Newborn Jaundice Treatment

Self-Care at Home

• Sunlight helps to break down bilirubin so that a baby's liver can process it more easily.
  
  
  • Placing a child in a well-lit window for 10 minutes twice a day is often all that is needed to help cure mild jaundice. Never place an infant in direct sunlight.
  
  
• If the bilirubin level is too high, the child may need to be placed under a special type of light. This treatment is called phototherapy.
  
  
  • Sometimes, such lights can be set up at your home with careful monitoring.
    
    
  • The doctor (with the parent's help) will decide whether to begin a child on phototherapy.
  
  
• If an infant's bilirubin levels are very high or if the child appears ill, the baby will most likely be admitted to the hospital for treatment.