Newborns don't have a strong immune system yet, so they're at risk for infection. Make sure that everyone who handles your baby has clean hands. Wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer before handling your baby. Always support your newborn's head and neck. To pick up baby, slide one hand under baby's head and neck and the other hand under their bottom. Bend your knees to protect your back. Once you've got a good hold, scoop up your baby and bring baby close to your chest as you straighten your legs again.   Five Things That You Need To Do To A Newborn Baby:    Wash your hands before touching a baby - Until your baby is at least two months old, it's an excellent idea to ask visitors to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water before holding your baby. Set yourself and immediate family members the same rule. Washing with soap and water is best, but most alcohol-based sanitizers are fine to use on young children as long as you handle them with care: Use just a pea-size amount and rub your child's hands until they're completely dry so he doesn't try to lick or swallow any gel, then store the bottle safely out of reach. Hold the baby like a football - Prone over arm can be a part of tummy time sessions. Place your baby over your forearm supporting their head in the natural bend of your elbow and resting your opposite arm between baby's legs supporting them with your hand at their tummy or shoulder. Keep your baby upright after feeding - Always burp your baby when feeding time is over. To help prevent the milk from coming back up, keep your baby upright after feeding for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer if your baby spits up or has GERD. Keep your baby upright after a feed. Once your baby has finished feeding, try not to lay him down for a nap or a nappy change straight away. But don't worry if your baby spits sometimes.  Immunization is important - Your child should receive their first doses of most vaccines during their first two years of life. They may need several doses of the vaccines to reach full protection. For example, the CDC recommends children receive their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 months of age or older. No matter the schedule you choose to follow, Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), Hepatitis B (HB 1), and Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV 0) are the 3 main vaccines given to every newborn right after birth. Different doses and vaccines will then follow when your child is 6 weeks, 10 weeks, and 14 weeks old. Trimming your baby’s nails - You may not need to cut your baby's nails for the first few months. Newborns' nails are very soft and will probably be worn down by their clothing. However, babies can't control their arm or leg movements for the first 6 weeks. If their nails are sharp or jagged, they may scratch themselves. Massage the child's hands or rub them with a towel before cutting his/her nails to desensitize his/her skin. Play music while you cut the child's nails to play down the sound produced by the nail clipper.   Five Things That You Should Not Do To A Newborn Baby:    Don’t bounce a fussy newborn - Offer a swaddle. This snug wrap in a receiving blanket keeps your little bundle feeling secure. Don't get discouraged. It's long been thought that for most babies, crying peaks at six weeks and then gradually eases off. Your baby's cry is how they communicate with you. Babies cry so they can be fed, put to sleep, or have their diaper changed. All babies cry. Don’t extend your baby forward to someone else - Protecting the head and neck is the priority when passing your newborn to someone else. Introducing your baby to others at home can be challenging. If you have other kids, be sure to spend some quality time with each of them. Rather than holding the baby out in front of you, have the other person come close, facing you. Don't Put Your Newborn on Their Stomach at Bedtime - It isn't safe to put babies to sleep on their stomachs. That's because this position increases the risk of SIDS. The same goes for placing your baby to sleep on his side. From the side-sleeping position, your little one can easily roll onto his stomach and end up in this unsafe sleeping position. Don’t kiss a newborn baby - A newborn baby's immune system is underdeveloped, and whilst they're not fully immunised, it makes them highly vulnerable to severe infections. Many pediatricians warn against strangers kissing babies due to their vulnerable immune systems, as infants are at particular risk of RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), allergic reactions, fever blisters and foot and mouth disease. Don't hold a baby if you are tired - Remember that safe sleep is a must. “Too frequently, exhausted parents fall asleep holding their baby and wake up hours later to find the baby in a dangerous position,” says Dr. Ahmann. “If you're tired, put your baby back in the crib. Having a baby is hard work, and when you finally see your little one for the first time, you might be overcome with emotion after waiting such a long time to give birth. Read related articles: What New Parents Need To Know About Natural Childbirth Importance Of Self Care During Pregnancy and Welcome Baby Party: A Sip And See

Baby could be born skinny, perhaps diagnosed as IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) at birth. Or he might have be born normal weight and become progressively leaner during the early months. Genetically lean babies are underweight babies when using medical criteria. There are three reasons why babies do not gain weight: not taking in enough calories, not absorbing calories or burning too many calories. Full-term newborn infants should take in about 1.5 to 2 ounces of breast milk or formula about every 3 hours. Premature infants need more calories than term babies. Slow weight gain could be a problem if your newborn doesn't regain their birth weight within 10 to 14 days after their birth. Your baby up to 3 months old gains less than an ounce a day. Your infant between 3 and 6 months gains less than 0.67 ounces a day. Symptoms of malnutrition in a child can include not growing or putting on weight at the expected rate (faltering growth) changes in behaviour, such as being unusually irritable, slow or anxious. low energy levels and tiring more easily than other children. Increasing calories by eating more healthy foods and adding additional sources of protein can help you and your unborn baby gain a healthy amount of weight. This is true for women who have just learned they are pregnant and for those who are already pregnant and need to up their baby's weight gain before birth. Babies who are formula fed generally gain weight faster than breastfed babies after the first 3 months of life. With formula feeding, it's easier to know how much milk your baby is getting. If your baby's doctor thinks it's necessary, you may have to supplement your baby with additional feedings of either pumped breast milk or infant formula. You can also try to pump and separate your foremilk from your hindmilk. Hindmilk is higher in fat and calories, which can help your baby gain more weight. Foods like potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, dal, ghee, ragi, almonds, yogurt, eggs and milk help the baby to gain weight. Please take a pediatricians' suggestion before you start any of these foods. As always follow a 3 day test rule. If you think your baby's weight is a concern, check with your pediatrician. Some factors like genetics, formula feeding, and your home environment may lead to baby's weight. A baby or toddler with this condition will have a thin skin hanging, which will be due to the lack of fat in their body. This can be detected through signs such as hanging skin, change in skin tone, hair-loss, baby may feel lethargic and will cry for a longer period of time. Your toddler may become underweight for all sorts of reasons. But it's most likely that he's simply burning off more calories than he takes in each day, especially if he's having a long spell of fussy eating. These phases do pass in time though. Your toddler may also lose weight if he's ill, perhaps with a tummy bug. While society may send a message that your baby has to have rolls of baby fat to be healthy, this isn't really true. As long as they're meeting developmental milestones, are alert and active, and are feeding well, you likely don't need to worry.