Racine County UW-Extension
Becoming a parent is an exciting change in your life. But, it can be a stressful and trying time, too. Find out from child development experts how your baby changes during each month of the first year of your child's life.
Use the form below to enter your e-mail address, your child's birth date, and your zip code. The Parenting the First Year Newsletter will be e-mailed to you on a monthly basis. Parenting the Second and Third Years Newsletters will arrive every other month until your child reaches 3 years of age.
5 essential facts for parents of newborns:
- Crying is normal for a baby. Never, never, shake a baby. Call 211, your physician, or a friend if you are feeling frustrated with your crying baby.
- "Back to Sleep" – Place your baby on his or her back to sleep for naps and nighttime.
- Place your baby on a firm, safety-approved, sleep surface that is covered by a fitted sheet. Baby's sleep area should be close to, but separate from, where you or others sleep.
- Keep soft objects, toys, and loose bedding out of baby's sleep area.
- Do not allow smoking around your baby: in homes, cars, childcare environments, etc.
–In collaboration with Erin Donaldson, Safe Kids Coordinator, (262) 687-3366 and Barbara Stoffel-Emde, Family and Community Educator, (262) 833-8732 Infant Care and Healthy Families Committee, a subgroup of Racine Infant Mortality Coalition Adapted from National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Nov. 2005
