Empower Your Child to Achieve Their Best Potential
From April 2024, we are moving to a new address
Nepean Health Hub, Level 3, Suite 8, 13 Barber Ave, Kingswood, NSW 2747
Email: admin@nepeanpaediatrics.com.au Phone:02 4721 7710 Fax:02 4757 2710
To transfer the Medical record from previous practice,
please find the consent form link HERE
FAQS: NEWBORN TO TODDLER
Common Questions Answered
For your convenience, some common questions and answers were put together based on the renounced information websites such as
Fact sheets | Sydney Children's Hospitals Network (nsw.gov.au)
Baby Developmental Milestones
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/milestones/index.html
FEEDING YOUR BABY
Breast milk is the best for your child but it can be hard work. You do need plenty of sleep, water and calcium in a balanced nutritious diet. Breast milk takes at least 3-5 days to establish the supply. Generally speaking, the more you feed the more the supply. Your baby may cluster feed or feeds every 2-3 hours initially before being content with 3-4 hourly as your baby gets older. For newborns, it is not safe to keep a baby without feeds for longer than 4 hours even overnight. Therefore, you may have to wake your baby up if they are not waking up and also check your baby is not unwell.
For those who decided to provide supplementary feed or transition the formula feeding, the daily fluid/milk volume does increase in the first 5 days: (The exact amount depends on the birth weight and your baby's risk of having low blood sugar). Please talk to your midwife or your doctor about your individual circumstances and needs.
This is a general guide to how much infant formula your baby might need:*
5 days to 3 months old: 150mL per kilogram of body weight each day.
3 to 6 months old: 120mL per kilogram of body weight each day.
6 to 12 months old: 100mL per kilogram of body weight each day. Babies at this age also eat complementary foods.
HOW DO I KNOW MY BABY IS GETTING ENOUGH MILK?
Check your baby for these signs. Your baby is getting enough milk if he or she:
has at least 6 to 8 wet cloth nappies or 5 to 7 disposable nappies in 24 hours (after 3 to 4 days old). The colour should be a pale yellow
often have runny bowel motions that are mustard-yellow colour. Sometimes this may change to green or orange. Breastfed babies may not have a dirty nappy every day but are rarely constipated. Your baby may have a dirty nappy less often as they get older
has bright eyes, a moist mouth and good colour
is mostly content after feeding. It is normal for babies to be unsettled somewhere in the day. This does not mean you are running out of milk at the end of the day
is gaining weight well. Babies lose weight shortly after they are born but regain their birth weight by 2 weeks of age. After this, check your baby's growth often. Make sure it is recorded on the growth chart in your baby's Personal Health Record book. If your baby's growth follows the general pattern or curve of the graph he or she is getting enough breastmilk.
The average weight gain for newborn born at full term is 150-200g per week until 6 months and after 6 months id 100-150g per week. Please always refer to the trend of growth on the growth chart on the blue book together with average weight gain.
“It’s normal for babies to lose weight after they are born, no matter what or how they are fed. You can expect your breastfed baby to lose weight for the first 3 or so days. It’s normal for a baby to lose up to 10% of their birth weight in the first week.
Babies are made to survive on the small volumes of colostrum they receive in the first few days. Once your milk comes in, you will begin to make a large amount of breastmilk which then provides all the fluids, energy and nutrients that your baby needs to regain their birthweight by about 2 weeks of age.
If your baby has lost some weight, it’s important for your health care providers to look at the overall picture of you and your baby. For example, a 2-day-old baby who has lost 10% of their birth weight and who is sleepy and not feeding well will need a lot of support. A baby who has lost 10% but is feeding often and well may not.”^
^What’s normal with weight gains? | Australian Breastfeeding Association
WHAT ELSE DOES MY BABY NEED TO HAVE TO BE HEALTHY APART FROM FEEDING?
Let’s talk about Vitamin D.
Your baby Vitamin D level is depending upon your antenatal Vitamin D level to begin with. If your vitamin D is known to be low during pregnancy then your baby is at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Please talk to you Paediatrician to discuss this further.
It is now the standard recommendation to give your baby Vitamin D 400 units regardless of whether your baby is having breast milk or formula until they are 12 months old or even longer depending upon the risk factors.
For more information about Vitamin D for newborn and infant please refer to the links:
WHY IS MY BABY CRYING A LOT OR MY BABY HAS “COLIC” OR “WIND” OR EXCESSIVE CRYING?
