Introduction. The level of knowledge of new mothers has a significant impact on the care, tending and proper development of neonates. Aim. Assessment of the level and determinants of postpartum women’s knowledge about newborn care and tending. Material and methods. The study included 100 postpartum women recruited from maternity wards and women’s health outpatient clinics. The project was carried out with permission of the Bioethics Committee (KB752/2014). The research method used was a diagnostic survey and the research tool was a questionnaire of author’s own design. Results. The study group demonstrated an average level of knowledge on newborn care and tending. The level was significantly higher in postpartum women aged 31–41 with higher education and a good financial situation (p < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between the marital status and the level of knowledge in postpartum women (p > 0.05). Selected obstetric variables (parity, mode of delivery, participation in childbirth classes) did not affect the knowledge on baby care in the study group (p > 0.05). Conclusions. Women in the postpartum period demonstrated an average level of knowledge on newborn care and tending. Significant determinants of women’s knowledge in that respect included: age, educational attainment and financial status. The study reveals that it is of major significance to improve the level of knowledge on newborn care and tending, and that the primary role in parent education should be played by nurses and midwives following current norms of nursing care in the area of neonatal nursing.

Key words: newborn care, baby tending, level of knowledge.