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Your Baby Week Five

By Vincent Iannelli, M.D., About.com

Updated: January 23, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Kate Grossman, MD

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Week Five To Do List

Set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees to help prevent scalding burns.

Setting the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees is one important baby proofing step on your to do list.

Photo © Vincent Iannelli, MD
Although you may be feeling more confident about taking caring of your five-week old baby, there is still a lot to keep up with.

Feeding your baby, changing diapers, calming her when she is crying, etc., can all take a lot of time. Spending so much time caring for your baby can make it easy to overlook the things that can keep your baby safe and healthy, such as:

  • If you haven't done so yet, make an appointment with your pediatrician for your baby's two-month well child check appointment and review our infant well child checklist before your appointment.

  • Make sure your home is well baby proofed so that your baby is safe.

  • Call your pediatrician or seek medical attention if your baby has a fever, which is typically considered to be a temperature that is at or above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

  • Continue to put your baby to sleep on her back to reduce her risk of SIDS.

  • Until your baby's immune system is stronger when she is a few months old and she has had some of her immunizations, try to avoid exposing her to a lot of people. This may help her avoid common viruses and keep from getting sick.

  • Continue to put your baby in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat of your car. Learn to avoid common car seat mistakes, such as putting the harness chest clip in the wrong position.

  • Watch for signs of postpartum depression, including mothers who feel sad, anxious, afraid, or confused, etc.

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