Intro

Since June 2026, I've become a parent of a baby girl. She's the first child, and there are so many things I had no clue about. On this page, I'll be sharing my own experiences and references, hopefully for other parents to be useful.

Keep in mind the following is essentially an opinion , not medical advice. Please listen to your doctor 🥺

Newborns

They are weird, and their bodies work differently than adults' – to the point I'm considering them aliens, lol.

• Their eyes may or may not be open after birth. Like kittens, they'll figure it out eventually
• They are covered in white mousse-like substance. It's called vernix , and it's like a nature's body lotion. It will absorb into skin on its own during the first hour.
• Nails are very thin and soft, and may curl down and look grown-in. There's no need to trim them just yet, use a fine file to polish off sharp pieces sticking out, if any. The nail will lift up on its own.
• Babies come with poop included, it's called meconium and it looks like tar: black, shiny, and super sticky. It's okay, and once the baby starts processing milk/formula, it will be gradually replaced with a different color stool, yellow/brown in our case but it may come in other colors as well.

Diapers and such

• To put a diaper on ,
  • Make sure the bum and surroundings are clean and dry . If you're in meconium phase, apply some petroleum jelly on the butt and surroundings to prevent sticking. I prefer one that comes in tubes because it's more liquid-y, like marmalade, and is easier to apply. Ideally, there should be no other ingridients: no fragrances, no alcohol, etc.
  • Look at the diaper and find a label saying "Back side". If there's none, the side with velcro fasteners is the back.
  • Unfold it fully, and place over the body. It should go approximately at the belly button height.
  • If the baby has their umbilical cord end attached, fold the front side of the diaper down to avoid rubbing and distrubing the area.
  • Fasten the velcro strips, they should go close to the center but not too tight: you should be able to place two fingers between your baby and the diaper.
  • Flare out side elastics to prevent blow-outs. This is something I learned the hard way, LOL!
• Change the baby when there's poop, or yellow wetnees indicator goes blue
• Diaper rash is no fun. The skin is red, rough/firm to the touch, and the baby is extra fussy when the area is irritated. Make sure you change often, clean with warm water, and apply zinc cream. If you see red spots, it may be a yeast infection: talk to your doctor or a nurse and get a prescription for antifungal cream. Trust your instinct, if you think something's not right, it's better to consult with a medical professional.

Feeding

Babies need increasing amounts of food, but very little at first. The main indicator whether they get enough is their weight: after birth they may lose up to 10% of their birth weight, but then we'd like to see them gaining weight steadily.

Behaviours

• There are 2 different needs: food and suckling, and the latter may look like the baby is hungry. Suckling is a self-regulation and comforting mechanism, so having a pacifier for newborns is handy. Just make sure you don't leave it in when the baby falls asleep.