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Three weeks in, four in the morning, Nusle. Daniel has been feeding for forty minutes, Marina is staring at the ceiling and counting under her breath so as not to yelp, and in the next room Dima is reading a Czech forum thread titled, roughly, why does it hurt if we are doing it right. At the hospital the midwife showed her twice how to latch him and said on the way out: „Kojit se učíte oba, ty i on.“ You are both learning, you and him. They are. Slowly, with breaks for tears.
In the morning their neighbour paní Věra, seventy and a retired nurse, catches them at the lift, peers into the kočárek and asks the great Czech question of the first year: Není mu zima? Isn't he cold? Round the corner, at the mateřské centrum, Lída the lactation consultant sees mothers on Tuesday mornings, no appointment and no judgement. This lesson is about food, things and shops: how to talk about feeding without tripping over plenky, what goes on the výbavička list and why half of it comes second-hand, where a pharmacy ends and a drogerie begins, and how to answer a kind old lady so that she stays kind. At the end, where the words kojit, plenka and miminko come from.
One verb where English needs two words. Krmit is fine for the bottle and the spoon, but for the breast the verb is kojit. The paediatrician and Lída will ask „Kojíte?“, and two answers cover most of life: plně kojím (exclusively) and částečně kojím, dokrm dáváme (breast plus formula top-ups). Kojenec, a baby in its first year, comes from the same verb and is used even for bottle-fed babies.
Kojím plně, dokrm zatím nedáváme.
I am breastfeeding exclusively; we are not giving any formula top-ups yet.
The midwives' verb: the mother přikládá (puts the baby to the breast), the baby se přisaje (latches). The sentence you will hear most is „Špatně se přisává“, he is not latching well. Pain that lasts beyond the first seconds of a feed nearly always means a shallow latch, not that everyone suffers, and it is a reason to see a lactation consultant rather than to grit your teeth.
Zkuste ho přiložit z druhé strany, ať se pořádně přisaje.
Try latching him on the other side so that he gets a proper grip.
Not a doctor: a trained specialist, often a mother herself and sometimes a midwife. The porodnice has its own, free, and since 2026 the three insurance-paid home visits by a porodní asistentka in the šestinedělí cover latching questions too ⓘ; a private home visit typically costs 1 200-2 000 Kč in 2026 ⓘ, and mateřská centra often run cheap drop-in sessions. Some insurers refund part of it from their bonus schemes ⓘ. She will leave the decision about formula to the paediatrician, as she should.
Laktační poradkyně přijde v pátek a podívá se, jak se malý přisává.
The lactation consultant is coming on Friday to look at how the little one latches.
A manual one comes from the drogerie or the pharmacy; a hospital-grade electric one you rent from a lékárna for weeks, at roughly 30-60 Kč a day plus a deposit in 2026 ⓘ. The verb is odsávat, pumped milk is odsáté mléko, and expressing by hand is odstříkat.
Elektrickou odsávačku si můžete půjčit v lékárně, nemusíte ji kupovat.
You can rent an electric breast pump from the pharmacy; you do not have to buy one.
Czechs say umělé mléko (artificial milk) or kojenecké mléko, or simply use the brand: sunar, the way English says Hoover. Tins are staged: počáteční mléko (1) from birth, pokračovací (2) from six months. A tin costs around 250-400 Kč in 2026 ⓘ. A top-up feed is dokrm, and the paediatrician prescribes it, not the forum.
Pan doktor řekl, že kdyby málo přibíral, dáme mu dokrm umělým mlékem.
The doctor said that if he gains too little weight, we will top him up with formula.
Czech separates what English lumps together: odříhnout si (in baby talk krknout si) is the burp of air after a feed, while ublinknout, ublinkávat is spitting up milk, the reason a muslin cloth lives on your shoulder. When paní Věra asks „Už si odříhl?“, she means the air.
Po jídle ho držte svisle, dokud si neodříhne.
After a feed, hold him upright until he burps.
Diminutive of výbava (outfit, equipment): everything from bodysuits to the pram. Czechs generally assemble it before the birth without much superstition. Forums circulate long „seznam výbavičky“ lists; cut them in half, a newborn needs less in the first month than the lists suggest.
Výbavičku máme skoro celou po sestřenici, nové jsou jen plenky a matrace.
Almost all our baby kit is a hand-me-down from my cousin; only the nappies and the mattress are new.
The word once meant a cloth, and its cousins in some Slavic languages still do, but in Czech plenky are nappies, either jednorázové (disposable) or látkové (cloth). A thin muslin square for the shoulder is a tetra plena, and the padded swaddling bag for going home is a zavinovačka. Ask in dm for „plenky“ and you will be shown the Pampers aisle and the shop's own brand.
V drogerii mají plenky z vlastní řady o dost levněji než značkové.
The drogerie sells its own-brand nappies a good deal cheaper than the big brands.
