When it comes to planning, start thinking through the basic feed-wake-sleep precepts right away. However, in practice, ease into your new routine gradually. During the first few days, focus on getting to know your baby as you adjust to your new role as Mom. The first goal to work toward is to encourage your baby to take a full feeding at every feeding. This should translated into 8-10 feedings within a 24-hour period. In these early days, do not worry about the clock or sleep training. And please remember, for the first week to ten days, your baby’s feeding time is his waketime. Around ten days of age, you will notice the emergence of a short waketime following each feeding. Over the next serveral weeks, waketimes will become distinct, indicating that you are well on your way with baby’s feed-wake-sleep routine. Relax, take it one step at a time, and enjoy the new experience.

Try to nurse your baby as soon as you can after birth since newborns are most alert at this time. Strive for 15 minutes per side, with a minimum of 10 minutes on each breast. This will allow for sufficient stimulation of the breasts to produce milk. If your baby wants to nurse longer during this first feeding, allow him to do so. In fact, with the first several feedings, you can go as long as the two of you are comfortable. However, be sure both breasts are stimulated at each feeding.

Managing jaundice in a newborn is a delicate process that blends careful observation, consistent care, and collaboration with healthcare providers. As you navigate this journey, start by gently monitoring your baby’s symptoms—watch for any yellowing of their skin and eyes, particularly around the face and chest, and take note if your baby seems unusually sleepy or struggles to feed. Jaundice often peaks around days three to five, and while it should improve gradually, any signs of worsening or persistence warrant a call to your healthcare provider.

Feeding plays a vital role in recovery, so aim to breastfeed every 2-3 hours during the day and at least every 3-4 hours at night, as regular feedings help clear bilirubin through your baby’s stool. If you’re using formula, ensure your baby is eating well to stay hydrated and encourage bowel movements. Should your baby be too sleepy to latch, expressing milk and feeding it to them by bottle can help maintain their nutrition.

Finally, don’t hesitate to seek help if jaundice spreads to your baby’s legs, if they seem excessively drowsy or struggle to feed, or if symptoms persist beyond ten days. With attentive care and early intervention, most cases of newborn jaundice resolve naturally, allowing you and your baby to continue bonding in health and love.

This is when the Healthy Baby Growth Chart becomes a mother's reassuring friend. When a mother’s milk begins to come in, often around 2 to 5 days after birth, it can feel uncertain whether her baby is receiving enough nourishment. One clear sign lies in the baby’s diaper output. By this time, the baby should have at least six wet diapers a day, with urine changing from a dark hue to a clearer, pale yellow as hydration improves. The baby’s stools also transform during this time, transitioning from sticky, greenish-black meconium to a softer, brownie-batter consistency and finally to a bright mustard-yellow color. After the first week, parents can expect 2–5 yellow stools daily, along with 7–8 wet diapers.

Feeding patterns also provide reassurance. Newborns usually nurse 8–12 times in 24 hours, and the sound of swallowing during feeds signals successful milk intake. A well-fed baby will often seem calm and content after feeding, while persistent crying or frustration could suggest a need for more milk. Weight gain is another important measure of growth. While it’s normal for babies to drop up to 10% of their birth weight in the first few days, they should begin regaining weight by days 4 or 5 and typically return to or exceed their birth weight by the two-week mark.

These early milestones offer gentle cues that a baby is thriving. With time, a mother’s intuitive sense grow stronger, turning these small markers into signs of reassurance and confidence.

If a parent encounters this issue, the cause and solution are often connected. The problem usually stems from the timing of the first feeding of the day, which may lack consistency. The solution is to establish a specific time for this feeding—one that works well for both parents and the baby. For example, if 6:30 a.m. is chosen, aim to stick to that time every day as closely as possible.

Once the morning feeding time is set, adjust the baby’s feed-wake-sleep routine for the rest of the day. This might mean feeding the baby sooner than the usual three-hour interval during the late evening feed for a few days. It may also require waking your baby for that feed and working to get a full feeding. During the middle of the night, let the baby wake naturally for feedings, but remember that breastfed babies under five weeks of age should not go longer than five hours without feeding at night.

With this simple adjustment to the morning schedule, babies will gradually align their day and night routines with their parents’ schedule, creating a more predictable and manageable rhythm for the entire family.

Probably nothing! Every baby has a personal fussy time. For most, it is usually in the late afternoon or early evening. This is true for both bottle and breastfed infants. If you experience this, you are in good company; literally, millions of mothers and fathers are going through the same thing at just about the same time each day. If your baby is not comforted by the baby swing, an infant seat, a sibling, Grandma or you place him in his crib. At least there, he may fall asleep. If you have a baby who becomes exceptionally and continuously fussy, he may be hungry. How is your milk supply? Review the types of foods you are eating. Hot, spicy foods or a large intake of dairy products and caffeine can contribute to a baby’s fussiness. Finally, please review the blog post relating to Colic and Reflux.

