Baby 101

Take our refresher course on newborn care so you'll be ready to chip in

by Lambeth Hochwald

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If you think holding your own baby for the first time was the most earth-moving experience, just imagine how magical it’ll be to hold your grandchild. There’s nothing like it. And, even though we know that not too much has changed since you were in charge a few decades ago, it never hurts to do a little Baby 101.

Here’s a Grandparents.com refresher course on all you need to know about babyland, including easy how-tos and a few splurge opportunities to get you motivated.

Bathing: We know it. You know it. You’re probably going to do more oohing and aahing than actual hands-on sudsing. No matter. Be on deck with a hooded towel and you’ll be a hero, and the subject of a great photo-op. If, however, you’ll be doing the whole thing, an inch of lukewarm water will do. PS: You know this already but it bears repeating: Never leave the baby in the tub for a sec, even to pick up the phone — which hasn’t stopped ringing since the baby arrived.

Splurge: Swaddle your grandbaby in a 210-thread count, Egyptian cotton hooded towel from dwellbaby ($48; Dwellshop.com) and you’ll set her up for a life of luxury.

Burping: Gas is one of the things that rocks a baby’s world most. To help her out, place her on your shoulder and gently pat her back, just like you did with your kids, says Ari Brown, MD, a pediatrician and co-author of Baby 411: Clear Answers and Smart Advice for your Baby’s First Year. Do this for five to 10 minutes tops. If this doesn’t loosen all that milky matter, stop. She’ll do it on her own.

Splurge: To avoid getting baby gunk all over your favorite Izod, place a Mod Circle Baby Burpie burp cloth ($18/two; www.egiggle.com) on your shoulder. You’ll not only be the hippest burper in town, but you’ll save on dry-cleaning.

Diapering: If you’re up for this (stinky) job, make it cinchier by laying out your supplies before you do the deed. You’ll have instant flashbacks as you apply wipes, diaper rash cream and put on the replacement diaper.

Splurge: If you have a grandson, especially, consider The Pee-pee Teepee ($14/five; www.bebabean.com). With this 100 percent cotton cone-shaped cloth, you can almost guarantee a splash-proof diaper change!

Dressing: If it’s a little nippy for your power walk through Central Park but not chilly enough to stay home, just follow the one-extra-layer rule, suggests Wendy Wilcox, MD, MPH, assistant professor of OB/GYN at Montefiore Medical Center in the New York. Who would have thought there was any logic to, “Put on a sweater, I’m cold!” You’ll know she’s schvitzing if she shrieks or looks beet-red.

Feeding: At meal time, do what comes naturally: Cradle your favorite baby in the crook of one arm while holding the bottle in the other. All is going well if your granddaughter gives you that glazed, happy look while chugging the good stuff.

Splurge: Any spit-up session will be a dim memory when you change her into an ‘I Might Barf’ infant snapsuit ($22; www.uncommongoods.com). Nothing like a little irony.

Holding: Your grandchild will be a brain surgeon or rock star one day, but right now he’s not very good at keeping his head up. For the first few months, support his head with one hand, his body with the other, suggests Dr. Brown.

Sleeping: There’s not much to know. You put the baby down and she, hopefully, sleeps. That said, keep one thing in mind. Always put your grandchild on her back (not her stomach) for nap or bedtime. “This reduces the number of SIDS [Sudden Infant Death Syndrome] deaths by 50 percent,” says Dr. Wilcox. “There are no ifs, ands and buts about this.”