Buckle up your baby each time you go for a drive. It's the law and it's the smart thing to do. Car seats protect your baby in the event of a sudden stop or crash.

A crust of blood or yellowish coating appears around the head of the penis. Do not clean off the crust excessively or it may bleed.

In general, expect to change your baby shortly after every feeding. But don't worry. With so much practice, you'll be a quick-change artist before you know it.

In most cases, the red bumps and blotches of this common condition are harmless and will disappear within three or four days, without treatment.

Pacifiers help parents and infants get through periods of crying when the infant is either not hungry or too full to eat but still needs the comfort that sucking provides.

A fever is a special cause for concern in infants younger than 3 months of age. Parents and caregivers should be most concerned with changes in eating or sleeping habits, coughing, pain or other marked changes.

Your baby has been checked for jaundice each day while in the hospital. If you think your baby is yellow after you are home, you can check for jaundice yourself. Press the skin on the chest to see if it looks yellow when released. Darker skin babies can be checked by looking at the gums or whites of the eyes.

Your newborn may sleep for 16 to 18 hours a day, but he or she probably will not sleep for long stretches. Most wake every few hours.

Newborns only need to be bathed every two or three days, but umbilical cords and circumcisions need daily care.

Be sure to clean the cord with alcohol after each diaper change. Do not pull or pick at the cord. It should fall off on its own within 2 weeks after the birth.

Like all people who've just met, you and your baby need time to get to know each other. As your baby's personality emerges, you'll learn his or her first likes and dislikes.

At first, all of your baby's cries may sound alike. Soon, though, you'll be able to tell a hunger cry from a fuss over a wet diaper.