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Tips for new parents

Your little angel will bring a lot of love and the potential for some new concerns, but with a plan you will make it through anything 

I know, the number of tips you have received over the course of your pregnancy and each time you visit with anyone who has children, is already overwhelming, but for every bad tip that you get (“You can have her sleep on her stomach if she’s not feeling well, all of my kids did that and they are fine.”) there are many excellent tips to learn from. Why not learn from other peoples mistakes? We all know there have been plenty of them made over time. 

 

 A big thank you goes out to all of my readers who submitted questions over the past few months on a wide range of topics. A huge apology goes out to those same readers because I haven’t been able to respond to all of your questions. I’ve cleaned out the inbox now (so keep the questions coming) and I wanted to highlight a couple frequently asked questions that many parents worry about.

 

 

This email (and others like it) came in before “Money Saving Tips” part one and two, but there are many other ways to stretch your dollar that I didn’t have time to mention in those articles. A couple huge expense savors are going to garage sales and restraining yourself so that you don’t buy everything in the baby isle. Because of the tremendous growth rate of our little angels most babies won’t wear the same clothes more than a couple times, so why spend $10 on a onesie, when you can pick up 40 for the same price at a garage sale? There are many items that seem essential before baby arrives, but end up just collecting dust. Electric bottle warmer can easily be replaced by warm water in a bowl or pot (just don’t use the microwave). The wipe warmer that you feel that you absolutely need to prevent a cold bottom for your little princess is completely non-essential. Trust me, they don’t get that cold. In fact, to save more money I would recommend using a hand towel (warmed up under the faucet for each use) instead of using disposable wipes at all.

 

 

First things first, relax, you’re not alone. The first months of your baby’s life are hectic and the worst thing that you can do for your relationship is to compare it to your pre-baby (P.B.) relationship. The more time that you spend comparing your new relationship (all three of you) with your P.B. relationship the more worried you will become. The truth of the matter is, your relationship will never be the same, but it has a great opportunity to become better. Focus on your new family and the exciting journey the three of you will be taking together. You and your wife need to continue to work to strengthen your bond with your daughter as she grows in her first months of life and along with the bond that you create with your daughter your relationship with your wife, the mother of that beautiful angel, will evolve into something that you never could have imagined. Your relationship with your wife isn’t just changing, it is getting better.  

 

Thanks again to everyone who took the time to ask their questions.  Parenting isn't an easy job, and we all know it doesn't pay weel, but by learning from our own mistakes (and hopefully the mistakes that other people make for us) it doesn't have to be as scary of a proposition as it initially seems.