Baby care
Bringing home a newborn is filled with new experiences, questions and learning moments.
Our baby care resources are designed to help you feel confident as you care for your little one. You’ll find practical guidance to support your baby’s health, comfort and growth during those important first weeks and months of life.
Call our nurse line at 763-581-CARE anytime to get answers to questions about your baby’s health and guidance on when to seek care.
On this page
Your newborn’s first days
Understanding your newborn
A newborn is adjusting to a completely new environment outside the womb. Bright lights, sounds, movement, and temperature changes can be overwhelming. Parents can help babies feel secure by:
- Holding them close and providing physical boundaries.
- Using swaddling during the first weeks to promote comfort and reduce startling.
- Encouraging skin-to-skin contact.
- Responding promptly to feeding and comfort needs.
- Using baby carriers or wraps to maintain closeness.
Wet and dirty diapers
| Baby’s age | How many wet diapers | How many dirty diapers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | At least 1 | At least 1 black |
| 2 days | At least 2 | At least 2 black-green |
| 3 days | At least 3 | At least 3 dark green |
| 4 days | At least 4 | At least 3 green-yellow |
| 5-30 days | At least 6 | At least 3 yellow |
Baby’s second night
Many babies become fussier and cry more during their second night as they adjust to life outside the womb.
Helpful strategies:
- Offer frequent feeding.
- Use skin-to-skin contact.
- Hold and comfort the baby.
- Allow hand-to-mouth soothing by loosening blankets if safe.
- Understand that increased nursing and wakefulness are normal and help stimulate milk production.
Umbilical cord care
- The cord usually falls off within 1–2 weeks.
- Keep it clean and dry.
- Routine bathing is acceptable.
- Avoid antiseptic products unless directed.
- Call the baby’s provider if you notice redness, foul odor, or pus.
Circumcision care
If circumcised:
- Protect the area from irritation and infection.
- Clean gently with water only for 3–4 days.
- Apply petroleum jelly for 4–7 days unless otherwise instructed.
- Consult provider with concerns.
Caring for your newborn
Crying
Crying is a baby’s primary form of communication.
Check first for:
- Hunger
- Dirty diaper
- Temperature discomfort
- Illness
- Overstimulation
- Fatigue or fear
Soothing techniques
- Skin-to-skin contact
- Holding, rocking, swaying, or walking
- Swaddling
- Singing or soft talking
- Warm bath
- White noise/background sounds
- Car rides or stroller walks
Pacifiers
- If breastfeeding, wait until breastfeeding is well established (about 3–4 weeks) before introducing a pacifier.
- Try feeding and comfort measures before offering a pacifier.
- Never attach pacifiers with strings or straps around the baby’s neck.
Bathing
- Bathe every few days using warm water (100–104°F) and a gentle cleanser.
- Never leave a baby unattended.
- Swaddled immersion bathing may help reduce stress.
- Shampoo the scalp 1–2 times weekly.
- After bathing, provide warmth, swaddling, skin-to-skin contact, and quiet recovery time.
Diapering
- Change diapers promptly.
- Wipe front to back.
- Allow skin to air dry when possible.
- Use diaper cream for rash; avoid baby powder.
- Mild vaginal discharge or spotting in newborn girls can be normal due to maternal hormones.
- Never leave a baby unattended on a changing surface.
Temperature
- Normal underarm (armpit) temperature: 97.7°F–98.9°F
- Fever: 99.0°F Underarm (armpit) or 100.4°F Rectal
Supporting baby’s development
Healthy development is promoted by:
- Talking, singing, and reading to your baby.
- Responding consistently to cries and cues.
- Engaging in frequent “serve-and-return” interactions (responding to baby sounds, expressions, and movements).
Prompt, nurturing responses help build strong brain connections and secure attachment.
Keeping your baby safe
Safe sleep and SIDS prevention
Safe sleep recommendations
- Always place baby on their back to sleep.
- Use a firm, flat mattress in a safety-approved crib, bassinet, or play yard.
- Keep the baby’s sleep area in the parents’ room, but separate from the parents’ bed.
- Avoid pillows, blankets, bumper pads, toys, infant hats and loose bedding.
- Use wearable blankets instead of loose blankets.
- Avoid overheating.
- Hats should not be worn during sleep unless directly supervised.
Do not
- Bed-share.
- Let a baby sleep on couches or chairs.
- Smoke around the baby.
Additional SIDS prevention
- Breastfeed if possible.
- Consider offering a pacifier at sleep times.
- Keep immunizations up to date.
- Provide supervised tummy time while awake.
Car seat safety
- Minnesota law requires children under age 9 and under 4’9″ to use appropriate restraints.
- Parents should have a properly installed car seat before discharge.
- Hospital staff cannot install car seats.
- Hospital education available via in-room television videos.
When to call your pediatrician
Call your pediatrician if your baby has:
- 99.0°F Underarm (armpit) or 100.4°F Rectal
- Poor feeding
- Fewer than expected wet diapers
- No bowel movement by day 3
- Signs of infection around the cord or circumcision site
- Yellow skin
- Excessive sleepiness or irritability
- Vomiting
- Persistent eye drainage
When to call 911
Call 911 for the following:
- Difficulty breathing
- Blue lips, tongue, or mouth
- Tremors or seizures
Preventing shaken baby injury
Never shake a baby.
If frustration becomes overwhelming:
- Place the baby safely in the crib.
- Leave the room briefly to calm yourself.
- Contact a trusted friend or family member.
- Seek support if needed.
Secondhand nicotine exposure
Secondhand smoke:
- Increases the risk of SIDS.
- Raises the likelihood of asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, wheezing, and impaired lung growth.
- Creates long-term respiratory health risks.
Recommendations:
- Do not smoke around children.
- Do not smoke in the home or car.
- Choose smoke-free childcare environments.
- Seek smoking-cessation support if needed.
Newborn screenings
Routine newborn screenings
After 24 hours of age, babies are screened for:
- Jaundice
- Blood spot screening (50+ conditions)
- Hearing screening
- Critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) screening via pulse oximetry
Jaundice screening
What is jaundice?
Jaundice occurs when bilirubin builds up in the blood, causing yellowing of the skin and eyes.
Important points
- About 60% of newborns develop some jaundice.
- Severe untreated jaundice can cause brain injury (kernicterus).
- Treatment usually involves phototherapy (“special lights”) and ensuring adequate feeding.
Risk factors
- Prematurity
- Darker skin tones (harder to recognize jaundice visually)
- Family history
- Feeding difficulties
- Previous sibling with jaundice
- Bruising at birth
- Blood type incompatibility
Seek medical care immediately if the baby:
- Becomes very yellow/orange
- Is difficult to wake
- Feeds poorly
- Has too few wet/dirty diapers
- Cries inconsolably
- Appears floppy, stiff, or has unusual eye movements
Blood spot screening
A heel-stick blood sample screens for more than 50 serious but treatable disorders, including metabolic, endocrine, immune, genetic, and blood disorders. Additional information found in the Resources tab under Newborn Testing.
Benefits
- Early detection prevents disability, severe illness, and death.
- Parents may refuse screening but must complete a refusal form.
Storage of leftover blood spots
Parents may:
- Allow routine storage (default).
- Consent to research use.
- Request destruction of samples and results.
Hearing screening
Hearing screening identifies hearing loss before it affects language development.
Key goals
- Screen by 1 month, up to 2 screens completed while inpatient
- Confirm diagnosis by 3 months if needed
- Begin intervention by 6 months if hearing loss is present
Results
- PASS: Hearing appears normal at the time of testing.
- REFER: Additional evaluation is needed.