Becoming a mom is a wonderful feeling. Yet looking after a newborn can also be a bit stressful. Your baby requires a lot of attention and care, not to mention your life doesn’t stop just because you had a baby. To help you deal with the first few months, take note of these 10 helpful parenting tips. They are sure to help you make things right, even if its your first time being a parent.
The Best Parenting Tips for You
Some of the parenting tips can be as simple as getting the best sippy cups for breastfed babies. Others can require more planning to help you do it right.
1. Be prepared
Ensure you got all the basic essentials ready for the time when you and the baby get home. This means a good amount of diapers, feeding bottles, some toys, enough cotton blankets and baby oil. You should also write down things you might be needing to re-stock regularly to make shopping easier.
In addition, start shopping online. It can make the shopping experience more pleasant and save you money. You can pick the best moment for shopping and find awesome Mothercare discounts to cut down the cost of your baby products.
2. Heat it up
Heat is a great help for a few different things as a parent of a newborn. First, warm compression on your breasts can help with any pain you might feel and it can boost your feeding success. But warmth is also great for soothing your baby. For example, get an electric wipe warmer for your baby to make diaper changes less annoying for the baby. It’s one of those parenting tips you cannot forget.
3. Learn to mimic the womb
When it comes to soothing your child, the key is in mimicking the womb. It makes sense since your little baby spent a lot of time in there and the outside world can seem rather overwhelming. When your baby seems to be anxious and crying, you should swaddle, shush and swing your baby close to you. It can be a good idea to place your baby close to your chest and even have skin on skin contact.
4. Fill your freezer
Your baby will need a lot of food to grow into a healthy child. While the first months are just about breastfeeding or baby formula, you do need to fill that freezer with food, for yourself. A hungry mother is not a good mother and you probably don’t have the time or the energy to cook every day, so stick to frozen meals!
5. Let your baby rest
It can be tempting to be looking after your baby 24/7. You want to ensure he or she has enough company at all times. But over-stimulation can lead to one problem: your baby getting tired and not learning how to be small amounts of time on his or her own. Don’t baby-talk to your baby constantly or come up with things to do. Sometimes it’s good to just let him or her be for a bit and have a good nap – you and the baby!
6. Go out when you can
Don’t get stuck inside your home in the first few weeks. Even if you go and take a break at the front porch, you need to leave the home for a bit and get some fresh air – 15 minutes away from the house can help you feel rejuvenated.
When you take your baby out the first time, start slow. Don’t plan a huge shopping trip at Tesco – pick a quiet surrounding like the local library or a corner café. Slowly but surely you can start spending more time outside the house.
7. Make sure there’s enough daddy tim
Don’t cling on to your baby but make sure he or she also gets to bond with the father. If you have other children, you also want to let them create a connection with the baby. The time with the dad can be anything from having a bath or having him put the baby to bed. The key is to ensure you’re not hanging out with them during this crucial time.
8. Don’t spend your money on useless things
Parenting is sometimes just about balancing your spending. Newborns are cute and the toys and clothes they sell in baby shops are even cuter. But your newborn doesn’t really need shoes or seventy different soft toys. So learn to spend money wisely, utilising discounts and only buying things you need.
9. Accept any help you’re offered
Don’t try to be the super-mummy. Even if you feel like you can do it, you shouldn’t turn down a helpful offer. Whether you are offered food, cleaning help or babysitting time, just take it and be happy. Remember if people just offer their helping hand, you can ask them straight whatever it is that you need the most at the time. Don’t be afraid of this – you won’t be judged! You can always return the offer once your baby is older.
10. Don’t let others put you down
While you should always be open to suggestions in life – whether or not it’s about parenting – you shouldn’t let other people’s opinion or advice put you down. Ultimately, everything is down to you and your partner. You’re going to raise your child the way you want, using tricks and techniques that work for you. Listening to advice is great and asking for tips is even better, but you don’t need to feel bad if you think another way of doing things works better.
If you stick to these 10 helpful parenting tips, you can have a much hassle-free first few months with the newborn!
Click here to read more with us.
Last Updated on by ritukhare
Top Comments