Normal things that newborns do (and when to talk to your doctor)

Every baby is different, and a lot of babies do things that seem strange or hard to explain. Even experienced parents will find that their new baby has quirks or behaviors their other children didn’t have. As you and your newborn get to know each other, you’ll feel more comfortable and confident knowing what’s normal and what might be a cause for concern.

Here are a few things that healthy newborns sometimes do that may seem concerning but are usually normal. It’s always a good idea to talk to your child’s doctor if you have any questions or worries about your baby or if something just seems off.

Hiccups. Hiccups are common in newborns and usually happen when they’re feeding and swallow some air. They’re probably more frustrating to parents than to babies. During the hiccups, give your baby a brief break from feeding for 5-10 minutes, then try again. If hiccups often interrupt feedings, you can try changing the feeding position so your baby is more upright and burp more frequently. Some babies just hiccup more than others and will outgrow it over time.

Sneezing. Newborns have tiny nasal passages. It’s normal for them to sneeze a lot and seem congested. Sneezing is a reflex to clear their nose of dust, mucous, and milk. Dry air can be particularly irritating for babies, and reflux (or spitting up) can make nasal congestion worse. Luckily, most babies grow out of nasal congestion and sneezing as they get bigger. Sometimes using nasal saline and gentle bulb suction helps, but don’t suction aggressively or more than twice a day because it can irritate babies’ nasal passages and make the congestion worse.

Talk to your pediatrician if your newborn has a fever (temperature over 100.4), cough, other cold symptoms, or trouble feeding. Call 911 if your baby has color change (blue tint to their skin), difficulty breathing, or is unable to nurse or drink.

Startles and jitters. Newborns’ nervous systems are still developing. This can sometimes cause them to seem jittery. Newborns have a reflex (Moro reflex) that causes them to throw back their head and spread out their arms and legs when they are startled or have the sensation of falling. Sometimes this happens when they hear a loud noise, are being dressed, or when they’re falling asleep. You may also notice trembling in a newborn’s arms, legs, or chin when they cry or brief, small jerking movements as they fall asleep. Most babies grow out of these movements as their nervous system matures.

Talk to your pediatrician if your baby is making movements that can’t be stopped with touching or feeding; if your baby has changes in their color, breathing, or facial expression with shaking; if your baby’s temperature is too warm (fever) or too cold (hypothermia); or if the shaking is rhythmic or repeated.

Funky poop. Depending on whether a baby is breastfed or formula fed, baby poop can be anywhere from the consistency of peanut butter to runny with seedy particles. The color can run from greenish to tan to mustard-yellow. Newborns may poop several times in a day from small smears to bigger blowouts, and breastfed babies may only poop once or twice a week.

Fussing with pooping. Speaking of poop, some infants strain, grunt, cry, or turn red before and during pooping. But once they go, their poop is soft and appears normal. This is because pooping involves coordinating several different muscles, and newborns are still learning how to do that. Grunting and crying make it easier by increasing their abdominal pressure. Most babies figure out how to poop pretty quickly and fussing with pooping typically only lasts a few weeks.

Talk to your pediatrician if your baby has small, hard poops, blood in their stool, pale whitish poop, dark black poop, hasn’t pooped in a few days, seems to be in pain, or is inconsolable.