Caring for Baby

Welcome to the exciting world of parenting, whether you are an expecting, new or experienced parent. On this page we have collected our favourite FREE resources to help you navigate the first six months after your baby’s birth.

Watch for blue boxes in the resource tabs below. Our Public Health Nurses have highlighted important information and tips they often use on the phone line.

To speak to a nurse about caring for your baby, contact the Family Health Information Line (FHIL) at 705-474-1400 ext. 5351 or email healthy.families@healthunit.ca.

Feeding Baby

Breastfeeding Resources

Our breastfeeding page will help you connect with support, information and reassurance. We even offer breastfeeding clinics over the phone or in-person!

We really love the latching your baby video on this page. Watch closely starting at 1:12 for the laid-back position. This position can really help when first learning to latch!

The Breastfeeding Matters Book is a breastfeeding guide available in 18 languages that can be viewed online or downloaded and printed.

“When babies are held skin-to-skin, they can hear their parent’s heartbeat and breathing, and smell and feel their skin. This is familiar and comforting and helps them to use their natural instincts." (Best Start - Breastfeeding Matters)

Starting Solids

Feeding Your Baby – A guide to help you introduce solid foods

"At around six months of age, your baby will start to show signs that they are ready for solid foods. Some babies will be ready a few weeks before six months of age and others will be ready just after six months of age. Follow your baby’s signs of readiness for solid food." (Nutrition Connections - Feeding Your Baby)

Our Feeding your baby page provides information on introducing solid foods, safety during feedings, allergies, and more!

Sleep

Sleep Well, Sleep Safe for Baby: Healthy sleep tips, safety recommendations, and frequently asked questions regarding infant sleep.

"Comfort your crying infant. It will not spoil them! They will learn that you will be there when needed. It helps your infant feel more secure and comfortable." (Best Start - Sleep Well, Sleep Safe)

Safe Sleep for Your Baby: Steps for safe sleep for every sleep by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

"Babies who always sleep on their backs have a lower risk of SIDS [sudden infant death syndrome]." (Public Health Agency of Canada - Safe Sleep for Your Baby)

Car Seats for Baby

Child Car Seat Safety: Parachute Canada’s webpage on car seat safety.

“Keep your child rear facing for as long as they still fit the larger, rear-facing seat. Your child is safest riding rear facing until 2, 3 or even 4 years old." (Parachute - Child car safety)

Supporting Baby's Growth and Development

Tummy Time for Baby

Tummy Time: A webpage dedicated to tummy time: what it is, why it’s important, and what it can look like.

“Aim to achieve at least an hour of Tummy Time total per day by 3 months of age. This hour of Tummy Time can be broken up into smaller parts. From newborn age, start with a few minutes at a time and build up to longer sessions.” (Pathways.org - Tummy Time Tips)

Play for Baby

Activities and Games: Babies play too! This webpage has a list to try with your baby, right from the beginning.

Try their activity “Lift and Look!” We like this activity because babies strengthen their vision, head movements, and neck and shoulder muscles. Extra bonus – they listen to and are comforted by your voice, their favourite sound!

Connecting with your Baby

5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return: Child-adult relationships that are responsive and attentive—with lots of back-and-forth interactions—build a strong foundation in a child’s brain for all future learning and development. This is called 'serve and return.'

“By taking small moments during the day to do serve and return, you build up the foundation for children’s lifelong learning, behavior, and health—and their skills for facing life’s challenges." (Center on the Developing Child - 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return)

The Connection Between You and Your Baby: A booklet looking at ways caregivers support and respond to their baby’s emotional needs.

“Even though babies can’t speak, they have ways of letting you know how they’re feeling. If you pay attention to these signs and act on them to comfort your baby, you will form a bond of trust.” (Centre of Excellence for Early Childhood Development - Parent-child Attachment)

Milestones for Baby

Baby’s Physical Development: A chart that can be printed or viewed online to track and support your child’s physical, play, and speech development.

“Talk to baby every day to show that language is used to communicate.” (Pathways.org - Tips for Baby Development)

Caring for Self

Caring for Your Mental Health

Caring for Yourself: Health Canada’s postpartum booklet describes how the birth of a baby is an adjustment for parents and describes ways of seeking support as well as taking care of yourself.

Tip: Nesting typically involves preparing yourself and your living space for the arrival of your baby. Before and after birth, continue to nurture your physical and mental well-being by focusing on another type of nest, NEST-S: Nutrition, Exercise, Sleep, Time for self, and use of Supports.

Postpartum Mood Disorders: Our Postpartum Mood Disorders webpage explores mental health disorders that can occur during pregnancy and after the birth of a child.

Connect with the resources you need when you need it. You are not alone.

Pregnant, Postpartum, and Families with a Baby: Our mental health resource list for individuals who are pregnant or postpartum, and families with a baby.

It's okay to take care of yourself. It's part of parenting.

Play Groups for You and Your Baby

Ontario EarlyON Centres: Interactive drop-in programs for children and their families, from birth to six years of age.

Nipissing Area (including North Bay)

West Nipissing

East and West Parry Sound Area

Looking for something more? Other parenting groups may be available for support. Visit our playgroups list.

Local Support for Parents

Family Health Information Line: Our phone and email service for parents (and parents-to-be) who have questions or are looking for more support.

Talk to us about pregnancy - whether planning a pregnancy or currently pregnant, breastfeeding (including breastfeeding clinic appointments), mental health during or after pregnancy, registering for online prenatal or parenting classes, child growth and development, feeding your baby, general parenting, and community resources.

Healthy Babies Healthy Children: This home visiting program is a free and voluntary service that can help you and your family navigate challenges around parenting.

Speak with us on the Family Health Information Line to see if this program is right for you!

Substance Use

Smoking, Vaping and Tobacco: Become smoke-free with these supports.

Quitting is a process that can be different for everyone.

Alcohol and Breastfeeding: A downloadable pamphlet outlining what to do if thinking about alcohol while breastfeeding.

“Only time will remove the alcohol from breastmilk. Strategies such as drinking more water, eating, pumping and discarding the milk, and exercising do not help the body remove the alcohol from breastmilk any quicker.” (Best Start - Mixing Alcohol and Breastfeeding)

Cannabis and Pregnancy to Parenting: All about reducing the risks to your baby and family; includes tips for pregnant individuals and new parents.

“Breastfeeding is still the healthiest choice for your baby. Until further information about the potential harms is available, it's recommended women stop using cannabis while they are pregnant, and while breastfeeding." (Risks of Cannabis on fertility, pregnancy, breastfeeding and parenting, 2019)

Photo of Your guide to postpartum health and caring for your baby resource