Dressing your baby

The following tips will help you plan how to keep your baby’s temperature within the normal range:

Room temperature

Try to keep the room temperature between 16-20°C.

Deciding the right amount of clothing and bedding

Indoors:

Daytime – your baby should wear the same amount of clothes as you wear plus an extra layer. Night time – your baby should wear a vest and babygro in bed plus be covered with the same number of bedding layers as parents. If your baby seems restless and fussy and the skin appears flushed and feels hot, remove a piece of clothing or blanket. It is normal for babies to have cool hands and feet. They should feel warm on their chest (same as you) but if their hands or feet feel cold and look blue and blotchy, add mittens, socks/booties, a hat and a cardigan or blanket. Babies do not need to wear hats indoor. It can lead to them overheating.

Outdoors:

Babies should wear hats outdoors in summer and winter to protect against all weather conditions. Babies under six months’ old must be kept out of direct sunlight, especially around midday. During daytime, cover exposed parts of the baby’s skin with sun creams, using the baby specific sun creams. Don’t forget to reapply it regularly throughout the day. In a heated car or on public transport, babies who are overdressed can easily become too hot. Remember to remove a layer/s of clothing or any covering blanket.

When at home

Don’t forget to take off baby’s outdoor clothes and hat when you get inside. Don’t keep the cot, buggy or car seat next to a radiator, heater or fire, in direct sunshine or near an open window.

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Soothing a crying baby

All babies cry, and some cry a lot. Crying is your baby’s way of telling you they need comfort and care. Sometimes it’s easy to work out what they want, and sometimes it isn’t, so be kind to yourself. Do remember that when you become anxious, crying babies tend to sense this and may become more distressed. So in the initial weeks, work your way systematically through the different reasons why a baby may cry.

Tips to comfort a crying baby

Try some of these ways to comfort your crying baby:

place your baby skin-to-skin
check if your baby is hungry. If so, feed your baby
check your baby’s nappy. If dirty, change the nappy
hold your baby close to you. Move about gently, sway and dance, talk to your baby or sing
try stroking your baby’s back firmly and rhythmically, holding her/him against you
find something for your baby to listen to or look at – like music on the radio, a CD, a rattle or a mobile above the cot
rock your baby gently backwards and forwards in the pram
try a warm bath. When testing for bath temperature, a warm bath will feel comfortable against your elbow skin. Warm baths calm some babies instantly, but make others cry even more.

Soothing a crying baby Skin-to-skin contact Coping with a crying baby

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Reducing the risk of cot death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS)

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby where no cause is found. This is rare but it can still happen and there are steps you can take to reduce the risk of this occurring:

always place your baby on his/her back to sleep
babies should not be swaddled when sleeping
place your baby so his/her feet are right at the end of the cot/moses basket, rather than in the middle, to prevent them from sliding underneath covers
do not use cot bumpers or quilts, only use sheets and lightweight blankets
ensure room temperature is between 16-20°C, as overheating your baby can be dangerous
the safest place for your baby to sleep is in a cot or moses basket in the same room as you, for the first six months.

Safer sleep for babies

Reducing the risk of SIDS Lullaby Trust: How to reduce the risk of SIDS

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Sharing a bed with your baby

Some parents may choose to co-sleep/bed-share with their baby. It is important for you to know how to do this safely – and when it is not advised, as bed sharing is known to increase the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), sometimes referred to as cot death. Never fall asleep with your baby on a sofa or armchair. Bed sharing is particularly dangerous if:

either you or your partner smokes
either you or your partner has drunk alcohol or taken drugs
you are extremely tired
your baby was born prematurely
your baby was born at a low weight (2.5kg or 5½lbs or less).

You can get further information from your midwife or health visitor and read the links below.

UNICEF UK Baby Friend Initiative, Caring for your baby at night Lullaby Trust: Co-sleeping with your baby

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What is normal sleep?

Your baby will have his/her own pattern of waking and sleeping, and it’s unlikely to be the same as other babies you know. Please note that newborn babies do not need a routine. However, over a course of several months you will have a routine established. Normal sleeping patterns from nought to three months:

most newborn babies are asleep more than they are awake
their total daily sleep varies, but can be from eight hours up to 16-18 hours
babies will wake during the night because they need to feed.

