Congratulations! You are the proud owners of a miniature human being! You’ve spent months preparing for the arrival of your little bundle of joy, and now that moment is here. You may feel like a bundle of highly-strung nerves as you wade your way through the the poo and puke-filled psychological warfare of parenthood. So I present you with the following parenting tips to arm you for one of the hardest and most entertaining periods of your lives!
5. Those little folds on the shoulders of baby vests are so you can pull it down their body instead of over their head for when you’re met with a poo-splosion.
If you don’t know what that means then you’re in for a gag-filled surprise! You can thank me later that you’re not washing poo out of your little one’s hair!
4. White noise apps work wonders for unsettled sleepers.
They’re cheaper and consume less energy than white noise plushies found on the market. In a pinch, try household items like a hairdryer! This worked wonders for my difficult sleeper before the days of smart phones. The idea is to mimic the sound ambiance of the womb to help your little one adjust to life outside of his mama.
3. Wonderweeks! Another app but I swear this thing is psychic!
It details the growth spurts and developmental leaps that babies go through until 2 years. It gives you a personal calendar for when your baby is due to go through a “stormy” period: what fussy signs they might show and when. And man is it on point! It can really ease a new parent’s mind to know they’re just having a growth spurt or sleep regression and aren’t actually starving of hunger like we all fear!
2. Babywearing!
You know how you’re in a rush and you have to keep stopping the pram because you have to attend to baby or when you’re trying to squeeze through a doorway with those four wheeled nuisances… A sling/carrier affords more convenient travel and keeps baby close where they want to be and are most settled. Especially if little one is troubled with colic or reflux! I’ve also found it makes it easier to move baby out of reach of unwanted touching and kissing, for those of us without Royal bodyguards!
1. Breastfeeding!
Although Queen Elizabeth began the tradition of breastfeeding Royal babies by nursing all 4 of her children, it is unclear how the newest little prince will be fed. The breastfeeding journey is a microcosm for the parenting journey; It comes with it’s own challenges and it can be damn hard work but with good support, It can be so rewarding and will become the most convenient baby hack of all! My favorite breastfeeding mantra is, “If in doubt, Whip it out” which is almost always the solution to baby’s crying!
I have to say, a massive influence on my choice to breastfeed was convenience! I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve been so grateful to always have their food ready to serve at the correct temperature instead of trying to locate a suitable place in an Airport to provide hot water for Formula preparation! Or thankful that my milk preparation only involves things I should be doing anyway like staying hydrated and nourished and doesn’t involve sterilized plastic and silicone or waiting on the kettle to boil and cool. I also no longer have to feel the sharp sting of a scalding squirt of formula on my inner wrist to test the temperature, a minor thing, but other formula feeding parents can tell you the pain in the butt this is!
There is no shortage of parenting advice out there, your precious baby is still just that: a baby, with all the hilarious hazards and hair-pulling happenings of any other human child.
So whatever advice, traditions or methods you decide to follow from platforms like My Parenting Journal etc, just remember that this time is viewed as the “Fourth Trimester” when baby simply wants to be close to you, and you can’t go too far wrong! Hopefully my parenting hacks will assist you through the struggles so that you have the energy to enjoy the entertaining fun parts we teased about!
Photo by Wesley Tingey on Unsplash
