What You Really Need To Prepare For A New Baby

Saturday, March 1, 2003

he Inside Scoop on WhatYou Really Need to Prepare For A New Baby (NAPSA)—With so many baby products on the marketall promising to makelife simpler for a new mom, it’s hard to know what you really need to ensure that you're prepared for when your baby comes home. Something as simple as baby nail clippers are often not on the list of “what to buy,” yet they’re extremely important. “Nail clippers are thefirst tool you'll need because babies are born with long, sharp nails that can scratch their skin,” says Jessica Hartshorn, seniorlifestyles editor at American Baby magazine and a new mom herself. “Try clipping them while your baby is sleeping or during feeding times, so heis distracted.” Needless to say, that’s not the only piece of incredibly useful advice Hartshorn has to dispense in arguing that, for all the volumes of information out there, momsstill aren’t being told “the real deal” about parenting. Take bathing, for instance. The most important thing is to never leave babies unattended for any reason while they’re in the water. If you must answer a phonecall, take the baby with you. You should also know that newborns should start off with sponge baths at first and then move into infant tubs and eventually fullsize bath tubs where they’re supported by theall-important plastic babyring. Then there’s the whole issue of cleansers—with so many available, which one do you choose? Hartshorn advises using a gentle one, such as Johnson’s Head-toToe Baby Wash. It’s so mild it won't irritate baby’s delicate skin and won’t sting his eyes. Bathe your baby with a gentle made-for-babies wash that you can use on yourself. Next, she says, on-the-floor baby gyms are more important than ever. Because babies should always sleep on their backs, they need more tummy time when they’re awake to strengthen head, back and neck muscles. As for getting baby to sleep through the night, one answer may be a recent import from Europe made by Noukie that looks like a mini sleeping bag. It keeps baby at an even, comfortable temperature so changes in heat or cold in the house won’t wake him. The bag also eliminates the need for dangerous extra bedding. Hartshorn’s number-onetip for new moms? Don’t forget to set aside time for yourself. A relaxing bath and skin assoft as your new baby’s can be the best route to selfpampering. Hartshorn recom- mends using an all-day moisturizer, such as Johnson’s new SoftLotion 24 Hour Moisturizer, which is fortified with natural lipids to hydrate skin. You can learn more online at www.johnsonsbaby.com.

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