We understand that caring for a newborn can be an isolating experience. The Baby Manual is your shoulder to lean on during the long days – and even longer nights. It covers everything you’ll ever need to know about the first four months with your new baby, presented in an easily digestible, week-by-week video format.
We’ve collected helpful, practical advice and information from a wide range of experts, so you can learn at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home.
The Baby Manual comes with more than 50 videos and weekly tips, as well as a gift pack with lactation cookies, a handy feeding diary and helpful printed material. You’ll even get entry to a Facebook group where you’ll meet other mums and get the support you need.
We’ve collected helpful, practical advice and information from a wide range of experts, so you can learn at your own pace and in the comfort of your own home.
The Baby Manual comes with more than 50 videos and weekly tips, as well as a gift pack with lactation cookies, a handy feeding diary and helpful printed material. You’ll even get entry to a Facebook group where you’ll meet other mums and get the support you need.

Welcome to the Baby Manual
Welcome to week one.
We are sooo excited to share in your journey and to offer you some insight that will provide you with confidence and reassurance as you start this incredible new chapter. It may be a bit overwhelming to start with, but heres how we are going to make it easier for you…
This week we have Donna talking about all those normal week one changes not only in your boobs but your entire body!
This will help you not freak out as your amazing body has done some incredible things and it needs to start to change back.
Anthony and Paul are fantastic Paediatricians talking about your little baby and the common changes that happen in the first few weeks. Things like them loosing a layer of skin! EEKK or why they go a bit yellow.
And Bec our amazing physio talking about how to get in and out of bed! Positioning with a feed and why everything stays a bit sore for longer than you thought.
Don’t forget to post any comments of questions on the Facebook page.
Dr. Chitti and Dr. Lang
Paediatricians
The dust settles
Whether you know it or not, you just nailed the first week!
Welcome to week two mama 🙂
This week we’ll discuss getting settled at home and the changes you’ll besting in your newborn.
Yep, the one that has kept you up or kept you guessing…. or both.
We’ve got this.
This week we have great information from Dr Chris Hughes our resident Obstetrician talking about recovering post birth and normal changes in your body.
He will also offer some more information to hopefully help clarify the birth experience that you had.
Rebecca Brook is also here this week to go through some basic baby massage techniques, when to massage and what to use.
This is a great video that also shows you some basic strokes especially helpful with colic pains.
Donna will be discussing those nasty nipples and sore boobs and what to do.
She will also be talking about normal changes to your body post birth.
We will also go through what to expect with that new little baby why does there skin fall off and many more tips and tricks for this week ahead.
Donna Mansell
Week two Mum changes
Rebecca Brook
Baby Massage Intro
St John
First aid discussion
Get OUTTA the house
Its week three and you’re still here. Well done for taking the time to learn and grow and seek help.
One of the biggest hurdles is seeking help and your’ve done that right from the start. It alone is going to set you up for a smoother introduction to parenthood. The other hurdle is finding time to invest in yourself. Time may seem like a real commodity these days, so good on you for taking two huge steps that are fundamental to staying sane in this crazy new world you’ve just stepped into!
This week you will be hearing from Brooke Michell a fantastic paediatric sleep psychologist. She is going to talk about infant sleep and expectations of this at three weeks old. We will also discuss some simple ways to help your baby feel more secure and hopefully go off to sleep a bit easier.
Unfortunately you will also hear there is no ‘schedule’ or ‘routine that can make this week easier!
Rebecca Sabine our Physio will also be back talking about how you should be feeling at this time.
Donna Mansell
Get OTTA the house!
Brooke Michelle
Infant sleep Discussion
Rebecca Sabine
Physio
Life goes on
This is all about you girl! You, you , you. I don’t even want to mention the B word YOU! A woman, an individual, an entity of your very own.. Lets talk about your body, your mind and your incredible hormones. We thought puberty was tough lets talk post partum….
This week we will explore the world of baby carriers- what are your choices and what could make this next few months easier with two free hands.
Rebecca Perry who is an accredited dietician is going to go through diets and expectations of your body after pregnancy and early breastfeeding.
This is a great and very informative discussion.
Dr Rebecca Perry
Life goes on..
Donna Mannsell
Diet discussion for mums
And then it all changes
Woo Hoo! You have just made it to the half way mark mama! You’re no doubt still finding your feet but you’re doing a great job. Be sure to remind yourself every day – every hour in fact. You are doing a great job! This week we are going to talk about how your baby is developing and the changes that may start to present with their feeding and sleeping patterns. I know – you were just getting the hang of things but I promise, things are about to get a whole lot easier.
This week we have Dr Chris Hughes back again discussing how your body should be feeling at this stage.
We will also discuss contraception! so we don’t see you back in 9 months!!
Dr Chris Hughes
Donna Mansell
Baby sleep tips and tricks
Coffee, your new best friend
Life is getting back to normal! You and your baby have sussed each other out and you may be ready to start taking some bigger baby steps to normal life. If you don’t want to or perhaps you want to want to!! This week we start thinking about where you can get your new limb (baby) to work with your life and the areas that it might be best to work with your baby. Accept the things you cannot change and change the things your can 🙂
This is a big week of content for you to watch.
Brooke Michell is back to help you with infant sleep! yes that little baby has woken up and many new parents are searching for the magical cure to help get that baby to sleep longer and hopefully at night!
Anthony and Paul are also back discussing the normal newborn changes at six week including a discussion on immunisations.
Rebecca Sabine is back talking about YOU! yes what is that body doing and where should you start with exercise!!
Rebecca Sabine
Anthony and Paul
Brooke Michell
Is it really like the magazines show you?
Hello! Welcome to week seven. This might be a great time to remind you that in years to come when you are doing weekend sports of ballet concerts and packing inches, you probably won’t remember how challenging or confusing this part of parenthood was. Its tough….. Babies smell good and feel great to cuddle and make a gorgeous accessory to put in a pram, but they also knock you off your feet. Shout it from the rooftops, write it down, tell a stranger on the street- don’t be afraid to be real about your challenges. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE has them. Identify where you’re at lets work with it. This week while we touch on baby’s feeding, we are also going to work on staying true to yourself and lettings things out rather than forcing them down.
This week we have Jodie Benevistine talking about YOU and those normal feeling and changes in early parenting. This is a great session to listen to and add any comments to the Facebook group.
Chelsea Mauch is a Dietician also discussing the controversial SOLIDS debate when to start and what to start with.
Chelsea Mauch
Solids intro
Jodie Benveniste
So this is Parenthood
You made it!
Here you are- a certified new mum! Its been a big couple of months and some things are still causing a bit of confusion but you’ve turned some big corners and celebrated some wonderful milestones. You did this. You got here. You are an amazing mother with new battle scars, new trophies and new perspective. You’ve probably had conversations and thoughts you never would have imagined having a few years ago! Don’t worry, there will be plenty more of those. Lets spend this week wrapping up what we/ve done and planning for the next few months of mummy hood.
This week we talk about what might be on offer in your local community for new mums to get involved with- to hopefully get you out of the house and meeting some new mums just like you!!
Dr Hayley Dohnt
Sleep and settling for an older baby
Expert advice
By now you’ve probably heard all sort of well-meaning advice from all sorts of well-meaning people. And you’re wondering whose opinion to listen to. The Baby Manual gives you advice from experts in each field. You won’t find magical cures, but you will find solid, practical guidance you can apply straight away.
Family support
Our advice goes beyond help for you as a new mum. We know that your partner plays a vital role in caring for your infant while supporting your needs. We give them specific information to help them help you.
Self-paced videos
Find out what to expect as your baby develops and learn why and how things change. Tune into to our expert video advice each week or even each day at a time that suits you. Because we know life with a newborn can be unpredictable.
How it works
The Baby Manual is an e-learning course on how to care for a newborn. Our experts give you help and advice to support you through your baby’s first four months.
Weekly videos
Watch new videos each week to keep you ahead of the changes in your baby and yourself.
Step-by-step guides
Check out our other step-by step guides related to infant and post-partum care, from feeding, to sleeping to milk supply.
Online community
Join likeminded parents in our Facebook Community. A place to ask questions of other mums, monitored with professional support.

