Warmth and skin-to-skin
Newborns lose heat easily — keeping them warm protects them.
- Dry the baby and keep them warm; newborns chill fast.
- Hold your baby skin-to-skin on your chest often.
- Skin-to-skin steadies temperature, breathing, and heart rate.
- Cover the head and keep the room warm and free of drafts.
Cord care and keeping clean
Simple, clean care prevents infection.
- Keep the cord stump clean and dry; let it fall off on its own.
- Put nothing on the cord unless a health worker advises it.
- Wash your hands before handling your baby.
- Delay the first bath and keep baths short and warm.
What's normal in a newborn
Many surprising things are completely normal.
| You may notice | Normal? |
|---|
| Soft spot (fontanelle) on the head | Normal — protects the growing brain |
| Sneezing, hiccups, noisy breathing at times | Usually normal |
| Swollen breasts or genitals at birth | Normal — from mother's hormones |
| Peeling skin, small rashes, milia | Usually normal in first weeks |
| Fast, difficult breathing or blue color | Not normal — seek care now |
When unsure, ask a health worker — it's always safer to check.
Newborn terms
- Skin-to-skin: Holding your baby bare against your chest to keep them warm and calm.
- Fontanelle: The soft spot on a baby's head where the skull is still growing.
- Colostrum: The rich first breast milk, full of antibodies that protect the baby.
- Rooting reflex: A baby turning toward a touch on the cheek, ready to feed.
- Safe sleep: Placing baby on the back, on a firm flat surface, to lower SIDS risk.
- Meconium: The dark, sticky first stools a newborn passes in the first days.
Myth or reality?
Tap each statement about newborn care.
- Newborns should always sleep on their backs (Reality) — Back sleeping, on a firm flat surface, lowers the risk of sudden infant death (SIDS).
- You should put ash or cream on the cord stump (Myth) — Keep the cord clean and dry and put nothing on it unless a health worker advises — this prevents infection.
- Skin-to-skin contact helps keep a newborn warm and calm (Reality) — It steadies temperature, breathing, and heart rate, and supports breastfeeding.
- A newborn needs a bath right after birth (Myth) — Delay the first bath to help your baby stay warm; keep later baths short and gentle.
Newborns typically feed about 8–12 times in 24 hours, day and night. Frequent feeding is normal — it nourishes your baby and builds your milk supply. Feed on cues, not a strict clock.
Safe sleep or a risk?
Tap each practice, then whether it's safe sleep or a risk.
- Baby on the back to sleep (Safe sleep)
- Firm, flat sleep surface (Safe sleep)
- Baby's own clear sleep space (Safe sleep)
- Soft pillows and loose blankets (A sleep risk)
- Baby sleeping on their front (A sleep risk)
- Overheating with heavy bedding (A sleep risk)
Reading your baby's cues
Babies 'talk' through cues long before words.
- Early feeding cues: stirring, rooting, hands to mouth.
- Crying is a late hunger cue — try to feed before it.
- Newborns feed often, day and night — this is normal.
- Comfort with holding, skin-to-skin, and a calm voice.
Newborn danger signs — seek care now
These mean get care for your baby right away.
- Fast, difficult, or grunting breathing, or a blue color.
- Not feeding, or too weak or sleepy to wake and feed.
- Fever, or cold and floppy; convulsions.
- Yellow skin or eyes early or spreading; a red, oozing cord.
Recap & what's next
- Keep baby warm and skin-to-skin; keep the cord clean and dry.
- Know what's normal — and what isn't.
- Always place baby on the back to sleep, on a firm flat surface.
- Next: newborn feeding and breastfeeding, in depth.
