MemorialCare - Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care

TUMMY TIME Placing your new baby on their tummy for short periods of time when baby is awake and you can closely supervise them is called tummy time . Experts recommend placing newborns on their tummy for short periods soon after they come home. Tummy time is good for your baby’s body and teaches them the joy of playing, interacting, and forming trusted connections with others. OVERHEATING You want your baby to be comfortably warm when they nap and sleep—but never become overheated. When your baby’s body becomes too hot during sleep, it doesn’t just make them uncomfortable—it can also put them at a higher risk of SIDS or developing itchy, uncomfortable heat rash (prickly heat). Signs of overheating • Sweating • Flushed or red skin • Chest feels hot to touch

Rooming-in benefits • You learn your baby’s feeding cues and can feed more often • Breastfeeding more often helps breasts make more milk • You are nearby to soothe your baby when they cry • It may help lower your baby’s risk of SIDS • You get more rest by sleeping when your baby sleeps • It increases your confidence in caring for your newborn

How to cool an overheated baby • Remove outer layers of clothing • Offer fluids (water, breast milk, formula) • Give them a lukewarm bath • Apply a cold compress to their arms and legs • Bring them into a well-ventilated room

ROOMING-IN AT HOME Sharing a room (but never a bed) with your baby is called rooming-in or room sharing . You may have shared a room with your baby in the hospital. Continuing to share your bedroom with your baby at home can also deliver big benefits for your newborn’s overall health and development.

Rooming-in is so valuable that the AAP encourages parents to keep doing it at home. Because it also helps lower the risk of SIDS, the AAP recommends that your baby stay in your bedroom (in their own crib or bassinet) until they are at least 6 months old, and ideally for a full year.

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Your Guide to Postpartum and Newborn Care