Advice: Caring for Newborns and Infants
This includes the first 180 days of a child’s life after birth. Quality health services, adequate nutrition, love and care are important for the health and development of the child.
DANGER SIGNS:
Seek immediate medical care if your baby:
- Stops feeding well or vomits everything
- Has any jaundice (yellow-colored skin) in the first 24 hours of life
- Has yellow-colored palms or soles at any time
- Breaths faster than 60 breaths a minute or has blue-colored lips
- Has difficult breathing and his/her chest sucks in when breathing
- Is weak or lethargic, difficult to wake up, or will not move
- Has a fever (37.5° C or higher)
- Has a low temperature (less than 36.5° C)
- Has pus from the umbilical cord or eyes
- Has a convulsion or fit
CARING FOR YOUR NEWBORN BABY:
- Initiate early breast feeding, and only give breast milk for the first 6 months
- Do not give your baby water or butter
- Keep your baby warm
- Wrap your baby in dry blankets and cover his/her head with a hat
- Continue Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) for preterm and low birth weight babies
- Keep the umbilical cord clean and dry and do not cover it with the diaper
- Bathe the baby only every 2-3 days 8. Do not give honey to your baby until 12 months old
If you cannot view the above video, you can instead download it.