Finding Child Care for Your Baby

Sometimes you must find child care even for young babies. This happens most often when the parents work outside the home. You may have many choices when it comes to choosing child care for your baby. You may have a neighbor or relative who can take care of him. Or, you may decide to use a day-care center or family home.


It’s a good idea to visit several centers or homes before choosing one. Watch how the staff teaches the children. Watch how the children are cared for. If a neighbor or relative cares for your baby, make sure he or she likes your baby. Make sure he or she knows how important it is to keep your baby safe.

Tips on choosing day care

• Always ask to see the center’s or home’s license. To get a license, a center must follow certain rules. Homes also must follow rules to be licensed. The rules cover cleanliness and safety. The rules tell centers and homes to have enough staff to care for the children.
• The center or home should welcome visits by parents at any time. The center or home should be clean and should look nice. The staff should spend time talking and playing with the children. The staff should be gentle but have control over the children.
• After you choose a center or home, be sure to follow the rules set by the center or home. Make sure you pick up your baby on time. Give the center or home your baby’s shot record. Tell the staff about any special needs, such as allergies, that your baby has. If you are breastfeeding, let the staff know that you will come in for feedings or you will provide your breast milk in bottles. The staff should call you right away if your baby seems sick or has a minor accident.
Your baby may be upset at first about staying in a strange place. This is normal. You and the staff can work together to help your baby get used to being in child care. After your baby has settled into a routine, he should become relaxed about going to child care.

Day-care providers to avoid:
• Avoid centers or homes that don’t want parents dropping by without notice.
• Avoid centers or homes where you see children left alone.
• Avoid centers or homes where children seem bored or unhappy.
• Avoid centers or homes where staff yells at the children a lot.
• Avoid centers or homes that are dirty or unsafe.

If your friends or relatives care for your baby, go over carefully with them how to make things safe for your baby, especially as he gets older. As a mother, you know to never leave your baby alone, to put him in a safe crib to sleep, to secure him in a stroller and to never shake him. However, sometimes even people who love you and your baby may not know these things. Be sure that they understand how to keep your baby safe and comfortable.

To learn more about child-care options, you can contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Aware by phone at 1-800-424-2246 or visit their Web site at www.childcareaware.org/.

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Talking to Your Baby

Talking and cooing with your baby is one of the best parts of being a new parent. Talking and playing are fun for you and your baby. But it is more than fun. It also helps your baby to learn.

In playing with your baby, it is important that you gently interact with him in a back and forth manner.

Smile at your baby and wait for him to focus on your face and smile back. When he smiles, you should smile even wider yourself and nod your head. Let him know you are happy that he smiled back at your smile.

Do this with cooing and babbling too. If your child babbles or coos at you, smile and gently coo back. If he answers you with another coo or babble, answer him back. Do this repeatedly. This is how babies learn to get along with other people and how they learn to have confidence that you are interested in them. When you talk and your baby coos back to you, important things happen. Your baby learns how to talk by hearing your words and trying to make the same sounds.

Your baby learns fast. As you talk softly to your baby and he “talks” back, you begin to know his sounds. When you mimic his sounds, you encourage your baby to try to make more sounds.

Talk with your baby as much as you can. He will learn to know his parents’ voices. This makes the bond between you and your baby stronger.
From the day he is born, your baby is learning. When you talk with your baby, you are helping his brain develop.

• Reading to your baby helps him learn. Reading to him starting in infancy will help him do better in school as he grows older.
• Read aloud to your baby for a few minutes at a time. He will be able to pay attention for only a few minutes at first. Babies like to have things repeated over and over.
• Read, say or sing nursery rhymes to your baby. This will help him learn, too.

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Spitting Up

For infants, spitting up is a normal part of life. Many babies spit up a lot. Most likely this happens because of the way a baby develops.

The muscle that closes the feeding tube from the baby’s mouth to his stomach is still developing in infants. It may be weak. As a result, even a tiny burp can cause small amounts of stomach contents to come back up.



If your baby is usually happy and gaining weight, you should not be concerned about his spitting up.

