Becoming a first time mom and dad is really tough because you have to cater to a number of things due to your inexperience.
Key Facts
- Being a first time mom and dad is not an easier task but with patience and planning, you can easily overcome the fear.
- Always go for your individual choices as parents because you know what’s best for your child.
- As a father, you need to be careful about the healing mother as well as the child who is learning to adjust to the new environment.
- A new mother needs to be careful about the choice of feeding because it helps her child a lot in development and growth throughout.
Parenting and first time parenting
Parenting is a divine duty. You have to be careful about a number of things since the day your children enter the world. It is believed that parents develop their new and permanent type of personalities the day they become parents. Parenting is indeed a huge task. You have to become hyperactive in every matter. Things need to be under control or else the perfect picture becomes near to distortion. With time you learn a number of things from your experiences which you have gained over a certain time period.
Also Read: “Some Amazing Active Parenting Tips For Parents in 2022”
However, the most difficult task is for parents who are experiencing this bliss for the first time. Yes, becoming parents is the biggest blessing from the Almighty but alongside this, it is a great responsibility on your part to take care of this bliss. People who taste parenting for the first time are quickly the ones who become tired of this duty and the initial phase is recorded as the most difficult phase by most of the parents.
Why is that so?
Most of the parenting experts try to answer this query of parents where there is a certain kind of fright present in the first-time parents. Most of the experts consider inexperience as one of the major reasons which make them unable to understand the parenting duties fully. Another reason is the nervousness that arises from bearing the burden of this great responsibility.
For many individuals, parenting becomes already a responsibility before they are even ready to accept this which makes them more fearful of holding on to this duty efficiently. Another reason is peer pressure which keeps on forcing them to be the “great parents”. This fear of not standing by the level of perfection is another reason for their panic right when they hold their baby.
What’s the solution?
Now, here I will advise you to take care of two things. First, your own mental and physical health, and secondly your baby’s well-being. Remember, parenting can be a bit hard because you haven’t experienced it before but then there are so many things which you didn’t experience and still you emerged as a shining star among all those trials because with time you learned to achieve perfection.
Hence, all the first-time moms and dads need to know that things would not turn their way right the first time. There will be a lot of hurdles on your way, but you need to keep calm and not panic because it’s normal and everyone does that all the time.
The key is to prepare yourself right before the time and then take one step at a time to achieve perfection. Trying to be good in every possible way is definitely foolish and there is also a chance that you will soon give up your pace and become tired midway, so, be calm and think of each and every step keenly and with patience.
Some quick tips for first time dads
Being a dad is the best possible thing for every man. However, it is also a considerable thing that your responsibilities increase right from here. As a dad, you have to consider some basic tips at the beginning which are going to be of great help for you in your journey.
- Prepare yourself mentally
You know that parenting is great and the responsibilities which come with it from every perspective are enormous. You have to decide as to the man of your house whether or not you are ready to take up these responsibilities? If it’s the right time for you to take up the responsibility of another individual. Will it be easy for you to take care of the needs of your child?
When you agree to everything among these, then prepare a checklist of what you would be needing for this purpose. As a father of the child, your responsibility divides into two streams. You have to take care of your wife as well as have to make arrangements from the financial perspective to ensure that your child gets the best care.
- Limit the number of visitors at the beginning
Yes, this is your duty as a father to provide safety, warmth, and closure to your family in the beginning. Initially, when a child comes into the world, people are in awe of watching the newborn which at times troubles the new mother who is in the healing process at that time as well as the baby who is getting used to the environment.
During this time some extra care is needed from your side for the new baby as well as the healing mother. So, the best thing to do during these circumstances is to make sure that things remain under control and no one disturbs the peace and healing process of the family. So, it is suggested to initially limit the number of acquaintances who want to meet. As the head of the family, it becomes the prime responsibility of the father.
