Know what to expect when taking care of your newborn baby.
Help your baby adjust
Here are some tips for helping your baby get used to life outside the womb.
Create a soothing environment
Your baby is used to being in a cozy place. Some babies are soothed by being cradled or rocked.
Help your baby adjust to the space around them by keeping the lighting low. Place the baby on their back with a light blanket tucked under the mattress.
Keep loud sounds to a minimum. Your baby is used to the muffled sounds of your world from the womb.
Practice skin-to-skin care
Have skin-to-skin time with your baby. Being against your skin gives your baby a familiar, warm and safe environment and lowers stress. This also helps soothe a fussy baby at any age.
Keep your baby warm
Dress your baby like you are dressed. You will feel if your baby’s room is too warm or too cold.
Keep your baby in a dry and clean diaper. When diapers are wet or dirty, they are cold. Your baby may have been used to the wet womb, but it was warm.
Skin-to-skin care
It is a good idea to place your baby naked (except for a diaper and hat) on your bare chest for at least one hour a day. The baby should be semi-upright so you are chest-to-chest. This is also called kangaroo care.
How it helps your baby
- less crying and stress
- encourages breastfeeding (warm, calm babies latch better and hunger cues are easier to see)
- better sleep
- helps breathing, heart rate and temperature
- makes your baby’s immune system stronger
- helps your baby bond with you
How it helps you
- less stress, depression and anxiety
- helps you make breastmilk and get to know your baby’s feeding cues
- helps postpartum bleeding and pain
- helps blood pressure
- helps you bond with your baby
How it helps your partner
• helps your baby bond with your partner
When your baby can’t stop crying
Babies cry for many reasons. They may be hungry, need a diaper change, need to be cuddled, not feel well or need to release tension.
All babies will have times when they cannot stop crying no matter what you do. It does not mean that your baby is being bad or that they are angry with you. It also does not mean that you are a bad parent.
Use these tips so you are ready for when your baby does not stop crying.
Make your baby as comfortable as possible
Making your baby comfortable may help them stop crying. You can:
- hold your baby close to your chest
- try feeding
- make sure your baby is not too hot or too cold
- keep your baby clean and dry
- give your baby a gentle back rub
Try gentle motion
Giving your baby gentle motion can help them relax. You can:
- walk or rock with your baby
- use a baby swing
- carry your baby in a sling or front carrier
- take your baby for a car ride in a safely secured infant seat
Play soft music or other relaxing sounds
Music or soothing sounds may help your baby stop crying. You can:
- try humming or singing a lullaby
- the sound of a vacuum cleaner, clothes dryer, or dishwasher can sometimes calm a baby
Feed your baby slowly and burp them often
Gas in your baby’s tummy can be painful. If you think your baby’s crying is linked to feedings, talk to your health care provider or public health nurse.
Keep yourself calm and take breaks
Before your emotions get out of control, place your baby in a safe place like a crib, leave the room and shut the door. Take a 15-minute break to relax and calm down before you try to soothe your baby again. Never shake a baby for any reason.
Make a plan with someone you trust
Plan to have someone you trust come over right away if the crying becomes too much to handle. Try to arrange breaks from childcare so you can get some rest.
Keeping your baby clean
Wash your hands before you touch your baby or after changing the diaper.
Bathe your baby with mild soap and warm water. Be careful not to get soap in your baby’s eyes. Make sure to dry the baby’s skin folds well, but do not use baby powder. Lotions are not usually needed, but if you want to use lotion, use a scent-free, hypoallergenic one.
Clean your baby’s diaper area well with every diaper change. If the diaper area skin looks red or has a rash, use a barrier cream (such as a zinc-based product). If the redness or rash does not get better or gets worse, see your health care provider.
Cord care
Your baby has a small piece of umbilical cord attached to his/her belly button. When your baby was born, your health care provider put a clamp on the cord and then cut the cord. The clamp will be on your baby’s cord when you go home from the hospital and will stay on until the cord falls off.
Your baby’s cord will dry up and fall off in one to three weeks after birth. When the cord falls off, you may see a small amount of blood. If the cord is still attached when your baby is three weeks old, tell your health care provider.