You should see your doctor if your baby:

• Is vomiting
• Has diarrhea
• Has trouble breathing
• Has lost weight
• Has a loss of appetite

Nearly half of all healthy infants under one year of age spit up two or more times a day.

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Feeding Your Baby

Your breast milk is the perfect food for your baby. Breastfeeding is natural. It can be easier than formula feeding. Breast milk helps protect your baby from sickness. Breastfeeding helps your body get back to normal after pregnancy. It may help you lose weight.

Your baby will let you know when he is ready to nurse.

He will put his hands toward his mouth. He will make sucking sounds, whimper and bend and unbend his arms and hands. He will move his fist to his mouth. He will nuzzle against your breast. If he doesn’t start feeding soon after doing these things, he will start crying. Use these signs instead of a clock to set his feeding times. Feed him before he starts crying. Feed him every two to three hours. It’s a good idea to switch breasts in the middle of a feeding.
Your baby will let you know when it is time to stop feeding. He will relax. He will stop sucking the breast. He will refuse to take the breast if you offer it again. Your baby should make soft swallowing sounds while feeding.

Your breast should feel softer after the feeding. Milk may leak from the other breast while feeding.

Women who breastfeed should eat nutritious foods and they should drink lots of water. They should relax during breastfeeding.

You will know your baby is getting plenty to eat if he has at least seven to 10 very wet diapers a day (using regular absorbency diapers). You can expect your baby to have two to three bowel movements every day.

You can breastfeed your baby after you return to work or school. You can breastfeed your baby even if he is in a day-care center. You can breastfeed right before leaving your baby at day care. You can breastfeed right after picking up your baby. If your day care is nearby, you can breastfeed your baby during your lunch break.

You can learn how to pump your milk and store it in a bottle. Your milk is good for about 48 hours in the refrigerator. It lasts two to three months in the freezer. You can leave the bottles with the day-care center to feed your baby when you can’t be there.

To learn more about breastfeeding, you may want to contact your local health department, WIC clinic, hospital, La Leche League or doctor. You can call La Leche League at 1-800-LALECHE or visit their Web site at www.lalecheleague.org/.

If you use infant formula to feed your baby, be sure to follow directions for mixing. He will take two to three ounces of formula every couple of hours. As he grows, he will take more at each feeding. He will also go longer between feedings.

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The Wonders of the Brain

Your baby is flexible in how he grows and learns. His brain is growing and changing, also. The things your baby sees, hears and does help him to learn and to get interested in the people and things around him.

Your baby’s brain has come into the world ready to absorb all sorts of good things. Your baby is learning to be a person. You are learning to be his parent. Learning to pay attention and to respond to each other will help you both.

Since birth, your baby has been taking in information. He learns from what he sees, hears, smells and touches. After babies see or hear something many times, they can remember whether they have seen or heard it before. This is the way they learn.

Your baby’s brain grows and changes in important ways every day. The experiences your baby has are important for these changes. Some parts of the brain are most important for learning. Some parts are important for remembering new things. These parts will continue to grow and change as your baby learns new things.

We know that responding to your baby in a loving and attentive way helps him learn. Talk to your baby. Provide him with a variety of experiences that help him explore his world safely.

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One-Month Checkup: Where To Go

Try to find a doctor you like and trust. It helps if your baby sees the same doctor or nurse every time. That makes it easier to keep track of your baby’s needs.

If you don’t know where to take your baby for care, call your local health department. The phone number is in the “government” listings of the phone book. You can also ask a local hospital.

Ask a close friend or relative who has children whom she takes her children to for health care. Ask if she really likes her children’s doctor and if the doctor is good at taking time to explain things and answer questions.

If you are eligible for Medicaid, your baby can get free checkups. You can call your local social welfare, health or family services office to see if you qualify for Medicaid services.

If you don’t have health insurance for your baby, you can learn about resources in your state by calling the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Insure Kids Now program at 1-877-KIDSNOW. You can also visit their Web site at www.insurekidsnow.gov for more information about free or low-cost health insurance for children. Many public libraries offer free access to the Internet and provide help for first-time users.

