Having a new baby in the house is a life-changing experience in more ways than one. It comes with a great deal of joy and can be a bit overwhelming during the first 30 days as you adjust to your new life with your little one. That’s why I wanted to share these must-know newborn hacks to help make this transition easier for you, whether it’s your first baby or not.
Every baby is so different, so even if you aren’t a new mom, these newborn hacks can still help you through this stage. You might know what to expect and be more aware than your first time during postpartum, but you likely have forgotten some things this time around as well, as we all do!
So, here are my top newborn hacks you need to know! You’ll find them organized into these categories:
- Newborn Sleep Hacks
- Newborn Care Hacks
- Newborn Feeding Hacks
- Newborn Diapering Hacks
- On-The-Go With Your Newborn Hacks
- Newborn Tips and Hacks for Mama
Newborn Sleep Hacks
When you have a new baby, sleep is a precious commodity and let’s be honest, it can be challenging. Here are our favorite newborn sleep hacks to help you and your little one get better sleep.
1. Use Soft Night Lights in the Nursery
During the first 30 days, you will be up at night feeding your baby, regardless if you are bottle feeding or breastfeeding. So, you need to make sure you have a nice, soft night light.
You don’t want something too bright, as it will keep you and your baby awake. But you also need something light enough to help you change diapers and prepare feedings.
These square night lights are light-sensitive and dimmable, so you can adjust them to fit your needs. They are super helpful and perfect for the first month.
Another option is to use a Himalayan Salt Lamp in your baby’s nursery.
Or, you can try out this baby night light that will turn on with a tap. You can quickly adjust the light with just a touch without ever getting up. Plus, it is small enough you can keep it on your nightstand or in your diaper caddy and use it as soon as your baby wakes up.
Struggling with your baby’s sleep? I’m here to help. Join my affordable holistic sleep membership, the Gentle Sleep Society, for expert guidance, practical tips, and a supportive community. Use code GENTLESLEEP to save $10 today and start your journey to better sleep!
2. Learn and Memorize the 5 S’s
The 5 S’s are popular for a reason — they work. And once I learned this, it was a life-saver for me!
This sleep hack for newborns is to learn the 5 S’s that will help your baby sleep, thus helping you sleep! Dr. Harvey Karp developed these tips that help trigger the calming reflex all little ones have.
The five S’s are
- Swaddling
- Side or Stomach Position
- Shushing
- Swinging
- Sucking
Many new parents find each of these very successful in helping their little one stop crying. Try out each one and see which ones work best for your baby!
I found them personally very useful and used these when both my littles were babies. I remember watching the video while holding my newborn in my arms because I just needed so much help.
3. Know Your Baby’s Wake Windows
Contrary to what I thought as a first-time mom, babies can’t stay up for hours on end. And this doesn’t make them sleep better. It makes them overtired and cranky.
Babies actually only have very short wake windows and it will benefit you BOTH to know your baby’s wake window.
What exactly does this mean? Newborns take up to 5 naps per day, and they can sleep for up to 20 hours per day. A wake window is the period of time your baby can reasonably stay awake in between naps.
And for a newborn? The wake window is tiny! It can be as short as 30-45 minutes sometimes. (Check out our full baby wake-time chart.)
So, knowing this, your baby’s activities post-nap should be pretty limited in most instances. Wake, eat, play or hang out with mama, and then get ready for the next nap.
4. Learn Your Baby’s Tired Cues
On that same note, it’s wise to also know your baby’s sleep cues:
Early Sleep Cues:
These are early signs that your baby is getting tired. You might notice your baby starting to slow down and play less. They might seem to engage or interact less with you.
- Body movements start getting slower
- Make less noise or gets quieter
Sleep Cues:
Once you start seeing these sleep cues, your baby is ready to sleep. Do what you need to do to get your baby to bed. If you miss these cues, your baby might get cranky and overtired.
- Starts to coo
- Tugs at their ears
- Rubs their face
- Yawns
Late Sleep Cues:
These are late sleep cues that indicate your baby is overdue for a nap. Do what you can to get your baby to sleep before these cues start to show up; or just get your baby to sleep as soon as possible after these cues appear.
