Every woman becomes a mother at some point in her life and it is the most beautiful feeling in the world. The baby’s first cry and the first smile, it all has a certain charm to it. Motherhood is the single most gratifying role that a woman plays. Although it is extremely understandable that it comes with certain challenges and requires an unending effort from the mother’s part, yet it is still the most fulfilling part of a woman’s life. Raising a child has its perks along with some trials with it. Usually it is best for moms-to-be to gather some useful information about raising a child so that the job becomes more pleasurable than tiresome. There are certain useful guidelines that mothers should be acquainted to before giving birth; few of which are mentioned below.
Most mothers are unsure as to how to prepare for a baby’s birth. They often end up buying excessive and useless stuff that the baby won’t need at the time of birth. Therefore instead of spending money on inadequate things such as toys and rattles and clothes that are too big for a newborn, you should focus on buying stuff that will come in handy when the baby arrives. Some of this stuff includes sleep suits, under shirts, socks, receiving blankets and woolen blankets during winter and an all-in-one garment for cold weather (snowsuit). Also make sure to buy enough packets of diapers (6-8) but not too many of one size as the size of the baby changes. Things that come in handy for maintaining the baby’s hygiene include wet wipes for use on babies, diaper rash cream, soft towels, soap and shampoo – the one suitable for newborns, safety scissors etc.
Another beneficial course of action that mothers should be familiar with are common illnesses among children. Infants and toddlers are prone to a number of different diseases. Common cold is one of the most communal childhood diseases. Symptoms include a runny nose, watery eyes, sore throat, cough, sneezing etc. Since it is a virus it takes time for the child to recover. In such cases mothers can encourage their children to drink lots of fluids, blow their nose every time it feels blocked, and use nasal saline spray to reduce congestion. Dry air increases the symptoms of cold, hence, keep the atmosphere around the child, humid. Diarrhea and dehydration is another very common disease among children. Certain things mothers should know about rehydrating their children include; giving the child as much of the rehydrating solution (ORS) as they need, giving them alternative fluids such as milk and juices, preparing the solution in clean utensils etc.
Children love to explore and search for stuff that fascinates them. From the moment they start crawling they will want to play with everything they can get a hold of. During such curiosity they can end up hurting themselves and cause the parents to freak out in a fraction of a second. To prevent accidents, you can adopt certain measures which come in very handy. Keep all kinds of medicines out of reach of children. Keep stuff like cosmetics and cigarettes where children can’t reach them. All sort of stuff that can cause a choking hazard like coins, beads, jewelry etc. should be kept away from the reach of children.Make sure not to buy toys that contain small pieces that can be easily swallowed by the child. Keep matches and lighters out of their reach and cover all electricity and gas outlets properly.
All the valuable procedures mentioned above and loads of other stuff is mentioned in the book by Du’aa Ra’oof Shaheen called “Now you are a Mother”. This book is extremely useful for all the moms-to-be; especially the ones having their first baby. It is a unique guideline for all the mothers that provides directions as to how to raise children in accordance with the Islamic principles. It is a must-read for all the new moms who wish to be prepared for childbirth and wantraise their child appropriately.
