Baby Care for the First Year

Provides a guide through the questions and concerns for which I routinely dispense advice to parents. It is presented as a personal conversation as provided to patients in my office, from the perspective of a pediatrician who is a mother. With the lack of extended family presence, there is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety associated with taking home a new baby. The questions are numerous, but revolve around the same issues, coupled with the lack of experience. Even between babies, the experience may be different and despite numerous sources of information out there, I feel from my daily interactions with parents, the need for a compact, personal, relatable reference for baby care in the first year. Even when there is extended family, some of the advice from "old wives' tales" may be amiss. With too much information, propagandizing, and merchandizing on the internet and social media, parents are led to more confusion and uncertainty.