Getting to know your baby’s sleep state How babies sleep

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Babies and sleep

What is normal sleep? Sharing a bed with your baby Reducing the risk of cot death (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS)

Explore this video from AIMH UK to learn more about your babies sleeping patterns.

Sleeping and Soothing

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How to bottle feed your baby

hold your baby close in a semi-upright position, in skin-to-skin contact if possible and maintain eye contact by turning baby inwards towards your body
rub the teat gently over the upper lip, this will encourage them to open their mouth and draw in the teat
hold the bottle horizontally with a slight upright tilt to prevent both air entering the teat and the milk flowing too fast
allow your baby to set the pace of the feeding, enabling your baby to pause frequently
towards the end of the feed remove the teat and wind (burp) your baby
if your baby shows continued feeding cues, offer the remaining milk
don’t try and force your baby to take more than they want
limit the number of people who feed your baby to yourself and one or two others – this helps with building a relationship and bonding with your baby
never leave your baby alone with a bottle.

Look out for signs of stress when bottle feeding:

pushing the bottle away
back arching
grimacing, frowning, or crying
gagging, spitting up.

How to wind your baby Guide to bottle feeding Guide to infant formula

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Formula feeding advice

Key facts about formula feeding:

always use a first infant formula in the first year of your baby’s life
make up feeds one at a time as your baby needs them
never warm up formula in the microwave
the water needs to be above 70°C in order to kill any bacteria in the milk powder, as it is not sterile
always put the water in the bottle first, then add the powder
only use the scoop enclosed in the packaging, as they can differ in size between brands
follow manufacturer’s specific instructions on how to prepare formula milk
ensure to measure a level scoop of formula as instructed on the packet
before giving to your baby, check the formula is cool by dripping a few drops on the back of your hand
throw away any unused formula when your baby has finished feeding.

First Steps Nutrition Trust, Infant milk information for parents and carers UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, Guide to bottle feeding UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative, Infant formula and responsive feeding

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Bottle feeding

Whether you have chosen to feed your baby expressed breast milk or formula milk via a bottle, these tips will help you keep your baby safe whilst building a close and loving relationship between you.

Preparing bottles

Bottles and teats need to be thoroughly cleaned and sterilised in order to kill any harmful bacteria. Follow the instructions on your chosen steriliser regarding this. Formula milk should be made up in line with the packet instructions, always read the label carefully.

Formula feeding advice How to bottle feed your baby

Guide to bottle feeding

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Expressing milk

Hand expressing can be useful:

To express colostrum or milk to give your baby, if they are unable to feed from the breast.
To relieve fullness or engorgement of the breast or blocked milk ducts.
To stimulate your breasts to produce more milk.
Some women find using a breast pump easier, some prefer hand expressing and some do both. Using a pump in the early days is not an effective way to collect small volumes of colostrum.

How to hand express

Have a clean sterilised container to hand before you start.
Cup your breast and place your thumb and finger about 2-3 cm from the base of the nipple.
Using your thumb and the rest of your fingers in a C shape, gently squeeze this area – this shouldn’t hurt.
Release the pressure and then repeat again and again, building up a rhythm. Avoid sliding your fingers over the skin. At first, only drops will appear, but just keep going as it will help build up your supply. With practice and a little more time, milk will flow freely.
When the flow slows down, move your fingers round to try a different section of your breast and repeat. When this happens again swap to the other breast. Keep changing breasts until the milk is dripping very slowly or stops altogether.
If the milk doesn’t flow, try a gentle breast massage, cuddle your baby or someone you love, smell your baby or loved one, or gaze into their eyes – this will help to release the hormone oxytocin (the “love hormone”) which releases the milk in your breasts.

Storage and use of expressed breast milk:

Expressed breastmilk can be kept for 4-6 hours at room temperature.
You can store expressed breast milk in a sterilised container in the fridge for up to five days, or in a freezer for up to six months.
Frozen milk is best defrosted slowly in the fridge. Expressed breast milk can be given straight from the fridge or warmed up by placing the bottle in a jug of warm water.
Once defrosted, use within 12 hours and do not refreeze. Dispose of any unused milk following a feed.

How to express breast milk

Breastfeeding network expressing guide Maximising milk production with hands-on pumping Breast massage with mastitis/breast engorgement