0-4 Weeks

If you need help with breastfeeding or feeding your baby ask your Midwife, Health Visitor or Family Nurse.

Breast milk or first stage infant formula is all your baby needs until they are around 6 months old.

Babies need to be close to their parents. This helps them to feel secure and loved. This also helps you to learn your baby’s signals for when they are hungry. Let your baby guide you on how much and how often they need fed.

You can find lots of information and resources using the links below:

• NHSGGC Early Years: Breast and Formula Feeding
• NHSGGC Happy Healthy Tots: Feeding your baby or child
• Ready Steady Baby! How your body prepares to feed your baby
• Ready Steady Baby! Meeting your new baby
• Parent Club: Feeding Your Baby
• Off to a Good Start: All you need to know about breastfeeding - this leaflet is available in other languages
• Formula feeding: How to feed your baby safely - this leaflet is available in other languages
• UNICEF: Baby Friendly Support for Parents
• First Steps Nutrition Trust: Infant Milks Information for parents & carers
• National Breastfeeding helpline offers both telephone and web chat services. Tel 0300 100 0212 open 9.30am – 9.30pm every day. British Sign Language users in Scotland can contact the helpline via Contact Scotland BSL

If you live in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde you can also access Breast Feeding Support using the links below:

• NCT Glasgow Breastfeeding Buddies : a peer-led breastfeeding support group.  Open to any mum in Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
• Breastfeeding Network (BfN) : this BfN Greater Glasgow and Clyde Families group offers support and chat with families in the local area. Join a virtual peer group every Tuesday and Friday at 2.00pm.

We know that babies cry a lot, and it can be really tough sometimes. ICON gives simple, helpful advice to help you cope with crying and stay calm.

• Infant crying is normal
• Comforting methods can help
• It's Okay to walk away
• Never ever shake a baby

It’s based on research and aims to keep babies safe by helping parents and carers understand how to manage stress and avoid actions like shaking, which can be very harmful.

You can find out more information by visiting the ICON website.

Infant crying is normal and it will stop!

Babies start to cry more frequently from around 2 weeks of age.

The crying may get more frequent and last longer.

After about 8 weeks of age babies start to cry less each week.

Comfort methods can help. These can sometimes soothe the baby and the crying will stop.

Think, are they:

• Hungry
• Tired
• In need of a nappy change?

Try simple calming techniques such as skin-to-skin cuddles, singing to the baby or going for a walk. You can find some other ideas about how to soothe your baby in both the Social and Communication Skills and the Thinking and Feeling sections below.

It’s Okay to walk away if you have checked the baby is safe and the crying is getting to you.

After a few minutes when you are feeling calm, go back and check on the baby.

Never ever shake or hurt the baby.

It can cause lasting brain damage or death.

If you are worried that your baby is unwell contact your GP or call NHS 111.

If you are finding it difficult to cope with your baby’s crying talk to someone. Your midwife, health visitor or family nurse can support you.

Practice pausing at the door. It is a great tool to help you make sure you are ready to enter the baby’s room/space and offer care.

Before entering check the 3 C’s.

• Can I be careful?
• Am I calm?
• Will I be caring?

A quick check each time you enter the baby’s room/space will help you know if you need to take a few minutes before seeing to your baby’s crying or ask someone else to help.

Other ICON resources:

Infant crying and how to cope
How to manage when a baby cries
Infant crying and how to cope (Babies born prematurely)
How to manage when a baby cries (Babies born prematurely)
Infant crying and how to cope: Information for friends and relatives
Crying Plan

Your Midwife will usually visit you once you are home during the first 10 days after your baby is born. After that your Health Visitor will usually take over and visit you at home between 11-14 days to meet you and your baby.  You might also be offered 2 visits when your baby is between 3 and 5 weeks old. You can find out what to expect during these visits on Happy Healthy Tots.

Routine hearing tests are offered to newborn babies and children to identify any problems early on in their development. You can find out more about hearing tests for children on NHS Inform.

