The best and most significant foundation of parenthood is experience.
Don't worry first-time parents?the following seven tips should help you begin to understand how your lives will soon change drastically, for the best reason!
- Experiment with Sleep Deprivation
There is no way to truly prepare oneself for functioning on so little sleep for a seemingly endless period of time, but there are ways to ease the transition from a normal sleep schedule.
Try this exercise: Force yourself to stay up very late after a long, hard, exhausting day. Keep yourself busy/moving the entire time. If you want to sleep, be sure to set a few alarms on your phone at random intervals overnight. Get up each time and stay awake for at least an hour. Make sure you do this on a work night?preferably a Monday?and repeat for at least three months. While this seems difficult, it will better prepare you for unexpected wake-ups once your baby has arrived.
- Carry a Small Suitcase Every Time You Leave the House
Many parents opt to hunker down indoors as often as possible during the first months with baby. That decision is made in part due to the absurd amount of "necessities" you will need to keep on hand in the diaper bag at all times.
To prepare for this part of parenting: create a list of items you must commit to bring every time you leave the house. Pack all of your "necessities" in a small suitcase every time you plan to leave the house. