Browse All 133 Steps by Topic
Search guidelines, vaccines, legal papers, insurance waiting periods, and character habits across all life stages.
Talk through the big questions
Children, money, careers, in-laws and chores. Before the wedding, not after.
Thalassaemia and sickle cell test for both
One blood test each (CBC + HPLC). Best done before the families fix the match.
Know both your blood groups
Including Rh positive or negative.
Infection check for both
HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis.
Check sugar, thyroid and blood pressure
HbA1c, TSH, BP and weight, for both.
Rubella protection for the bride
A blood test, or an MR vaccine. Then wait 1 month before pregnancy.
Catch up on hepatitis B and HPV vaccines
For whoever has not had them.
Genetic counselling, if it applies
If you are related by blood, or a condition runs in the family.
Get health insurance with maternity cover
Buy early. Maternity cover has a waiting period.
Do a pre-marriage course together
4 to 8 short sessions on talking and solving problems.
Fix one wedding budget
One total, plus a 10% buffer. No wedding loans.
Decide when to plan a baby
Agree on timing. Use contraception you both trust until then.
Keep a signed list of wedding gifts
Each gift, its value and who gave it. Signed by bride and groom.
Register your marriage
Under your state's rules. Keep the certificate with your documents.
Learn one way to repair after a fight
Take a 20-minute break when angry, then start gently.
Term life cover for each earner
Pure term insurance, about 10 to 15 times yearly income.
Build an emergency fund
6 months of essential costs. 12 if income is irregular.
Update IDs and nominees
Aadhaar, PAN, passport, bank, EPF and insurance nominees.
Start folic acid before trying for a baby
400 µg a day, from at least 1 month before trying.
For the groom: get ready 3 months ahead
Stop tobacco, cut alcohol, avoid heat and steroids.
Make simple wills, both of you
Two witnesses. Registration is optional.
Take folic acid every day
Continue to week 12, then switch to iron-folic acid.
Register your pregnancy and get your MCP card
At your Anganwadi, government hospital or your doctor.
Dating scan
Confirms the pregnancy and your due date.
Do your first blood tests
Hb, blood group, sugar, thyroid, HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis and urine.
Apply for maternity benefits
PMMVY, and in Odisha, MAMATA-PMMVY.
Learn the danger signs
Bleeding, severe headache, blurred vision, fewer baby movements, leaking fluid, fever.
Book your NT scan
An ultrasound, usually with a blood test, to check early growth.
Ask your doctor if you need low-dose aspirin
For women at high risk of high blood pressure in pregnancy.
Plan your maternity leave
26 weeks if you have fewer than 2 children.
Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) injections
Two doses, 4 weeks apart. One booster if vaccinated recently.
Stay active, 30 minutes most days
Walking or prenatal yoga, if your doctor agrees.
Take iron-folic acid daily
One tablet a day, for 180 days.
Start calcium from week 14
1 g a day, taken 2 hours apart from iron.
Dental check-up
Treatment is safe, and best in the middle months.
Plan any flights before week 32
After 32 weeks most airlines want a doctor's fit-to-fly letter, and stop at 36 weeks.
Anomaly scan
A detailed scan of the baby's organs.
Check how you are feeling
A short mood check, for both parents.
Sugar test (75 g glucose)
Drink glucose, then a blood test after 2 hours.
Choose your hospital and plan the birth
24×7 operation theatre, blood bank and a newborn unit.
Anti-D injection, if you are Rh negative
Only if your blood group is negative.
Tdap and flu vaccines
Where available. Ask your doctor.
Go to sleep on your side from week 28
Either side is fine. If you wake up on your back, just turn over.
Ask the hospital about your birth choices
A birth companion, pain relief, their C-section rate and the newborn unit.
Had a C-section before? Decide on VBAC by week 36
A vaginal birth after one caesarean works for about 3 in 4 women.
For the father: book your leave and the night shifts
Apply for paternity leave now and agree who does which nights.
Pack the hospital bag
MCP card, ID, insurance card, clothes, pads and baby clothes.
