The Things Parents Want You To Know Before You Have Your First Baby

Many people long for a baby to add to their family for a long time before it finally happens. There are thousands of people that have to go through treatments to be able to finally realize that dream. And even though it is everything you ever dreamt of and more, there are things that you may find you wish you had known sooner, and things that other parents might have been able to share with you. Suicide from the practical information such as difference between a crib and a bassinet, what are the things do parents wish they had known before their first baby arrived? Here are some ideas on how you can prepare for this momentous occasion a little better, and avoid the stress of working things out yourself.

Photo by Hu Chen on Unsplash

Baby Books

No doubt when doing your research after discovering you were pregnant for the first time you started looking at baby books. Baby books used to be a good resource for people who weren’t sure about feeding, changing, and closing their babies, what to expect when you’re expecting is a book that many people used to read before having a baby. And even though we can find humour in it now, there are many different books that are more modern, and help everybody with their decisions. The thing to remember about baby books however is they are generally a good dose of opinion mixed with some scientific research. The key to finding the right parenting book for you is to work out what your instincts tell you about parenting and find something that aligns with that. If you think that baby should be in a routine and have very strict rules and guidelines, you may find a more old school approach would work for you, but if you are planning on a more instinctive, and natural form of parenting Then you will, of course, find books that align with this idea as well. Although baby books can be great for supporting your opinions, it is good to rely a little on your own thoughts and feelings. This is your baby at the end of the day and as long as they are safe, fed, clean and warm, The rest is up to you.

Mental Health

Hopefully this isn’t a subject that you may have had to think about very much before having children, but many people find that becoming a parent can take its toll on your mental health. From postnatal and prenatal depression to postnatal anxiety there are plenty of reasons why it’s good to keep a good check on our mental health at all times. If you feel particularly depressed after having a baby then it’s always good to seek medical help and advice, generally, there are changes in hormones that will cause you to have some sort of mood swings, and this is normal, but self-care and lowering your expectations of yourself, can work wonders. Following advice from medical professionals and doing your own research on what works for your mental health are essential tools in combating any problems in this area.

Budget vs High-End

When you have a baby you will be bombarded with numerous different advertising campaigns and advice. But the truth of the matter is that you will be able to make the best of things no matter what your budget. If you have a very low budget, and you are keen to make sure that you give the best to your baby, it just takes a little bit of forward planning and knowledge about where to look. If your budget is unlimited then of course push the boat out and purchase the most expensive baby grows you can find, but many of us can struggle to purchase expensive items. So taking hand-me-downs from family members, following advice on making your own items, and looking for discounts, vouchers, and coupons, that will help you work out the best way forward with your budget. Asking friends and family members to tell you where the best bargain buys are from, and having a good look for yourself can be fun as well as productive. We all love looking at the tiny baby socks and finding the ones that you want for your own baby. This is a luxury of course and should be thoroughly enjoyed as well.

Essentials

In a couple of years, you may find that you look back and wonder why you bought so many things when your new baby arrived, but this is common, we all want to be prepared, and can feel as though we aren’t doing our very best if we don’t have everything we can possibly get our hands-on. But the truth of the matter is you have a few essential items that you really do need to buy for your baby, and the rest is just to add comfort for yourself and baby. This isn’t a bad thing of course but it isn’t always 100% necessary, so if you need to make sacrifices, and make decisions, then doing so knowing that you are doing your very best is important. The essentials that you need for and you baby are a form of feeding (breast or artificial milk), some warm clothes depending on the weather, a car seat to transform baby home, and some diapers (disposable or reusable), somewhere for them to sleep, and that really is it, if you get baby close to you for the first six months of their life, then all you need is something to keep them warm dry and fed. So try not to panic if you don’t have the latest baby shoes, or the greatest cot mobile because all your baby needs are you and a few essential items.

Friendship

When you have a baby you will find yourself in new situations, in new groups of people, and with new friendships. Even from the very beginning when you go to labour and delivery classes, and you speak to people who are in your social circles, you will find your social life-changing before the baby even arrives. Mostly these friendships help you through the early years of parenting, because everybody is on the same route, and are happy to chat about the journey that they have taken so far. It’s good to have somebody that you can talk to, who is going to the same situation as you are at the same time. groups of friends come and go, but they do say the parents and friends that you make along the way will generally stick with you. Over time your children will make friends as well, and you may find yourself socially interacting with their parents, so many people cross paths because of the children that they have, and this can be a beautiful thing. Some amazing friendships have been born through children bringing people together, either through school or extra activities they take part in. 

So even though your life will be turned upside down by having a new baby there are fewer things to worry about then you may have thought, there is more fun to look forward to then you can ever imagine, and benefits to yourself in many different ways. Ensuring that you are gentle with yourself, and do your very best, means that you will enjoy this period of time much more than you would otherwise. Taking everything in, and recording these amazing moments either via diaries or photography can give your child something special to look back on one day as well.