‘Are you breastfeeding?’ — Six things you should never say to a new parent

Never ask a person who has recently become a parent, “Are you getting any sleep?” Assume that the new parent you are talking to is a broken shell of their former self, in large part because, aside from the emotional (and physical if it is the mother) car crash having a baby is, they are managing all of this on less sleep than they’ve ever had in their lives. I remember one day when my daughter was mere weeks old sobbing plaintively to my mother, “Don’t even look at me, I’m so tired.” So yes, assume they’re exhausted. And under no circumstances tell them to sleep when the baby sleeps. Some babies only sleep when they are moving, or held.