Whoever coined the term "sleep like a baby" didn't seem to know much about them, because newborns are notoriously restless sleepers who are hungry every few hours and rarely, if ever, make it through the night without waking up.| What to Expect
No two babies are exactly alike, and the same is true of babies' sleep schedules. How long your little one naps and how often is just one more aspect of your baby's individuality.| What to Expect
When the weather gets really chilly or super toasty outside, it’s difficult to know where to set the thermostat. When it’s snowing or below freezing, how warm does it need to be in baby’s nursery? How cool should it be when it's the middle of summer and sweltering? And how can you tell if your little one is too cold or too hot?| What to Expect
Infants have a variety of reactions to being placed face-down on the floor. Until they develop the muscles necessary to lift their heads from an awkward face-plant position, many babies hate tummy time (and squall indignantly to let you know it!). Others seem to love the view. And still others are indifferent, cooing happily no matter which end is up.| What to Expect
Underneath that soft, fuzzy surface, an infant's skull is like a set of shifting puzzle pieces that allow his head to grow. These malleable plates are great at protecting your little one's developing brain, but they can flatten when you put your baby down on his back (though some babies are born with mishapen heads from their position in the womb or trip through the birth canal).| What to Expect
For some new babies, the thrill of "open mouth, insert thumb" begins within weeks of birth. For others, thumb-sucking is a continuation of a habit perfected well before they were born — and the proof is in those adorable ultrasound pics.| What to Expect
If anyone ever deserved a break, it’s a nursing mom, so your desire to have your little one take a bottle so that you can go for a much-needed walk (or at least take a shower or a nap) is completely understandable, and in fact essential to your well-being. | What to Expect
After spending nine months in a dark (and sometimes noisy) womb, your newborn has established her own sleep cycles, which feel natural to her even if they seem strange to you. Just as she lets you know she's hungry at any time of the day or night, your baby's sleep patterns may seem random at first, sometimes changing from one day to the next.| What to Expect
As a first-time new mom, countless experienced parents told me a pacifier could have magical powers for an overly fussy or seemingly inconsolable baby. So, naturally, I was quick to offer one to my newborn son.| What to Expect
You've decided to brave the nearby coffee shop for the first time with your new baby in tow when your little one starts grunting and grimacing, and you realize it's baby gas. Welcome to new parenthood! A gassy baby is completely common and normal, given infants' tiny and immature digestive systems. | What to Expect
If it seems like all your baby does is sleep, eat and deliver dirty diapers, things are exactly as they should be. Babies’ tummies are tiny and, compared with bigger kids and adults, reserve less fluid in their bodies.| What to Expect
A pacifier can seem like magic: It’s easy, quick and for many babies it turns on the comfort and turns off the tears.| What to Expect
Chances are that at birth (and for a few weeks after), your beloved baby’s head won’t look like the charming cue ball you’d imagined. In fact, it may be downright pointy or mysteriously misshapen. Or it may sport a soft spot that pulses with every heartbeat. (All this and you’ll still think he’s adorable.) | What to Expect
When your baby rolls over for the first time, it usually comes as a surprise for both your little one and her parents. But rolling from tummy to back may soon turn into one of your little one's favorite tricks.| What to Expect
The first time your baby visited the hospital nursery, she probably came back wrapped in a neat little package with only her head poking out. That's because nurses know one of the secrets to a happy, calm baby: swaddling.| What to Expect
When it’s time to go to sleep at night, you probably don’t just hop into bed in the clothes you wore all day and turn out the light. Whether you realize it or not, you follow a routine — brush your teeth, wash your face, change into pajamas, and maybe read for a little while before lights out. Like you, your baby can benefit from a consistent and predictable bedtime routine.| What to Expect
With a new baby, a pacifier can work wonders — quieting tears and inducing calm almost instantaneously. But now that your little one is walking and talking, you may start to wonder whether it's time to ditch the binky. Get up to speed on the age-appropriate benefits of pacifiers, when to start pacifier weaning and how to make this toddler transition go as smoothly as possible. | What to Expect
Also known as acute otitis media, a childhood ear infection is when the middle ear — between the outer ear and the innermost part of the ear — becomes clogged with fluid, infected and inflamed.| What to Expect
