Taking care of your baby is probably the most important thing going through your head right now if you are a new parent. Here are a few parenting tips to make sure your baby gets the needed attention and care.

1. Make sure that you feed your baby right. Deciding on whether you should breastfeed or bottle-feed your baby greatly depends on your personal decision and what your physician recommends. However, it has been shown that breastfeeding is still the best way to nourish newborn babies. Lots of benefits can be obtained through breastfeeding. Some medical studies have determined that breastfed infants have less hypersensitivity later in life compared with those who were raised with bottle feeding. This is mainly because the mother's milk is known to contain natural enzymes and antibodies that can help fortify the baby's immunity against infirmities. Aside from this, some doctors also believed that breast milk is responsible for superior intellect as he/she grows and becomes fully developed.

2. Sleeping tips for your baby. Your baby needs sleep in order to develop both mentally and physically. It is essential that newborn babies get 16 to 18 hours of sleep a day. A newborn will have an erratic sleep cycle. They can sleep anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours and then awake for awhile, and then repeat again. This is the most difficult time for new parents as it conflicts with their own sleep cycle. Fortunately this only lasts for about 6 weeks. After 6 weeks a regular schedule begins to develop. A newborn baby will indicate they are tired by either rubbing their eyes or crying. As soon as you see that your newborn is sleepy, you should allow them to sleep. You may have to alter your own sleep cycle by getting sleep when your baby sleeps.

3. The proper way of bathing your newborn. Newborn babies need not be bathed on a daily basis. Bathing them two to three times a week is enough. Bathe your baby using sponge baths. This is imperative at first. Tub bathing your baby can only be done once the baby's umbilical cord falls off to avoid infection.

4. A newborn's skin. The skin of a newborn baby is very soft and delicate. It is extremely sensitive. Make sure you talk with your pediatrician about what products are safe to use on your baby. It is common for newborn babies to develop skin rashes due to their ultra sensitive skin. If the rash persists or is accompanied by a fever, seek advice from your baby's doctor.

5. Medicine. The doctor may prescribe your baby medication. You need to slow down and read the instructions carefully. Ask the doctor to write the instructions down if you have trouble remembering them. You need to make sure that the dose you give your baby is exactly right. There is no room for error. You might want to start your baby off with a very small dose to make sure there is no adverse reaction first.

The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only and is not meant in any way to replace advice given by health care professionals.