Bronwyn
I wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed The Baby Manual videos. It is so useful to have the week by week content when you are looking after a newborn as it means you see things at just the right time. I also loved how realistic you and your guests were about life with a...

Louise
What can I say about The Baby Manual!!! Quite simply, words will never do justice to the support and information given to myself and my husband as we embarked on the incredibly nervous and exciting journey into parenthood. With about 8 weeks before my due date I woke up one morning in a state of...

Jay
Finding The Pregnancy Manual during our last trimester was an absolute lifesaver. The down to earth and simple advice and knowledge sharing meant that my wife and I went from naive to comfortable and confident about the birth of our first child and the weeks that followed. Since the birth of our healthy and...

Ainsley
A great course for mum breastfeeding or wanting to mix feed. The formula information helped me understand what I was choosing.
Get expert advice from expert contributors
Connect with the specialists you need, when you need them.

Kate Phillips
Clinical Director
Kate works privately at O&G in North Adelaide and publicly at WCH where she holds a senior position in the Women’s Physiotherapy Unit. Kate has a special interest in women’s health and pelvic floor rehabilitation.


Dr Anneliese Perkins
Obstetrician & Sonologist
Dr Anneliese Perkins strives to provide compassionate and professional obstetric care for women during pregnancy and childbirth, working with women and their partners to facilitate a successful and enjoyable birth process.


Kelly Ainsley
Teacher
Baby Sensory provides ideas for creative play, massage, tummy time, movement, and music in simple practical ways that can be easily repeated at home.


Claire Foord
Founder
In Australia, Stillbirth is the leading cause of infant death. Many of these deaths are preventable. Still Aware’s mission is to end preventable stillbirth through awareness and education.


Dr Briony Andrew
GP Obstetricians & Lactation Consultant
Her current professional passions are obstetrics and mother-baby care during the first year of life with expertise in the areas of breastfeeding medicine, infant sleep, unsettled infant behaviour and maternal anxiety and depression.


