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NEWBORN

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Jamilet Alegria

Congratulations on becoming a parent!

You are starting a wild, amazing, emotional, exciting journey. We always say that becoming a parent is harder and more amazing than we could have ever imagined.

We hope The Burg will be a helpful resource for you to feel empowered and comforted in caring for your new baby!

See our PRODUCT GUIDE for all of our new parent must-haves.

You may want to use an application like Baby Tracker to track your baby’s activities for the day. The app can track when baby fed, for how long, and when they last had a wet or dirty diaper. 

Table of Contents

1. Biggest Transitions
2. Nutrition
3. Sleep
4. Sample Schedule
5. Communication
6. Development
7. Medical Concerns
8. Post-Partum Self-Care
9. The Burg Tips
10. Products

Biggest Transitions

  1. Your main job is to feed baby and get them back up to birth weight
  2. You will start getting your baby used to sleeping in a crib or bassinet 
  3. Do not worry about “spoiling” your baby during this time. You are meant to be bonding – so don’t be afraid to do a lot of contact naps and skin to skin.

Nutrition

Formula: 2-5 oz every 1.5 – 3 hours

    • We recommend not giving more than 2oz per feed for the first week
    • 3-4oz maximum until over 1 month old

Breastfeeding: on demand every 1.5 – 3 hours (see our LACTATION GUIDE for more information)

    • Feedings should take about 30-45 minutes.
    • 400 IU start at 1 month for breastfed babies

Wake baby to feed every 3 hours until baby has surpassed birth weight

  • Baby should be back to birth weight around 2 weeks old
  • Even once baby is back to birth weight, it is still recommended to wake baby at least every 3-4 hours to feed until 3-4 weeks old and feeding is well established, in order to prevent hypoglycemia.

Burping: Burp in the middle of the feed and at the end.

  • Burping techniques are:
  • Pat baby’s back with baby over your shoulder
  • Pat baby’s back with baby sitting on your lap, with their chin cradled in your other hand
  • Rub baby’s back in an upwards motion
  • Lean baby back and then forward again

Keeping Awake: Infants tend to fall asleep when feeding. To keep them awake – you may take off layers of clothes, run a cold washcloth over their face or feet, tickle their feet, or switch positions. We don’t recommend feeding to sleep, as this can create a bad habit (don’t worry too much if it happens before two weeks though). 

See our BREASTMILK and FORMULA safety and preparation guides for more information on how long each can last in and out of the fridge. 

Sleep

Wake Windows: 45 – 60 minutes

Total Hours of Sleep Needed (per 24 hours): 15.5 – 20 hours

Ideal Length of Each Nap: 1h30-2h30

Schedule: 

    • No schedule/ rhythmic eat, play, sleep schedule from 0-2 weeks
    • Establish a 5 Nap schedule from 2-8 weeks

Safe Sleep:

  • Always put baby to sleep on their back
  • There should be nothing inside the crib and no bumpers on the rails

Sleep Tips:

  • See our SLEEP GUIDE for more information
  • Nighttime feeds should be done in as dark and unstimulating a setting as possible
  • Newborns are often awake much of the night
  • Starting at 2 weeks – try to do at least one nap per day in the crib (this will pay off later)
  • Only get pick baby up to feed if they are truly crying and awake (babies often grunt in their sleep – but may not be awake and hungry) 
  • Methods for soothing baby to sleep: 
    • Put to sleep before over-tired and upset(pay attention to sleepy cues like yawning or staring into space)
    • Pay attention to wake windows
    • Turn on sound machine 
    • Swaddle securely
    • Use pacifier
    • Rock in your arms facing away from you (as eye contact may be stimulating)
  • We recommend capping naps at 2.5 hours after 2 weeks old

Sample Schedule

You can start trying to put your baby on a schedule around 2 weeks. Before 2 weeks, just feed and sleep on demand.

Play can be for 10-30 minutes.

See our SAMPLE SCHEDULE guide for more sample schedules.

6am/7am – Feed (then put right back to sleep – Nap 1 )
9am – Feed
9:30am – Play 
10am – Nap 2
12pm – Feed
12:30pm – Play
1pm – Nap 3
3pm – Feed
3:30pm – Play
4pm – Nap 4
6pm – Feed
6:30pm – Play
7pm – Nap 5 (CATNAP)
8:30pm – Bath 
9pm – Feed
9:30pm – Bedtime
12:30Am – Feed
3:30Am – Feed

Communication

See our COMMUNICATION GUIDE for more information

Crying is baby’s primary means of communication

Baby may make cooing sounds (the beginning of their communication development) – respond to these sounds with positive reinforcement (ex: talk back to them)

Prefers high pitched voice

Development

See our PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT guide for more information

Has moro (aka startle) reflex until 3-6 months of age (swaddling helps reduce wake ups from moro reflex)

Tummy Time 

  • Start when the umbilical cord falls off (for just a few minutes at a time to start)
  • Lay baby on their stomach on a soft mat 
  • Use black and white toys, toys that make quiet noises (like a rattle), and mirrors to get baby’s attention and shift their gaze

Head is still wobbly. Baby may briefly lift head when lying on their tummy

Grasp reflex is strong. Baby will instinctively grasp onto your finger if you touch their palm.

