some newborn questions....

DS is 1 week old. I forgot so many things about newborns even though I had a toddler...

1. Do you need to wake up a newborn every 3-4 hours to eat if they are sleeping? DS can sleep for most of the day still. I've been BF so I wake him up around every 3 hours, if he doesn't wake up himself, to nurse. At night (after 10 pm pretty much), I've been stretching it to 4 hours (although he usually wakes up at 2 am). I forgot at what age I no longer need to wake him up at night? I then woke him at 6 am ("morning") and then every 3 hours thereafter. WDYD?

2. Do newborns wear hats inside the house??? I don't remember what I did with DD but she was a winter baby.

3. I put DS in a short sleeve side snap shirt, a sleeper and then a swaddleme at night. Do you think the shirt underneath is too much? I tend to be cold all the time since I gave birth (c-section). With my first I don't remember being cold, so I can't judge the temp well. My DH said it's warm.

4. When did you start tummy time

5. When did you first put DC on the floor on his back on the play gym? So far DS is only awake about 2 hours total in the day so I can't really do much with him

6. If you hear DC poop in his sleep, do you wake him up to change him?

Thank you for the responses in advance. Somehow I feel clueless!!!

Re: some newborn questions....

1. Yes you should wake a newborn at least every 3 hours to feed them. 2. I never put a hat on dd indoors. 3. Depends if you have the ac on. With the ac on I'd put the undershirt on if you don't than maybe just pjs and the swaddle me. 4. I started around 6 weeks with . 5. I think I put her on the mat about 4-6 weeks just for a change of scenery. 6. I always change a poop diaper. They can get a rash if you leave them for too long with poop.

Re: some newborn questions....

1. Do you need to wake up a newborn every 3-4 hours to eat if they are sleeping?

- I followed the NICU's advice on this and my pediatrician. I would ask your ped. what they think! At 1 week old, I personally would wake every 3 hours if he hasn't already wanted to eat before then. I would do the same throughout the night. Once he's gaining steadily, you can stop waking him at night. For my ped (with my son, who was full-term.. not my twins) said that was when he reached his birth weight again.
It sounds like you have a good schedule going so far!

2. Do newborns wear hats inside the house??? I don't remember what I did with DD but she was a winter baby.

-I put hats on the twins for the first few weeks at home.. With my son, I never did.

3. I put DS in a short sleeve side snap shirt, a sleeper and then a swaddleme at night. Do you think the shirt underneath is too much? I tend to be cold all the time since I gave birth (c-section). With my first I don't remember being cold, so I can't judge the temp well. My DH said it's warm.

-I don't think you need the shirt too. I think just sleeper & swaddle are fine!

4. When did you start tummy time

-You can start this right away. It doesn't need to be formal! Even laying on your chest if baby is on his tummy is considered tummy time. A few minutes a day is fine! My ped. says tummy time is not even really necessary.

5. When did you first put DC on the floor on his back on the play gym? So far DS is only awake about 2 hours total in the day so I can't really do much with him

-I didn't start this until the twins were awake more. In the beginning, they ate then went right to sleep. Once he starts having some periods where he is awake for 15-30 minutes or so after he eats, then you can start "play" time.

6. If you hear DC poop in his sleep, do you wake him up to change him?

-Yes. I try to be as quiet as possible. I also use Pampers Sensitive wipes which aren't as "wet" as some others I've tried so the cold doesn't shock the babies as much and they usually fall back asleep pretty quickly!

Re: some newborn questions....

1) ask your dr. My Dr. said not to wake the baby and she did just fine gaining weight, she sometimes slept for 2 hours sometimes for 4 but never woke her
2)DD was born in September and she never wore a hat inside
3) if youre warm theyre warm (at least this is what the ped said). I would put on a onesie, footie PJ's and the swaddle me for the first 3 months but it was winter. if it warm just use the onesie and the swaddle me
4) I started tummy time "officially" on a mat around 2 weeks for a couple of minutes. Before that she would get tummy time just by lying on me.
5) i think we started using the play mat around 1 month
6) I neer heard it, I just changed her when she did wake up
7)

Re: some newborn questions....

1. I only woke DS during the day for feedings. At night I would let him sleep until he woke on his own. He was always a good eater and gained weight so it was never an issue.

2. DS was a winter baby and a hot one so he never wore hats inside.
And on warmer days he never wore one outside.

3. DS was/is a warm kid so right now we only have him in a sleeper but soon it will be less when it gets warmer....no undershirts.

4. DS hated tummy time so it has just been recently (DS is 4.5 months) but he had great head control from day one

5. We put DS in his play gym at about 6 weeks

6. DS never pooped at night so I didn't have to but if he was sleeping I would probably let him go a bit since he woke up multiple times a night at that age.

Re: some newborn questions....

1) Yes during the day, but not at night (unless he's still under his birth weight).

2) DD was in a hat in the house for months but she was a winter baby. Since your son was born in springtime, it's not a necessity unless it's chilly that day.

3) That's what I did for DD also, but again she was a winter baby. If your baby is sweating... lose a layer.

4) A few weeks old? I forget.

5) Same as above. She wasn't really into it for awhile.

6) Nope. I'd change DD when she woke up.