First off, not every baby is the same. They all are genetically unique and a blend of the parents. Behavior at a birth is 99.9% genetic instincts and runs in families. Hormonal changes often make a new mothers memories fuzzy for a few months after birth. If your dad was not active in the your early life, the family history is often lost. So take any advice on infant behavior as recommendation that may or may not be true. For example both of my boys hated being swaddled from day one. They wanted to move and stretch.

Babies often start out giving micro-expressions and sounds before they start hollering. These are subtle little clues that if you can figure them out are a lifesaver. If you don’t figure them out in a few weeks, they learn to go directly to hollering at top volume because mommy and daddy are dumb and a poor baby has to survive. The amount of times my wife and I got amazed looks “How did you know that’s what they needed?” was an ongoing joke with us.

As a Dad, hold the baby all the time you can. This is especially true for the first year. If you tip back in a recliner, you can use a gaming controller while holding the kid as they sleep. As they get older they get a little grabby and you’ll be stuck watching movies etc for a few years. Aka why I went straight from a PS2 to PS4. You’ll be exhausting yourself playing with them all the time anyways.