to pull from Marianne Hermsen-Van Wanrooy’s book “Baby Moves.” If I pique your interest, I suggest you purchase it. It’s a great reference guide and written for parents (vs. medical professionals). Throughout my posts I’ll also be referencing Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization and, of course, Dr. Husband. I’ll note all of these.

Two Positions
Your newborn only needs two positions—(1) on his back and (2) on his tummy. For both, you want to use a flat, firm surface—no pillows or blankets are necessary. By placing him on a harder surface verses a softer one, you are allowing important trigger zones to be activated by the ground.

Back: While on his back, encourage your baby with your voice and face to move his head to both sides. Also when laying him down to sleep alternate his head direction (Hermsen-Van Wanrooy, p. 23). 

My son at a week or two old being burped.
But it looks like he passed out from milk :)

Tummy: You’ll want to do “tummy time” once a day, but only for as long as your baby is happy. Make sure his arms are not stretched forward but rather tucked underneath. The same goes for his legs (p. 24)

Do’s & Don’ts

• DO place baby on his back to sleep. On tummy has been associated with SIDS. On side has caused hip dislocations in some children (p. 25).
• DO have him horizontal as much as possible. Upright to burp is fine, but this is pretty much the only time that he needs to be upright.
• DON’T sit him up, stand him up or jump him on his feet. This encourages a primitive reflex that we want to "disappear" for better fluidity of walking (p.26).
• DON’T leave him in a car seat for too long.
• DON’T over-stimulate him.
• DON’T pull him up by his hands.