The Fridge Card
The first-weeks numbers on one page, made for a fridge magnet. Print it, stick it up, stop re-googling at 3 a.m.
Original guidance checked July 2026 · See the linked sources for updates
The one number
100.4 °F (38 °C) rectal, in a baby under 3 months: call the pediatrician right away, day or night. No fever medicine before the baby is seen. source
Pediatrician: ________________ · After-hours line: ________________
Is feeding working? Check the diapers
| Day | What you want to see |
|---|---|
| 1–2 | 1–2 black tarry stools (normal!) |
| 3–4 | 2+ stools, turning greenish → yellow |
| 5–7 on | 3–4+ yellow stools · 6+ wet diapers, pale urine |
Feeds: breastfed 8–12+/day · formula every 2–3 hours, 8+/day. Weight: down up to 10% is normal; back to birth weight by ~2 weeks. source
The walk-away rule
Fed, dry, safe, still crying? Baby on their back in the crib, leave the room, breathe, check every 5–10 minutes. Good parenting. A baby must never, ever be shaken. source
Call now
- 100.4+ under 3 months · 104+ at any age
- Working to breathe: flaring, grunting, ribs tugging, pauses over 10 seconds
- Blue/gray lips, seizure, can't wake, purple rash that doesn't fade when pressed → 911
- Green vomit, or forceful vomiting after every feed
- Under 6 wet diapers a day, no tears, sunken soft spot
- Yellow skin spreading to belly, arms, or legs; baby hard to wake or feeding poorly
- Unsure? Call. Always right.
Grown-up numbers
988 crisis line (call or text) · 1-833-852-6262 Maternal Mental Health Hotline, free 24/7 · 1-800-944-4773 Postpartum Support International (moms and dads)
Checkups, year one: 3–5 days · 1 mo · 2 mo · 4 mo · 6 mo · 9 mo · 12 mo — and you: OB contact by 3 weeks, full visit by 12.
About the sources on this page
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- The professional organization of America's pediatricians. Its guidance on safe sleep, fevers, feeding, and screen time is what your own pediatrician is trained to follow; its parent site is HealthyChildren.org.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- The U.S. government's public-health agency. It sets the childhood vaccine schedule and publishes the developmental-milestone checklists.
Written by J. Ladis and Haley Dell, who are parents, not doctors. This is general education for healthy, full-term babies, not medical advice. Your pediatrician and OB know your family. When this page and your doctor differ, your doctor wins. Premature babies and babies with health conditions often have different rules.
Facts checked against the linked sources, July 2026.