These By The Book parenting tips for your newborn baby should help you to be more confident in your parenting skills as you raise a safe, happy, and healthy baby:
Newborn Safety
- Baby Car Seats - until she is 12 months old AND is over 20 pounds, your baby should sit in the back seat facing backwards when riding in the car.
- Hot Water Temperature - to help prevent scalding burns, you should set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit
- Smoke Alarms and CO Detectors - install and regularly test/check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
- Babyproofing - don't wait until your baby is on the move to baby proof the rest of your house, including installing locks on cabinets and drawers, door knob covers, gates on stairs, etc.
Newborn Nutrition
- Breastfeeding - exclusively breastfeed your baby for the first six months of their life and avoid supplements of water, formula, or juice. You should also maintain direct skin-to-skin contact with your baby until after the first feeding and try to breastfeed as soon as possible after your baby is born.
- Breastfeeding Frequency - during your baby's first weeks of life, he should be breastfeeding at least 8-12 times in every 24 hour period. Our new baby logs can help you to track your baby's feedings, voids, and stools, to help you monitor that he is getting enough to eat.
- Baby Formula - if not breastfeeding your baby, feed her an iron fortified infant formula.
- Starting Solids - solid foods that are rich in iron, like an iron fortified rice cereal, can be started once your baby is ready and is about 6 months old (typical range for starting is from 4-8 months).
- Vitamins - unless your baby was born premature or has other health problems, you likely won't need to give him vitamins, except for exclusively breastfeeding babies who need Vitamin D drops beginning before they are 2 months old.
Newborn Sleep
- Back To Sleep - to help reduce your baby's risk of SIDS, be sure to put her to sleep on her back.
- Sleeping - to help 'facilitate' breastfeeding, a mother and her baby should sleep close to each other. Many parents use a side sleeper or bassinet next to their bed and don't consider moving to a crib in another room until their baby is older and sleeping through most of the night.
Newborn Medical Advice
- Fever - most experts define a fever in a newborn as a rectal temperature that is at or above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38.1 degrees Celsius). This is usually considered to be a medical emergency in an infant that is less than two to three months old, and you should call your Pediatrician or seek immediate medical attention.
- Sick Contacts - until your baby's immune system is stronger and they are at least two to three months old, try to keep your infant away from a lot of people, especially if they seem like they have a cough or cold.
- Sunscreen - although it is best to keep your infant that is less than six months old out of direct sunlight, it may be alright to apply small amounts of sunscreen to small areas of your baby's face, like their face or back of their hands, that aren't covered with clothing if necessary.
- Insect Repellents - avoid insect repellents until your baby is at least two months old.
Things to Avoid with your Newborn
- if breastfeeding, avoid using a pacifier until after your baby is breastfeeding well and you have a good supply of breastmilk.
- do not heat bottles in the microwave, which can lead to super heated pockets of formula that can scald your baby's mouth.
- do not give up on breastfeeding if you are having problems. Get some help instead, either from your Pediatrician and/or a lactation consultant, who should be able to help you with most breastfeeding problems.
- never shake your baby, which could lead to shaken baby syndrome, with blindness, seizures, brain damage, and death.
- do not feed your baby honey, cow's milk, or goat's milk.
- do not leave your baby where she could fall, like on a changing table, couch, or bed.
- do not put your baby to sleep on a waterbed, soft mattress, or on soft bedding, like a quilt or comforter, or with other soft items, such as pillows, pillow-like stuffed toys and animals.
- do not let your baby get overheated when he is sleeping, which is a risk factor for SIDS.
- do not smoke around your baby, although keep in mind that even smoking outside can still put your baby at increased risk for SIDS, ear infections, and other medical problems.
Sources: AAP, CPSC, NHTSC