If she is hungry, feed her, but work on keeping your baby awake to take a full feeding from both breasts. Try changing her diaper between sides, undressing her or rubbing her head and feet with a cool, damp washcloth. Do your best to keep her awake enought to finish nursing. Keep this fact in the back of your mind going forward: Babies learn very quickly to become snackers if you let them.

Feed him, but try to find out why he is not reaching the minimum mark and start working toward it. Review Chapter Ten, “Monitoring Your Baby’s Growth.” Has he been receiving full feedings? Is he starting a growth spurt? How is your milk supply? The answers will help guide you to a workable solution. If this continues, contact your primary health care provider or a lactation consultant.

While there may be several possibilities contributing to this question, two stand out as the most common. First, the baby may have trapped gas that requires burping to release. This is a frequent issue that can cause discomfort and restlessness.

The second common reason is that his waketimes are overstimulating. If overstimulation is the issue, it’s important to identify and address the triggers. Remember, this section covers the ages between 2 and 7 weeks, so we are still discussing a very young baby. What we consider to be a relaxed waketime may not match a baby’s neurologic sensitivities. For example, after baby feeds, Mom sits comfortably, cuddling her precious little one while catching up on the latest news. Adults can process the constant color and light changes that impact the ambiance of the room. However, infants cannot! Babies, especially premature ones, respond to overstimulation by neurologically shutting down, which may look like peaceful sleep. However, this "shutdown" is actually a biological self-protective mechanism. Too much external stimuli.

Once the baby’s system resets, typically within 30 -45 minutes, baby wakes again. Mom naturally assumes this is a nap problem, when in truth, it was a waketime problem.

Other overstimulating activities exist. Was the Baby carried, bounced, or played with excessively? Was the baby kept awake too long in an attempt to "tire her out"? Such efforts often backfire. Reducing overstimulation and creating a calm, soothing waketime environment might be the best cure at this age.

Your baby may seem to have lost his whole meal and then some, and at three o’clock in the morning, it looks even worse. Actually, the amount appears greater than its true volume. Normally, another feeding is unnecessary, and most babies can wait until the next routine feeding. The two most common reasons for projectile vomiting are overfeeding and possibly an inadequate job of burping a baby. If this problem persists, it may signal a digestive problem; so be sure to contact your pediatrician.

Since this is not normal behavior, it calls for your attention. He may simply have a messy diaper or need to be burped. Continue to monitor your baby to see if this is becoming a pattern. If it is, it might be the first sign of reflux, which does not always show up at birth. Please review our blog post relating to Colic And Reflux.)

Whether your are formula or breastfeeding, this is not acceptable. You baby is too young to go through the night without food. This can also thretenb a nursing mother’s milk supply by limiting the required stimulation necessary to maintian a healthy milke supply. By all means, go in and wake your baby for feeding at least once at night until he is six weeks old. Even at six weeks, make sure your breastfed baby does not go longer than 7 hours at night and has at least 7-8 good feedings during the day. You baby will achieve you sleep goals, but attempting to rush the results is not in your baby’s best interest.

This inquiry includes two essential sub-questions. First, "Is this normal?" Each baby is unique, so there's a broad spectrum of what falls within the range of "normal." While some infants nurse quickly and efficiently, not all do. Though it may be less "common", slower nursing is usually within this range, unless it continues past four weeks. If it does, we might need to examine two potential sources of the issue: either it's related to the baby or the mother. Is the baby simply taking his time, or is he laboring to eat? Consulting a healthcare provider can help rule out any underlying medical concerns.

If the challenge seems to be on the mother's side, a few adjustments could make a difference. For example, consider the nursing position. If Mom is nursing while lying down, this might be cozy and cuddly, but not necessarily the best position the encourages a full and efficient feed. The baby may be so cozy that feeding becomes secondary. Switching to a different nursing position or even using a different chair, changes your body dynamics and could help facilitate a faster feed.

Another question to ask is whether the Baby is actually hungry. For this, we go back to the first feeding of the day. Is it fixed, or might it have too much flexibility? Too much flexibility can disrupt the feed-wake-sleep routine. When wake times and naps are disruptive, a desire for a full-feed is often diminished.

Here are a few options to consider. First, review the specific guidelines in Chapter Four about managing your baby's day. Are you following them consistently?

Second, consider doing nothing for a couple of weeks. Most PDF babies—97%, in fact—begin sleeping through the night on their own by twelve weeks. So maintain the status quo and just wait it out.

Third, track the exact times your baby is waking each night. If your baby wakes consistently at the same time, it's likely a "wake" habit rather than a need. If your baby is healthy and meeting the positive milestones on the Healthy Baby Growth Chart, you might choose to eliminate this middle-of-the-night feeding. Parents who have faced this situation often report that it takes about three to five nights to break the habit, during which some crying may occur. However, the reward is continuous, restful nights of sleep for both you and your baby.

Rest assured, your baby will not remember those few nights, and neither will you. What will stay with you is the joy of a healthy, happy, and well-rested baby.

This answer depends on your baby’s age. If Aunt Martha wants to “rescue” your three week old baby, then your baby will probably fall asleep very comfortably in Aunt Martha’s arms, and that will be fine for this one visit. When your baby is six months old, it would be better to let Aunt Martha know that her favorite nephew will be up and ready for hugs and kisses in a couple of hours in a much happier frame of mind.

