Feed, change, and soothe the baby: That’s the first year summed up in three simple steps that you’ll repeat over and over. Though the routines of baby care may seem simple, they’re not always as straightforward as they sound. If you’ve never changed a diaper before, the process can be tricky, and soothing strategies that worked one time may not work another.

Like a basic cookbook for newlyweds, the first part of this section is a basic how-to guide for brand-new parents about how to take care of their baby. Here, you’ll find all you need to know about handling your baby masterfully, including the basics for feeding, diapering, and soothing, with lots of practical tips from experienced parents. If you’re a veteran parent, you’ve probably already mastered all these intricacies and will remember with fondness how awkward you felt those first weeks before you got the hang of everything.

We also look at baby dental care in this section. We show you how to care for your baby’s gums and teeth, and discuss cavities, baby bottle mouth, and the role that prolonged thumb-sucking and pacifier use may play in the formation of your baby’s jaw and dental arch. A teething schedule lets you know when to expect your baby’s first pearly whites to erupt. You’ll also find information on how to choose a children’s dentist, and what to expect at your baby’s first visit to the dentist, along with advice about what to do if your baby falls and knocks out a tooth.

Finally, in this section we suggest great ideas for playing with and responding to your baby.