Being a new parent has its challenges. Not only must you worry about the well-being of your baby, but you must find a way to do everything on your list while suffering from long, sleepless nights. Many new parents find that they simply do not have the time that they think they need to get everything done. Know this; as a new parent you do not have to be perfect. All new parents experience the same struggles and adjustments needed when a baby is born. As a new parent you may benefit from some of the following time management tips.
Take care of your health
You cannot expect to be able to provide your child with what she needs if you are not well yourself. Although the parental nature is to do all for the child, parents who suffer from sleep deprivation; mothers who do not rest their bodies and forget to eat well are all things that will affect your ability to productively care for your child. This is especially true for nursing mothers. Failing to eat nutritiously and putting too much strain on your body will affect your ability to lactate. Amid all of the chaos that a new baby brings, you must make time to take care of yourself.
Get some sleep
Every new parent will experience some form of sleep deprivation. Couples should work together to create night-time shifts or schedules. One parent should get up and care for the child while the other one sleeps. If a mother is nursing and the baby needs to be fed several times during the night, you can pump before going to bed and have your mate feed the baby a warmed bottle. As every parent and baby is different and some babies may not take bottles, for example, you may need to make some adjustments to suit your specific needs. The point is that both parents do not need to be awake at the same time. Find a way that you can tag-team so that both of you can have a decent amount of sleep.
Help!
When it comes to issues of time management for new parents, some parents feel like they just cannot do everything that they feel like they need to do in the time that they have available. Sometimes the best time management strategy is to bring in someone else to help. Do not be too proud to accept help when it is offered or too shy to ask for help when you need it. Reach out to family members, friends and neighbors. Ask someone to coordinate meals for you and see if someone might be willing to help you with chores around the house. New parents all feel overwhelmed with the new responsibilities that they have. It is not failure or weakness to realize that you cannot do it all on your own.
After the first weeks
After you have conquered those hard first weeks with baby at home, you have hopefully been able to come up with some sort of routine that everyone can live with. The best thing that you can do to get your time back under control is to develop the best routine possible. Continue encouraging your little one to be awake during the day, to take naps at regular intervals, and to sleep through the night. You can tailor a lot of what your child does even in the first months of life. When you can predict when your baby will be hungry, dirty or tired you will be able to manage all of your other responsibilities around these times and finally productivity may again enter your life.
Parenting viewpoints from parents in the trenches, because parenting doesn’t come with a manual. In addition to