One way to notice changes in your baby’s health is to keep a record. You can keep a health notebook. Write down your baby’s length and weight as he grows. Write down things like your baby’s schedule for shots and checkups. Write down dates of illnesses, and describe the symptoms. Ask for a copy of your child’s shot record. You will need to have this shot record when your child starts day care, Head Start or school.

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One-Month Checkup

Soon after you come home from the hospital, you should call to set up a checkup for your baby. This checkup may take place any time from two to four weeks after your baby is born. If your baby doesn’t seem to be doing well before your first appointment, don’t wait. Call the doctor or the clinic.


The checkup is a good time for you to ask questions. Before the visit, it is a good idea to write down questions and bring them with you.

You can ask the doctor what to have in the house in case of small accidents or mild illness. Ask what to do if something serious happens. Ask your doctor about what to do if your baby chokes or stops breathing. Knowing this can help you save your baby if he gets into difficulty.

Always keep your doctor’s phone number where you can find it. This number should be on a list of emergency phone numbers that you can find quickly.

The American Association of Poison Control Centers’ (AAPCC) poison control hotline, 1-800-222-1222, should also be on your list. If your baby has eaten a harmful substance, call and get help. Be prepared to tell about your baby’s symptoms and what has been eaten. To learn more, you can visit the AAPCC Web site at www.aapcc.org/.

The one-month checkup helps the doctor see changes in your baby. The doctor can find problems your baby is having. Finding problems now can help prevent more serious problems as your baby grows.

In the first year, your baby will have a number of checkups. At most of them, he will receive shots. Be sure to ask the doctor what reaction your baby might have from the shots.

Your baby may need more testing or he may need to be treated if your doctor finds signs of a possible problem. Your doctor may refer you to another doctor. If so, get a copy of your baby’s medical records to take with you. Or ask your doctor to make sure the other doctor will get a copy of them. Be sure you understand why your doctor is recommending more tests or sending your child to another doctor. Write down the doctor’s description of the possible problem in words you understand and also have him write out the exact words in “doctor’s language” so you can communicate with the next doctor you see.

Your doctor will talk to you about what to expect with your child. The doctor will tell you when your baby needs to come in again.

What happens at the checkup?

• Your doctor will ask you questions. The questions will be about how things are with you and the baby.
• The doctor will ask about your baby’s eating habits. He will also ask how often your baby has a wet or dirty diaper.
• The doctor will ask about your baby’s sleeping habits.
• The doctor will ask about your baby’s behavior and development.
• Your doctor will give your baby a physical exam.
• Your baby’s clothes will be taken off.
• He will be weighed. Your baby’s length and head size will be measured.
• Your baby’s vision and hearing will be tested.
• Your baby’s blood will also be tested.

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You and Your Baby

During the first month of your baby’s life, you and your baby spend a lot of time getting to know each other. Your baby will spend most of his time sleeping. You will spend most of your time learning the best way to meet your baby’s needs. Sometimes, you may feel tired and nervous. These feelings are a signal that you need to take care of yourself. Here are some ways to do it:

• Make sure you get enough sleep. Take a nap when your baby does. If you can’t, try to spend some time relaxing.
• Keep your home as quiet and calm as possible. Turn off your radio and TV. This will help calm your baby.
• Simplify housework. Just do the basics. Older children can help dust, pick up toys, sweep the floor and wash dishes. Dad or other family members can help, too.
• Be sure to eat nutritious food. If you are breastfeeding, avoid alcohol and limit caffeine. Avoid drinking more than two to three cups of coffee a day.
• Simplify your meals. Nutritious salads, soups and sandwiches are quick and easy to prepare.
• Make some time for yourself. Take a hot bath to relax or do some reading. You can look forward to taking a break when you are stressed.
• Enjoy spending time with your baby. You can put your baby in a sling, backpack or stroller and take a walk through a mall or a park. Be sure that your baby is safely secured in these devices. Never leave your baby unattended in a stroller.
• Do something you enjoy. If you breastfeed, you can read while nursing your baby.
• Call a relative or friend if you have questions or when you are feeling stressed. Talking to someone who has had similar experiences and feelings can help you.

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