Your Baby’s Day 0-3 Months
The first few weeks are usually chaotic but a pattern emerges around 5-6 weeks.
| Feeding | Sleeping | Communicating |
| Newborns | Will feed 6-8 times a day (i.e. in 24 hours). Feeds may last from 20 minutes to one hour. They are not always spaced regularly and can be from two to five hours apart. | Need at least 15 hours sleep in 24 hours. Each sleep will last from one to four hours, day or night. | Your baby talks to you by crying. This is their first form of communication. |
| By 2 months | They may have five to six feeds in 24 hours. Feeds are usually more frequent during the day (i.e. three to four hours, compared to every five to six hours during the night). | Babies should sleep for periods of one to two hours during the day (after each feed), and for periods of three to five hours during the night. Sleeps should total about 15 hours. | You will have learnt the difference between cries of pain, hunger or tiredness, and your baby will most likely be smiling in response to people smiling and talking to him or her.
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During the first few weeks: Take advantage of your baby’s short waking times to get to know one another, even if it’s just a 10 minute cuddle and chat.
By two months: Baby is more responsive to people and the environment. Each day they should have – two to three playtimes, lasting about half an hour, before or after feeds.
- Tummy time on the floor lying on a bright towel or blanket, with a few toys.
- At change time, leave nappy off for a few minutes, and do “bicycle” motions with baby’s legs, gently moving their legs backwards and forwards as if they were pushing the pedals of a bike.
- Mobiles over the change table (black and white mobiles are good, as baby responds more to contrast than colour during the first few months).
- Listening to music on the bouncer or rocker chair while you prepare the meal or iron.
- Never leave your baby alone on the change table or bed, or in a bouncer on top of a table or bench.
- Babies learn about the world by seeing and hearing activities around them, and by seeing their parents as role models.
- Use an exciting voice for play and a soothing voice for settling.
- A baby who is talked to a lot will not simply copy the words they hear, but also invent language and learn to like using it.
- During feed time, talk calmly and softly about what you will do today, or sing your favourite song.
- At bath and nappy change time, talk and play, count baby’s fingers and toes, sing songs, and play talking games, like “Round and round the garden....”
- When you are out shopping, describe what you are buying. In the park, talk about the trees and birds.
- Turn taking. When you’re having fun, baby will make happy sounds, then stop and listen to what you have to say. When you respond, baby will make more sounds. This is the beginning of taking turns, which leads to conversation.
Crying is the only way babies have to communicate their needs. At the beginning, it’s quite normal to have at least one or two unsettled periods a day (where there’s a lot of crying), and at least one unsettled day per week. Responding to your baby’s cries promptly in the early weeks helps them to feel safe and secure. It helps if you make sure your baby is not overtired.
When you put baby in a cot, make up the cot so baby’s feet are at the bottom end (rather than baby’s head at the top end). This avoids the risk of baby wriggling down and slipping underneath the bedclothes. For more information, see “SIDS and kids safe sleeping”.
- Sleep baby on their back in a cot.
- Barren is best – no pillows, no quilts or doonas, no bumpers, no canopies, no fluffy toys.
- Use a firm well-fitting mattress.
- If swaddling, don’t cover baby’s head.
- Don’t overheat with heavy blankets.
- Make sure the room is smoke free.
Around one in five babies develop colic. Colic is a catch-all phrase for uncontrollable crying in an otherwise healthy baby. A baby with colic cries or fusses for more than three hours a day, for more than three days in one week. Colic mostly starts in babies who are about two weeks old. Typical colic lasts until the baby is about three months old, though sometimes the persistent crying can linger until six or nine months of age. It’s hard to know who finds colic harder, a parent or a baby. Although a colicky baby is obviously in distress and uncomfortable, colic is not usually serious. However, if you are concerned it is worth seeking assurance from your doctor or early childhood nurse to confirm that the root of your child’s prolonged crying isn’t a more serious medical problem.
- Swaddle the baby and try carrying the baby in different positions. Constant movement often soothes colicky babies.
- White noise (dryer, vacuum cleaner) can soothe a colicky baby.
- Discuss your baby’s feeding patterns with your Child Health Nurse — baby may be drinking too quickly or feeding too often.
- If you are breastfeeding, you might try changing your diet and see if that helps with your baby’s colic. Avoid hot and spicy foods, cabbage, chocolate, nuts, stone, citrus and dried fruits. Try drinking herbal tea. If the baby is fed with formula, try out alternative formulas. Discuss this with your Child Health Nurse first.
- If your baby doesn’t sleep well during the day, and is always difficult to settle.
- If your baby is feeding all the time, or for long periods, and never seems satisfied.
- If you feel continually stressed, anxious, depressed, or have thoughts about harming your baby.
- Your local Child Health Nurse is first port of call. They can refer you to specialist services, such as a family care centre or doctor, if necessary.
- After hours, call a 24 hour help line. Always keep a list of emergency numbers handy by the phone. Refer to the front of your Child Health Record.