Baby care basics weren't something I thought about while pregnant. I distinctly remember when I arrived home from the hospital with my first little bundle of joy. It was a sunny but bitterly cold morning in December. We'd spent many hours at the hospital fussing with the car seat and her going home outfit, complete with winter snow suit. I was tired and sore and yet terribly excited. I walked up the three flights of steps with my episiotomy stitches pulling the whole way, anxious to get my baby in my home.

The funniest thing about the whole day was that once we did finally jump through all the hoops and cross all the hurdles and got home, we were perplexed as to what to do next.

As she sat sleeping in her car seat in the middle of the living room floor, my husband and I debated and finally argued over what to do with her. Should we lay her in her new crib? Should we feed her again? Maybe she should have a change of clothes. Finally, she woke up and cried, giving us an opportunity to try out all of our new parenting skills.

The good news is that taking care of a baby's basics needs, particularly as a newborn, is very simple. I've collected a group of instructions on baby care basics for your new baby from bathing to diapering, from feeding to holding. From these articles you can get a basic sense of baby care of a new baby, whether it's your first or your fifth. (This goes for mom and dad!)