Hyperbilirubinemia is very common and usually benign in the term newborn infant and the late preterm infant at 35 and 36 completed weeks\' gestation. Critical hyperbilirubinemia is uncommon but has the potential for causing long-term neurological impairment. Early discharge of the healthy newborn infant, particularly those in whom breastfeeding may not be fully established, may be associated with delayed diagnosis of significant hyperbilirubinemia. Guidelines for the prediction, prevention, identification, monitoring and treatment of severe hyperbilirubinemia are presented.