- Crying
- Tugs on their clothes
- Bends backward or arches their back
These are some general cues to learn to give you insight into when your little one needs to sleep. But, remember that each baby is different.
Watch your baby to learn their cues. Try your best to keep an eye out for the sleepy signs that they give you; it will make your life so much easier to know that they are tired.
Struggling with your baby’s sleep? I’m here to help. Join my affordable holistic sleep membership, the Gentle Sleep Society, for expert guidance, practical tips, and a supportive community. Use code GENTLESLEEP to save $10 today and start your journey to better sleep!
5. Use an Exercise Ball to Get Baby to Sleep
This was another one of my favorite newborn tips! I can’t believe it’s only #5 on the list.
You might have noticed that many newborn mom hacks involve sleep, and this is another one.
Babies love to be bounced in your arms, but it can become very tiring, especially if you have to stand the entire time. A quick and more effortless method is to gently bounce your baby while you sit on an exercise ball.
You will be more comfortable, and it will put your newborn to sleep right away. Don’t worry about developing a sleep habit just quite yet in the first couple of months; you can always stop after the first month or when you aren’t so exhausted.
For me, it was an easy way to get the boys to fall asleep and it strengthened my abs in the meantime, so it was a win-win.
6. Use Blackout Curtains to Extend Naps and Nighttime Sleep
Using blackout curtains in your baby’s nursery and in your bedroom can help contribute to good sleep hygiene — and better sleep for your baby. A good blackout curtain will block out the outside light and help your baby sleep and settle in better.
While some babies can sleep anywhere, in any kind of lighting, and with high levels of noise in the background, my babies weren’t like this. So it depends on your baby’s temperament, but most babies will sleep a little longer in a dark space. (In fact, as I’m typing this, we’re staying in a hotel with great blackout curtains and everyone slept better and longer.)
Blackout curtains are a great baby sleep hack for the newborn phase — and for any age!
7. Use a Heating Pad – Trust Me on This!
While we are on the topic of sleep, another incredible newborn sleep hack to help your baby get more sleep is to gently warm up their crib or bassinet before putting them down in the crib or bassinet.
You can safely do this by using a heating pad on the low to medium setting for a few minutes before you want your baby to sleep. Babies are used to warmth in the womb and in mama’s arms, and a crib or bassinet that’s been sitting unused for some time will be cold to the touch. So using a heating pad to gently and safely warm the space beforehand helps your baby sleep longer.
This will help them stay warm and be comfortable as it mimics the warmth you give them as you are holding them.
(Note: You must remove the heating pad before placing your baby down to stay safe, and you need to also double-check that the surface isn’t actually hot.)
This was one of the most life-saving newborn hacks I had learned as a new mom.
8. Give a Bath Before Bedtime
Another way to help your baby go to sleep better is to bathe your baby before putting them to sleep at night. This is another way to help distinguish between day and night too, and an overall great part of your baby’s bedtime routine.
9. Distinguish Days From Nights
One of the best baby hacks for new moms is to start as soon as possible to help your baby distinguish between day and night. It will help you both get so much sleep now and for the rest of your lives.
This doesn’t mean keeping your newborn up all day long; that will make them overtired and won’t help at all.
What you can do is make your daytime routine very different from your nighttime and bedtime routine. This means treating the morning/daytime and evening differently.
Start the day with a 10 minute walk outside in the morning sun, before 8am. And then go for a sunset walk before bed to help reset their circadian rhythm.
When they are awake during the day, make sure you have the sunlight coming through the windows and you talk to them happily and at normal volume. Be sure to get out of the house and soak up some sunlight when you can. When it’s naptime, have a specific routine that you only use during the day.
Then, at night, start to slow things down. You can dim the lights and speak in a gentler, softer tone to help them prepare for bed and learn that it is nighttime. Start the night off with your set bedtime routine and keep it simple during middle-of-the-night wakings.
This distinction will help your baby go back to sleep faster after the night feedings and help you set up a good sleep routine for them later on.
