Becoming a mom for the first time is exciting and daunting all at the same time. You’ll have so many questions, and probably wonder each and every day if you’re doing a good job. If that’s something you’re concerned about, you’re probably doing great!

Any mom who cares and worries is a mom who loves their baby and that is the first and most important step in raising a happy and healthy baby. We’ve rounded up a few key things to think about and focus your attention on when you have your first baby.

Nutrition

The nutrients your child takes in in their early stages of development play a major role in their growth, health and development in the long term. Taking this seriously will set a good foundation that will impact their health and happiness for years to come. Breastfeeding your baby is often considered the best possible nutrition, especially for a newborn. However, this isn’t always achievable for all moms. Alula S-26 gold formula milk is designed to provide optimised nutrition for your newborn and is a great alternative (or supplement) to breastmilk.

Play

Keeping your baby’s mind occupied and stimulated is very important, both for their happiness and for their learning. Babies learn from their environments and from you – the parents and caretakers – and how you interact with them.

Being actively involved in play and learning will help to ensure that your little one experiences learning as fun and develop their early skills. Educational toys with loads of bright colours and different shapes and textures will contribute to their development. Reading them stories and talking to them will not only help them learn how to speak but will make them feel loved and comforted by your presence.

Sleep

This is obviously a tricky one. All babies are different when it comes to sleep. Some tend to need a lot of sleep, some struggle with sleep, and if you’re lucky your baby will be somewhere in the middle. However, this isn’t often the case! Monitoring your baby’s sleeping patterns and habits will help you to ensure that they’re getting enough (but not too much) rest and can also help to ensure some down time for mom and dad, which is just as important.

Learn

This one is for you, mom and dad, and not so much for the baby. It’s important that you pay attention to your baby and learn along this journey. Learn from mistakes, learn how to handle certain situations, and learn your baby’s cues. Understanding your baby’s needs comes with time and practice, but you’ll soon start to notice when they’re trying to tell you something.

Parenting is a journey that goes on for years. Each new stage of development brings new challenges and new joys too! Learning as you go along is the most important thing to do, and keep in mind that if you have a second baby, you’ll be learning all over again.