The First Weeks, Work & Family Money

Registry truths, a fourth-trimester plan, parental leave, and the real cost of a baby and of childcare — the money-and-logistics side of the newborn year.

Baby Registry Essentials: What a Newborn Actually Needs

Past the 200-item lists: the safety-critical few, what can wait, what's fine secondhand, and how to skip the gear panic.

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The Fourth Trimester: Make the Plan Before the Baby Comes

A support roster with names, visitor rules agreed in advance, sleep shifts, and realistic newborn expectations.

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Maternity & Paternity Leave: Planning It, Telling Work, Coming Back

FMLA and your real rights, when and how to tell your employer, a handoff plan that works — and the return.

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How Much Does Having a Baby Cost?

Delivery bills, insurance traps, and year one — the pre-birth insurance audit, itemized-bill review, and a budget that holds.

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How Much Does Childcare Cost — and How to Actually Afford It

Why care beats a mortgage in most states, the FSA / tax-credit / voucher playbook, and why quality & continuity beat the cheapest slot.

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How to Choose a Daycare You Actually Trust

Watch the caregivers, not the brochure. The questions a good center welcomes, the unannounced-visit test, and settling-in tears vs. real red flags.

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More guide collections: Expecting & Preparing for Baby · Everyday Care: Sleep, Food, Potty & Health · Behavior, Discipline & Growing Up · Taking Care of You · The Whole-Child Series

Or browse all our guides in one list →