Introduction Essential newborn care is a care that every newborn baby needs regardless of where it is born or its size. Essential newborn care should be applied immediately after the baby is born and continued for at least the first 7 days after birth (WHO). This study was conducted to assess the knowledge of nurses on essential newborn care. Methods The study was conducted using descriptive correlational research design. The samples included 30 nurses working in Apollo Cradle for Women & Children who were selected using purposive sampling technique. Data was collected using demographic variable proforma and structured questionnaire to assess the knowledge of nurses on essential newborn care through a non-experimental descriptive method. Results revealed that the mean and standard deviation of knowledge of nurses on essential newborn care was (M = 14.93, SD = 3.35). The study findings revealed that there was the significant association between selected demographic variables and knowledge of the nurses -years of experience and knowledge of nurses on essential newborn care (p < 0.05).