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New Parents - Heed This Advice!

If you’re a new parent or are about to be one, it’s likely you’re currently experiencing information overload. From your Doctor to your family and friends, to the parenting books or blogs you read, you’re likely being told thousands of do’s and don’ts from every angle you look. If this is the case for you, you’re likely familiar with your head spinning round and round as you try to process all this information. It can feel dizzying. However, this feeling is good. It shows you care about being a good parent. If you care about being a good parent, odds are you will be a good parent. This means you have your priorities straightened.

However, it is possible to overthink this period, especially the moment you bring the new child back from the hospital and into the embrace of your loving home. This information overload can distract you. While we hope to add to this informational artillery strike, we hope to also simplify some handy pointers you can easily remember, helping you keep in mind your tasks and responsibilities without stressing over every little point. If you keep these tips in mind, you’re sure to get started on the right footing:


Home Setup

Setting up your home is worthwhile to think about before and after your child is born. Childproofing recommendations are worth listening to, especially those that help you sustainably craft your home into a safe environment for your child. You shouldn’t have to focus each day on removing hazards that could occur, the overall design and access of your home should already cater to that, allowing you little tasks of maintenance here and there as you see fit.

Some tips you might like to think about include switching to non-toxic cleaners, applying yourself with sensitive skin cream as you’ll also be handling your baby and the products you use can affect them, and ensuring the refrigerator is functioning correctly and at an ideal temperature for baby food and milk storage, as well as ensuring you have sanitizing cleaning products or functionalities for the bottles or food containers you baby will be fed from. Of course, immediately upon coming home, your child will likely sleep in a crib or a cot, but even then it’s important to consider room ventilation, the safety of the cot itself, the access that other members of your household might have to the bedroom, such as other small, exciteable children.

As they begin to crawl and walk, baby gates, floor hygiene, and many other circumstances will come into play. But for now, you can begin here.

Care & Sleep

Caring for your child means caring for yourself. It’s often tempting for new parents to give their all to their newborn, and that’s fine if this is what’s required. But don’t be afraid to take turns to get some good sleep, or to call on the help of your parents if you need it. You might be a wonderful parent with the best of intentions, but you’re also a human being. You deserve to feel comfortable and taken care of, even if this means indulging yourself a little. It might be hard to see someone else comfort your child so you can get some good sleep, but sometimes this can be the difference between falling down and thriving as a new parent. Adapting to parent life is hard, and it takes time. Just as your child is starting to adapt to a new world each day, you are in a world that likely feels worlds apart from your last.

However, one similarity between your old world and the new is that good sleep is a precious, golden resource. If you can, take care of that. Eat well. Be sure to meditate if you have time. Do a few stretches in the morning, and if you have ten or twenty minutes perform a little workout. Parenting is hard, but it’s much easier if you have yourself as a priority, less of a priority than your child, but absolutely a priority.

Routine

Get into a routine. It could save your new-parent sanity. It’s important to take care of yourself as previously explored and routinely helps you do that. Not only this, but it helps you synchronize your schedule with your child. Wake up at a fixed time. Help your child nap at certain times. Meditate at certain times. Do the grocery shopping at certain times. When you have all of this regimented, the fact that you’ll miss something is going to be much less likely, and you’ll be able to squeeze out more recreational and personal time for your own use.

With these tips, you’re sure to thrive in your new parenthood.