Being a new mum is exhausting. It is important to take care of yourself so make sure you book an appointment with your GP for your 6 week postnatal check-up.

Having been curled up for so long your baby is now finding out how to move their arms and legs in this big wide world.

You will need to help position them and support their movements. To help build their muscles and promote a more rounded head shape, place them in lots of different positions throughout the day when they are awake. Always supervise your baby while they are awake and in different positions, such as lying on their tummy on your chest, supported lying on their side or lying on their back.

Babies should always be put on their backs to sleep, in a clear, flat sleep space. Find out more information about safe sleep from Scottish Government Safer Sleep for Babies - this leaflet is available in other formats and languages.

You and your baby are getting to know each other, and bonding is really important. Physical contact through massage and touch is a good way to build this. Spending time with your baby's skin against your own is particularly important. For more information look at CBeebies Parenting Touching and Talking to Baby.

Carrying your baby in different positions gives them movement experiences and helps strengthen their muscles. Watch the Tummy Time Alternatives video for ideas about how to hold your baby.

Find out more about the importance of tummy time from Association of Paediatric Chartered Physiotherapist (APCP).

Babies are born being dependent on you for all their care needs. Your baby might not enjoy care routines like nappy changing or bathing. Talk to your baby during care routines and tell them what is happening. For more information look at CBeebies Parenting Chatting while changing a nappy. Give your baby clues as to what is going to happen too by doing the different care routines in different places or using a different texture on the changing mat. You could use a towel for bath time, a fleecy blanket for getting ready for bed and just the mat for nappy changing.

Find out more about bathing your baby:

• NHS Inform Bathing your baby
• Parent Club Bathing your newborn

Find out more about nappy changing:

• NHS Inform Nappies
• Parent Club Top tips to help nappy time be a happy time

Find out more about hygiene for infants:

• Hygiene for Infants NHS information from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Children and Young People's Health Services

Listening and Understanding 

It might appear that your baby can only eat, sleep and poo but they are already developing social and communication skills. Your baby was born recognising familiar voices and any music they heard regularly in the womb. They will respond to your mood and will react to your tone of voice or emotion.

Talking  

Crying is the most obvious way that your baby communicates. It can be tricky to work out when they are crying in pain, hunger or because their nappy needs changed. Your baby will make gurgling sounds when they are content.

Find out more about why your baby might be crying and what to do to help:

• Parent Club Why is my baby crying?
• NHS Inform Crying
• Royal Hospital for Children Concerned your baby is unwell? (Newborns and babies less than 3 months)

Interacting 

Your baby will enjoy looking at your face and being talked to in a slow gentle voice.

Talking, reading and singing to your baby will help them to develop their early communication and listening skills. Being face to face with your baby is important too.

Find out more from

• Cbeebies Parenting Tools for Talking 0-3 months: Why getting face to face with your baby is brilliant
• Parent Club Top tips for chatting together with your baby

Your baby can only see faces and objects that are very close at birth. Everything else will appear out of focus. By 4 weeks old they will be able to see a bit further.

From birth your baby responds to touch. They feel safest when you hold them close to you. Spending time with your baby's skin next to yours is important. They can smell you and feel your heart beating which can help them to feel safe too. Find out more on CBeebies Parenting Cuddle time.

Babies often like gentle rocking movement as this is like what they felt in the womb. Be led by your baby. You could try:

• Pushing them back and forth in the pram
• Rocking them gently in your arms
• Carrying them in different positions while you move
• Using a sling or baby carrier (it's important to use these safely, find out more from Parent Club, The Lullaby Trust and from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents).

Your baby will recognise sounds they heard regularly while in the womb. Using these sounds can help with soothing your baby too. Talk, read or sing to your baby or listen to quiet music together. Some babies find background noise soothing. There are lots of apps you can use to provide background noise. Make sure to have some quiet time too.

Your baby doesn't know about night and day so don't be surprised if they sleep all day and feed all night.