CribStack
Journal
Field notes on feeds, naps, and the first months — written by parents, not a content farm.
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Feeding
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Expressing and storing breast milk: how to pump, and safe storage times
Expressing lets someone else give a feed, builds a small stash, or eases full breasts — and what you pump is never a measure of your supply. Why and when to express, hand expressing versus pumps, and the safety-critical part: how to store and warm milk safely.
April 24, 2026 -
Breastfeeding a newborn: a good latch, positions, supply, and sore nipples
Breastfeeding is natural, but it's also a skill you both learn — and the early days can be hard before they get easier. How to get a comfortable latch, find positions that work, build your supply, and tell ordinary soreness from a problem that needs help.
April 22, 2026 -
Bottle feeding a newborn: making up a bottle safely, how much, and paced feeding
Whether you formula feed, express, or top up, the bottle is part of many families' days. How to make up a bottle safely (the part that really matters), how much a newborn needs, paced bottle feeding, and why combination feeding is perfectly fine.
April 19, 2026 -
Burping, gas and spit-up: what's normal in a newborn
Wind, grunting and a mouthful of milk after feeds can look alarming, but most of it is normal newborn digestion. How to burp, how to relieve trapped gas, spit-up vs reflux vs vomiting, and the signs that warrant a call.
April 1, 2026 -
Baby growth spurts: the timeline, signs, and how long they last
A settled baby who suddenly feeds constantly, frets, and sleeps oddly is often having a growth spurt. The rough timeline (1–3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months), how to recognise one, why your milk isn't running low, and when it's something else.
March 24, 2026 -
Is my newborn getting enough milk?
You can't see milk go in — so 'enough' feels invisible. But babies show it in ways you can count: wet diapers, weight gain, swallowing at the breast, and settling. The reassuring signs, and the red flags worth a same-day call.
March 19, 2026 -
How often should a newborn feed?
Newborns feed 8–12 times a day — but the honest answer is by hunger, not the clock. A by-age guide to feeding frequency, amounts, and the signs your baby is getting enough.
March 12, 2026
Sleep
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Helping your newborn sleep: day-night confusion, settling, and gentle rhythms
Newborns sleep a lot — just not when, or for as long, as you'd like. Why their nights and days are mixed up, how to gently nudge a rhythm into place, the settling tools that recreate the womb, and why you can't (and needn't) sleep-train a newborn.
April 27, 2026 -
Safe sleep for your baby: the ABC that lowers SIDS risk
Safe sleep is the one area of newborn care where the rules are firm and worth following exactly — they measurably lower the risk of SIDS. The ABC checklist, back-to-sleep, a safe cot, room-sharing not bed-sharing, and what lowers the risk further.
March 30, 2026 -
Newborn sleep: how much, and wake windows by age
Newborns sleep 14–17 hours a day, but in scraps — and they can only stay awake 30–60 minutes at a stretch. A by-age guide to sleep totals, wake windows, day-night confusion, and safe sleep.
March 17, 2026
Crying & comforting
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Why is my newborn crying? Reading the cues and the common reasons
Crying is your newborn's only language — and in the first weeks there's a lot of it. The short checklist of usual reasons, how to read the early cues, the evening crying no checklist fixes, and the rare cry that needs a doctor.
May 10, 2026 -
The witching hour: why babies cry in the evening (and how to soothe it)
A baby who was content all day falls apart at dusk — crying, fussing, feeding then pulling off. The witching hour is almost universal and normal. Why it happens, how it differs from colic, a calm-down toolkit, and when crying needs a call.
March 27, 2026
Nappies & the little body
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Newborn skin: what's normal, cradle cap and nappy rash, and the few red flags
A newborn's skin peels, blotches, and breaks out — and almost all of it is normal and passes on its own. A tour of the harmless things, the less-is-more care basics, cradle cap and nappy rash, and the rash signs that need a call today.
April 12, 2026 -
How to bathe a newborn: top-and-tail first, full baths later, simple throughout
Newborns need surprisingly few baths — two or three a week is plenty. Until the cord stump heals you top-and-tail; after that, a short, shallow, warm bath. How often, the safe-bath steps, and the one rule you never break.
April 9, 2026 -
Umbilical cord care: keeping the stump clean until it falls off
The umbilical cord stump needs almost nothing — keep it clean and dry, leave it alone, and it drops off on its own in the first weeks. What's normal as it heals, how to care for it, and the infection red flags worth a same-day call.
April 6, 2026 -
Newborn poop colour guide: what each colour means
A newborn's diaper runs through black, green, mustard and tan — and almost all of it is normal. Only three colours mean call today: pale, red, and black. A colour-by-colour guide, with the shades worth a same-day call.
