Becoming a parent completely turns your world upside down. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. Your whole lives become completely different and instead of only worrying about yourself, everything now revolves around your child. It’s also a completely unknown world, which means that you make lots of mistakes, mistakes that many parents make as first time parents. Before you become a parent, or if you’ve recently become a new parent, check out these 8 common mistakes that many first time parents make so you can avoid doing them yourself.
1. Staying Up Late To Get Alone Time
This is perhaps one of the greatest struggles when it comes to becoming a new parent. Since you no longer have endless amounts of time to spend together or alone, it’s extremely tempting to stay up late while the baby sleeps. Even though it feels great at the time, trust me, you will absolutely regret it when the baby cries at 1am for their diaper change or for a feeding and then you’ll regret it again when they wake up at 7 am for the day. If you need alone time, get a baby sitter, even if it’s just for an hour to go grab some dinner. Even that short amount of time will allow you to rejuvenate yourself without feeling like you’re leaving a new baby for too long.
2. Waking Baby To Ensure Breathing
I think every single parent does this. SIDS is a very real and scary thing and no parent wants to lose their baby. However, odds are that your baby is breathing great, but is just enjoying a great snooze. Instead of waking your baby to make sure they’re breathing, try your hardest to check if they’re breathing a different way. Watch their back or stomach to see if it’s rising or falling or put your finger below their nose to see if you can feel their breathing. If you still can’t tell and are considered you can put your hand on them to feel their body move, but just be very careful not to wake them. When they get upset and cry for hours on end, you’ll certainly regret it. You can also check into the Angel Care Baby Monitor which comes with a sensor pad, and will alert you if it senses that there is no movement from baby. A priceless tool for peace of mind!
3. Not Getting Help
You might as well accept it now – parents need help. No one can do it all alone. I know that it can be hard to swallow your pride, but it’s just something that you have to do. Every parent needs a break now and then whether it’s a few days or a few hours of someone babysitting. The good news is that most people love babies and kids, so they’re usually pretty willing to watch your child for you. This will give you a much needed break that will rejuvenate you and your energy and will help you deal with life all around.
4. Not Letting Your Partner Help
As a new parent you may have the tendency to think you can do it all and you want to show that to your partner, especially if they head off to work every morning. This can mean that you’re changing all the diapers, feeding the baby at every feeding, giving every bath, and I could go on and on. Not only does this leave you completely exhausted, but it also really leaves your partner out of the parenting process. Doing all of those “tasks” when it comes to the baby is a great bonding experience with the baby even if it does require some work. It should be shared between the parents so that neither of you gets too exhausted.
5. Installing The Carseat Incorrectly
According to USA Today, nearly half of kid’s carseats are actually installed incorrectly. That is a really scary statistic. It is extremely important for your child’s safety that you pay close attention on how to properly install their carseat. You can watch lots of videos on YouTube on how to install them, or you can look up on the manufacturer’s website for instructions, videos, and photos.
6. Not Holding Your Baby
When my son was first born I can’t tell you how many times people told me that I shouldn’t hold him so much because he’ll get used to it, then expect it, and want to be held even more, making it even harder for me to get things done. Even if this is true, who really cares? If you want to hold your baby, hold your baby! They’re only young and small for so long. Before you know it they won’t want to be held anymore and you’ll be wishing you had spent more time cuddling and holding them.
7. Doubting Yourself
Being a parent of the first time is obviously really confusing and sometimes scary, however, most of the time your natural instincts are spot on. I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about a mother’s intuition before. A mother knows her child the best and therefore can usually feel when something is wrong or not. Just relax and try to take one thing at a time. Chances are you’re doing a fabulous job and everything is great. All that matters is that your baby is happy and healthy, so if he or she is, good job! You’re successfully taking care of a baby!
8. Not Reading To Babies Because “They’re Too Young To Understand”
I know it seems kind of ridiculous to read a book to a brand new baby that has zero clue what you’re saying, but it’s actually really great for their development to be read to. I’ve known many parents that wait a long time before reading to their child because they feel like it’s a waste of time. That’s so far from true. Doctors will often tell you how important it is to read to young children, no matter their age. So many studies have been done that show how wonderful it is for their brains, so spend a few extra minutes each day reading to that little cutie.
Mary Mulroney
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Mary Mulroney
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