Colic is crying and fussing that:
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happens for at least 3 hours a day
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happens for at least 3 days in a 7-day period
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has no physical cause.
Colic in babies: what it is & what to do | Raising Children Network
https://www.tresillian.org.au/advice-tips/crying/
Wind is air that your baby has swallowed when they were feeding, crying or yawning. Wind is common from the newborn stage to about 3 months, as your baby’s digestive system matures.
Common signs of trapped wind include:
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squirming or crying during a feed
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looking uncomfortable and in pain if laid down after feeds
Winding and burping your baby - HSE.ie
Wind, burping & newborn babies in pictures | Raising Children Network
Babies do cry. It is understandable being parents this can be very stressful, exhausting and upsetting at times particularly if your baby cries excessively. Please do remember “Crying is how babies communicate - it does not mean your baby is being naughty.”
Never Ever Shake A Baby | KidsHealth NZ
“Colic” is called excessive crying and it is a symptom, not a cause. It is also important to check and be examined by your doctor/GP/emergency to rule out other treatable medical causes depending upon how concerned you are.
The key message is that crying is simply a phase that many babies go through. Hence the term PURPLE CRYING and most baby goes through a period of “Excessive Crying”. If you need help please see your GP and call Tresillian Tresillian Family Care Centres: Baby Advice & Parenting Tips. If you feel upset and could not cope with the crying, please always ask for help. 1300 1300 52 | Parent Line NSW or Lifeline Australia - 13 11 14 - Crisis Support. Suicide Prevention.
WHEN CAN I START SOLID?
Generally, at 4-6 months of age, your baby may start to show signs of readiness.
Signs your baby is ready for solids include when your baby:
has good head and neck control and can sit upright when supported
shows an interest in food – for example, they look at what’s on your plate
reaches out for your food
opens their mouth when you offer them food on a spoon.
Most babies start to show these signs by around 6 months, although this can vary.
If your baby is nearing 7 months of age and hasn’t started solids, you might like to get some advice from your child and family health nurse or GP.
guide-to-foods-babys-first-year.pdf (rch.org.au)
Introducing solids: why, when, what & how | Raising Children Network
To prevent food allergies, it is recommended
All babies should be given common allergy-causing foods by 12 months of age, including egg and peanut, in an age-appropriate form such as well cooked egg and smooth peanut butter/paste (not whole nuts or pieces). This includes babies who have eczema (very dry skin), another food allergy, or a family member with food allergy, even though they may have a higher chance of developing food allergy.
WHAT NUTRIENT DEFICIENCY IS COMMON AT THE TIME OF SOLID INTRODUCTION?
The most common nutrient deficiency at the time of the weaning diet is iron. The risk factors of iron deficiency in Infants are:
Maternal iron deficiency
Prematurity and/or low birth-weight
Multiple pregnancy (Twins)
Exclusive breast-feeding after 6 months
Late or insufficient introduction of iron rich solids
Excess cow's milk consumption
Therefore, it is wise to choose iron-rich food when you introduce solids.
food_-_ways_to_boost_iron_intake_for_babies_toddlers_and_children-en.pdf (nsw.gov.au)
Iron rich foods for babies and growing children (health.qld.gov.au)
DON'T FORGET THE TUMMY TIME!
Tummy time is the most important time to encourage your baby's gross motor development such as rolling, sitting, crawling, standing and walking. It also prevents your baby from having a flat head or asymmetrical head. If your baby has a twisted neck (Torticollis) this is the best time to do some stretching exercises. It is recommended you start in short bursts and repeated again. Start with short periods of tummy time (one to two minutes) and slowly increase the time as your baby becomes stronger (aiming for 10 to 15 minutes at least three times a day, by around four months of age).
Tummy time for babies: in pictures | Raising Children Network
Kids Health Information : Tummy time for your baby (rch.org.au)
SAY NO TO SCREEN TIME FOR YOUR TODDLER (UNDER 2 YEARS OF AGE)
“Every 30-minute increase in daily handheld screen time, there was a 49% increased risk of expressive language delay”
“For each additional hour of videos that eight- to 16-month-old infants watched in a day, they said an average of six to eight fewer words!”
Instead of the screen, talk to your baby, play with them, and read a story to them.
iPad = I Don’t Talk: The Effects of Young Children’s Screen Time (hanen.org)
DISCLAIMER
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