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Dad Field Manual · Field card 115 · New Dads & Babies

The first two weeks home: Dad's jobs

The first two weeks home are a blur, and the jobs that keep the house running fall to whoever notices them first. This is a short list for you to take on without being asked, so your partner can feed, heal and sleep, and nothing important gets missed.

Time
20 min to set up
Cost
$0
Ages
Newborn to 1
Where
Home, the first two weeks

What you need

  • A sheet on the fridge for the night shifts and the jobs
  • Your phone, with the baby's doctor and after-hours line saved
  • A notes app or paper log for feeds and diapers, if asked
  • Easy food: frozen meals, sandwich makings, snacks by the couch

Read this first

  • Know the urgent warning signs after birth. Headache that won't go away, vision changes, trouble breathing, chest pain, 100.4°F fever, bleeding, or thoughts of harming herself or the baby: get care now. 911 for emergencies.
  • Don't doze off holding the baby on the couch or an armchair. If you're nodding off, put the baby on their back in their own crib or bassinet.
  • Back to sleep, every sleep, on a firm, flat surface with nothing else in it.

Steps

  1. Split the nights. Agree on night shifts so each of you gets one protected stretch; you handle everything around feeds.
  2. Own the house. Meals, dishes and laundry are yours; water and a snack wherever she feeds; say yes to food offers.
  3. Run the visitor list. Ask who she wants to see, text everyone else a kind "not yet," and keep visits short.
  4. Book the first checkup. Book the first-week checkup (3 to 5 days old); drive, carry the bag and write down what's said.
  5. Keep the log, if asked. If asked, log feeds and diapers with the time and one word, and bring it to the checkup.
  6. Protect her rest and recovery. Give her one baby-free stretch daily; learn the warning signs and call her provider if something's off.
  7. Sort your leave. Ask HR in writing what leave you qualify for; FMLA covers up to 12 unpaid, job-protected weeks if eligible.

If it stalls

  • If you don't know what to do next, ask, "What's one thing I can take off your plate right now?" Then do it without a follow-up question.
  • If the visitor list causes friction with family, make it your rule, not hers: "I've asked everyone to wait a week."
Night shifts covered · meals made
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date