Going back to work: how to stay on top of baby care
The first day back at work after maternity leave is its own kind of heartbreak — and its own logistics puzzle. Who feeds the baby, when, how much? Did the afternoon medication happen? Here's a calm, practical way to hand off the day without losing the thread of it.
Start the handoff a week before you go back
Don't make day one the first time your nanny or family member runs the full routine. In the week before, let them take over feeds and naps while you're still home, so the handoff is rehearsed, not improvised. Write down the rhythm you've learned — typical feed gaps, nap windows, the medications and their times — somewhere you'll both keep looking at it.
What to capture during the day
- Feeds — time, breast/bottle, and amount (so you know whether to expect a hungry or full baby at pickup)
- Naps — start and end, so bedtime doesn't ambush everyone
- Diapers — wet/dirty counts are the honest "is baby okay?" signal
- Medications & vitamins — with the time given, so no dose is doubled or missed
- Anything unusual — a skipped feed, a fussy stretch, a slight temperature
Track it in realtime, not in a notebook
A paper sheet on the fridge can't reach you at your desk. The thing that actually lowers the anxiety is a shared log that updates live: your nanny taps a feed, and it appears on your phone a second later. You glance between meetings, see the day unfolding, and stop refreshing your messages.
Follow your baby's day from your desk
Share one code with your nanny or family. Every feed, nap, diaper, and medication they log syncs to your phone in realtime — so you stay close to the day even when you can't be there.
start tracking freefree forever · no ads · private to your family · no app to install
If you're pumping at work
Log pumping sessions separately from feeds — pumping is milk you expressed, not milk the baby drank, so keeping them apart stops your "feeds today" count from getting muddled. Tracking pump volume also helps you plan how many bottles to leave for the next day. (More on feeds and amounts in our newborn feeding schedule guide.)
Be kind to yourself
Some days the routine will wobble, and that's normal. Tracking isn't about control — it's about not having to hold every detail in a tired head, and about everyone caring for your baby reading from the same page. That's the whole point.
This guide is general information, not medical advice. For questions about feeding, medications, or your baby's health, talk to your paediatrician.