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Daytime newborn routine

Feed your baby.

Play with your baby. Check your baby’s nappy. Change it if it’s wet or soiled.

When your newborn shows tired signs, put them into their cot to sleep.

Balancing routines with responding to your baby’s needs

Your baby might need a long sleep. Let baby sleep. There’s no need to wake baby to feed.

Feed baby before sleep if baby is hungry. If baby is hungry, they might cry, make sucking noises or turn to your chest.

Your baby might want a short play. Newborn play can be just a quiet cuddle or a song.

Night-time newborn routine

If your baby wakes and it’s 2-3 hours since the last feed, feed your baby.

Check your baby’s nappy. Change it if it’s wet or soiled. Try to keep noise and light down.

Put your baby back into the cot to sleep.

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  • Simplified Chinese (PDF: 490kb)
  • Swahili (PDF: 480kb)
  • Tamil (PDF: 495kb)
  • Vietnamese (PDF: 503kb)

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Raising Children Network is supported by the Australian Government. Member organisations are the Parenting Research Centre and the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute with The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health.

Member Organisations

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  • The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
  • Murdoch Children's Research Institute

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