4 Fantastic Baby Tips You Might Not Know

October 23, 2022

Being a new parent is a continual learning experience, and tips and tricks from those who have “been there done that” can make the journey a little bit easier.  Here are 4 Fantastic Baby Tips You Might Not Know; actionable solutions to common infant challenges from our team because we’re all in this together.

4 Fantastic Baby Tips You Might Not Know

1. Milk of Magnesia is a great cure for diaper rash

Our nurses swear by this trick!  Milk of Magnesia is non-toxic and safe to use in the diaper region (even if it gets into the folds on female babies.) First, clean diaper region and pour milk of magnesia over diaper rash.  Then, close up diaper and wait five minutes. Afterwards, open diaper back up and apply regular ointment.  Do not rinse or wipe off the milk of magnesia when you apply.  Apply it right on top. It’s okay if it looks white and cake, that means it’s working! At the next diaper change, use a warm wash cloth to rinse and wipe the diaper region, dry, and start the process again.

2. Keep reflux babies to their left side when changing their diapers

When trying to soothe a baby who has reflux, positioning is so important. The traditional diaper change position where baby is on their back and the caregiver lifts the legs is uncomfortable for a baby with reflux because it crunches their digestive organs and encourages fluid to go back up instead of down.  Instead, position baby on the left side to change diapers. As the National Institute of Health has noted, To date the only non-pharmacological intervention proven to reduce reflux is the positioning of infants on their left side after feeding.

You can also wear your baby in an upright carrier to soothe reflux…let gravity do its job and keep the liquid from coming back up. Speaking of baby carriers…

3. Babywearing helps your baby’s development!

There are many benefits of babywearing but one of them as La Lache League points out is that the face to face contact of wearing your baby “facilitates bonding...leading to frequent verbal and non-verbal interaction, enhancing speech and social development. Additionally allowing babies to face outward allows them to see and experience the world around them!

4. Reduce the risk of SIDS with a fan

Running a fan in the room where baby is sleeping reduces the risk of SIDS by over 70%. It can be a ceiling fan, a box fan or an oscillating fan. Anything that keeps air moving and the room ventilated has been proven to be an effective intervention for further decreasing SIDS risk.

For more tricks and tips from experts please visit our Baby Tip of the Day, where we post the advice from baby nurses (RN), night nannies and other newborn care experts. If you have one to add let us know on Facebook or Insta!