Struggling with your baby’s sleep? I’m here to help. Join my affordable holistic sleep membership, the Gentle Sleep Society, for expert guidance, practical tips, and a supportive community. Use code GENTLESLEEP to save $10 today and start your journey to better sleep!
Newborn Feeding Hacks
Feeding your newborn has its own learning curve! Here are some helpful feeding hacks to help you as you navigate this with your new baby. You might also want to read up on our guide to the most genius breastfeeding tips for new mamas because this truly deserves its own guide.
10. Feed Your Newborn After Waking Up
Many moms struggle with their newborns falling asleep while nursing and then waking up 10 minutes into a nap because they are still hungry. Speaking from experience, this struggle is REAL.
A simple way to help prevent this is to feed your little one right when they wake up during the newborn stage. Though I don’t recommend sleep training, there are many sleep books that talk about this kind of routine. (Note: don’t read sleep training books. They’ll just mess with your expectations about baby sleep.)
You can remember it as the EASY method:
- Eat
- Activity
- Sleep
- You time
As your baby gets older and is less sleepy, you can definitely nurse to sleep. But during the newborn stage, it’s harder because of how sleepy those newborns are! If you follow this method, you won’t need to struggle with waking your baby to nurse longer (see the next newborn hack), or with that dreaded 10-minute nap.
11. Gently Wake Baby if Needed
Maybe you’re not able to feed your baby right when they wake up from every nap, or you just haven’t switched up your baby’s routine yet. This tip is for you.
First, let me acknowledge that it is biologically normal for babies to fall asleep at the breast, but that isn’t so great when they aren’t getting enough to eat and will wake up a few minutes — still hungry — into their naptime.
If your baby falls asleep at the breast and you know they haven’t nursed long enough to satiate them, gently stroke their hands or feet to stimulate or wake them.
You can also change baby’s nursing position to try and wake them enough to continue the feeding. Otherwise, the best bet is to feed after a nap as mentioned above.
12. Nurse a Newborn for Comfort
If your baby seems hungry or even fussy, go through the fussy baby checklist. But be sure to also always offer a breast whenever your little one seems fussy (after you change their diaper and make sure they are not sleepy).
If other calm-down methods don’t work, your baby will be upset and will have a harder time latching to your nipple when you offer the breast.
So if your baby is due for a feed, or just seems to be having a hard time, it’s OK to offer the breast. In fact, it’s encouraged.
Feeding on demand will also help you with your milk supply. Cluster feeding is normal during the newborn stage and allows you to increase your milk to be able to feed your baby whenever they need it.
You can risk having a lower supply if you don’t feed on demand. You can also get engorged boobs that will hurt and make it harder for your baby to latch if you wait to feed as well.
While you are still learning your baby’s feeding cues, offering the breast first before trying anything else is always a good idea.
13. Know Your Baby’s Hunger Cues
This first month and the rest of your child’s life will be easier on you if you learn all the baby cues for hunger and sleep, especially as first-time parents. This is one of the best baby hacks to make life easier!
Here are some hunger cues to look out for:
Early Hunger Cues:
- Smacks their lips
- Moves their tongue or mouth
- Sucks on hands or anything else, such as toys
Active Hunger Cues:
- Positions themselves for a feed, such as lying back or pulling at clothes
- Begins to fidget
- Hits your chest or arm repeatedly
- Acts fussy
- Starts breathing quicker
Late Hunger Cues:
- Moves head from side to side frantically
- Starts to cry
- Very upset
- Turns red
14. Use a Pacifier
Many moms don’t want to use a pacifier to help avoid nipple confusion, or they don’t want to suppress hunger cues. Still, when used sparingly, a pacifier can help your baby sleep a lot better, especially since it is one of the 5 S’s mentioned above!
If you are breastfeeding and don’t want nipple confusion, you can wait until the third or fourth week to introduce the pacifier. I think that was what I did.
15. Always Burp Your Baby
It may seem like sometimes your baby doesn’t need to burp, even when you try. However, if you don’t burp your little one, it can cause a lot of gas or spit up. To avoid that, wait for the burp.
