Caring for Your Newborn Baby

You've no doubt been dreaming about your newborn baby for months: what they'll look like, what they'll sound like, and even what they'll feel like. But no matter how much you've prepared, you'll likely welcome tips for taking care of a newborn—especially if it's your first child.

Well, take heart. Lots of parents have been there, struggling to know how to care for their baby in those exciting but often challenging first weeks. If you're a new parent, keep reading our newborn baby care guide for advice on handling visitors, choosing clothing, navigating car seat safety, maintaining a feeding schedule, settling into a sleep routine, handling fevers, and more.

Newborn Feeding

No matter how you feed your baby, there are some things to remember. Below are tips for breastfeeding and formula feeding in the early weeks.

Breastfeeding and Chestfeeding

Nursing may be a natural phenomenon, but it can prove challenging at first. These strategies will help if you choose to breastfeed:

Don't delay: If you can, try to nurse within an hour of delivery when your baby is most alert. This will also help your newborn adjust to the world, and they can bond with their new parent right away.

Nurse on demand: Your new baby will help your body establish a robust milk supply through frequent nursing —so let your newborn feed whenever they want. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), newborns might want to eat every 1 to 3 hours during their first few days.2 "Frequent feeding helps increase your milk supply and gives your baby practice at sucking and swallowing," says the organization.

Get a proper latch: A proper latch helps prevent sore nipples for you and ensures enough milk for your baby. If you're unsure what this looks like, don't hesitate to ask a nurse, pediatrician, or lactation consultant.

Ask for help: Most hospitals have lactation consultants on staff. In addition to helping you get a proper latch, they can guide you in experimenting with different positions.

Create a nursing nest: A comfy chair, pillows, footstool, and access to water and snacks can keep you supported and comfortable while you feed your baby.

Eat and drink enough: While breastfeeding, you need an additional 300–400 calories per day.2 And since you are losing fluids while breastfeeding, drink at least eight glasses of water every day.

Expressing Breast Milk

If your baby has trouble latching and is not getting enough colostrum (early nutrient-dense breast milk), or you are separated after birth due to complications, you may choose to express breast milk in the first few days or even long-term.

In some cases, parents choose to feed their newborns expressed colostrum with a spoon or syringe in the first few days of life. These methods can help you avoid nipple confusion in those early days should you wish to try nursing directly from the breast later on.

Some pumping tips include:

Pick the pump that's best for you: For expressing colostrum, hand expressing can be especially effective. But as time passes, most parents who pump prefer manual hand pumps or electric pumps.

Get support: Don't hesitate to request assistance from the hospital's lactation consultant; they may even be able to hook you up with a hospital-grade rental pump.

Be patient and persistent: Like breastfeeding, pumping takes practice and will get easier with time should you choose to continue long-term. Also, pumping should not hurt; if it does, reposition or lower the suction and try again.

Do your best to relax: Your milk ejection reflex is inhibited when you are tense or stressed, so try looking at your baby or distracting yourself with a TV show, guided meditation, or even a phone call with a friend.

Store breast milk safely: According to the CDC, you should store pumped breast milk in food-grade containers.3 In addition, you can store freshly pumped breast milk for four hours at room temperature, four days in the fridge, and six-12 months in the freezer. If your baby does not finish the milk from a feeding, you can reuse it within two hours.

Formula Feeding

Since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates formulas to ensure they're safe and contain the most essential nutrients, most commercial formulas are essentially the same. Ask a pediatrician if they recommend a formula with added iron, DHA, or other nutrients for your baby. Your choice of powder, liquid, or concentrate primarily boils down to issues of cost and convenience.

Fear of food allergies makes some parents reluctant to give their babies cow's milk-based formula. However, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, only 2% to 3% of children under 3 years old have a milk protein allergy.

If your baby has a milk protein allergy or milk intolerance, a pediatrician may advise a hypoallergenic formula (in which milk proteins are broken down so they're more easily digested) or soy-based formula (which doesn't contain any milk protein).

Keep these formula-feeding safety tips from the CDC in mind:

If you want to heat the formula, do so under running warm water (being careful not to get water in the bottle) or with a bottle warmer. Never use a microwave, which can create dangerous hot spots. Check the temperature by putting a few drops of formula on the back of your hand.

Use room-temperature formula within two hours; after that, the risk of bacteria growth increases, so you should discard it.

Use refrigerated formula within 24 hours.

Store containers of formula in a cool, dry place (not the freezer or refrigerator).

Don't save any formula your baby leaves behind in the bottle; bacteria from their saliva can contaminate it.

Use formula within one month of opening; never use after the "use-by" date on the packaging.

Clean and sanitize all bottles and parts between feedings.