As a first time mom — and a Type-A, ultra-organized planner freak — I spent my 9 months of pregnancy doing countless hours of online research, reading, asking friends and family for advice, and even being totally happy to receive "unsolicited advice" from strangers.
Because, frankly, I don't know what the heck I'm doing, have never been a mom, and need all the help I can get to prepare for taking care of a 100% dependent human baby.
If you're in the same boat as me, you'll find these guides helpful.
But first, a couple IMPORTANT disclaimers.
*Disclaimer #1: Every pregnancy is different. Every labor and delivery experience is different. Every mom is different. Every baby is different. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to being a first time mom! So take everything you read with a grain of salt and know it is not the "bible" you need to strictly follow. This is meant to be a "reference" to guide you through preparing to take care of a newborn, but you must allow follow your motherly instincts and doctor's advice first over anything you read online. These guides are not medical, professional or official advice for newborn care.
*Disclaimer #2: Each of these guides include only the "surface level" tips based on MY personal learnings from things I have read, heard, or learned from external sources. These guides may exclude tips that I didn't include about newborn care because, to me, they are common sense or things I already knew. My advice: once you download and print these guides, feel free to pencil in your own notes and learnings to the paper as you learn new things so it's customized to you.
Complete Newborn Guide for First Time Moms
Newborn Guides to Download & Print:
Baby Nighttime and Nap Routines
Now What?
After downloading and printing these guides, here's a few things I recommend you do next:
- Write in any additional advice, tips, or learnings you have discovered related to each guide.
- Place each guide inside a laminate or plastic cover to help it last longer.
- Add guides to a 3-ring folder, thumbtack on a wall in the nursery, or safely put them wherever it would be most convenient for you and your partner to access these guides when you need it. You may even want a folder with additional copies to add to your diaper bag for on-the-go reference if needed.
- Read through the guides on a regular basis BEFORE baby comes, and of course afterwards. The more you read them, the more all the "information overload" will begin to stick to memory once the circumstance comes that you need to apply that knowledge. Practice makes perfect.
- Use these guides as long as you need, but they are designed to be a "basic reference" for getting started with a newborn until you establish your own parenting methods and routines for taking care of baby.
Get The Full Context!
As mentioned, these guides are simply "references" to use — not medical, professional or official advice to follow.
Here's a few more people you should talk to, follow on social media, hear from, or read their books for more context around these tips so you understand the big picture of why this advice was provided from these sources.
Follow on Social Media:
Books to Read:
Apps to Download:
Other Educational Resources:
- Take a newborn care class (online or in person). Many hospitals offer this for a professional training, but you can also just YouTube it or browse social media for tips.
- Take a baby CPR class (in person preferred, but you can also find training videos online).
- Read all the materials your OBGYN/midwife/hospital gives you when you go for prenatal appointments. It should include newborn care information.
- Ask your friends and family who have had babies in the past couple of years for advice or who can tell you their personal experience for you to consider. Remember, each parent is different and each baby is different.
- Get a lactation consultant (in-person or virtual). If you can't afford a lactation consultant or your insurance doesn't cover one, you can browse YouTube and social media, or read books, about breastfeeding. It's an important skill if you plan to breastfeed!
- Watch videos online to learn how to use your breast pump if you plan to feed your baby with breastmilk instead of formula. Need a breast pump? I recommend you visit Aeroflow or call your insurance provider to ask where you can get an insurance-covered pump.
- Do general online research and social media browsing for baby tips, newborn care, breastfeeding tips, first time mom tips, newborn sleep tips, etc. or anytime you have a question about something. You'll learn a lot — but again remember to ask your doctor about anything related to medical/health/safety to verify their professional opinion if possible.
- Ask your pediatrician questions you have about taking care of a newborn.
Misc. Checklist:
Some things don't need a whole guide and simply just need to be part of a checklist to prepare for a newborn. So, here you go.
To Do During Pregnancy:
- Register for a free car seat safety class / checkup. Most hospitals offer this. You can't leave the hospital with your new baby unless you have a properly installed infant car seat and car seat base.
- Do some research and choose 2-3 pediatricians to add to a list. Why multiple? Most pediatricians will not talk to you, meet with you, or schedule an appointment until AFTER your baby is delivered. It's wild, but you basically have to tell the hospital who your pediatrician is before you've even had a chance to meet with them or know if they are even available to take on new patients. If one of them isn't available after you deliver, you'll have more than one option to consider. Don't fret, you can always change pediatricians later on if you end up not liking them for some reason. Choose your top 2-3 pediatricians based on reviews, recommendations from local friends or family members, or recommendations from your OBGYN.
- Tour daycares. Finding a daycare that takes a newborn is a lot harder than I expected. With more limited options and high demand (hence long waiting lists or limited spots available), you'll need to secure a daycare during pregnancy if possible. Here's some questions you can ask daycares to help you choose the right one for you:
- What's the earliest age they take (i.e. 6 weeks)?