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One of the newborn burping hacks that I found successful is to hold your baby upright, hold up their chin, and tilt them a little bit forward. Usually they will burp in just a few minutes, if not seconds!
16. Avoid Dairy and Soy if Needed
If your little one is experiencing colic, reflux, eczema, or digestive troubles, your pediatrician might encourage you to switch to baby formula.
After my baby started showing signs of reflux and was having green stools, our pediatrician told me I had to switch from breastfeeding to hypoallergenic baby formula. I almost listened, but I thought about it, and let her know I wanted to continue to breastfeed and wanted to know my options.
That’s when she told me I could remove certain offending foods from my diet. (Isn’t it amazing what you find out when you ask questions and tell a doctor you’re willing to do the hard things?)
Some foods will simply give your baby gas or cause constipation or other allergic reactions. For mine, it was dairy and soy for the most part, and this is common.
Dairy often causes problems for little ones, and soy protein is similar to dairy so it’s best to remove both if your baby is having these issues. But you can work with your pediatrician and a lactation consultant to figure out the right plan for you. I mainly wanted you to know this was an option.
Note: it does take some time for the effects of dairy to leave your system and your baby’s, so be committed to cutting dairy (100%) for several weeks.
17. Breastfeed Lying Down
One of the incredible new mom hacks if you are breastfeeding is to learn how to breastfeed while lying down. It is a lot more comfortable for you and can help you relax and rest your body during feedings, even if you don’t sleep.
If you want to try this method, you must learn how to do it correctly to keep your baby safe.
Newborn Care Hacks
18. Practice Skin-to-Skin Often
Skin-to-skin isn’t just for the first hour after birth. It’s a wonderful way to promote bonding and produce oxytocin. Make sure it isn’t cold in the house and remove baby’s clothing (keep the diaper on) and place baby on your bare chest.
There are so many incredible benefits of practicing skin to skin with your baby — well beyond the golden hour!
19. Use a Towel in the Bath Tub
If your baby doesn’t like a bath, try putting a warm washcloth over their body during the bath to keep them warm throughout the entire bath. Also, if they fuss a lot during a bath, try reducing the water temperature.
My second baby would wail through bathtime, and as he got older I realized that he ran a little hot and was probably trying to tell me that the water was too hot for him.
20. Use a Humidifier
The dry air can make it hard for babies to breathe, causing babies to wake up and be fussy. A baby humidifier is a nice and easy fix to that!
21. Chamomile Tea for Tummy Issues
This is one of the first-time mom hacks you may not even need; it depends on your little one! The digestive tract is still developing during the first 30 days, so your newborn might be uncomfortable and showing signs of gas, constipation, or other digestive discomforts.
If your baby is struggling with gas or stomach pain, a tiny amount of organic chamomile tea or organic gripe water might be helpful.
22. Zipper Pajamas ONLY
This is another one of the best mom hacks for newborns I’ve found! Snap-on clothes are so hard to put on a wiggly baby, especially in the middle of the night. Using zipper pajamas only will definitely make your life much easier.
23. Use Velcro Swaddles
Swaddling is comfortable and soothing for your little one as it mimics the womb, but it can be tricky and time-consuming. If you decide to swaddle (and not everyone does), using zipper or velcro swaddles helps save you time and still keeps your baby nice and relaxed.
Plus, these types of swaddles usually stay a lot better than the traditional swaddle, especially if your baby wiggles a lot!
If your newborn is too small for a velcro swaddle, I promise you they will soon grow into them. There’s nothing wrong with not swaddling your baby, either; you might just have to put up with some early wakeups and the Moro reflex (aka the spreading of the hands).
24. Do Tummy Time After Diaper Changes
Tummy time is crucial to babies as it helps them to develop important muscles for skills later on, such as sitting up, crawling, and walking on their own. However, many babies don’t enjoy tummy time! And who can blame them?
So, if you are trying regular tummy time and all you get is constant crying, try having tummy time on the changing table for a short time after a diaper change, or even on your chest. Your baby can still develop those muscles, but they are still connected to you all the while.