March 22, 2026 -
How many wet and dirty diapers should a newborn have?
Diapers are the receipt for feeding: 6+ wet a day from day five tells you milk is going in. A by-age guide to wet and dirty counts, a stool-colour cheat sheet, and the colours worth a same-day call.
March 14, 2026
Health & safety
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Is my baby too hot or too cold? Dressing, room temperature, and comfort
Babies can't tell you they're too warm, and their hands always feel cool — so it's a constant new-parent worry. How to actually tell, the simple layers rule, the right room temperature for sleep, and what to do in hot and cold weather (including the car-seat coat danger).
June 2, 2026 -
Baby vaccinations: why they matter, what to expect, and comforting your baby
Vaccinations are one of the most important things you'll do for your baby — and the appointment is easier than the worry. Why they matter, what to expect on the day, what's normal afterwards, and small tricks to comfort your baby through it.
May 31, 2026 -
Newborn jaundice: why it happens, what's normal, and when it needs treatment
A yellow tinge to a newborn's skin is one of the most common things in the early days — and usually harmless. Why babies get jaundice, what normal jaundice looks like, how it's checked and treated, and the few red flags that need a prompt call.
May 28, 2026 -
When your newborn needs urgent help: the red flags to know
Most of the time an unsettled newborn is completely fine — but a few signs mean get help now, don't wait. The can't-wait emergencies, the same-day red flags, why fever in a young baby is always urgent, and why every parent should learn infant first aid.
May 25, 2026 -
Your baby's newborn checks and health-visitor reviews: what to expect
In the first weeks your baby is checked by a small team too — newborn exams, the hearing screen and heel-prick test, midwife and health-visitor visits, and the red book. What each check is, roughly when it happens, and how to make the most of them.
April 17, 2026
Development
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Tummy time: why it matters, how to start, and what to do if your baby hates it
You'll be told to do tummy time without much explanation — here's the why and how. Why it matters (strength and a round head), how to start gently from the early days, how much, and the tricks for a baby who protests.
June 5, 2026 -
What your newborn can do: senses, reflexes, and early development
A newborn looks helpless, but they arrive knowing your voice, seeking your face, and wired with a set of clever reflexes. What they can see, hear, and feel, the reflexes you'll notice, why tummy time matters, and how every cuddle builds their brain.
May 2, 2026
You & your family
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Visitors in the first weeks: boundaries, useful help, and protecting your newborn
A new baby brings a wave of people wanting to visit — lovely, and a lot to manage when you're fragile and exhausted. How to set the terms kindly but firmly, turn willing hands into real help, and keep your newborn safe from germs.
May 15, 2026 -
The partner's role: how the second parent can share the first weeks
Most early-weeks advice is aimed at the person who gave birth — but the second parent is half the team, not a spare part. How to take real load off, bond with your baby, carry the mental load, and look after each other.
May 13, 2026 -
Baby blues or postnatal depression? Looking after yourself in the early weeks
Feeling tearful, anxious, or flat after birth doesn't make you a bad parent. Most of it is the normal baby blues and passes; some of it is more, and is very treatable. How to tell them apart, look after yourself, and know the signs that need help today.
April 30, 2026
Practical & admin
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Registering your baby's birth: how and when (UK)
Registering the birth is one of the few first-weeks jobs with a real deadline. When you need to do it, where to go, who can register, and what you get — a plain-language guide to registering a birth in the UK.
May 23, 2026 -
Newborn essentials: what you actually need (and what you don't)
The lists and registries make it look like a baby needs a vanful of gear. They don't. The genuinely useful essentials, what you can happily skip or borrow, and how not to overspend on the first weeks.
May 20, 2026 -
What to track in your newborn's first weeks (and what to skip)
In the first weeks you'll be told to track everything — and it's easy to tip into anxious over-logging. The few things genuinely worth tracking, what they tell you, what to skip, and when to let it fade.
May 18, 2026 -
Maternity, paternity, and shared leave: time off in the first weeks (UK)
How much time off you can take after a baby — and what you're paid — matters enormously in the early weeks. A plain-language map of UK maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave, how the pay roughly works, and where to check the current rules.
May 7, 2026 -
Going out with your newborn: car seats, what to pack, and the first trips
The first trip out the door can feel like a military operation — but getting out does you both good. How to travel safely (car seats are the one to get right), what's actually worth packing, and how to make the first outings feel less daunting.
May 5, 2026 -
Tracking feeds with two parents: ending the 'did the baby eat?' guesswork
The hardest part of the early weeks is the handover — two tired people trying to hold one baby's picture in two foggy heads. Why the mental load falls on one person, what's actually worth tracking, and how one shared log beats two private ones.
April 4, 2026