10 Tips for Moms with Newborns

This post and giveaway were made possible by iConnect and Dreft.
I was compensated for my participation in this campaign, but all opinions are 100% mine.

I remember how excited I was the moment I found out I was pregnant with each of my children. As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I started to stock up on diapers, pacifiers, burp cloths, toys, clothes and more. Before my babies were born, I wanted to prepare for their arrival and when they arrived, I wanted everything to be the best I could give them. Being a mom to a newborn was definitely a lot different than I ever imagined it would be. I’ll be sharing my 10 Tips for Moms with Newborns based on my own personal experiences with my babies.

10 Tips for Moms with Newborns

1 – Stock up on baby supplies. When my kids were babies, I always made sure that I was stocked up on baby supplies, including diapers, wipes, and diaper rash cream. I ran low on diapers once and it was so stressful! I was determined to never have that happen again.

2 – Don’t hesitate to ask for help. When I was still pregnant with my first, I truly thought that if I could work a full-time job and handle the finances of a company, I could totally take care of a baby. Ok – so way, way different than working in an office at a full-time job. I was very hesitant to ask for help because I thought I should automatically know how to take care of my baby. Totally not the case. I was so glad when I finally did ask for help and took full advantage of it when it was offered.

3 – You are not a human pacifier. I breastfed all of my babies and with the first one, I thought that it would solve everything. Baby is crying? Nurse him. Baby is tired, but won’t go to sleep? Nurse him. You need the baby to be quiet in church? Nurse him. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I was so so sore from nursing all the time. It wasn’t until I went to my own checkup that the nurse told me I was nursing too much and that the baby should get enough food after nursing 20 minutes on each side. After learning that bit of information, nursing was much more enjoyable and less painful over time.

4 – Take a timeout when you need it. After childbirth, we as women go through a Postpartum period. While I don’t think I had Postpartum Depression, I do know that I felt emotional and overwhelmed at times. I was harder on myself than anyone else. There were some times when I just had no idea what to do. I knew my baby had been fed, had a new diaper and had been burped, but was still fussy. Sometimes I just had to put him in the crib for a few minutes, take a few deep breaths (or shed a few tears) and walk back in and be the best mommy I could be. Just remember that your baby needs you to be strong and emotionally in tact so you can take care of him or her.

5 – Don’t stress about the quiet. With my first baby, I would stress out whenever there was noise and he was sleeping. Whether it was a dog barking, the bird squawking outside, doors slamming, or family members talking loudly in the house. Don’t be afraid to let your baby learn how to sleep through the noise. If you need to, consider getting a noise maker to help cut out the external noises in your home.

6 – Always have diapers and supplies on hand. This one is really important. You never know when your baby might have a major blowout and need new diapers or a new change of clothes. Whether it’s taking a diaper bag with you or keeping a kit in your car, you should always have these extra supplies on hand. Find an online boutique clothes for newborn girls that you can trust to buy your baby’s clothes from. I would also recommend having a plastic bag or two to put dirty diapers or dirty clothes in.

7 – Getting your baby to sleep. One trick that really helped my babies get to sleep was swaddling them using Swaddles. It kept them warm and comfortable, which in turn helped them to fall asleep more quickly. It also helped when I stroked their faces, starting in between their eyes and moving in an up and down motion, as well as over the eyebrows. Their eyes would grow heavy and they would eventually fall asleep. It was like magic.

8 – Rest when baby is sleeping. I was told this by a number of people when my babies were newborns. I learned to balance resting with housework. I would rest sometimes and the rest of the times, I would get the things done that needed to be done. My advice would be to rest sometimes (not necessarily all the time) during the day, but do try to get as much sleep as you can when baby is sleeping at night.

9 – Get some me time. I found that I was definitely a better mom when I got some me time. Even if it was 30 minutes to myself in the bathroom, getting that me time helped to rejuvenate me so I was ready to take on the tasks of motherhood again. I especially loved getting pedicures or manicures and having a girl’s night out with friends.

10 – Always have detergent on hand. I promise that you WILL do a LOT of laundry when you have a baby. There will be spit up, blow outs, food spills and more and you’ll want to have plenty of laundry detergent on hand to tackle to never ending loads of laundry.

Before I had my babies, I remember lots of moms telling me that I should stock up on Dreft to meet our baby‘s laundry needs. As a mom of newborns, I definitely used my fair share of Dreft laundry detergent. Dreft believes that for many moms and dads, doing baby‘s laundry is more than just an ongoing chore – it serves as a way to relish in the amazing moments and stages of babyhood.

As our babies grow and develop, laundry needs change for both little ones and their families, which is why Dreft introduced a line of laundry products that are specially designed for different stages of babyhood. Parenthood and babyhood is messy, but those messy and imperfect moments are often the most memorable and thanks to Dreft, parents can embrace the mess of #amazinghood. Dreft is the #1 baby laundry detergent choice of pediatricians and the #1 dermatologist recommended brand for baby clothes.

Dreft Newborn and Active Baby detergents are gentle and hypoallergenic on baby’s sensitive skin, tough on stains and have a baby fresh scent. Baby scent is a powerful driver of emotion – just a simple whiff of freshly-laundered clothes with baby detergent can bring back memories of the entire amazing babyhood journey. Dreft has 3 products, including Dreft Stage 1: Newborn; Dreft Stage 2: Active Baby and Dreft Blissfuls.

Dreft Baby Shower Event

Dreft is partnering with popular reality TV couple Sean and Catherine Lowe from “The Bachelor” to celebrate their new role as expectant parents and share their beautiful, messy journey of “amazinghood.” Sean and Catherine Lowes’ parenting journey and partnership with Dreft commenced at their Dreft “Loads of Love” baby shower on April 27th. At the baby shower, the couple was showered with all the love, support and essentials needed to prepare them for the arrival of their precious new baby.

When asked about their baby shower registry, Sean and Catherine have noted that Dreft Newborn detergent was a must have. Their parents used it, their friends recommended it, and the smell of freshly washed baby clothes has made them even more excited for the little one’s arrival.

Over the next year, everyone can share in the Lowe’s journey through #Amazinghood by following Dreft on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where Sean and Catherine will be sharing exclusive content and messy memories.

GIVEAWAY

1 lucky winner on The Mommy-Files will receive a Dreft “Baby Shower” Package (ARV $75), which will include:

• Dreft product (Newborn, Active Baby, & Blissfuls)
• Little Me Welcome to the World Bib and Burp Set
•  Little Me Giraffe Gown
• Gender Neutral Lovey

Do you use Dreft in your home?
Do you have any tips for moms with newborns?