Immediatly after Circumcision the tip of the penis is usually covered with gauze coated with petroleum jelly to keep the wound from sticking to the diaper. Gently wipe the tip clean with warm water after a diaper change, then apply petroleum jelly to the tip so it doesn't stick to the diaper. Redness or irritation of the penis should heal within a few days, but if the redness or swelling increases or if pus-filled blisters form, infection may be present and you should call your baby's doctor immediately.

Umbilical cord care in newborns is also important. Some doctors suggest swabbing the area with rubbing alcohol until the cord stump dries up and falls off, usually in 10 days to 3 weeks, but others recommend leaving the area alone. Talk to your child's doctor to see what he or she prefers. The infant's navel area shouldn't be submerged in water until the cord stump falls off and the area is healed. Until it falls off, the cord stump will change color from yellow to brown or black — this is normal. Consult your doctor if the navel area becomes reddened or if a foul odor or discharge develops.

Bathing Basics

You should give your baby a sponge bath until:

• the umbilical cord falls off (1–4 weeks)
• the circumcision heals (1–2 weeks)
• the naval heals completely (1–4 weeks)

A bath two or three times a week in the first year is sufficient. More frequent bathing may be drying to the skin.

You'll need the following items before bathing your baby:

• a soft, clean washcloth
• mild, unscented baby soap and shampoo
• a soft brush to stimulate the baby's scalp
• towels or blankets
• an infant tub with 2 to 3 inches of warm — not hot! — water (to test the water temperature, feel the water with the inside of your elbow or wrist). An infant tub is a plastic tub that can fit in the bathtub and is better fitted for the infant and makes bath time easier to manage.
• a clean diaper
• clean clothes

• Help your baby develop a sleep routine.   Create a sleep time ritual. This includes keeping naptime and bedtime at a consistent time each day.
• Learn as much about your baby as you can.   Find out which skills your baby will develop and when. Spend time observing the way he looks at the world and how he responds. Is he shy? Curious? Able to let you know when he is tired or has had enough? This will help you understand all his behaviors.
• Remember, every child is unique.   Be sure to follow your baby's lead to figure out the best way to comfort, play, and communicate with him. While you may have had experiences with other children, refrain from thinking that your baby will respond in the same way as another. Even siblings in the same family are different from each other, and these differences can be seen as early as at birth.
• Make family time a priority. Play with and read to your baby every day. Plan time each day to spend with your other children, if you have others, and let them know that you love them equally. With a newborn, don't expect too much from yourself.   Housework may need to wait while you take care of your family.
• When you have questions, ask.   Even when you know your child well, you may still have questions and concerns. Ask your pediatrician when you need advice.   Seek a friend or relative to give you help when you are tired, frustrated or just need someone to talk to. It helps to share those special moments, or those difficult days, with another adult.
• Take care of yourself.   Eat a well-balanced diet, exercise, get regular medical checkups, and, most importantly, try to get enough sleep! Accept offers from those you trust to baby-sit and take an occasional break. When your child goes to bed, take time for yourself to relax, nap, read a book, listen to music, take a bath, or call a friend.

• Babies don't sleep anywhere. Some infants are more sensitive to the amount of noise or level of light, and may have trouble sleeping or sleep for less time because they get scared or are awakened. Try and put your infant to sleep in an area where there are fewer distractions. However, make sure you check on him often and can hear him if he cries.
• Sleep safety. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be put to sleep on their backs, on a firm surface, in a room that is not too warm, in a nonsmoking environment, and with no toys or loose bedding. Toys and loose bedding can hurt your infant or interfere with his breathing. Sleeping on the side or stomach can also interfere with your infant’s breathing and cause him to suffocate, also known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
• Setting a schedule. Establish a bedtime routine for your infant, with soothing activities such as bathing, rocking, singing, or reading to her. This will help her learn when it is time to go to bed. Try to put her in her crib right before she falls asleep instead of letting her fall asleep in your arms. This will teach her to put herself to sleep later on or if she wakes up during the night. Although it might be hard, letting your infant cry for a short time is not bad for her. Infants generally go to bed early in the evening. Putting your infant to bed later will not necessarily make her wake up later. In fact, it may make her cranky and less likely to fall asleep. As she gets older, try gently adjusting your infant’s nap schedule so she can enjoy more of the day and sleep through more of the night by waking her from a long afternoon nap.