Know when to leave for the hospital
First baby: contractions every 5 minutes, lasting about a minute, for an hour. Sooner if your waters break.
Coastal Odisha: plan for a cyclone warning
If a warning comes in your last month, ask the ASHA to shift you to hospital early.
Past 40 weeks? Plan induction at 41
WHO advises inducing labour once you reach 41 weeks.
Skin-to-skin and breastfeed in the first hour
No honey, ghutti or water. Colostrum is the first protection.
Vitamin K and birth vaccines
Vitamin K, BCG, OPV-0 and hepatitis B.
Register the birth
Free within 21 days. Get the digital certificate.
First bath after 24 hours
Wipe gently and keep the baby warm. Nothing on the cord.
Before discharge: eye and jaundice checks
Ask for an eye (red reflex) check and a jaundice reading.
Car seat from the first ride home
Rear-facing, in the back seat. Never on a lap.
Hot days: keep the baby cool
Feed more often, light cotton, shade. Never leave a baby in a parked car.
Newborn hearing and blood screening
A hearing test, and a heel-prick test where your state offers it.
Safe sleep, every sleep
On the back, on a firm flat surface, nothing in the cot.
Vitamin D drops daily
400 IU a day through the first year, if your paediatrician agrees.
Know when a fever needs a doctor today
Any fever under 3 months old means a doctor the same day.
Add baby to health insurance
Most policies give a short window, often 90 days.
Postnatal checks at 2–3 days and 1–2 weeks
For mother and baby, after at least 24 hours in hospital following a normal birth.
Expect the ASHA's home visits
On days 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42 after birth.
Sore, red breast? Know the new first steps
Keep feeding, use ice, take paracetamol. No hard massage or heat.
Calming a crying baby, and never shaking
Crying peaks at 6 to 8 weeks. If you feel overwhelmed, put the baby down safely and step away.
Tummy time every day
Build up to 30 minutes a day, awake and watched.
Mood check for mother and father
A short questionnaire (EPDS) for low mood and anxiety, for both parents.
Plot weight and length every month
At the Anganwadi or vaccine visit, on the WHO growth chart.
Get Baal Aadhaar and an ABHA health ID
The health ID keeps vaccine and doctor records together.
For a daughter: open a Sukanya Samriddhi account
From ₹250 a year. Check the current interest rate at the post office or bank.
Learn infant CPR and choking first aid
Under 1: five back blows, then five chest thrusts.
Mother's six-week check
BP, stitches or wound, bleeding, mood, haemoglobin and contraception.
Vaccines at 6, 10 and 14 weeks
Pentavalent, polio, rotavirus and PCV.
Going back to work: plan feeding
Practise expressing milk, and ask HR about nursing breaks and the crèche.
Start solid foods at 6 months
Thick, iron-rich foods. Include egg and peanut paste early.
Vaccines at 9 months
MR-1, and JE where it is common.
First dentist visit
Then fluoride toothpaste: a smear under 3, pea-size from 3.
No screens under 2
From 2 to 5, under 1 hour a day, watched together.
Read aloud every day
Ask questions about the pictures as you read.
Calm discipline, no smacking
Praise what they did right. Short time-outs. Same rules from grandparents.
Deworming and vitamin A every 6 months
Free at Anganwadi and on National Deworming Day.
Childproof against drowning and poisoning
Cover water tanks and buckets. Lock away medicines, kerosene and pesticides.
Choking hazards: no whole nuts, grapes or popcorn
Quarter grapes, grind nuts, sit while eating.
Two-wheeler rides: helmet and harness
Ages 9 months to 4 need a helmet and a safety harness. Ride at 40 km/h or less.
Name a guardian in your will
Who raises your child if both parents die.
If your child looks thin, get the arm measured
A simple tape around the upper arm. Under 11.5 cm needs help this week.
No sugary drinks, no sweets as rewards
Water and milk to drink. Whole fruit, not juice.
MR-2 and booster vaccines
MR-2, DPT booster, polio booster and JE-2.
