Advice for New Parents

Nature Beds asks Dr Jonathan Kuttner the best way to bring up your first child. Dr Kuttner says the difficulty with your first child is being able to understand what is and what isn't important. The great thing is children are tough and resilient. First time parents lack experience of how best to look after their children.

A lot of problems that will come up they will worry themselves sick about, but by their second or third child they won't be worrying about 70% of things that concerned them before.

Dr Kuttner says, "Try not to be precious." He says first time parents have ideas such as..."if my child doesn't do this - they will be damaged for life" and many other troubling thoughts. The wonderful thing is children tend to do well despite first time parent's attempts at overdoing things.

According to Dr Kuttner another issue you will face as a first time parent is you will be surrounded by experts; midwives, doctors, nurses, home visitors, your mother, mother in law and all your well meaning friends. They will all have the 'only' way to do something, and most of their ways will be different.

In fact there are so many ideas surrounding first time parents you can get very confused trying to pick your way through the mine fields of information. Your best asset is your own common sense - if it seems right to you after a little bit of consideration then it is most probably correct. The most important advice is to create a warm and clean environment and surround your child with love and attention.

Dr Kuttner is an advocate of breast feeding he says breast milk is perfectly designed for a baby at every stage of its life. In the first few days breast milk is thicker and full of the mother's antibodies that protect the baby after coming into this environment. The breast milk changes in its make up as the baby grows.

He says the act of breast feeding gets mother and baby together to create a very special bond that is unique. Dr Kuttner explains breast feeding is also a self correcting system - the mother produces just the right amount of milk for the baby and most of the time the baby will get exactly what he or she needs.

On the subject of sleep, Dr Kuttner says this is very important for a baby. It is best your baby just slips into your normal environment. He believes a quiet environment is not necessarily what a baby needs. If you sensitize your baby to sleep only when it is quiet, then if it is not absolutely quiet, your baby will wake up with the slightest noise.

Dr Kuttner says the best strategy is to carry on with your normal life and the baby will sleep right through most things. Also a non-toxic, warm, supportive bed is recommended by Dr Kuttner. And for the safety of your baby - a sleeping environment that does not have huge puffs of quilts that your baby can vanish into.

He says a baby is quite close to the bedding so it is important to make sure the materials don't give off any fumes. The bedroom needs to be warm enough, but not too hot.

The final advice from Dr Kuttner is - live your life as much as you can, don't be precious and above all use common sense. Allow your baby to fit in with your life - don't turn your normal life upside down because of your baby.

Dr Jonathan Kuttner MBBCH, Dip O&G, Dip Sports Med, Dip MSM, FRNZCGP, FAFMM was a general practitioner and obstetric doctor for twenty years before specializing in musculoskeletal & sports medicine. To learn more visit www.kuttner.co.nz