As they get older, you can always slowly move them to the floor. This is a great baby hack for moms to help avoid the crying!
25. Have a Diaper Changing Station on Every Floor of the House
Keeping a diaper changing station on every floor or room in your house is one of the best hacks for babies. You will constantly be changing diapers, and if the only diaper-changing area is up the stairs, it can become very exhausting for you.
Have a diaper caddy with everything you will need inside (diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, etc.), and keep them around the house. This will help you take care of business without having to run all over the place.
On-The-Go Newborn Hacks
26. Invest in a Good Baby Carrier
Another one of the best new parent hacks is to get a good, non-toxic baby carrier. Newborns want to remain close to you, and you will need to hold them a lot during the day. However, that limits you on what you can get done during the day.
Babywearing is extremely beneficial and helps free your hands for everyday tasks or if you have toddlers to take care of as well.
Some moms prefer a fabric baby carrier, while others like the clip-on sturdier ones; it is all about your preference and what fits your baby. Find one that is comfortable for both you and your baby and gives you enough support, so you don’t hurt your back.
Then, when you’re out with your baby — even on a walk around your neighborhood — you and baby can stay close to one another. This also works great for when you need to be hands-free at home. I used to have my youngest nap on me in the baby carrier at least once a day so I could get some active outdoor exploration time in with my toddler, wash the dishes, or just tidy up.
27. Bring a Portable Sound Machine
If your baby doesn’t fall asleep naturally during a car ride or a stroll in the stroller, a portable sound machine might help. I found my youngest to really need the soothing sound of a portable sound machine to help him nap and settle when we weren’t home.
28. Use a Diaper Backpack
Instead of a regular diaper bag, opt for a diaper bag backpack. You’ll find these are much easier to carry when you are traveling or holding your infant compared to a bag hanging from one shoulder.
Diaper backpacks also fit a lot more things! Many include insulated pockets for your baby bottles which can be very helpful when you need to feed your baby when you are out and about.
29. Use a Stroller that Folds Up Easily
You’re out with your newborn and need to put the stroller away. But you also have to load baby in the car and pack your shopping bags in the car. Then, there’s the diaper bag and your water bottle…
SO much stuff. But now your baby is crying.
One thing that can help is having a non-toxic stroller that folds down easily! You can get strollers with a one-handed-fold or strollers that stand up when folded down. Either way is helpful.
30. Have Diapering Backups in the Car
Having a diaper station all prepared in the car will come in handy more often than not. You will always have a diaper and wipes when you are out and about and will have extra clothes.
It also helps when you forget to pack a diaper bag before heading out; you know you at least have the backup diaper bag in the car. Always keep it full and switch it out every now and then to make sure you have the correct diaper size and clothing.
31. Always Have Extra Outfits on Hand
You never know when your baby will have an accident and need a change of clothes. Keeping an extra outfit or two on hand is always a good idea, especially if you are away from home.
This is important for both you and your little one. While you might always prepare some for your baby, sometimes the mess gets on your clothes, so keep a backup shirt for you just in case!
Newborn Diapering Hacks
32. When NOT to Change a Diaper
Most often, after feeding your little one, they will need a diaper change. However, it is best to give it a few minutes before changing their diaper. If you change it too fast, you might end up getting pee or poop all over the place.
It is best to wait about 15 to 30 minutes before changing their diaper. It also helps them digest better when they are sitting up and will avoid spit up too!
Another thing to consider is that if you nurse your baby right before a car ride, they may spit up or have a poop explosion. I’m speaking 100% from real-life experience, and for some reason it took me months to figure this one out. Just something to think about when it comes to timing your nursing sessions!
33. Use Onesie Flaps
There are flaps on the shoulders of onesies for a reason, and it is another incredible newborn baby hack you need to use.
Use the flaps to take off the onesie top down to help avoid cleaning poop out of your baby’s hair or the top half of the body. The flaps fold down so you can quickly and easily change a blowout diaper.
34. Layer Diapers (but not how you think!)
This tip will help you avoid messes. Before removing your baby’s wet or dirty diaper, place a clean diaper underneath the old diaper.