Three kinds to tell apart in the shop: hluboký kočárek (carrycot pram, first six months), sporťák (seated pushchair) and kombinovaný kočárek, sold as 2v1 or 3v1 with the vajíčko car seat. A light folding buggy is golfky. A new combination pram costs 10 000-30 000 Kč in 2026 ⓘ, second-hand about half. Measure your panelák lift door before you buy.
Hluboký kočárek budeme potřebovat jen do půl roku, pak přejdeme na sporťák.
We will only need the carrycot pram until six months, then we will switch to a pushchair.
Nosítko is a buckled soft-structured carrier; šátek is a woven wrap you tie. In a city of stairs, cobbles and trams it is less a fashion than a survival tool. Mateřská centra often host a poradkyně nošení (babywearing consultant) who fits the carrier to you and the baby, and some lend wraps to try ⓘ.
Do tramvaje beru radši nosítko než kočárek.
On the tram I would rather take the carrier than the pram.
Not a pharmacy: a drogerie is dm, Rossmann or Teta, selling nappies, wipes (vlhčené ubrousky), baby water (kojenecká voda), jars and formula. Medicines, drops, the thermometer and the pump rental are at the lékárna. Plenty is sold in both, but the same packet of wipes usually costs more at the pharmacy.
Vlhčené ubrousky a kojeneckou vodu koupíme v drogerii, v lékárně jsou dražší.
We will buy wipes and baby water at the drogerie; they are dearer at the pharmacy.
Literally from the second hand. Buying baby things used carries no stigma at all here: Vinted, Sbazar, the bazar sections of parenting forums and the burza dětského oblečení, the seasonal clothes swap at the mateřské centrum. Buy new what concerns safety: the car seat (you cannot know whether it was in a crash) and the mattress.
Kočárek jsme koupili z druhé ruky za poloviční cenu a vypadá jako nový.
We bought the pram second-hand for half the price, and it looks brand new.
A drop-in breastfeeding session in a mateřské centrum in Nusle: a herna full of plastic toys, a corner with an armchair and cushions. Afterwards, the entrance of Marina's panelák.
Lída
Ahoj, Marino, pojď dál a sedni si, kde je ti pohodlně. Daniel spinká? Tak ho zatím nebudíme.
Hi, Marina, come in and sit wherever is comfortable. Is Daniel asleep? Then we won't wake him yet.
In a mateřské centrum mothers and staff usually use ty with each other from the first minute; it is the culture of the place, not familiarity. Spinkat is the soft baby-talk verb for sleeping.
Marina
Ahoj, Lído. Kojím tři týdny a pořád to bolí, hlavně vlevo. Myslela jsem, že to přejde.
Hi, Lída. I have been breastfeeding for three weeks and it still hurts, especially on the left. I thought it would pass.
Vocative: Lída becomes Lído, Marina becomes Marino. „Bolí to“ is the Czech impersonal it hurts; for a body part, „bolí mě bradavka“ (my nipple hurts).
Lída
Že to bolí, není normální, i když ti to každý řekne. Až se vzbudí, ukaž mi, jak ho přikládáš.
Pain is not normal, even if everyone tells you it is. When he wakes up, show me how you latch him on.
A good consultant watches a whole feed before saying anything. Bring the baby hungry-ish, and wear something that opens easily.
Marina
Už se budí. Takhle ho držím, ale on chytne jen špičku.
He's waking up. This is how I hold him, but he only catches the tip.
You do not need medical vocabulary to describe a problem: „chytne jen špičku“, he only gets the tip, is exactly what a consultant needs to hear.
Lída
Vidíš, pusinku má jako na brčko. Počkej, až ji otevře doširoka, a pak přitáhni jeho k sobě, ne prso k němu.
See, his little mouth is pursed like for a straw. Wait until he opens it wide, then bring him to you, not the breast to him.
The core of most latch advice in one sentence: wide mouth first, baby to breast. Brčko is a drinking straw; pusinka is the tender word for a baby's mouth.
Marina
Jé, teď to skoro necítím. Ale ještě jedna věc: pan doktor Sedláček říkal, že málo přibírá.
Oh, now I can hardly feel it. But one more thing: Dr Sedláček said he is gaining too little.
Přibírat is to put on weight; its opposite is hubnout. „Ještě jedna věc“ is the polite way to open a second topic before the appointment ends.
Lída
Kolik vážil při propuštění a kolik teď?
How much did he weigh at discharge, and how much now?
Discharge weight is in the propouštěcí zpráva, and the paediatrician writes every weighing into the child's record. Bring both numbers to any consultation.
Marina
Při propuštění tři dvě stě, včera tři tři sta padesát. Nemám mu radši začít dávat sunar?
Three kilos two hundred at discharge, three three hundred and fifty yesterday. Shouldn't I just start giving him formula?
