[LiteraryLark]

EDIT: My Dad's coworker is due in April and he and my mom suggested I offer to nanny her newborn. They said she does not have much family and may have to give up her job if--they thought--it would be hard on her to let a stranger watch over her newborn.

I have no experience with newborns, or children in general, but I'd be willing to learn. Do you have stories of newborns, techniques, or resources to prepare myself to be a nanny? Thank you.

[LiteraryLark]

Sorry, please ask questions if I am not specific enough. He just asked me and this is all new to me. When in doubt, PC friends!

[LiteraryLark]

She may say no, but I'm hoping to get prepared with resources if she says yes.

[TishaBuv]

I raised three boys. There are basic things to know about caring for a newborn. There are great books about baby care that can quickly teach you.

They mostly sleep, but you have to keep a close eye on them. They can get into crying fits, too, which can be pretty stressful sometimes if they are gassy.

At least you won't be the one having to nurse (breast feed).

[LiteraryLark]

Originally Posted by TishaBuv

I raised three boys. There are basic things to know about caring for a newborn. There are great books about baby care that can quickly teach you.

They mostly sleep, but you have to keep a close eye on them. They can get into crying fits, too, which can be pretty stressful sometimes if they are gassy.

At least you won't be the one having to nurse (breast feed).

Would you recommend any books?

My friend Allison is getting her teaching credentials and said she has some textbooks she can loan me about newborn care.

I have a semi-brilliant idea. My boss at my last job is a new mom and still breastfeeding...would it be appropriate to ask her about caring for newborns?

[LiteraryLark]

I believe the expecting mom will be having a girl but I'm not positive.

[unaluna]

There are nanny training classes like at the red cross. You learn stuff like resuscitation as well as regular baby stuff. But as you can see, i dont know nuthin bout birthin babies.

[Teddy Bear]

Always remember that baby poop can be any color. The first multi color diaper tripped me out.

[TishaBuv]

Originally Posted by unaluna

There are nanny training classes like at the red cross. You learn stuff like resuscitation as well as regular baby stuff. But as you can see, i dont know nuthin bout birthin babies.

Getting certified in CPR with the Red Cross is a great idea.

[TishaBuv]

https://www.huggies.com.au/parenting/ebooks
Found some free books from Huggies.

I see plenty of free on line guides and books.

The first baby poop was surprisingly horrifyingly black tar!

[Crazy Hitch]

I'd recommend you bring this up with the mother to be first before you expend your energy on looking after a newborn, incase she already has other plans in place.

[bronzeowl]

If she's planning to breastfeed, she'll have to give up her job for a while regardless. Newborns need to be fed on demand, and they tend to eat every 2 hours. Some of them even cluster feed, and will eat every hour.

As someone who currently has a baby, I have to admit, I wouldn't be willing to leave my newborn with someone who doesn't have the proper credentials. I'd want them to know first aid for babies, to know what to do if the baby is choking, to know what to do when the baby is going through the period of purple crying or colic (even parents have been known to get frustrated and have to put the baby down and walk away, after all), etc.

Taking care of a newborn isn't easy. The newborn period is probably the hardest of any of the baby stages. Some of them spend most of their time crying, they need to eat every 2-3 hours, they have no concept of sleep schedules, etc.

Definitely talk with her first. She may appreciate you being willing to babysit, at the very least. When I had a newborn, I would have been so grateful if someone had offered to at least babysit. I would have turned down an offer to nanny, but an offer to babysit? Heck yes.

[bronzeowl]

Originally Posted by Teddy Bear

Always remember that baby poop can be any color. The first multi color diaper tripped me out.

Haha yup. The first few poops are tar black. They look gross.

You probably won't see those ones, though, as they happen the first few days of life (when the mom will be in the hospital).

The ones you want to look out for are white poos (sometimes are VERY bad, always worry if you see them), black poos past the first week of life, and any red in poo (unless they've started solids and ate something red). Beyond those three, any color is normal. Breastfed babies tend to be green or yellow.