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For Kate and Will: Parents of new babies should enjoy every second with their little one and trust their own instincts.

Prince William and Duchess Kate introduce their son to the world. (Photo: Scott Heavey, Getty Images)

Fall in love with your baby. Enjoy every second with the little one. Trust your own instincts when rearing your child. This is child-rearing advice for new parents, like Prince William and Duchess Kate, from top U.S. parenting experts.

It's not easy to raise a child, and Will and Kate face additional challenges trying to rear the Prince of Cambridge in the public eye.

Still, like all new parents, they should "fall crazily in love with him and enjoy every minute of his life unfolding," says Judith Palfrey, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical and a senior associate in medicine at Boston Children's Hospital.

Every new baby comes into the world ready to develop as each of his or her senses comes into contact with the people and environment around him, she says. "Babies don't need to be bombarded by stimulation, but gently introduced to new sounds, sights, tastes and smells. They grow in understanding as they feel new objects and crawl or toddle to new spaces. Quiet times of play and reading together will build confidence and memories and joy," she says.

STORY: STORY: T. Berry Brazelton: A life caring for children New parents, even Will and Kate, face highs, lows

You may think others know more about parenting than you do, but they don't, says T. Berry Brazelton, one of the country's most renowned pediatricians and a leading pioneer in early childhood development. "You know your baby better than anyone else, so follow your instinct, and by watching his responses and his behavior - which is his language - he will tell you how to parent him.

"Don't worry about any mistakes for you can learn from them until you hit what works," says Brazelton, who has written more than 30 books on child development.

Children need structure, routine, discipline and with each year of life, they need more independence and more responsibility, Palfrey says. "Each birthday should bring one new privilege and one new chore.

"It was once said that a very good thing a parent can do for a child is to love the other parent. Children grow well in loving, respectful environments. Will and Kate will provide that for this new baby," she says.

When it comes to raising a child as all the world watches, the royal couple could learn from President and Michelle Obama, Palfrey says. The Obamas "have committed themselves to maintaining as routine and private a family life as possible."

The most important gift a parent can give a child is the gift of time, says pediatrician Tanya Altmann, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics and author of Mommy Calls: Dr. Tanya Answers Parents' Top 101 Questions about Babies and Toddlers. "From day one, your baby needs your time, your touch and to hear your voice."

Spend time every day talking to your child. Initially he won't be able to answer back, but before you know it, he will start babbling and eventually talking to you, she says.

Communicating with your child - whether reading books or just making conversation and narrating your day saying things like "Mommy is making breakfast" - is important for early brain and speech development, Altmann says. "Studies show many benefits in starting reading early. Even a few minutes a day can benefit your baby later on."

Other tips on child-rearing:

* Tell your baby that you love him every day. " Even if he doesn't seem to understand now, it is a good habit to start," Altmann says. "And before you know it the words will be more important than you realize in terms of raising a confident, loving, self-reliant child."

* Give your child lots of hugs and kisses. "From day one, hold your baby skin on skin," Altmann says. "This helps regulate baby's temperature, increases breast milk production and enhances bonding. As your child grows, it's still important for him to feel your touch. From a good morning hug to a good night back scratch or kiss."

* Play on the floor with your child. Make sure you spend a few minutes for free play on the floor with your child daily, Altmann says. "Start with tummy time and before long you will be chasing him around the house - or the palace."

* Give kids time for silence, time to dream. "In this media-saturated, commercialized world, remember that the skills children will always need to thrive - deep thinking, empathy, self-regulation, creativity and the ability to differentiate fact from hype - can't be bought, or found on any screen," says Susan Linn, director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood and author of The Case for Make Believe: Saving Play in a Commercialized World.

Those skills are learned from face-to-face communication with people who love them, hands-on opportunities to explore the world, opportunities for silence and time to dream, she says.

* Protect your family time. Consciously make private family time a priority, Linn says. "The way that celebrity parents deal with the pressures of fame will heavily influence how the kids deal with it."

* Be confident: "Enjoy your child, and be confident, especially if you yourselves had good relationships with your mothers," says Susan Engel, a developmental psychologist in the department of psychology at Williams College, and author of Your Child's Path: Unlocking the Mysteries of Who Your Children Will Become.

* Go with your instincts. It's very useful to receive advice from friends and family, but ultimately, parents should do what feels right to them when raising their baby, says Jennifer Shu, an Atlanta pediatrician and co-author of Heading Home with Your Newborn. "Remember that no parents - even royal ones - are perfect, and there's more than one right way to take care of children."