It’s one of those periods in life where everyone apparently knows best. As it turns out, there are no universal right answers about being a parent – it’s all circumstantial to you and your little one.
With that being said, there are some obvious mistakes that you need to be avoiding. Today’s article will take a look at some of these most common mistakes, which might just make those initial few months as a parent a little easier for you to get to grips with.
Mistake #1 – You underestimate your laundry
If some sources are to be believed, the typical American family will go through somewhere between eight and ten loads of washing per week.
Such a quantity seems high – but just wait until baby arrives. This is where your washing loads go through the roof, and your machine barely has the capacity to cope. Umpteen clothes and other garments will be flying through your machine every single day, so you need to make sure that your machine is big enough to cope, and you are “budgeting” your time in advance. Take a look at a Zanussi repair service from Service Force for assistance with the former.
Mistake #2 – You buy too many new-born items
We get it, it’s a cute time. In fact, it’s not going to be rivalled in this regard to anything else in your life.
Unfortunately, there are limits to new-born items. As it turns out, babies develop very quickly and a lot of parents make the mistake of buying a huge number of new-born items, only to see that they only wear them once. They quickly grow through the age brackets and considering how expensive this period can be for you, we would really urge that you cut back on new-born clothes, and save the money for later down the line.
Mistake #3 – You stay up late
This is something that a lot of parents are guilty of, and it’s completely understandable why. After all, when baby has gone to bed, this is your downtime and the time you get to relax and spend for yourself.
Unfortunately, now might be the time to be boring. Instead of turning to Netflix, and getting engrossed in a whole season instead of an episode of something, try and hit the pillow. As all the headlines tell us, sleep deprivation is a parent’s biggest enemy so sleeping when your baby is in bed is the easiest way to manage this.
Mistake #4 – Setting unrealistic expectations
You might have visions of yourself getting on with your life in the exact, same way as you did pre-baby – and in some ways this is admirable.
Unfortunately, it’s not realistic. If you think that you are going to stay with your existing schedule, you are probably going to get frustrated. Let’s not forget that you’ll need extra hours in the day to get another person dressed and ready to leave the house – and that’s without considering any hiccups.
Don’t be too hard on yourself. This is a time worth enjoying and setting unrealistic expectations isn’t going to do you or your little one any favours.
Image credit: new parent via sylv1rob1/shutterstock
