Reddit mentions of The Fourth Trimester: Understanding, Protecting, and Nurturing an Infant through the First Three Months

No problem.

I don't want to sound condescending, but when my daughter was 6 weeks old I felt the exact same way. I was so anxious about doing everything 'right' and I worried constantly that I should be stimulating her, playing with her, feeding her enough but not too much, etc etc etc. I can see now that she's 2, watching her, her little playmates, my son (5 months old today!), and other kids growing up that they all pretty much develop in their own way no matter what you do. As long as you love your baby and take care of her, she'll be fine. She'll learn to roll, to sit, crawl, walk, and talk.

Trust her to know how much she needs to eat, and when she's full. Be patient, and whether it's breast or bottle feeding or solids, encourage her to show you when she's had enough. If you're bottle feeding, make sure you are pacing the feeding (taking breaks) so that she doesn't drink too fast (her tummy needs time to be able to register that it's full).

With regard to stimulation, babies (especially little babies) find just being in the world stimulating. They're learning to see, learning to hear, listening to voices and laying the foundations of language. You talking to her is stimulating enough. Her seeing the shadow of a chair on a sunny wall is enough. Her hearing the sound of the pots and pans clattering as you make dinner is enough. The best thing you can do for her is be near her and involve her in what you're doing (unless you're like a WWE wrestler or something, don't take her to that :P).

I found it helpful to read a book called The Fourth Trimester. It's on Kindle and gives a basic outline of what very little babies are learning and doing. As babies get older it becomes pretty obvious what they want. For example my 5 month old is trying to move and reach to get to his toys. If I put them just out of his reach, he gets frustrated and works to get them. That will become the foundation of him learning to crawl. If he's grumpy or bored he fusses until I pick him up. If he's happy on the ground just rolling around and playing with his toys, I just leave him there until he gets unhappy or needs a nap. If I'm not doing anything, I lie down with him and chat to him, show him how I can shake a rattle, and sing a couple of nursery rhymes.

I think just trust your baby to show you what they want and need. Also google! If you want age-appropriate activities, just google "Activities for 3 month old" and then do a couple of those a week and see if she likes them. If she hates them just stop doing it. They generally just want food, cuddles, sleep, and you talking to them and being with them. You can also google "milestone chart" or look up the "Ages and Stages Questionnaire" (PDF) to see if your baby is broadly on track with milestones.

Given that your baby is only 6 weeks old, focus on: feeding her whenever she wants it, getting her to sleep for naps, holding her and talking to her. Nothing else is super important at this stage, so don't stress :) I can definitively say that I am no longer worried about my 2 year old at all. I think "Is she happy, healthy, and does she have plenty of opportunities for play and learning about the world?". If the answer is yes, I'm doing a good job. She doesn't need soccer lessons, she doesn't need the newest toys, she doesn't need me to be 100% present and playing with her all of the time. I saw her today pretending she was going to the swimming pool, putting toys in a bag and saying "Have you got everything you need? Mummy's togs, a towel, my goggles". I have never played that game with her, but she is clearly learning by just imitating our daily life. I can see her imagination is growing, her language is improving, and her creativity is getting a chance to shine while I let her play by herself. So I feel much more confident now about being hands-off and just enjoying my kids :)

I hope this is helpful!

You can't "spoil" babies under 3 months old... they need you to respond to build basic trust. Google "the fourth trimester" a commonly held concept about early infant development (or read the book that reviews all the literature on it).

We wore our little one in a K'Tan wrap for meals and (at 4 months now) we often still do, if she fusses during meal times. I also nursed her, if I could eat the meal with one hand (or chopsticks in some cases).