- What is their current availability for taking on a [X] week old at [X] time? (If you know the date range that you will need daycare by, provide that info to them).
- Do they have part-time care available? If so, what are their part-time days/times and pricing?
- Do they offer weekend or after-hour daycare options? If so, provide details.
- What are their full-time days/times and pricing?
- What is the caregiver to child ratio? (Should be no more than 1:4 for newborns)
- Are caregivers required to have any specific background or experience? CPR certified? Background checked?
- What are the local, state and/or national licenses that the daycare has?
- What does the waitlist process look like? What is required to get on the waitlist?
- What are their operating hours that you must drop off or pick up by?
- What do you need to provide vs. what does the daycare provide?
- What is their process of sending updates to parents during the day?
- What security and safety measures do they have installed to keep babies safe? (i.e. security cameras in each room, locked doors to facility at all times, etc)
- What does a typical day look like at the facility for newborn care?
- What is the process for other approved persons to come pick up the child (i.e. grandparents, spouse, nanny, etc.)?
- When and how is payment required? Are there any short-term / long-term contracts or is it a week-to-week enrollment basis?
- What is the protocol for sick babies, kids and staff?
- Put baby bath stuff in the bathroom or area you will bathe them.
- Learn 100 more ways to prepare during pregnancy.
To Do After Baby Comes:
- In the hospital before you are discharged:
- Take receiving blanket home for pets to sniff
- Bring the car seat up to the hospital room to put baby in before taking baby to the car, especially if it's cold outside.
- Take everything from hospital (request more puppy pads, witch hazel pads, perineal spray, nipple cream, dermoplast, ice packs, tummy wrap if c sect, wipes, diapers, brush, nose suction bulb, etc)
- Consider if you want a circumcision done (if you have a boy) and if you have any preferences on how the procedure is done. Your pediatrician will likely be the one to perform this procedure within the baby's first week of life.
- Take a photo with announcement props (unless you prefer to do this after you get home)
- Schedule appointment with your pediatrician. Your hospital will likely contact your chosen pediatrician and they should be able to come to the hospital where you deliver (if local) to check on the baby. Otherwise an in-hospital pediatrician will be there to help before you are discharged. For your baby's first wellness checkup after being discharged from the hospital, make sure to come up with a list of questions to ask the pediatrician. Here's just a few ideas you can ask on your first visit:
- What’s the standard well visit schedule for my baby? What does a typical visit look like?
- Are they available after-hours or 24/7 if you have an emergency? If so, how do you reach them?
- Are they available by email or text? If so, get that contact info.
- Are they available for telehealth?
- Do they offer circumcision (if you have a boy)? If so, what kind of circumcision do they prefer to use? When should you get that procedure done? Tips on taking care of it post-procedure.
- Can they tell if the baby's mouth is normal (no tongue or lip ties)? (a lactation consultant can also help you determine this)
- When to start introducing a pacifier or a bottle? (may be different advice than your lactation consultant - so get second opinions and state any concerns for inconsistent answers)
- Can you use gentle/sensitive baby wipes on a newborn? Water wipes only?
- Can you use diaper creams, lotions or oils on a newborn?
- etc.
- Schedule appointment with a lactation consultant. Your hospital may have a lactation consultant or nurse to help you learn how to breastfeed after delivery, but breastfeeding can be a difficult thing for new moms and babies alike to successfully learn. So sometimes you may still need to hire a lactation consultant after you are discharged if you plan to breastfeed exclusively for a while.
- How do I know if they are properly latched?
- How do I know if they are getting a full feeding?
- What is the best way to hold the baby while feeding?
- How long should I feed on each breast?
- Do I need to use each breast, every feeding? Do I need to alternate breasts when I start each feeding?
- When to start pumping? (After 4 weeks minimum? After breastfeeding is established?)
- Best time to pump?
- How long do you pump for in one sitting? How often?
- How to use a Haaka / hand pump
- How to hand express
- Tips for storing breastmilk (fridge vs freezer)
- Warming up fridge/freezer stored breastmilk (Necessary? Run under warm water?)
- When to start introducing / using a pacifier?
- When to introduce / start using a bottle due to daycare (to occur at X weeks)?
- etc.
- Send out the Meal Train sign up to your contacts.
- Set phone alerts/reminders for feed schedules (Consider using the Huckleberry app) to help you get in the routine of feedings for a newborn.
- Add baby to insurance (health, life, etc. as applicable)
- Schedule newborn photo session (optional) - good for sending out announcements in the mail or posting on social.
- Prepare your baby announcement for social media.
- Consider making a scrapbook or photo book that includes maternity photos, sonogram photos, hospital photos and newborn photos for keepsake.
- Consider starting a baby keepsake box - add sonogram images, announcement photos, journal, baby things, etc.