Then, remove the flaps from your baby’s dirty diaper and wipe your baby down. Fold and remove the old diaper and — voila — your next diaper is already ready to go. You’ve just minimized the risk of a #1 or #2 mess.
Newborn Hacks for Mama
35. Download a Baby Tracker App
There is so much to keep track of when caring for a newborn. From diaper changes and naps to breastfeeding sessions and pumping, there’s a lot that you can’t be expected to remember.
Tracking these things in the early days helps you know everything the doctor asks and will help you ensure your baby is healthy and developing normally.
Try using a baby tracker app for an easy way to track it all in one place. You won’t have to worry about remembering it all in your head, and it is a newborn hack to help keep your life as simple as possible.
36. Prioritize Rest and Recovery
I know, this should have been earlier on the list. But rest and recovery are the main priority for mama and baby during the newborn stage.
While you will not get a full night’s sleep with a newborn, there are some important things you can do to get more sleep during the newborn stage.
If you give birth in the hospital, ask that they refrain from waking you up unless absolutely necessary and have your husband or a nurse take care of your little one as much as possible until you need to feed.
When you get home with your new baby, do whatever you need to get your newborn to sleep during the first month. Contact napping, nursing to sleep — the whole deal. Since it is still very early on, you don’t have to worry about building any bad sleep habits or sleep associations just yet, so just get some sleep however you can!
Cocoon with your baby in your home, maybe even in your bedroom. Don’t rush anything — the two of you simply need some rest and recovery.
37. Share the Workload and Ask for Help
As a mom of a newborn, you will quickly realize you have many (likely competing) responsibilities, while you’re also recovering from birth and caring for your new baby. Any new mama would be burnt out and exhausted if she doesn’t ask for help or share the workload.
To help you recover, rest, and take care of your precious little one as best as possible, you need to use as much help as possible. If you have a partner, have them take care of cleaning and cooking if possible. If you are bottle-feeding, your spouse can help with night feedings to make sure you are getting enough rest.
When someone offers to help, let them! It may be hard to ask for or receive help, but it will only help you be the best mom possible.
38. Forget About the Chores
You don’t have to be overwhelmed as a new mom. You can let most chores go, at least for part of the time. You might have to stay consistent on laundry but it’s OK to do just the bare minimum, especially in the first week or two after giving birth.
You can use disposable plates to help, even if it is just for a bit, to allow you to rest as much as possible, recover, and bond with your baby.
If you can, you can also hire some help with chores or ask for help from friends and family. Eat frozen meals or even takeout for a few days if needed as well.
This is one of the new mom life hacks that might be challenging to do, but it is worth it. Do what you can and let go of the rest.
39. Try and Get Out of the House
Exhaustion and lack of sunlight contribute to postpartum depression, so leaving the house will help you as a new mom more than you might think. Not only can it help your mood, but it can also help you get back to a routine on which you and your baby will thrive.
Go for a walk with your baby in the stroller, enjoy getting together with a friend, stroll around the mall, or do whatever you can to get out of the house as often as you can.
40. Meet Other New Mom Friends
When you have a new baby, your new best friends will be other new moms with babies close in age. There’s something so beneficial about having that kind of solidarity! It’s great because you can text each other about whatever current stage your baby is in, and they can not only relate, but offer advice.
Meet new mom friends at the park, at a baby play gym, or at your mommy & me class. There’s also an app that you can use to meet local moms.
41. Order In
Another great way to lighten your load is to use subscriptions and technology as much as possible. It is there to help you and is a wonderful blessing for many moms as they allow them to not leave the house with their brand-new baby.
Amazon, Instacart, food deliveries, Shipt and so many other subscriptions are so nice when you can’t leave the house or just need sleep instead of grocery shopping.
That’s a Wrap on Our Newborn Hacks
These newborn hacks will help make your transition to motherhood easier and more peaceful. Bringing home your newborn is such a joyous time, and using any of these tips and tricks will help you rest, recover, and enjoy your precious bundle of joy as much as possible.
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