Please revisit question 6 above. However, the short answer points to too much flexibility with his first feeding of the day. As this first feeding of the day becomes consistent, everything down the line will change. It is just a matter of reworking Baby’s schedule from that point forward with the goal of having 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. as the last feeding of the day. This small adjustment usually corrects the problem.

The source of the problem may be a lactation problem, a disruptive schedule, an unsettled tummy or all the above. Review the details of Chapter Six for sleep and nap recommendations. Also, please review Naptime Basics and the 45-Minute Intruder.

This is not an uncommon scenario once a Baby begins to stretch his nighttime hours to ten or more hours. There are a couple of ways to approach this challenge. First, when you hear your baby begin to stir, wait 10-15 minutes to make sure he is fully awake. Babies will often make sounds for a few minutes and drift right back to sleep.

Second, many sleep challenges are quickly cured by adjusting the day's first feeding. With this second option, your goal is to adjust the last feeding of the day. Here is how to get there. Select the morning feed time that works best for you and the rest of the family. Let’s say that is 6:00 am. If your Baby is sleeping ten hours at night, backing up ten hours from 6:00 am brings you to 8:00 pm. With 8:00 pm as the bedtime goal, begin to rework the day routine (6 feedings) between the two times.

Your baby is bound to get off schedule whenever you have an extended travel, espeically if crossing time zones. There will also be airport or weather challenges and there will also be Grandma’s insistence on holding your baby when he should be sleeping. On suchoccasions, let the relatives enjoy the baby but realize, once home, it may take two to four days before Baby returns to his normal routine. He will get there.

At this age, a breastfed baby can extend his nighttime sleep up to 9-10 hours. The bottle-fed baby can go longer. Since breastfeeding mothers need to stay mindful of their milk production, letting your baby sleep longer than 9-10 hours at night probably will not give you enough time during the day for sufficient stimulation. Our recomendations is not to let baby sleep longer than 10 hours at night when breastfeeding.

At this age, if your baby is getting a short third nap each day, just make sure the other two are 1½ to 2 hours long. If he sleeps 30-45 minutes for the third nap, that is enough to get him through the evening.

Nursery and daycare workers usually have their hands full with a number of children and as a result, it is very difficult to keep track of every child’s routine in their care. We suggest parents leave a snack and a bottle of water, formula or breastmilk; then give the attendant the freedom to do what she thinks is best for your baby when your baby has a need that falls outside of his regular routine. When you have a well-established routine, a few hours in a nursery setting will not throw your child off. When you get home, make the appropriate adjustments.

There is a difference between losing weight and not gaining weight at the same rate as before. Losing weight is a concern and a possible signal that the Baby is not receiving sufficient calories or a sign of an underlying medical problem. Other signs include the baby acting fussy after each feeding, excessive spit-up, and an inability to go the appropriate duration between feedings. If any of these conditions exist, contact your pediatrician or health care provider and ask for a consult.

As babies grow, they will gain weight at a slower rate over time than in their early weeks and months. That is in part because they are growing in structure faster than putting on weight. Slower weight gain should not be a concern unless the baby begins to show negative growth indicators, as listed on the Healthy Baby Growth Chart.

Absolutely not! If you are in this situation and desire to begin PDF sleep training, here are some general and specific guidelines for establishing continuous nighttime sleep.

General Guidelines

One: Make sure you have read and understand the entire contents of this book before doing anything.

Two: Do not try to make any changes while out-of-town guests or relatives are visiting. You do not need the added pressure of explaining everything you are doing.

Three: Start the process of change when your baby is healthy.

Specific Guidelines

One: Work on your baby’s daytime routine for the first four to five days. Keep in mind his three basic activities in the right order: feeding time, waketime and naptime. Review Chapter Six, Managing Your Baby’s Day, to determine the appropriate number of feedings in a 24-hour period for your child’s age. For example, a three-month-old baby should be receiving four to five feedings a day. If he is six months old, he should be receiving three meals a day with a nursing period or a bottle just before bed. If you have been rocking or nursing your baby to sleep at naptime, now is the time to eliminate that habit.

Two: Review Chapter Seven, When Your Baby Cries, and be prepared for some crying. You are moving from high-comfort sleep manipulation to training in sleep skills. Initially, your baby will not like this change, but it is necessary for his healthy development. The crying only means he has not yet developed the ability to settle himself. That goal is precisely what you are working toward.

Three: Be patient and consistent. For some parents, success comes after one night; for others, it comes after two weeks. The average is three to five days. Continue to think about and look toward long-term benefits. Your proactive response is best not only for your baby but also for your entire family.

SUMMARY

Retraining is always more difficult than training correctly from the start, but parents who love their babies give them what they need — and young children need a good night’s sleep! Moms who have seen their babies transition from sleepless nights to peaceful sleep report that their daytime disposition also changes dramatically. They are happier, more content, and definitely more manageable. We trust this will be the case with your baby as well.

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