Newborn Necessities Part 2 – Newborn Photographer Camden
WELCOME!! Today’s blog post is a continuation of Part 1, covering things I have picked up from when my own children were very young, and also a few things I have collated along the way as a newborn photographer in Camden. It always helps to give advice if asked but always remember when people give advice, you take what you need and leave what you don’t. A Mothers instinct is rarely wrong, trust it, it won’t let you down.
A ‘No-Touch’ Thermometer
A quality ‘no touch’ thermometer is a really good investment and something you will absolutely love when your kids are really, really sick with viruses or infections and you need to make sure their temperature doesn’t get too high or too low (a normal body temp is anywhere between 36.5 – 37.5 degrees). You may need to monitor Bub’s temp through the night, so with a ‘no touch’ thermometer, you can just simply check Bubs temp without disturbing them. We all know that when we have a sick bub they can be really hard to get to get to sleep, and we’re exhausted as well. So the last thing you want to do is risk waking them up.
newborn-photographer-camden
Cloth Nappies AKA Spew Rags
Cloth nappies also known as spew rags are a treasure that you need to have when you have a baby. They are the old white square cloth nappies are used to use back in the 80s. You can still buy them online or from big department stores like Big W. They are invaluable when you have children, babies, newborns in the house. You can pop one over your shoulder when you’re burping Bub, you can hold one under Bubs chin when you’re burping, if Bub is sick or unwell. They’re perfect if you’re breastfeeding – if you are new to breastfeeding and you have milk coming out of everywhere they are perfect! They are just amazing squares of fabric, highly absorbent and you can just wash them and use them a thousand times and they cannot be destroyed! They are super strong, super handy and I cannot recommend them enough.
Fess Little Noses Drops and Spray
In my studio I have a fully stocked change table, and a few extra bits a pieces newborns and new Mums may need, including Fess Little Eyes Sterile Wipes to easily remove eye goo (technical term) and to remove residue from blocked tear ducts which is actually quite common. As an experienced newborn photographer in Camden its important to have these essentials on hand for clients. Fess Little Noses Drops and Spray is simply a gently saline solution. But is is powerful and just gold when Bub gets a snuffly nose. The drops just dissolve any mucous and snot and then Bub can have a good sneeze or you can suck it out with the little suction device. This is kind of gross but when Bubs breastfeeding and his nose is blocked, it is a nightmare! So to keep their nose clean Fess Little Noses Drops and Spray helps in a big way. You can get it from the chemist.
newborn-photographer-camden
Bassinette
A bassinette is helpful so Bubs can sleep in different locations, not just their cot. A bassinet or a pram which has a bassinet, is an awesome asset to have especially if Bub will be sleeping at a relative’s house or daycare down the track. It’s good have a bassinet or a pram so you can start the good habit of having bub sleep pretty much anywhere he is required to. You can have Bub sleep in the lounge room, at a friends house, at a restaurant, at grandmas house, at Uncle Bobs house… Bub will become accustomed to being able to sleep in different locations with different lighting with different sounds different noise levels so if you need to go back to work at some point, or you need a break and you want to go out for the night, you know that Bub can sleep quite happily pretty much anywhere because he is used to it.
Dimmed Night Light
A night light or lamp which can be dimmed is really helpful to flip Bubs days and nights. When babies are born, their sleep cycle is reversed to ours. When you were pregnant and you’re walking around and talking and active all day long, Bub is fast asleep. They love it, they’re just rocked to sleep as you move and they sleep all day. When you go to bed you might often find that they’re awake. That’s when they have their play time – when you’re quiet. This is when they wake up, jump around and have a stretch. So this continues after birth. You will find in the first few days of life, your baby will sleep all day long and will be up all night. So you need to change this around. You need Bub to sleep at night and be more awake during the day. So the best way that I found to do this was through the day you have the TV on, or your music on, you have light in your home naturally, there is noises…
You keep moving around like normal, leave a tv on if you can while sleeping, you make all the noise you need to. But at night time you want to teach them it’s quiet time and that you need to stay in a quiet/sleepy mode after you’ve had your night time feed. So after dark when Bub wakes for a feed, use your dimmed nightlight, don’t talk to Bub, don’t stimulate Bub, don’t smile, don’t play… You feed and change Bub, have another feed and pop Bub back down. That’s it. It only takes them a day or two to figure it out. Newborns are incredibly intelligent and they can feel that we are slow paced during the night, they need to be slow paced as well. In the day time we talk, we laugh, we smile, we play, we have the noise going, we have a light… This is the time to be awake and active.
For more helpful advice and tips, check out the Tresillian website https://www.tresillian.org.au/advice-tips/newborn/ there is lots of helpful advice there.
Contact Karen here to book your portrait session for your own family.
Karen Ashcroft
Newborn Photographer Camden