How to care for your baby’s cord
Cleaning the cord is not painful for your baby. Look at your baby’s cord two or three times a day. If there is pee or poop on or around the cord, clean it off.
Follow these steps to keep the area clean.
- Wash your hands before and after cleaning or touching the cord.
- Use a cotton swab or a clean cloth soaked with water to clean the base of the cord. You may also bathe your baby in a bathtub.
- Dry the area well.
- After cleaning and drying the cord area, fold the diaper below the cord to help the cord dry.
When to call for help
Call your health care provider if the cord or the skin around the cord:
- continues to bleed
- is red, warm or swollen
- has fluid that smells bad
- is very wet and draining clear fluid
Pees and poops
Use the chart below to see how much your baby should pee and poop depending on how old they are. If you are worried about your baby’s pees or poops, contact your health care provider.
| Age | Pees per day | Poops per day |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 1 day (first 24 hours) |
|
|
| 1 - 2 days (24 - 48 hours) |
|
|
| 2 to 3 days (48 to 72 hours) |
|
|
| 3 - 4 days (72 - 96 hours) |
|
|
| 5 - 7 days |
|
|
| 7 days and older |
|
|
Adapted from ‘Healthy Parents Healthy Children Pregnancy and Birth’, and ‘Early Years’.
Understanding your baby’s hunger
How to know if your baby is hungry
Your baby may be hungry if they:
- make sucking motions
- smack their lips
- put a fist or fingers into the mouth
- search with an open mouth
- cry
How to know your baby is full
Your baby may be full if they:
- slow or stop sucking or swallowing
- seem content and relaxed when coming off the breast
- open and relax their arms beside their body
- fall asleep after feeding
Your baby’s tummy size
Safe sleep
Babies tend to sleep much of the night and day. Place your baby on their back to sleep on a firm sleep surface.
These guidelines help reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and other sleep-related injuries and deaths in babies under one year old.
- Put your baby on their back to sleep, every sleep.
- Use a crib, cradle, or bassinet that is free of clutter.
- Keep your baby warm, but not hot.
- Keep spaces smoke-free before and after birth.
- Breastfeed your baby.
- Share a room. Do not share a bed, sofa or any other sleep surface with your baby.
- Put your baby on their tummy several times a day when your baby is awake and with you.
- Do not use playpens, car seats, swings, bouncy chairs, etc. for sleep.
Sleep stages
Your baby will cycle through these stages of sleep several times during their sleep period. Sleep cycles vary from baby to baby. Babies may wake up as they pass from deep sleep to light sleep.
Stage 1: Drowsiness
Your baby is starting to fall asleep. You may see yawning, stretching or fussing. Get the baby ready for a nap. Now is a good time to change the diaper and have quiet time.
Stage 2: Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
During REM, your baby’s brain is developing and learning new skills. This is a light but active sleep where the eyes move rapidly back and forth under closed eyelids. Your baby may twitch or jerk their arms or legs and this is normal. Your baby’s breathing may also be irregular during this sleep, but you do not need to be concerned.
Stage 3: Light sleep
Breathing becomes regular and sleep becomes less active during this stage of sleep. Your baby may move and startle with sounds. If you are moving your baby from your arms to a crib or other sleep space, they may wake briefly and go back to sleep.
Stage 4: Deep sleep
During this stage, your baby is quiet and does not move. Your baby’s sleep is deeper and it may be harder to awaken the baby.
Stage 5: Very deep sleep
This stage is also called quiet sleep. The baby’s hands and shoulders will be very relaxed. During this stage, you can usually move your baby without waking them up.
Jaundice
Jaundice is a condition that makes the skin yellow. Sometimes it will also make the whites of the eyes turn yellow.
Why it happens
After birth, babies have extra red blood cells they do not need. These cells break down and release a substance called bilirubin. Your baby gets rid of most of the bilirubin in the first few days through their poop. But if the bilirubin builds up in the body, it causes jaundice.
The most common type of jaundice happens on the second or third day after birth and affects about half of all newborns born after 37 weeks.
