Everything about caring for a baby, and any child, is trial and error. You try one thing and it doesn't work, so you have to rethink how to do things. Here are some tips on things I have learned via trial and error.
If your baby doesn't want to sleep for a nap or bedtime, have them do tummy time on a rug. That is really the only way for them to get tired, other than crying, but there is no need for them to cry a lot to get tired. Just have them do tummy time.
If they seem bored, have them play with an empty water bottle. It is lightweight so it won't hurt them. If there is water in it, they might figure out how to open it and so get water all over. Make sure it's empty or has very little water in it.
Change their diaper often. I think the Dry and Gentle diapers work for the day time hours, and you will save lots of money using those. Babies don't pee as much at one time during the day. At night though they drink more and pee more, if you check on them every few hours as you should. Get Huggies or a better brand for the nighttime hours. Otherwise, your baby might get a diaper rash in the folds of their skin. Check them all over periodically to make sure they don't have a red rash anywhere. Apply diaper rash cream if they get a rash. The Desitin rash cream works very well to clear up rashes.
Hold your baby at least once every hour. It is nice when they can lay around and play with toys or watch TV, but you should pick them up at least once every hour. Hug them, dance around the room with them, bounce them on your knee in case they need to burp and clean them with wet wipes. Always keep their hands and neck clean. At night though, try to keep them laying down in one place, or else they will wake up and not go back to sleep easily. Change their diaper wherever they are sleeping while they are laying down. That will make your life happier and easier.
Don't hold your baby non-stop all day. They need to learn to be independent from you. Also try to maintain a clean house while caring for your baby. It is good for you and the baby to have a clean environment. So often moms neglect their household duties when caring for their baby. Don't do that.
Bottles. It is hard to find a great bottle. I like the Dr. Brown bottles but without the insert. It seems to flood out and get milk all over if you keep the insert in. I don't know why someone decided to put that in bottles. It was a bad invention. I had issues with my first two girls of milk getting all over, once they were holding their own bottles. Just take the insert out. If your child is doing sleep drinking, take the bottle out of their mouth. They can choke if they are not careful to keep drinking when they are falling asleep. Give them that bottle when they wake up. That is a safer time for them to drink.
If you want to save yourself from the crazy rush to get a bottle in the middle of the night, have a bottle on their dresser at all times. Prep lots of bottles before bedtime and refrigerate them. Always bring out a cold one when you give them the bottle that you had ready by their bed. This will prevent them from crying a lot in the middle of the night.
Bath time. If your baby likes bath time, give them a bath every night. They sleep better after a bath. If they seem to hate it, you can mostly clean them with wet wipes until they enjoy bathtime again. You are able to clean them everywhere with wet wipes if you prefer to do it that way. It can be safer because you don't have to worry about water getting in their ears that way.
Don't sleep train your baby. Kids don't sleep through the night until they are about 4. Not even kidding. If you don't help them throughout the night, that is child neglect and abuse. That is just my opinion on that topic. Babies and toddlers need to be fed very often 24 hours a day to stay healthy.
Good luck with your baby and good job fellow moms! You are all super women and men! :)
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