Bonding & Motherhood with Huggies Newborn Wipes

When you are expecting a baby there is so much advice out there, it’s hard to know who to trust.  Everyone has an opinion and it’s a total minefield! I’ve found so far, the best people to turn to are my friends who already have children. They’ve been there and done it, so are the perfect people to go to when I need to ask a question (and there is a LOT to learn as a new Mum). After all, I’ve seen my friends in action  – rocking motherhood and bringing up gorgeous babies, so they must be doing something right! So, when I was recently contacted by Huggies Newborn Wipes to sit down and have a frank discussion about parenting with a friend who is already a Mum, I thought that sounded like a mighty fine idea. So, I brought in the tea, cakes and arranged a good old catch up with with fellow Brighton blogger and Mum of two Lauren.

At the time I was still heavily pregnant with Little V and our chat was a sudden realisation that I’d been so fixated on being pregnant, the birth and getting the nursery ready – I hadn’t had the time to think that my squiggling, growing bump at the time was about to be a very real baby. I know that sounds really silly, but there is so much to think about when you are pregnant, the actual realisation of ‘I’m going to be a Mum and take care of a tiny human‘ is really easy to forget!

So, the main part of our discussion was around bonding with a new baby. As Lauren has had two babies she is practically an expert and had lots of tips! I’ll share the video with the whole conversation below –  we cover everything from baby wearing to baby massage (plus an interesting conversation about Marmite!) plus she gave me some pro tips on making nappy changing time a lovely bonding experience – as let’s face it, I’m going to be changing a LOT of nappies!

Some of the main tips she had for bonding during change times were:

• Set up a special changing area with everything you need to hand quickly (wipes, nappies, change of clothes, nappy cream) – little babies don’t like being whipped out into the cold for too long so this helps change the baby as quickly as possible.
• Keep eye contact with your baby to calm and reassure them and keep talking to them throughout the change.
• In the early stages, forget top-and-tail bowls and cotton wool – you can now use certain wipes from the moment your baby is born. Huggies Newborn Wipes are soft and gentle enough to use from Day 1 (and also perfect to pop in your hospital bag) – wipes make things so much simpler!
• After change-time, wrap your baby up warm and give them a cuddle, so they know they are safe and close to you again.

Here is the rest of our chat….

So, that was a few weeks ago now as finally, Violet is here and I’ve been able to put all of Lauren’s expert advice to the test……

Firstly, I’ve been using all of Lauren’s advice for bonding and trying to make change times a relaxing experience for Little V. I soon learned that newborns hate being cold, so Lauren’s tips on having everything close to hand and making it a smooth calm experience really helped, especially as she hates being put into her clothes and will often scream at this point. I think if we hadn’t have had this conversation I’d have found change times quite stressful at the beginning as it’s horrible to see your baby getting so upset with you, but we’ve managed to get into some soothing habits to keep things lovely and calm for her.

The Huggies Newborn wipes have been a godsend to us – they are so soft and gentle, which is perfect for a newborns delicate skin so we’ve been able to use them from day one. This was so handy as it was much easier than getting out a top and tail bowl every time we have to change her nappy, especially when we were kept in the hospital for so long – I had a couple of packs in my hospital bag and I’m so pleased we weren’t scurrying around looking for water and a bowl with a crying baby with a dirty nappy at this time. I think what sets them apart from other wipes is that they are made with natural, absorbent fibres which gently cleans and protects their super soft newborn delicate skin. You can really feel the difference as they are lovely and soft to touch and I’ve noticed they are thicker than many of the other wipes I’ve tried.  The reason they are suitable from day one is that they are made with 99% pure water with no fragrance, plus they’re completely free from alcohol, perfume, phenoxyethanol and parabens. I’d highly recommend them to any new mum.

I’d love to know your top tips and tricks for bonding with your newborn? So, feel free to help a new Mum out and leave a comment with what you did in the comments below 🙂

Post & Video created in collaboration with Huggies Wipes