Title: Describe the care of a newborn.
Course: Child Development and Parenting (19255-18)

Description should include

- recognizing characteristics and common responses of newborns
- bonding through touch, diapering, dressing, bathing, and feeding
- identifying safe sleep practices
- expressing care and love through massage and everyday interactions with the newborn
- responding to a crying infant
- demonstrating strategies to deal with colic
- preventing brain injuries (e.g., shaken baby syndrome)
- practicing safety precautions
- identifying healthcare providers, support services, medical tests, and procedures
- identifying the risks and prevention strategies for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- maintaining the wellness of newborns, including neonatal checkups and immunizations.

Note: Demonstrations are encouraged through guest speakers, infant simulators, videos, etc.

Process/Skill Questions:

Thinking

- How should one expect an infant to behave when he or she is first born?
- How will the baby’s appearance and actions affect how the parent feels about the child?
- Why should parents be aware of the characteristics of newborns?
- Why is shaking a baby a very dangerous response to a crying baby?
- How does the newborn’s schedule alter the parent’s schedule?

Communication

- Why is bonding important to the parent-child relationship?
- What are the long-term effects of bonding on the baby? The mother and father? The family?
- What things can an adolescent mother do to encourage more participation by the father?

Leadership

- How can an adolescent parent be supported while some of the initial post-delivery procedures are being done?
- What community resources are available to parents dealing with a SIDS death?
- What resources are reliable regarding a child’s immunization schedule?
- What are the consequences of children receiving or not receiving immunizations?

Management

- What strategies can one practice to safely diaper, dress, bathe, and feed your baby?
- How can a baby that cries a lot or has colic affect the relationship between the parents?
- Where can one find reliable resources and support regarding infant care tasks? How does one determine if the resources are reliable?