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.
Every fact checked against the linked sources · July 2026
The names behind the initials — who we cite, and why they count
- 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.
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. AAP
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. AAP
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. CDC
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.