Overwhelming at first, especially for first time parents, taking care of your little bundle is a challenge and that’s putting it mildly. Prepare yourself at the onset, that at times, you may not know what to do under certain circumstances, and that is absolutely fine. Remember your baby has been in your womb for 9 months and needs time to adjust to this new environment. In order to provide the best care to your tiny tot, and giving her/him the right and ideal amount of love and attention, refer to some tips below that will ensure taking care of your baby becomes an ecstatic experience.

• Understand that your baby needs to be fed frequently, almost every 2-3 hours or on demand every hour. As each baby is different, some feed more, some don’t, while some take longer feeds and some shorter. It’s all dependent on your child’s needs. Making certain that your child feeds frequently will assure you that your baby gains weight.

• Do note that your baby is bound to go through many growth spurts in the 1^st year and may have feeding frenzies every 3-4 weeks. Typically these growth spurts occur when the baby is around 2-3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months & 9 months old, however these timelines may vary for some. This causes your baby to nurse longer and more often, may increase fussiness if the latching/unlatching takes time, along with frequent night waking due to the baby being hungry.

• The delicate and soft skin of your new-born needs proper care. Bathing maintains the skin health and texture of your baby’s skin. However, they don’t need a bath every single day, in between diaper changes and mouth wiping’s between feeds, babies are good with a bath 2-3 times a week or every other day. Changing regularly soiled nappies is imperative to avoid rashes on your new-born’s delicate skin.

• At nights when babies are unsettled it helps to hold your baby a lot apart from baby-wearing. Many studies suggest that wearing your baby close may result in regulating their heartbeat and breathing patterns apart from benefitting their emotional and intellectual growth.

• Gentle massage by parents soothes your baby and will help her sleep. Baby massages are extremely beneficial for your baby and helps in improving digestion, weight gain, blood circulation and easing teeth pain. Also a great way for you and your partner to bond with your baby apart from finding it relaxing, too.

• Your baby loves listening to your voice. Your voice is familiar to her and she has been listening to it for weeks before she was born. Maternal voice is audible in utero, and an infant starts to recognize their mother's voice from the 3^rd The moment you start talking to your baby in a soothing voice, she/he will turn toward you and open their eyes. Take time out to talk and sing to your baby.

• And lastly and most importantly, be very patient and don’t hesitate to ask for help. You cannot do it alone.