St John
Volunteers
St John is a volunteer based organisation run entirely for the wellbeing of the South Australian community. They have kindly helped produce these videos to support new parents with great first aid and CPR information.


Sarah Rist
Sleep Consultant / Registered Midwife
As a qualified child sleep consultants and mother to our her precious little people, Sara brings a wealth of professional skills, knowledge and personal understanding of the many highs and lows that are often associated with being a new parent.


Dr Nathan Judd
Anaesthetist
As a Specialist Anaesthetist, Nathan Judd is an integral part of the Adelaide Anaesthetic Services team, providing services to around 60,000 people in South Australia’s private hospitals every year.


Brooke Michell
Psychologist
Brooke Michell is passionate about assisting people to bring about positive change in the sleeping patterns of their children, and feels that these changes can be gradual and respectful to both the child and their parents.


Dr Hayley Dohnt
Clinical Psychologist
Hayley is a Clinical Psychologist who has worked for many years assessing, treating and researching sleeping problems.


Jodie Benveniste
Psychologist
Jodie combines positive psychology, spirituality and practical experience to guide and mentor parents to get to the true heart of parenting.


Rebecca Sabine
Physiotherapist
Beck is a Women’s Health and Pelvic floor physiotherapist. Her passion is in helping women with dysfunctions such as incontinence, weakness, prolpase or pain, to regain confidence in their bodies and remain physically active through life.


Dr Chris Hughes
Obstetrician & Gynaecologist
Dr Chris Hughes is an Obstetrician and a Gynaecologist based in the Northern Suburbs of Adelaide. He is committed to providing education and support for all his expectant mums.


Dr Paul Lang
Paediatrician
Paul has over 15 years’ experience as a consultant paediatrician, largely in private practice in Adelaide. He enjoys immensely the diverse spectrum of general paediatric medicine, ranging from new-born to adolescent care.


Rebecca Brook
Massage Therapist
With many years of experience, Rebecca teaches baby massage, pre and postnatal massage, Aromatherapy and many other specialist services. Recently she has become an acupuncturist and Chinese Medicine specialist.


Dr Anthony Chitti
Paediatrician
Anthony has particular interests in childhood learning, developmental and behavioural problems as well as neonatal medicine. He provides neonatal care at Calvary Hospital North Adelaide and Ashford Hospital.


Donna Mansell
Midwife & Lactation Consultant
Donna is the founding Director of MotherNurture and The Baby Manual, offering 16 years’ experience as a Registered Nurse/ Midwife and Lactation Consultant.

You might also be interested in
The Baby Manual
This course has many fantastic contributors to help guide you with up to date knowledge directly from the expert on newborn baby concerns, great baby advice and midwife support.
- Expert Advice
- Breastfeeding Support
- Settling & Sleep
The Pregnancy Manual
Introduction for new parents to guide you through what to expect, how to prepare and some important starting information useful for all parents, new or returning.
- Labour & birth advice
- Expert Information
- Breastfeeding & Newborns
Expert guides throughout the pregnancy and parenting journey
A great selection of expert videos will help guide you through the first few months of parenthood with information on mums postnatal changes and what to expect with your newborn. These videos will answer all the questions you have about this journey
- Mum information
- Baby information
- Parenthood
Baby play and solids information
This selection of videos will help answer your questions about baby massage, baby play and when to start solids. Each video is rich and full of practical information that will help you navigate these topics. Each video is worthwhile watching
- Baby Massage
- Introduction to Solids
- Baby Play information
Baby sleep guides
This selection of videos takes you from birth to 8-16 weeks discussing sleep needs and evidence to support how much sleep your baby actually needs. Use these guides to help you trust your baby and support normal sleep behaviour for your newborn.
- Baby Sleep with The Baby Sleep Company
- Baby Sleep with Brooke Michell (Sleep Psychologist)
- Baby Sleep (Week 8 onwards)
Guide to postnatal changes for mum
This selection of videos is perfect for a new mum confused about how her body is changing after birth. Included is great information and pelvic floor changes, diet advice and simple exercises to do at home- a must see for all new mums
- Medical information on Postnatal changes
- Physio and Exercise information
Week-by-week guide to the postnatal period
Join us through your first few weeks by letting Donna guide you through the complex and often amazing changes your body does after birth to nourish your baby and heal after birth. Normal baby changes are also discussed within the week by week guides.
- The first days of motherhood
- Physio and Exercise information
Formula preparation and sterilisation demo
Ever wondered about sterilisation, what the number on the teat means or even what formula is best? These three videos will explain formula, bottles and sterilising. All explained by Midwife Donna to help build your parenting confidence.
- Formula and your choices explained
- Sterilisation Demonstration
- Formula and bottles Demonstration
First aid and sick baby information
This small video selection will give you a good understand of what to worry about and what to do if this happens. Both practical advice on newborn changes with practical first aid and CPR demonstrations for newborns specifically.
- Sick baby information
- CPR and first aid