Practical book/newborn manual

[Firsttimequestions]

Hello,

I am a first time poster and pregnant with the first baby..

There so many books for new parents, it is impossible to choose.
Would you please recommend a very down to earth practical book for newborns care, that would have more practical advise/instructions on how to do things rather than physiological stuff and encouragement that I am doing great etc

Thank you in advance

The only problem with books is that the baby won't have read it....

What kind of thing do you need help with?

A baby needs to be warm, fed, clean and loved.

Well, I've never even hold a newborn before..so I will need help with things like how to change a nappy, how to clean them, sleep advice ..so basic instructions. If the book will have most common medical issues too it would be great

Ok.
The practicalities are relatively easy. Holding/cleanup/washing.

What makes it hard is doing it whilst exhausted and worrying that you aren't doing it properly :)

How about this book?

www.amazon.co.uk/First-Time-Parent-honest-brilliantly-staying/dp/0007269447?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I like this one, it's very practical.

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B01K18A8SO?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I would say the best thing to do is post on here! Lots of different opinions of course, but better than one person telling you what to do. I learnt pretty much everything about newborns from reading and posting here. Mnetters are rather helpful sometimes!

You'll know how to hold your baby by instinct, and I'm fairly certain you will have seen a baby being held (if not I'll, then in media)

If you're worried about changing nappies, practice in a teddy 🐻

Don't be swept away with what shops tell you

Nearer the time, ask on MN for stuff you really need for a newborn, or what gadgets/things were worth their weight in gold etc

Most of all, don't fret! Stick to the basics of warm, fed, clean and loved and you'll be fine 😊

“The only problem with books is that the baby won't have read it....”
This made me laugh out loud! (And made the baby stir! Careful!)

Honestly I find I just google questions as they arise and try to stick to reputable sites, not random forums (that’s a crazy rabbit hole you’ll want to avoid!). NHS is good for basic medical stuff. KellyMom is good for breastfeeding, as is (for some reason!) the government of Australia. Lots of helpful tips there on “what is normal”. There’s a site called “precious little sleep” that I find helpful for knowing what to expect at what age, sleep-wise.

Much more importantly: ask the nurses at the hospital to show you how to hold the baby, feed, bathe... they’re used to coaching first time parents through this stuff and it’s SOOO much easier to learn in practice than in theory!

Also remember: there are billions of people in the world, and all of them have survived their parents, including often rookie parents! You’re having a baby in one of the most medically advanced and safest societies the world has ever known. So you already have a massive advantage compared with most other first time parents that raised the thousands of generations before us. You. Will. Do. Fine. :-)

I also found the Lucy Atkins First Time Parents one the most useful of the ones I looked at, it has instructions with photos for things like how to change a nappy or bath a baby. I'm a member of my local library and tried various books from there, might be a way to look at severalto find one that works for you?

the one with the softest cover, as you'll more than likely throw it at your DP at some point in the first 6 months

I agree that just researching on here helps. When I was pregnant with DD everytime I had a question (say for example, what do babies wear at night) I would search on here. I also remember watching YouTube videos on how to pick up a newborn! If you can afford it maybe try an NCT class. In mine we obviously learnt about birth but also how to bath a baby and change nappy and basic care for a newborn.

Thank you, Ladies, it was very helpful

I had Your Baby Week by Week which covers from newborn to 6 months, quite a few friends had it and we all found it very helpful.

You don't need a book, you need mumsnet.

Nappies are easy, the instructions are on the packet. Everything else all the other mums are making up as they go along, with the help of mumsnet if their real life equivalent.

You will be fine.

We use Your Babycare Bible. It's just practical advice on bathing, weaning etc. without any 'methods' or bias. Lots of useful photos too.

Your Baby Week by Week

Like all baby books, the baby won’t always do what the book says! But at least this one is written in a friendly and non dictatorial tone.

The main bits of advice IMO:

• sort out feeding first and foremost. If you want to BF and it isn’t going well, get advice asap, ideally from a BF specialist. Especially get latch checked. If BF isn’t working, don’t feed bad about switching to bottles. Burping is important. Babies go up and down in how hungry they are.

• good sleep is of course related to getting the feeding sorted. The main thing is to get the baby to sleep enough otherwise you get overtiredness which is a vicious circle. They need to be asleep most of the time as newborns, it should be literally long sleep, feed burp and change nappy, back to sleep. Many babies need help to sleep, eg being held, fed to sleep, carried in a sling, buggy, co sleeping etc. Do whatever it takes to get enough sleep in them, and worry about sleep associations/routine a bit later, and only once feeding and sleeping enough is sorted. For some this may be at 6/7 weeks for others at 6/7 months...

• Babies are different, what worked for your sister/friend/well meaning stranger may not work for yours.

• Make sure your OH is doing as much as they possibly can. If their life hasn’t changed much they’re not doing enough!

What to expect the first year

We looked up how to change a nappy on YouTube in the hospital after DD was born!

Have you signed up to nct/other antenatal classes? I think they usually do a few sessions on looking after your new baby.

You'll work it out, people have had babies longer than they've been writing books.

(Unless you're fully committed to having a very fixed routine, I would avoid any of the "contented little baby" books, I read one in desperation when DD was 5 weeks and felt very much like I'd left it too late and DD would never sleep properly, but it turns out that she was just 5 weeks old and sometimes babies don't sleep that well for a while.)