Czechs also say weights as two bare numbers: tři dvě stě, three two hundred, with kilos and grams understood; in lesson 08 you heard the decagram version, tři kila čtyřicet. „Nemám radši…?“ is the natural way to ask for advice: shouldn't I rather…?
Lída
Dokrm ať určí pan doktor, ne já a ne internet. Do té doby koj častěji, klidně po dvou hodinách, a v lékárně si půjč elektrickou odsávačku.
Let the doctor decide about formula, not me and not the internet. Until then feed more often, every two hours is fine, and rent an electric pump at the pharmacy.
This is the line between a consultant and a doctor, and a good one keeps to it. Koj is the imperative of kojit, půjč si of půjčit si (borrow or rent for yourself). Pumping after feeds is a common way to raise supply and gives milk for a top-up if the paediatrician prescribes one.
Mrs Věra
Dobrý den, Marinko! Ukažte mi ho. Není mu zima? Vždyť nemá čepičku!
Hello, Marina dear! Let me see him. Isn't he cold? He hasn't got a hat on!
Věra uses vy with Marina (she vyká) but calls her by the diminutive Marinko: affectionate, older-generation Czech. Není mu zima uses the dative, literally is it not cold to him.
Marina
Dobrý den, paní Věro. Je mu dobře, sáhla jsem mu za krk a je teplý.
Hello, Mrs Věra. He's fine, I felt the back of his neck and it's warm.
Paní Věra, vocative paní Věro. Touching the nape (za krk) rather than the hands is the standard Czech check, and naming it shows the neighbour you know the rule, which ends the debate kindly.
Mrs Věra
Za krk, to je pravda, to jsme na dětském říkaly taky. Ale čepičku mu příště nasaďte, ano?
The back of the neck, that's true, we used to say that on the children's ward too. But bring him a hat next time, won't you?
Na dětském is short for na dětském oddělení, the children's ward. Věra concedes the point and keeps the hat: that is a Czech draw, and the friendship survives.
Start with the trap. Czech plena began as a piece of cloth: Machek and Rejzek derive it from a Proto-Slavic word for a thin skin or thin cloth, going back to the Indo-European root *pel- (skin), which is also linked to Latin pellis. The East Slavic languages kept the cloth, and their form of the word still means a swaddling cloth; Czech moved on with domestic life, so plena became plenka, plenka became disposable, and today the word sells nappies in dm. The old cloth survives under another name, tetra plena.
Now something gentler. Kojit goes back to Proto-Slavic *kojiti, to soothe or calm. The same root sits in Czech pokoj (peace, and also room), Polish koić still means to soothe, and the distant Indo-European relative is Latin quies, quiet. So the Czech verb for breastfeeding literally says to calm, which anyone who has paced a corridor at 3 a.m. will understand. From it comes kojenec, the one being nursed, the medical word for a baby in its first year.
Miminko is the diminutive of mimino, squeezed in speech to mimčo. The dictionaries give it no confident pedigree, and we will not invent one. Its bookish synonym is clearer: nemluvně, from ne + mluvit, the one who does not speak, built exactly like Latin infans (not speaking), the source of English infant. And a bonus: kočárek is a little kočár, a coach, and the coach is named after the Hungarian village of Kocs, famous for its carriages from the fifteenth century; English coach and German Kutsche come from the same place.
Rule one: your baby is slightly public property. On the tram, at the Billa checkout and above all at the front door, strangers will have opinions. The headline question is Není mu zima?, followed by Má hlad? and the eternal To je ale chlapák!, what a strapping lad. This is not surveillance but the affection of a generation raised on state crèches and nurses in white caps. Answer briefly, with a smile and a fact (sáhla jsem mu za krk), and paní Věra becomes your best ally: she will take in parcels, watch the baby for half an hour and know which paediatrician in Nusle still takes patients.
Rule two: fresh air is sacred. Czech babies nap on the balcony in the pram in almost any weather short of a hard frost, and the daily walk, vyvětrat miminko, to air the baby, is discussed in earnest. On Prague public transport an adult with a child in a pram rides free in 2026 ⓘ; board at the door with the pram symbol and do not be shy about steps, someone will silently grab the front wheels.
Rule three: buying everything new marks you as a beginner. Výbavičky travel from sister to friend, children's clothes circulate through Vinted and the seasonal burzy at the mateřské centrum, and nobody judges a pram with a past. Spend the savings on a good car seat and, if needed, a lactation consultant.
Rule four: breastfeeding in public, on a bench at Vyšehrad or in a café, draws fewer looks than you fear. And the mateřské centrum is neither a nursery nor a clinic but a living room for adults at home with small children: a playroom, coffee, courses, advice, and people who will let you speak slow Czech. For many foreign mothers it is where their first Czech friendships begin.
Recommended:
Lída says: „Počkej, až otevře pusinku doširoka, a pak přitáhni jeho k sobě, ne prso k němu.“ What is she asking Marina to do?
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