At the first visit to our office there are a few common questions about newborns so I thought I would take the time to put our answers in writing.
1. "When can I take my baby out?" What we worry about in new babies is the risk of infection. You get sick from germs that you catch from other people so we recommend avoiding crowds and sick people especially for the first two months of life. I would particularly avoid young children and places where people are going to touch your child. (for example, work, church, family gathering, or a party) It is fine to take your newborn outside to go for a walk or to take an older sibling to the park.
2. "When can I put lotion on my baby's skin?" Most babies peel in the first 3 weeks of life. This is a natural phenomena that lotion doesn't help. If your baby's skin feels dry at about 1-2 months of age then you may use lotion. We do not recommend baby lotion but instead suggest you use petroleum jelly (Vasoline), Eucerin Cream, or Aquaphor. Baby lotion smells good but doesn't work and often babies get a rash from the perfumes in it.
3. "How much should I feed my baby?" We are born with the ability to self regulate how much food we need so a newborn will eat what they need to grow. As a parent your job is to offer breast milk or formula and let your baby eat until they are full. They might want more at some feedings than others. Most newborns will eat 2-3 ounces at a time in the first few weeks of life. I would recommend feeding your baby at least every 3 hours during the day. If you baby doesn't get enough to eat during the day (or sleeps too much during the day!) then they will wake up more at night. Rice cereal does not make your child sleep longer (old wive's tale).
4. "How do I take care of my baby's umbilical cord?" The short answer to this question is to do nothing. We used to recommend putting rubbing alcohol on the umbilical cord but recent studies have found that it makes no difference in healing time. I suggest moving the cord away from the skin once a day -- I sometimes see where the cord gets stuck to the skin and just moving it around will help prevent this. It is normal for the cord to look gooey and sometimes bleed. We worry if there is an area of redness around the belly button.
5. "Where should my baby sleep?" We recommend that your newborn sleep in a bassinet or crib. It is safest for them to sleep flat on their backs with no pillows or fluffy blankets around them. Sleep positioners are not recommended. It is tempting to put your newborn in bed with you but that is a safety hazard for them. (also if they get used to sleeping with you it is hard to transition them to the crib!)