• Spend time cuddling. Babies love to be touched and held. Do not be afraid of spoiling your infant by picking him up too much. Holding your baby actually makes her feel comforted. She is fragile, though, so be sure to support her head and neck and do not shake her hard.
• Learn your baby's cues. Sometimes babies do need their time and space because all the sights and sounds can be too much. If your baby moves his eyes away or starts to cry, she may just need some quiet time in her seat or crib. When your baby is ready to play, she will let you know by smiling, reaching out, and moving her eyes towards someone who is talking.
• Make some tummy time. When your baby is three months old, it's important to start giving him some time on his stomach to exercise his neck muscles and help him learn to reach for things. Put him on a soft surface on the ground, such as a blanket or carpet, put toys in front of him, and let him try to reach for them. Remember, though, never to put your baby to sleep on his tummy!
• You baby likes to see. Babies can't see all the colors right away, but they do like to follow things with their eyes. Your baby will like contrast and brightly colored things like mobiles, but most of all, she wants to see your face!
• Your baby likes to hear. Your baby will get used to your voice pretty soon after he is born, and soon after that, he will love hearing new sounds. Babies love music and singing, especially songs that have clapping and rhyme. You can even make them up as you go along! The best way to introduce your child to new words is to talk to him as you do things, even if he can't talk back. Tell him where you are going and what you are doing. Most importantly, read out loud to your baby. Reading should be part of your child's day from the time he is born. Point to and name the pictures in the book.
• Your baby likes to touch. Your baby will start to hold on to you early on – your finger, your hair, watch out for those earrings! But you can also use some simple toys, such as soft books or rattles.
  

Face

A newborn's face may look quite puffy due to fluid accumulation and the rough trip through the birth canal. The infant's facial appearance often changes significantly during the first few days as the baby gets rid of the extra fluid and the trauma of delivery subsides. That's why the photos you take of your baby later on at home usually look a lot different than those "new arrival" nursery shots.

In some cases, a newborn's facial features can be quite distorted as a result of positioning in the uterus and the squeeze through the birth canal. Not to worry — that folded ear, flattened nose, or crooked jaw usually comes back into place over time.

Eyes

A few minutes after birth, most infants open their eyes and start to look around at their environment. Newborns can see, but they probably don't focus well at first, which is why their eyes may seem out of line or crossed at times during the first 2 to 3 months. Because of the puffiness of their eyelids, some infants may not be able to open their eyes wide right away. When holding your newborn, you can encourage eye opening by taking advantage of your baby's "doll's eye" reflex, which is a tendency to open the eyes more when held in an upright position.

Parents are sometimes startled to see that the white part of one or both of their newborn's eyes appears blood-red. Called subconjunctival hemorrhage, this occurs when blood leaks under the covering of the eyeball due to the trauma of delivery. It's a harmless condition similar to a skin bruise that goes away after several days, and it generally doesn't indicate that there has been any damage to the infant's eyes.

Parents are often curious to know what color eyes their infant will have. If a baby's eyes are brown at birth, they will remain so. This is the case for most black and Asian infants. Most white infants are born with bluish-gray eyes, but the pigmentation of the iris (the colored part of the eye) may progressively darken, usually not becoming their permanent color until about 3 to 6 months of age.

Ears

A newborn's ears, as well as other features, may be distorted by the position they were in while inside the uterus. Because the baby hasn't yet developed the thick cartilage that gives firm shape to an older child's ears, it isn't unusual for newborns to come out with temporarily folded or otherwise misshapen ears. Small tags of skin or pits (shallow holes) in the skin on the side of the face just in front of the ear are also common. Usually, these skin tags can be easily removed (talk to your doctor).

Nose

Because newborns tend to breathe through their noses and their nasal passages are narrow, small amounts of nasal fluid or mucus can cause them to breathe noisily or sound congested even when they don't have a cold or other problem. Talk with your doctor about the use of salt-water nose drops and a bulb syringe to help clear the nasal passages if necessary.

Sneezing is also common in newborns. This is a normal reflex and isn't due to an infection, allergies, or other problems.

Mouth

When your newborn opens his or her mouth to yawn or cry, you may notice some small white spots on the roof of the mouth, usually near the center. These small collections of cells are called Epstein's pearls and, along with fluid-filled cysts sometimes present on the gums, will disappear during the first few weeks.

Neck

Yes ... it's there. Normally the neck looks short in newborns because it tends to get lost in the chubby cheeks and folds of skin.

Chest

Because an infant's chest wall is thin, you may easily feel or observe your baby's upper chest move with each heartbeat. This is normal and isn't a cause for concern.

Also, both male and female newborns can have breast enlargement. This is due to the female hormone estrogen passed to the fetus from the mother during pregnancy. You may feel firm, disc-shaped lumps of tissue beneath the nipples and, occasionally, a small amount of milky fluid (called "witch's milk" in folklore) may be released from the nipples. The breast enlargement almost always disappears during the first few weeks. Despite what some parents believe, you shouldn't squeeze the breast tissue — it will not make the breasts shrink any faster than they will on their own.

