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Your baby’s first 3 days can bring a lot of instructions at once. Begin with the care plan your team gives you, and make it easy to find the answers you need when you are tired. You do not have to memorize everything or recreate another family’s experience.
Raise concerns promptly. Seek emergency help for serious breathing problems or persistent blue coloring. The AAP’s newborn-conditions guidance discusses warning signs needing assessment. The AAP fever guidance says to call the pediatrician immediately for a rectal temperature of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher in a baby three months or younger. Do not wait for the next routine appointment when urgent help is needed.
This guide gives you five checks: discharge instructions, feeding, diapers, sleep and follow-up. You will get questions to bring to the care team and two optional cleanup-supply comparisons. The final check puts the next appointment and support plan in one place.
The original video is preserved separately. The written checks are researched editorial context, not a transcript or a claim about everything demonstrated. Premature babies and babies with specific health needs may have different instructions; follow their individual plan.
Watch the original first-days video
Original video on YouTube. The earlier excerpt promoted an iMumz workshop. This page does not confirm a current workshop offer or endorse claims that a course guarantees delivery outcomes or a baby’s intelligence.
1. Keep the first 3 days care instructions together
Collect the discharge paperwork, contact numbers and appointment information where another caregiver can find them. Ask which instructions apply specifically to your baby, and have an unclear demonstration repeated before relying on it at home.
The AAP first-week checkup checklist recommends bringing hospital paperwork, including discharge-weight and birth-complication information. It describes review of growth, feeding and screening results. Ask when your own baby’s follow-up should happen rather than deciding from the title of a general guide.
Write down who to contact after hours and where to seek care if the office cannot see your baby. Keep any prescribed treatment or follow-up instructions clearly separate from ordinary household suggestions on a blog.
2. Ask specific feeding questions
Before leaving the care setting, ask how to recognize effective feeding, when to request help and what to do if a feed is difficult. Tell the team whether you are using breast milk, formula or both. A workable feeding plan needs to fit the actual baby and caregiver.
The AAP checklist includes questions about diaper changes, stored milk or prepared formula, bottle preparation and breastfeeding support. Bring those questions to the professional helping your family. Do not treat a calm-looking baby, a bottle label or a general video as proof that intake is adequate.
Keep a simple record if your care team requests one. Note observations rather than inventing a rigid schedule to match an online example. Our newborn care resource and first-week video resource offer additional context.
3. Observe diapers without making them a diagnosis
Ask what urine and stool changes to expect during your baby’s first 3 days and what should prompt a call. The interpretation depends on the baby’s age and care situation. A pile of used diapers is not a substitute for a feeding or hydration assessment.
Keep the supplies you need within the caregiver’s reach while keeping the baby supervised during changes. Prepare clean clothing and a way to manage waste according to your setup. If you are unsure about the skin or stool appearance, describe it to the care team rather than assuming it is normal.
Choose cleanup tools around your baby’s needs and the directions on the package. Brand names and sensitive-skin wording do not establish that every product suits every child. Start with what your care team has shown you.
Optional care-supply comparison: Huggies Natural Care Sensitive Unscented Wipes, 768 Count
These wipes are an optional comparison for ordinary diaper cleanup. Check the actual package directions and your baby’s skin needs. A wipes purchase does not tell you whether diaper output is adequate or replace medical advice about a concern. Observed 12 flip-top packs of 64 unscented wipes. Check current ingredients and skin tolerance. Disposable wipes are not a whole-routine environmental claim.
View Huggies Natural Care Sensitive Unscented Wipes, 768 Count on Amazon
4. Prepare the sleep space before you need it
Use the AAP’s safe-sleep guidance: place infants on their backs on a firm, flat appropriate sleep surface with a fitted sheet. Keep pillows, loose blankets, cloths and stuffed objects out. Avoid weighted sleep products, and stop swaddling when the baby starts trying to roll.
Make sure each caregiver knows the plan. Feeding, holding and cleanup supplies should return to their storage places rather than stay in the sleep area. A convenient accessory is not a reason to change the sleeping surface or position.
During the first 3 days, tired adults also need a handoff plan. Ask for practical support with routine tasks and clarify who is responsible for the baby at each change of caregiver. Our newborn sleep guide provides related planning questions.
5. Confirm the follow-up and support plan
The AAP’s newborn-jaundice guidance explains that bilirubin assessment and follow-up matter in the first days. Confirm your baby’s result and the team’s instructions before discharge. A visual impression of skin color is not a replacement for a requested test or appointment.
Keep the appointment time, location and questions together with the care paperwork. If the baby is feeding poorly, unusually difficult to wake or otherwise concerning, contact the care team promptly rather than waiting for a supply order or routine visit.
Ask a helper to take a concrete task: organizing paperwork, preparing a meal, doing laundry or joining the appointment. The most useful first 3 days checklist is one that another caregiver can understand and carry out with you.
Optional care-supply comparison: Yoofoss Muslin Burp Cloths, White, 10 Pack, 20 by 10 inches
These cloths are an optional comparison for supervised feeding cleanup and burping. Keep them out of the infant sleep space after use. They are not a treatment for jaundice, a feeding problem or reflux. Observed White ten-pack, 20 by 10 inches, listed as 100% cotton muslin. Listing calls it organic; certification not independently verified, so do not make certified-organic claims. Follow washing instructions and inspect for wear. For supervised cleanup and burping only; keep loose cloths out of infant sleep spaces. No claim of preventing choking, reflux or spit-up.
View Yoofoss Muslin Burp Cloths, White, 10 Pack, 20 by 10 inches on Amazon
Frequently asked questions
Do all babies follow the same first 3 days schedule?
Follow the baby’s individual instructions and ask the care team about timing. This page does not prescribe one feeding, testing or discharge schedule for every newborn.
Does the text summarize the exact video instructions?
No. The original video source is preserved; the written checklist adds separate editorial context and does not invent a transcript.
Are the featured supplies required?
No. They are optional cleanup comparisons. Neither product assesses feeding, hydration, jaundice or illness, and neither replaces the care plan.
Your next practical step
Put the discharge instructions, urgent-contact information and next appointment in one place. Bring your specific questions to the care team, and let a trusted helper take an ordinary task off your list.