Whitney Casares - The New Baby Blueprint: Caring for You and Your Little One

Additional Titles for New Parents From the American Academy of Pediatrics

Baby and Toddler Basics: Expert Answers to Parents Top 150 Questions

Baby Care Anywhere: A Quick Guide to Parenting On the Go

Caring for Your Baby and Young Child: Birth to Age 5*

Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro

Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood Armed With Insight, Humor, and a Bottle of Ketchup

Guide to Toilet Training

Heading Home With Your Newborn: From Birth to Reality

Mama Doc Medicine: Finding Calm and Confidence in Parenting, Child Health, and Work-Life Balance

My Child Is Sick! Expert Advice for Managing Common Illnesses and Injuries

New Mothers Guide to Breastfeeding

The Picky Eater Project: 6 Weeks to Happier, Healthier Family Mealtimes

Raising an Organized Child: 5 Steps to Boost Independence, Ease Frustration, and Promote Confidence

Raising Twins: Parenting Multiples From Pregnancy Through the School Years

Retro Baby: Cut Back on All the Gear and Boost Your Babys Development With More Than 100 Time-tested Activities

Retro Toddler: More Than 100 Old-School Activities to Boost Development

Sleep: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Understanding the NICU: What Parents of Preemies and Other Hospitalized Newborns Need to Know

Your Babys First Year*

For additional parenting resources, visit the HealthyChildren bookstore at https://shop.aap.org/for-parents.

*This book is also available in Spanish.

American Academy of Pediatrics Publishing Staff

Mary Lou White, Chief Product and Services Officer/SVP, Membership, Marketing, and Publishing

Mark Grimes, Vice President, Publishing

Holly Kaminski, Editor, Consumer Publishing

Shannan Martin, Production Manager, Consumer Publications

Amanda Helmholz, Medical Copy Editor

Peg Mulcahy, Manager, Art Direction and Production

Sara Hoerdeman, Marketing Manager, Consumer Products

Published by the American Academy of Pediatrics

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Itasca, IL 60143

Telephone: 630/626-6000

Facsimile: 847/434-8000

www.aap.org

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

The information contained in this publication should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Statements and opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Any websites, brand names, products, or manufacturers are mentioned for informational purposes only and do not imply an endorsement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP is not responsible for the content of external resources. Information was current at the time of publication.

The publishers have made every effort to trace the copyright holders for borrowed materials. If they have inadvertently overlooked any, they will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

This publication has been developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The contributors are expert authorities in the field of pediatrics. No commercial involvement of any kind has been solicited or accepted in development of the content of this publication.

Disclosures: The author reports no disclosures.

Every effort is made to keep The New Baby Blueprint: Caring for You and Your Little One consistent with the most recent advice and information available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this publication. Email Special Sales at for more information.

2020 Whitney Casares, MD, MPH, FAAP

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior permission from the publisher (locate title at ).

First edition published 2020.

Printed in the United States of America

9-4431 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CB0116

ISBN: 978-1-61002-375-7

eBook: 978-1-61002-376-4

EPUB: 978-1-61002-377-1

Kindle: 978-1-61002-378-8

PDF: 978-1-61002-379-5

Cover design by Kelsey Cronkhite

Publication design by Peg Mulcahy

Illustration on by Tony LeTourneau. Reproduced with permission.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019948087

What People Are Saying

Dr Casares has written a parenting manual that helps new and experienced care-givers of infants not just survive but thrive. Writing in an often humorous conversational style, Dr Casares comes across not only as a knowledgeable expert on newborn parenting but also as a life coach whose advice is sound, reassuring, evidence based, and inspirational!

Lewis First, MD, MS, FAAP, professor and chair, Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine; chief of pediatrics, University of Vermont Childrens Hospital; and editor in chief, Pediatrics

In this internet age of numerous experts giving advice on parenting, Dr Casares, a skilled pediatrician and mother, distills down volumes of information into a single, easy-to-read guide. Her book is honest and practicala fresh focus on the mothers needs as well as those of the infant. Her candidness about her own struggles with bringing her babies home, combined with her work with countless new mothers in her practice, informs this modern blueprint for the well-being of the professional mother and her family.

Nicole Cirino, MD, reproductive psychiatrist; director, Womens Mental Health Program, Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Center for Womens Health; and professor of obstetrics and gynecology and of psychiatry, OHSU

A wonderful, practical resource! With both the good sense of a mom whos been there, done that and the seasoned experience of a pediatrician whos helped hundreds of moms navigate the same journey, Dr Casares offers wise guidance and practical tips to parents of newborns. Easy to read, it strikes the right balance between an overall approach to parenting and practical advice on the nitty-gritty details. Its like having coffee with a best friend who, by the way, just happens to be an expert on all things related to new babies and new moms. I cant imagine a better baby shower gift.

Janelle Aby, MD, FAAP, author of The Newborn Book: Significance of Physical Findings in the Neonate and clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine

Pediatricians often get emails, texts, and calls from friends seeking parenting advice from someone with a pediatric medical background. Dr Casares wrote a book that meets this need! She blends practical parenting tips and medical knowledge in this fresh and fun perspective on parenting. Its a great read for any parent who is interested in the pediatrician-mom perspective!

Lauren Rose, MD, FAAP, newborn and pediatric hospitalist

Dr Casares shares her expertise on newborns from her professional roles as pediatrician and mom in a funny, practical, and down-to-earth manner. Her book provides the most practical advice for new moms that I have readfrom preparing for the birth of the child to managing expectations of new moms and sharing her own personal experiences to giving parents-to-be all they need to know but were never told about having a baby. New moms everywhere will find this guide to being a parent invaluable and refer to it again and again.