8 Mistakes To Avoid With A Baby
Being a mother is a complex task. It is essential that you know what are the mistakes to avoid with a baby. Love and patience are the two keys to successfully fulfilling this role.
When a woman is pregnant, she usually receives a lot of advice from other experienced mothers, and even from grandmothers. But these tips are not necessarily correct. It is therefore essential that you know what are the mistakes to never make with a baby.
Being a first-time mother is hard work, but not impossible. With the right information, practice, and a little help, you will be building your child in the best possible way. Discover here the 8 mistakes to avoid.
1. Let your child cry for a long time 
Once a mom, it is very likely that you will be overwhelmed very often. But keep in mind that your baby is in constant need of your care, and will try to contact you to let you know. A baby can only express his needs by crying.
Leaving him to cry for a long time can interfere with his proper development. Your baby will feel anxious and their stress levels will increase. This will affect his emotional and intellectual development, which in particular will result in greater dependence and lack of self-confidence.
Conversely, meeting their needs and constantly communicating with your child will boost their confidence. You will thus allow him to become a child without problem of self-esteem and able to adapt to different contexts.
2. Lay your child on his stomach to fall asleep
In the past, it was said that lying babies on their stomachs helped them expel gas and thus avoided the risk of suffocation during vomiting.
Today, specialists say that lying a baby on his stomach increases the likelihood of sudden death from asphyxiation.
To avoid unnecessary risks, lay your child on his back.
3. Leave your child alone without paying attention
It is a serious mistake to believe that babies do not move and that for this reason you can leave them alone. The babies are indeed able to return.
A child left alone unattended is the most common cause of falls. A baby in an unprotected bed at a rather high height can roll over and fall and, as a result, be seriously injured. That is why you should never lose sight of your baby.
4. Shake your baby
Shaking your baby can cause shaken baby syndrome. This syndrome is a trauma that is characterized by the brain sloshing forward and backward in the skull . This trauma can cause the following damage:
- bruises and bleeding
- blindness
- hearing loss or language impairment
- neck damage
- irreversible brain damage
- the death
5. Punish physically
When you feel that your child is behaving badly, spanking or slapping him on the hand is not the solution. Instead, you should look him straight in the eye and speak firmly to him.
Punishing him physically can have negative repercussions on his behavior : he can become an aggressive child with low self-esteem.
Another equally important consequence is that he might feel uncomfortable around you. This will then affect his intellectual development and he will probably show a lack of motivation when it comes to learning new things.
6. Do not burp your baby
The burp of the baby after each meal is essential, because it expels its gases. If you do not burp him, the child will have more colic from the gas, and will have difficulty resting and sleeping properly because of the pain.
7. Feed your baby a variety of foods
Feeding your child with foods other than breast milk or prescribed by the doctor is a common mistake. You should be aware that a baby’s digestive system develops during the first few months of life, which is why varying meals is dangerous. The risk of allergies and intolerances is high.
8. Allow your child to be in contact with bacteria and viruses
Do not touch your child without washing your hands first. You will thus avoid the risk of contagion by bacteria and viruses.
Likewise, keep your child away from anyone with flu or cold symptoms, as these symptoms in young children can lead to serious complications, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and other severe breathing problems.
Some additional recommendations
It is best that you seek specialist advice any time you have any doubts about your baby. This will prevent confusion and bad recommendations.
If you are not sure how to care for your baby, do not hesitate to seek help from someone with experience. Remember that the most important thing is to give a lot of love to your child and to make him feel that you will always be there for him.