Arms and Legs

Following birth, full-term newborns tend to assume a posture similar to what their position in the cramped uterus had been: arms and legs flexed and held close to their bodies. The hands are usually tightly closed, and it may be difficult for you to open them up because touching or placing an object in the palms triggers a strong grasp reflex.

Fingernails

Infants' fingernails can be long enough at birth to scratch their skin as they bring their hands to their faces. If this is the case, you can carefully trim your baby's nails with a pair of small scissors.

Sometimes parents are concerned about the curved appearance of their newborn's feet and legs. But if you recall the usual position of the fetus in the womb during the final months of pregnancy — hips flexed and knees bent with the legs and feet crossed tightly up against the abdomen — it's no surprise that a newborn's legs and feet tend to curve inward. You can usually move your newborn's legs and feet into a "walking" position; and this will happen naturally as the infant begins to bear weight, walk, and grow through the first 2 to 3 years of life.

It's normal for a baby's abdomen (belly) to appear somewhat full and rounded. When your baby cries or strains, you may also note that the skin over the central area of the abdomen may protrude between the strips of muscle tissue making up the abdominal wall on either side. This almost always disappears during the next several months as the infant grows.

Many parents are concerned about the appearance and care of their infant's umbilical cord. The cord contains three blood vessels (two arteries and a vein) encased in a jelly-like substance. Following delivery, the cord is clamped or tied off before it's cut to separate the infant from the placenta. The umbilical stump is then simply allowed to wither and drop off, which usually happens in about 10 days to 3 weeks.

You may be instructed to swab the area with alcohol periodically or wash the area with soap and water if the stump becomes dirty or sticky to help prevent infection until the cord falls off and the stump dries up. The baby's navel area shouldn't be submerged in water during bathing until this occurs. The withering cord will go through color changes, from yellow to brown or black — this is normal. You should consult your baby's doctor if the navel area becomes red or if a foul odor or discharge develops.

Umbilical (navel) hernias are common in newborns, particularly in infants of African heritage. A hole in the wall of the abdomen at the site of the umbilical cord/future navel allows the baby's intestine to protrude through when he or she cries or strains, causing the overlying skin to bulge outward. These hernias are generally harmless and aren't painful to the infant. The majority of them close on their own during the first few years, but a simple surgical procedure can fix the hernia if it doesn't close by itself. Home remedies for umbilical hernias that have been tried through the years, such as strapping and taping coins over the area, should not be attempted. These techniques are ineffective and may result in skin infections or other injuries.

Genitalia

The genitalia (sexual organs) of both male and female infants may appear relatively large and swollen at birth. Why? It's due to several factors, including the exposure to hormones produced by the mother and fetus, bruising and swelling of the genital tissues related to birth trauma, and the natural course of development of the genitalia.

In girls, the outer lips of the vagina (labia majora) may appear puffy at birth. The skin of the labia may be either smooth or somewhat wrinkled. Sometimes, a small piece of pink tissue may protrude between the labia — this is a hymenal tag and it's of no significance; it will eventually recede into the labia as the genitals grow.

Due to the effects of maternal hormones, most newborn girls will have a vaginal discharge of mucus and perhaps some blood that lasts for a few days. This "mini-period" is normal menstrual-type bleeding from the infant's uterus that occurs as the estrogen passed to the infant by the mother begins to disappear. Although it's much more common in boys, swelling in the groin of an infant girl can indicate the presence of an inguinal (groin) hernia.

Hydrocele

In boys, the scrotum (the sack containing the testicles) often looks swollen. This is usually due to a hydrocele, a common collection of fluid in the scrotum of infant boys that usually disappears during the first 3 to 6 months. You should consult your doctor about swelling or bulging in your son's scrotum or groin area that persists beyond 3 to 6 months or that seems to come and go. That may indicate the presence of an inguinal hernia, which usually requires surgical treatment. The testicles of newborn boys may be difficult to feel in the swollen scrotum. Muscles attached to the testicles pull them up into the groin briskly when the genital area is touched or exposed to a cool environment. Infant boys also normally experience frequent penile erections, often just before they urinate.

More than 95% of newborns urinate within the first 24 hours. If your baby is delivered in a hospital, nursery personnel will want to know if this happens while your infant is with you. If a newborn doesn't urinate for what seems like a while at first, it may be that he or she urinated immediately after birth while still in the delivery room. With all the activity going on, that first urination may not have been noticed.

If your infant son was circumcised, it usually takes between 7 to 10 days for the penis to heal. Until it does, the tip may seem raw or yellowish in color. Although this is normal, certain other symptoms are not. Call your child's doctor right away if you notice persistent bleeding, redness around the tip of the penis that gets worse after 3 days, fever, signs of infection (such as the presence of pus-filled blisters), and not urinating normally within 6 to 8 hours after the circumcision.