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It can be hard to tell if your baby's skin is yellow, especially if they have dark skin. You may need to look at your baby's eyes and inside their mouth as well.

Newborn babies who have jaundice may get a yellow tinge to:

• Their skin
• The whites of their eyes
• The inside of their mouth.

If your baby has white skin, it should look normal if you gently press it with your fingertips. But if the skin looks yellow after you've pressed it, your baby may have jaundice. If your baby has dark skin, you'll need to check the whites of their eyes and the inside of their mouth.^{1 2}

Jaundice usually appears when babies are two days to five days old. If you can only see the yellow tinge on the skin of your baby's face, the jaundice is probably mild. But as bilirubin builds up in your baby's blood the jaundice spreads further down your baby's body, such as to their arms and legs.¹ (To read more about bilirubin and how jaundice happens, see What is jaundice in newborn babies.)

If you think your baby has jaundice and seems to be sick (for example not feeding as well as usual) you should tell your doctor right away. This is because:

• Most babies don't spend very long in the hospital after they are born. So doctors rely on parents to spot the early signs of jaundice during the first week at home.³
• Where you see jaundice on your baby's body is only a rough guide to how much bilirubin is in their blood. It can be especially hard to tell if the jaundice has spread if your baby has dark skin.

Your baby's doctor may do a blood test to check how much bilirubin is in your baby's blood.^{1 4} Your doctor may also carry out other tests to find out what has caused the jaundice. The tests will help them decide if your baby needs treatment.^{1 5}

Some babies may also get jaundice within 24 hours of being born or have jaundice for longer than about 10 days to two weeks. If this happens to your baby, they may need treatment. Or it may be a sign that your baby is sick for another reason. For example, your baby may have an infection.⁶

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.