According to the old rhyme, little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice – and little boys not so much. That may be a big generalization, but baby girls are different than baby boys in a multitude of ways. Even beginning at birth.

Right away the physical differences between baby girls and baby boys are obvious. "Newborn baby girls usually have a swollen vulva and a white mucous discharge," says Adie Goldberg, licensed clinical social worker and coauthor of It's a Baby Girl! (Jossey-Bass, 2009). "Sometimes this may even be tinged with blood. Don't be alarmed. This discharge lasts for a few days and results from the estrogen in Mom's bloodstream that your girl was exposed to."

This may also lead to small amounts of nipple discharge in baby girls, so there's no need to be concerned if this happens.

Cleaning your baby girl at diapering time may take a bit more time than it would a boy. It's common practice to wipe baby girls from front to back to avoid soiling the vaginal area and urethra more than necessary. But there's no need to scrub. "A gentle wipe with a warm wash cloth and a pat dry is all your girl needs to stay clean," says Goldberg.

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