Babies don’t come with manuals. We all know this, but how SWEET would it be if they actually *did*? Something to tell us if we are feeding them too much, or too little… or why in the world their poop looks like left over guac?!? (Oh, yeah… parenting a newborn is sexy!)
Well, while I cannot provide you with a manual…. I *can* provide you with a handy dandy cheat sheet with some great tips and quick info that I’ve found to be super helpful.
Eat.
Feeding is always the first to confuse us. Breastfeed or bottle feed? When they first hand us our little bundle they tell us their stomach is the size of a cherry… but for how long?
Can they still be hungry? How much is too much… or too little?
Below you will find a quick reference chart to let you know how much (on average) babies should be eating and how often and if you’re interested in knowing how quickly your baby’s stomach grows, you can check that out here (you might be surprised at how long that cherry size tummy lasts).
Sleep.
In the beginning, when we are dying to see those little tiny eyes looking back at us…. babies seem to sleep FOR-EV-ER… but what about after those first few weeks? And what if they have their days and nights mixed up?
The Pregnant Chicken (which is a totally awesome resource by the by) has a super amazing sleep cheat sheet. I included 2 of her tips below but I encourage you all to check out the dedicated sleep cheat sheet here… because… SLEEP, you guys. SLEEP.
Poop.
It’s humorous how un-glam being a Mom to a newborn can be at times. POOP is something you and your significant other will talk about, text about …. and yes, at times even get EXCITED about.
“The baby pooped TWICE today!.. HOORAY!!”
You will even find yourself trying analyzing it, describing it and GOOGLING it in hopes to decode the colors and textures. (I know, super chic … right?).
Well… GOOGLE no more (I can’t even believe how excited I am to tell you about this).
Similac has a “Diaper Decoder” filled with PICTURES, quick and easy descriptions and info on what it all means. You guys, not kidding I just spent the past 10 minutes staring and being fascinated with POOP.
Do you have any newborn tips and tricks to share?
Let’s grow this library of cheat sheets together!
Disclosure: Similac is a paid sponsor of Complicated Mama. As always, we only partner with brands we truly believe in. All three of our kids were fed Similac as infants. You can read our story here.