Can focus on objects about 8-12 inches away and may follow slow-moving objects with their eyes.

Medical Concerns

  • See our DOSING CHART if you are giving medication
  • Stools begin as black meconium then transition to brown, then yellow 
  • Refer to this Baby Poop Guide for more information
  • In the first week of life, wet diapers should correlate to number of days alive (3 days = 3 wet diapers). 
  • After one week, baby should have around 6 wet diapers every 24 hours
  • Baby acne may begin around 2 weeks (breastmilk is a remedy, though it typically resolves quickly on its own)
  • Baby’s hair may fall out or thin around 3 – 4 weeks. This is normal and due to changing hormones
  • Spit up may increase around 1.5 -2 weeks
  • Newborn babies can experience congestion, dry skin, and hiccups – these are all normal
  • Bathing:
    • Sponge bath until the umbilical cord falls off 
    • Keep umbilical cord area clean and dry. It will fall off on its own
    • Skin is delicate. Use mild, fragrance-free baby products and bathe every other day 
  • Diapering:
    • Diaper should sit just under the belly button
    • Side tabs should not touch (there is usually a mark on the front of the diaper for where the side tabs should sit)
    • When you remove the diaper, there should be no red marks around the waist or legs. That means the diaper is too tight.
    • Always wipe front to back
    • Do not put diaper cream inside or on genitals. Put it around their bottom and front border of where the diaper sits (think of drawing a triangle around the genitals)
  • Call your pediatrician if your baby’s rectal temperature is over 100.4 F

Postpartum Self-Care

Walk when you can. This will help decrease swelling and speed up recovery.

Remember to hydrate, eat, and get rest when you can. This will also help with milk supply If you are breastfeeding. Consult our LACTATION GUIDE for more information.

  • Breastfeeding often makes mothers very thirsty and hungry.

Check in with your mental health

  • Postpartum Depression is a depressive state that occurs after having a baby. It may include symptoms such as insomnia, loss of appetite, intense irritability, and difficulty bonding with your bay. 
  • Postpartum Anxiety is excessive worrying that occurs after having a baby. It may include symptoms such as compulsions (ie: constant cleaning or checking on things), an intense sensation of being overwhelmed, fearful, or panicky, insomnia, decreased appetite, inability to sit still, dizziness, nausea, or tight chest.
  • Answer this Postpartum Depression Questionnaire throughout your postpartum journey to check in on yourself. Your healthcare providers will also likely be monitoring your well-being. 
  • Be aware that there are many hormonal changes throughout your postpartum journey (including stopping breastfeeding, which may spike some mental health changes)

** Please seek professional help if you are experiencing these symptoms and continue to check in with your healthcare providers throughout your postpartum journey

No matter what, being a new parent is REALLY hard. A few things that might help:

  • Taking breaks if you can (rely on your partner, family, or community to find some time away from baby). Find some time to do what you love, get outside, and do a few things you did before having a baby. 
  • Sleep when you can
  • Talk about what you’re experiencing. Being a new parent can be very isolating (lean on your partner, family, friends, professionals, or parenting communities, groups, and classes for support)
  • Try to take some pressure off yourself. This is all extremely new. Try to focus on how special of a time this is and know that most of the really hard things about infant parenting will pass. YOU’RE DOING A GREAT JOB!!

The Burg Tips

  • Make sure the little frills around the leg of the diaper are pulled out to help prevent blowouts
  • Breastfeeding mothers should make sure they’re staying hydrated and well-fed
  • If you are breastfeeding and also introducing bottles – we recommend starting with a preemie nipple on your bottle, as it should most closely resemble your breast’s flow. If your bottle is much faster than your breast, the baby may become frustrated at your breast’s slower flow.
  • You can put baby’s bottles in the dishwasher (we recommend using non-toxic, baby-safe scent-free dish detergent). This will save you a ton of time and mental energy.
  • We recommend using fragrance-free soap if you are breastfeeding as some strong (non-maternal) scents may confuse baby
  • If you are using formula, use a formula pitcher to batch make formula for the day. We find this does a great job mixing and saves a lot of time. Formula can stay mixed in the fridge for 24 hours.

References & Resources