A newborn baby spends most of the time sleeping. As he gets older , he tends to develop a sleeping pattern. Watch out for his sleeping pattern and it will be easier for you to handle him as you will know when he is sleepy and you can plan your time around the house better.

Most of the time he will spend his time in between feeding asleep unless he is wet or hungry. Babies will usually sleeps up to 20 hours a day. However, each baby has his own sleeping pattern. Some will be awake longer and be quite contented.

It is very important to help your baby differentiate between night and day. This can be achieved by simply dimmed the light at night in the room where he sleeps. The baby will eventually understands that dim light means it is night time and he will be able to sleep longer. You would not want him to wake up in the middle of the night thinking that it is day time.

Try to put your baby to sleep at the same time daily. Settle down to a routine like changing him, feeding him and sing some lullaby songs before he sleeps. This will help him to adopt a routine and he will most likely wakes up at the same time everyday.

It is recommended that you put your baby to sleep lying on his back and facing up to prevent or minimise the risk of sudden infant death or cot death. Newborn should not be given a pillow. If you want a pillow, get the Safe & Sound flat pillow which is safer for the baby and allows easy breathing should the baby turns.

A baby who gets enough sleep will grow well and tends to be more happy.

Your baby’s first bowel movement is called the meconium. This is usually dark greenish-black substance. Once your baby starts to feed, the stool colour will slowly change to yellow, brown or greenish. The stools are usually not foul smelling.
Don’t become obsessively worried about your baby bowel movements. The number of stools passed vary from one baby to another. Some babies may not pass stools for a duration of up to a week. The frequency tends to reduce as they grow older. As long as your baby is healthy, happy and gaining weight, there is nothing to worry about.

Loose stools are normal for babies. Breast fed babies tend to empty their bowels more frequently and their colours are yellowish and usually loose. Sometimes they may not move their bowels for a few days as their body system absorbs all the milk that they drink. This is not constipation and you shouldn’t worry too much as it is normal for most babies.  If your baby passes very loose stools frequently and are watery and foul smelling, it could be diarrhoea. You should seek medical advice from your doctor immediately.

Babies on formula milk tend to pass firmer stools, brownier and smellier compared to breast fed babies. It is important to give them enough water in between feeding to soften the stools.

Constipation is also quite common during infancy. If your baby did not pass motion for a few days and the stools are hard enough to cause pain or discomfort, he may have constipation. If your baby is straining a lot to pass a hard stool and cries, consult your doctor and follow your doctor’s advice. Usually constipation can be relieved by giving your baby more water or fluid. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe laxative.

At the beginning of 4 months

Ideal solid food:

Unsweetened cooked fruits, vegetables, Gluten-free rice cereal (iron-fortified)

Texture:

Blended, pureed, sieved, semi-liquid with smooth and creamy consistency.

5 to 6 months

Ideal solid food:

Introduce thin rice congee or porridge; beancurd, peas, and beans. Well diluted fruit juices, teething rusks and soft bread

Texture:

Puree or scraped. Once teething starts, offer food that require chewing such as teething rusks.

7 to 8 months

Ideal solid food:

Introduce slightly thicker rice porridge, mashed soft cooked rice noodles or macaroni, powdered anchovies, skinless chicken meat, fish, egg yolk (by 8 months)

Texture:

Coarser texture, thicker consistency, mashed, finely minced.

9 to 12 months

Ideal solid food:

Introduce finger food from a variety of food for eg. small pieces of soft fruits. By 10 months old, your baby’s food can be adapted entirely from the family meals.

Texture:

Finger food, bite-size pieces or small chunks, chopped or flaked instead of mashed.

As your baby grows, besides milk, your baby will also need solid food. This phase where he changes from drinking milk to feeding solid food is called “weaning”. At this phase the baby still drinks milk plus solid food, but milk still remains an important part of your baby’s diet. Solid food should be introduced gradually. For most babies, weaning can be started from 4 months onwards. But it is advisable to start only at 6 months old. Starting any earlier than 4 months may put increase strain on the baby’s immature kidneys and furthermore, the food passes through largely undigested. Recent studies on allergies also suggest that weaning is best delayed until baby is 6 months old.

Always bear in mind that every baby is a special individual. Do not worry if your baby starts solid a little earlier or behind schedule. Do not be concerned about how much your baby eats. Offer food consistently so your baby will get use to it. New food should be introduced one at a time to give your baby’s system a chance to adjust and it is also easier to identify which food causes allergic reaction if there is any. Start by giving your baby 1 to 2 teaspoons of solid food along with normal feeding. You should decrease the number of milk feeding as the number of solid food feeding increases. It is difficult to determine or specify how much your baby should be eating because every baby has different requirements and appetites. You will be able to judge how much your baby wants as the time goes by.