Babies are more likely to develop jaundice if:
- they are born before 37 weeks
- are not feeding well
- the baby and mother have certain blood types.
Jaundice should start to go away after your baby is four or five days old and is gone by 10 - 12 days. At low levels, jaundice will not harm your baby. In rare cases, very high levels of jaundice can cause brain damage.
What you can do
If your baby has jaundice, you can:
- feed your baby often and for as long as they want
- make sure your baby is latching well and drinking milk when breastfeeding
- keep track of your baby’s pees and poops
Do not place your baby in the sun.
Babies with jaundice can become sleepier and may not feed as well. If you are worried:
- wake and feed your baby at least every two to three hours while they are jaundiced (eight to 12 feeds within 24 hours)
- talk to your health care provider or public health nurse
How your health care provider can help
Your health care provider will check your baby for jaundice by:
- looking at your baby’s feeds, pee and poop
- using a jaundice meter to tell how much bilirubin is in the body. The meter uses a flash of light on the forehead or chest and does not harm the baby.
- ordering a blood test if needed
If your baby needs treatment, they will be in the hospital for a few days under special lights.
Thrush
Thrush (candidiasis) is an infection caused by a fungus or yeast called Candida albicans.
Candida thrives in warm, moist environments. Mothers and infants who have had antibiotics in labour, or while breastfeeding, are at increased risk for thrush.
Signs of thrush in mothers
- red, sore, cracked, itchy, burning or painful nipples that may have white patches
- red, swollen, flaky/scaly or shiny-looking areolae (area around nipples)
- nipples that do not heal, even though there is no issue with the baby’s positioning, latching, sucking or swallowing
- sudden pain in your nipples (may feel like a paper cut)
- severe nipple pain during and after breastfeeding
- sharp, shooting or burning pain in your breast during or after feeds
Signs of thrush in babies
- white patches on the tongue, gums, inner cheeks or soft palate that cannot be wiped off
- change in breastfeeding behaviour, such refusing the breast or non-rhythmical sucking
- change in temperament (the baby may become gassy or cranky)
- slow weight gain
- diaper rash that has raised, red, sore-looking pustules or red, scalded-looking buttocks.
Adapted from ‘Alberta Health Services STORC: Managing Breastfeeding Challenges and Supplementation Module (2017, June, rev. 2018, April)’.
Nipple care
If your nipple it hurt or cracked, it is at risk for infection. You should:
- wash your nipples with soap and water once a day to stop bacteria growth
- air dry your nipples between feeds
- not apply or leave breastmilk on the nipple (fungi grow well in breastmilk because of the natural sugars)
- use special nipple creams if prescribed by a physician (follow physician or pharmacist instructions)
- wash your bras and washable breast pads in hot soapy water
Baby falls
Babies can easily fall from furniture and other surfaces by kicking and wiggling. It can happen very fast, even when you are in the same room and before you think your baby can move much.
Babies have large heads compared to their bodies. During a fall, a baby’s head will often hit the ground first and take the impact.
Protecting your baby from falls
- Chewing gum while holding your baby can prevent you from falling asleep and possibly dropping your baby as a result.
- Always stay with your baby when they are on a high place, such as a change table. Always keep at least one hand on your baby.
- Change diapers on the floor.
- Put car seats, baby chairs and cribs on the floor instead of on a counter, bed or sofa.
- Use safety straps when available.
- Being at your baby’s side is the best way to prevent falls. If you need to leave for a moment when your baby is on a raised surface, move them to the crib, playpen or the floor.
Car seat safety
Your baby is safest in a rear-facing car seat in the back seat until they are at least two years old or reach the weight or height limit for the seat. The car seat manufacturer will state the height and weight limit.
Using a car seat safely
- Read your car seat and vehicle owner’s manual so you know how to safely install your Canada Standards Association approved car seat.
- Never place the car seat in front of an airbag.
- Always place the carry handle in travel position when in a car.
- Stop every hour to 90 minutes hours when driving. Take your baby out of the car seat and let them rest flat for 30 minutes.
- Use car seats only for travelling in a vehicle.
- Never leave your baby alone in a car seat or in a car.