Baby Care

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I tell if my baby is too warm or too cold?
What can I do to help my baby sleep better at night?
What is jaundice?
What should my baby’s stool look like?
When and how much should my baby pee?
How do I know if my baby is constipated?

How can I tell if my baby is too warm or too cold?

The best guide for how many clothes or blankets a baby needs is to dress your baby as you would dress yourself. Your baby needs to be comfortably warm or cool, depending on the temperature outside and inside your house.

In the house, babies need about the same number of layers of clothes as an adult to stay warm. When putting your baby to sleep, it is recommended that you use a sleeper and a light blanket or a blanket‑weight sleeper. Keep your baby’s head uncovered when sleeping.

If your baby is overdressed or is wrapped in too many blankets, she or he may develop a rash that looks like clusters of tiny pink pimples surrounded by pink skin. Your baby may also get sleepy and sweaty.

Infants who are too cold will usually fuss until the problem is fixed. Cold hands and feet don’t necessarily mean that the baby is cold. Feel the warmth on the upper arms or thighs. Add a sweater or a light blanket.

When you are outdoors, it is wise to use a hat to keep your baby warm when the weather is cool. In summer, protect your baby’s head from the sun by using a light, wide‑brimmed hat. Keep your baby in the shade and out of the mid‑day heat.

• Have a clear difference between daytime and night‑time sleeping. When you are up at night to feed your baby, keep the room darkened and don’t turn on the TV or radio. Try not to play with or stimulate your baby before putting him or her back down to sleep. During the daytime, let your baby sleep in a lightened room with normal daytime noises.
• Have enough nap time during the day. An over‑tired baby will not sleep better at night.
• Make sure your baby is warm but not hot.
• Put your baby to sleep in a safe sleeping environment.
• Have a routine that you follow at night. This may not be possible in the first few months. As your baby gets older, have a warm bath at night followed by rocking or singing and quiet time. This routine signals to your baby that sleep is coming.

Jaundice appears in about half of full term babies and about three‑quarters of preterm babies. Following birth, your baby has extra red blood cells. As the blood cells break down, a yellow‑coloured substance called bilirubin is released. The yellow‑coloured substance in the baby’s blood causes the skin and the whites of the eyes to take on a yellowish tinge called jaundice.

In most infants, jaundice is mild. It comes on during the first three to five days and lasts only a few days. The only treatment needed is lots of breastfeeding. Your baby may be a little sleepier and may need to be woken on a regular basis – every three hours – for feeding. The extra milk will help get rid of the bilirubin. To help with jaundice, feed your baby as often and for as long as he or she wants. Do not give water by bottle as bilirubin is better eliminated through stools than urine. Water will only fill up the tummy and decrease breastfeeding. This will decrease the number of stools.

In rare cases, jaundice is severe. Untreated severe jaundice can lead to brain damage and deafness. With higher levels of jaundice, your baby still needs lots of breastfeeding. Your baby will be placed under special lights to get rid of bilirubin.

Call your health care provider if:

• Your baby seems sleepy and refuses the breast or bottle.
• You notice your newborn is jaundiced, especially on his or her arms and legs.

For the first week after birth, the appearance of your baby’s stool will change every day. Usually within the first 24 hours after birth, your baby will pass the first bowel movement, called meconium. This first stool will be thick, dark, greenish‑black, sticky, and tar‑like, and have no smell. After the meconium has passed, your baby’s stools will vary, depending on how your baby is fed.

After the third or fourth day, the stools will tend to be soft, runny, and mustard coloured. They will not smell. Breastfed babies often pass a stool after each feeding. After the first month, bowel movements will happen less often. Breast milk leaves very little waste in the intestines so bowel movements may come only once every few days to once a week. Almost all infants will grunt and turn red when passing a stool. If your baby is totally breastfed, she or he will not be constipated.

Formula‑fed infants pass stools that are pasty and pudding‑like. They are pale yellow to light brown with a strong odour. Formula‑fed newborns usually have one to two bowel movements daily in the first weeks. After the first month your baby may have a bowel movement every one to two days.

Your baby may pee either immediately after birth or several hours later. In the first three days of life, one to two wet diapers per day are normal. By day four to six, as your milk supply increases, your baby should have five or more very wet diapers per day.

It is common to find a pink stain on the diapers. A rusty orange stain may also be seen on the diaper in the first one to three days after birth. This stain is caused by uric acid crystals in the urine. If you notice these crystals after the fourth day, feed your baby more often.

Call your health care provider or HealthLink BC at 8‑1‑1 if:

• the uric acid crystals continue
• urine is bloody or the colour of cola
• there is little or no urine for 8 hours

A baby who is completely breastfed rarely gets constipated. Breast milk is almost totally digested. After the first few weeks, a fully breastfed baby may go as long as a week between bowel movements. Newborns and infants may grunt and get red in the face when having a bowel movement. This does not mean they are constipated. Babies differ in how often they have bowel movements. After the first few weeks, some newborns will have stools every day. Others will go for days without a bowel movement. Constipation may be evident if stools are dry and hard or if your baby has difficulty passing them.

If constipation continues for more than a week, or if there is fresh blood in the baby’s stools, see your health care provider or call HealthLink BC at 8‑1‑1. Do not use laxatives, suppositories, or enemas unless a health care provider prescribes them.