Best Advice for New Parents
First-time parents have a lot to think about when a new baby is born.
Some think about anxieties, worry, and self-doubts. Some think about exciting new times and happy future memories.
It is an incredible, life transforming journey to raise a child and one that parents cherish the most.
The fact that you are here searching out the best advice for new parents already shows that giving them the care they need to thrive is high on your priority list!
We have special topics to cover here including words of advice, importance of flexibility and routines, seeking other people and exploring the best advice for new parents.
Recommendations for First-Time Parents:
Best Advice for New Parents
Becoming parents for the first time can be overwhelming to say the least.
The best advice for parents wasn’t exactly taught in schools growing up. (Neither was a lot of classes in school we needed like investing, taxes, and how to build a business).
If we were lucky, we had good teachers in the household growing up. If weren’t, we learned the hard way.
Here’s the predisposition; as a parent you want to give your kids everything you didn’t have growing up. A normal desire to give more than you had.
Whatever it takes. But don’t spoil them. Don’t spoil them because then they’ll lack the gratitude and appreciation that comes from earning things when they’re growing up.
Instead teach them the things you were never taught at that age (whichever age they’re at). And teach them the things you know well.
Parents that lean into maximum amounts of love and encouragement have the best track record.
Like compounding interest, you keep getting better returns the more you do it. Teaching and challenging your young one is a strong course of action too.
Find Other Parents You Admire
You don’t have to mimic the parenting skills of anyone else. In fact, you can’t parent exactly like anyone else! But why would you want to?
You know what’s best for your little one. If you have parent friends in your life that you admire however, spend some time with them.
Take them out to lunch and ask them a few questions. Ask if they have any advice.
I’m sure they’d be happy to offer what worked for them. What didn’t work and maybe pitfalls to avoid.
Find other parents you admire and ask them for their advice.
Mimicry is the most sincere form of flattery. Most parents are happy to share the things they have learned with their friends, so don’t hesitate to reach out and ask!
Will I Be a Good Parent?
Answer: Yes, of course you will. If you love and care for your child, you will be a good parent. Trust yourself fully.
The most important thing for any child is to be loved, cared for, and given the confidence they need to make their own way as they grow up.
The responsibility is enormous entering into the parenthood. After all, when the mommy and daddy button is turned on, you can ever turn it off. But it’s a million times worth taking the leap.
To raise your child to become an amazing person is a dream all parents carry. To have raised a pillar of society that others gravitate towards is the ultimate gift.
It can feel overpowering, overwhelming and awe-inspiring all at once.
You are now responsible for keeping a small human alive. The amount of sleep that’s lost alone is an unfathomable phenomenal.
Give Your Baby Little Challenges
If you see your baby attempt to stand or try to walk. Encourage them with little challenges.
When they start to grab furniture to pull themselves up, try this..
Place them at one end of the living room couch, and you sit at the other end. Now, you encourage them to climb up and come to you using the couch.
It’s a fun game they’ll love to try. When they shimmy all the way over to you, congratulate them with a big hug and kiss. Job well done.
It’s natural to want to find the best advice for new parents. What’s the magic formula?
There’s no magic formula. But there are definitely things you can do to keep going and stay motivated.
When preparation meets preparedness, good things seem to always fall into place. Some would call this luck.
You want to be as prepared as possible for this huge, wonderful change coming your way.
WORDS OF ADVICE FOR NEW PARENTS:
Trust yourself
Sleep as much as possible
Exercise whenever possible
Accept help with open arms
Eat healthy and unprocessed foods
Find like-minded others
Remain flexible
Letting go once in a while to relax
Spend time alone or with significant other
Here’s a hint that I’m sure you’ve heard before: no advice can truly be one size fits all when it comes to parenting.
Your baby and situation will be unique, and there are some things that you will just have to learn together over time.
Get More Help Than You Think Is Needed
Specifically, for the first few weeks after your baby arrives. If you have family that can stay, invite them to stay.
If you have friends that offer to help, have them set up a meal train or cleaning rotation. Don’t hesitate to accept help if asked.
This is a trying and exhausting time for you. Accept any help from family and don’t second guess whether or not you should.
They’d be happy to help wherever they can. Don’t be shy, just ask. Plus, your baby becomes familiarized with new friendly faces. Win-win.
It is much easier to ask someone to postpone their help if you don’t wind up needing it.
Much easier than it is to get your sleep-deprived brain to think of who to call when you’re suddenly starving, covered in baby doo-doo, and can’t find any clean dishes.
Plan ahead. Plan for twice as much help as you think you need.
And then don’t be anxious to ask for more help. Not only will you get needed assistance but this can bring you peace of mind.
When preparation meeting preparedness, you win every time. Follow this path and keep up to date with any upcoming changes to come.
Baby’s growth spurts happen quickly. Best to be ready when they sprout.
Flexible Rhythm, Not Rigid Routine
There is NO shortage of recommended routines for babies out there. Baby routines are a dime a dozen.
The trick is to figure out which works best for you and your little one. Since all babies develop at their own pace.
Things you may find yourself pressed to consider are questions like, How long should babies be awake for? How often should they eat?
Should they wake up, eat, play? Or should they play, eat, sleep? New parents have many questions to be mindful of.
The truth is, while having a rhythm to your day is helpful for everyone, most babies will at some point decide they don’t like the schedule you had in mind.
A bit of flexibility will go a long way, especially in the first weeks and months. Be prepared by anticipating a routine to change frequently. Don’t get frustrated though.
Be like water and move with the current. Remember, the only constant in life is change.
Remember, babies are developing and changing at incredibly rapid rates in the first year or two of their life.
The routine that works one week might not work the next. Sometimes you just got to wing it. Find your rhythm, listen to your baby, and adjust as needed.
Find a reasonably flexible routine that works for you and your infant. Then, get ready to change it in a week and a half.
Find Time For Yourself
You have likely heard how important it is to find time for yourself as a new parent.
Especially as those newborn days draw to an end and your infant is becoming more independent, finding time for yourself becomes even more important than ever.
This is a piece of advice that everyone seems to know, but not everyone implements.
It can be tough to make yourself a priority when there is a small human that constantly needs your care and attention!
Prioritize setting up some time for yourself. Doing activities that fuel you, excite you, and make you feel like YOU again. It will prove to be priceless as the months start to fly by.
By the way, going to the grocery store to shop for next week’s groceries by yourself DOES NOT COUNT.
Spend a couple hours at a coffee shop with a book. Take yourself to that movie everyone at work’s talking about.
Have an evening out with your spouse or significant other. It doesn’t have to be extravagant but it has to be a priority!
You and Your Child Are in This Together
You might be learning how to be a parent, but your child is learning how to be a person! When things get hard and you feel down on yourself, remember that you are in this together.
You can learn from your child just as much as they can learn from you.
You will both make mistakes. And you will both have your fun days. There will be days full of laughter and days full of tears.
And oh, so many days full of both. Enjoy the journey. It will have its challenges but the rewards outweigh any hardships by a longshot.
Recommendations for First-Time Parents:
At the end of the day, the most important thing for any child is to be loved, cared for, and given the confidence they need to make their own way as they grow up.
The fact that you are here searching out the best advice for new parents already shows that giving them the care they need to thrive is high on your priority list!
RELATED: 10 Sleeping Tips For New Parents