- Distribute the night duty
Initially, some months are really hard on parents because the child is taking some time to settle in the new environment. Hence, this becomes troublesome for both parents but as a father, it is your duty to ensure that your wife is getting the due rest and there isn’t an excessive burden on her especially during nights because some nights would be really hard on both of you.
The best thing to do in such a situation is to distribute the night duties and take your share in caring for the baby because a healthy mother will be able to bring up the child happy and with great health. It will also ensure the provision of a normal sleep cycle for the mother which is essential for her health. Postpartum depression is real and this inhibits the mother from focusing on the nurturing of a child initially, so this will be of great help for her to deal with the depression.
Duties of new mom
Where the father is an integral unit of a family and his participation in the upbringing of a child matters a lot. At the same time, a mother is the central unit of a family. She is the one who brings a new baby into this world after going through a lot. It is more difficult for her to cope up with the challenges that are waiting for her afterward. However, with a little bit of planning and patience, things can get much easier for her.
- Breastfeeding is necessary
The foremost thing which should be told to a new mother is the importance of breastfeeding. Many mothers do not pay heed to this basic rule and they have already planned to choose formula. It is necessary to know that if you have no issues in feeding, then it is the best decision you can take for your baby. It is not only important for your breast health but will also intensify the newly developing immune system of your baby preventing many pathogens.
However, if you are not healthy enough, then choosing the right formula at the first step can save you from a lot of trouble afterward because in young children most of the diseases and infections arise from the formula they are using. So, the key is to use the right kind of formula to ensure that things don’t get worse for you and your children.
- It’s fine to take some time for your own self
The conventional approach toward a new mom is that now she has to stay active all the time because of the immense responsibility. Yes, it adds a lot of burden and pressure on her head but even that has a solution if you take your steps carefully. It doesn’t count that now you are a mother so you have to kill your identity for the sake of it.
It’s acceptable that your duties have increased but at the same time as a normal human being, it’s totally okay if you take intermittent breaks in between all your responsibilities. Allow yourself to heal completely. Let the burden of motherhood dissolve because if you are positive about taking this new rule fully, then you can fulfill that. So, prepare yourself to have little moments of rest which can bring you closer to your real self.
- Don’t panic if you notice some unusual symptoms in your baby
The initial few months are very tricky. As a new mom, you are growing along with your baby. You explore everything through your experiences slowly and gradually. Because many things are happening for the first time, hence, it’s normal for you to find out some unusual symptoms like baby acne, scaly skin, excessive body hair, and certain digestive problems.
So, there isn’t any need to panic because all these things are totally normal and they happen most of the time because of the new environment. Ultimately, all these issues resolve on their own through simple measures. As a preventative measure, keeping your doctor’s number on your speed dial is not a bad idea. You can consult and find out about many new things directly from him/her.
- Bath your baby with patience and care
I was researching the most common issues faced by new moms and became shocked to find out that many moms find it extremely hard to bathe their babies because of the extreme care due to the sensitivity of baby skin. This is no longer an issue. All thanks to the latest inventions because things have now become simpler than ever. All you need to do is to focus on things that can be helpful.
Let us trace them out for you. The first and the foremost thing which is significant is a shower set that is helping many new moms. Other than this a baby shower chair is of great help. This can become your true aid when you are in most need of that.
A baby shower chair is something which is not so expensive and is easily available according to the age group of your children. The other thing is about using quality shower products because you don’t want to disturb your child’s skin. So, always go for mild skincare products for your baby which are manufactured by a well-renowned brand. Never use a harsh cloth to clean your baby’s skin but always use soft and quality fabrics which leave no space for friction on the skin.
Conclusion
It is not that difficult to tend to your child as a new mom and dad. The only thing is that you need to become patient enough about everything. Things will indeed be difficult in the beginning. There will be some mistakes. However, losing your composure is not the solution but you only need to become patient throughout your journey.
Don’t go for alternative suggestions you find because at the end of the day it’s your child and you know what’s best for him/her. Being a parent doesn’t mean losing your individual personality but you can continue with both your roles with positivity and conviction.