Autism and development check
A short checklist at 18 and 24 months.
Toilet training when they are ready
Usually between 18 and 30 months. Watch for the signs.
Name the feeling, then guide the behaviour
"You are angry because the tower fell. You can't throw blocks."
Vision and hearing check before school
A simple check at a clinic or school camp.
Choose a play-based preschool
Kind teachers, small groups, safe building. Class 1 starts at 6.
Yearly eye check and 2 hours outdoors
Daylight protects against short sight.
Teach self-quizzing, not re-reading
Test from memory, then review on days 1, 3, 7 and 21.
Body safety talk
Correct body-part names. No secrets. Say no, get away, tell.
60 minutes of active play a day
Running, cycling, sport or dance.
Twenty minutes of reading for fun, every day
Any book they enjoy, in any language.
Protect 9 to 12 hours of sleep
Fixed bedtime, no screens in the hour before.
Make honesty safe
Thank them for telling the truth, even when the news is bad.
Give them real chores
6–8: fold clothes, water plants. 9–12: simple cooking, pack the school bag.
Start pocket money
A fixed weekly amount with save, spend and give jars.
Iron and calcium foods every day
Dal, greens, ragi, milk and curd. Weekly iron tablet at school.
Check the school canteen and sugar board
Junk food can't be sold in school or within 50 metres of the gate.
Overweight, or diabetes in the family? Check BP and sugar
Ask the paediatrician at the yearly check-up.
Teach lightning and storm rules
Thunder means indoors. Install the Damini or SATARK app.
Learn how to talk to a child about death
Plain words, the truth, and never "gone to sleep".
Bullying: ask, believe, act
Ask about friends often. If something is wrong, write it down and talk to the school.
Talk about puberty before it starts
Girls from 8, boys from 9: body changes, periods, wet dreams.
First talk about tobacco, before age 10
Gutkha, khaini, bidis and cigarettes: what they do, and how to say no.
Make a family media plan before the first phone
Where and when phones are used, and what is off-limits.
Before the first period: a kit and a school check
Pads, spare underwear and a plan. Ask the school about free pads and toilets.
Td vaccine at 10
Free at government centres.
Calcium, about 1,000 mg a day
About 3 servings of milk, curd or paneer, plus ragi and greens.
Talk about periods and puberty
See a doctor if there is no period by 15, or periods are very heavy or painful.
Phones out of the bedroom at night
Charge all phones in a shared room, parents included.
Ask about their mood, directly
Asking about suicide does not put the idea in their head.
Online safety: don't pay, don't delete, tell
For blackmail or fake images, report at 1930 or cybercrime.gov.in.
Agree social media rules together
Apps set 13 as the minimum. Start with one app, private account, friends you know.
Talk about alcohol, tobacco and vapes
Calm facts, your family rule, and a way out of any party.
Teach consent and respect
Yes means yes. Anyone can change their mind. No one is owed anything.
Explain the law on consent: it is 18
Under POCSO, any sexual act with someone under 18 is a crime, even with 'consent'.
No driving before a licence
If a minor drives, the parent can be jailed for up to 3 years.
HPV vaccine
One free dose for girls at 14. IAP advises one dose for girls aged 9 to 15.
Explore careers through real people
Talk to people in jobs they are curious about before choosing a stream.
Aadhaar biometric update at 15
Fingerprints and photo update at an Aadhaar centre.
Exam years: sleep, spacing and a plan B
Self-testing, spaced revision, 8 hours of sleep and exercise.
Plan for results day
Say "a mark is not a verdict" before the result. Lock away pesticides and medicines. Save 14416.
Learner's licence and road rules
Gearless learner's licence at 16 with your consent. Full licence at 18.
Td vaccine at 16
Free at government centres.
Check scholarships before Class 12 results
Central Sector Scholarship, Odisha e-Medhabruti and PM-Vidyalaxmi loans.
Education loan? Note the tax deduction
Interest on the loan is deductible for up to 8 years under section 129.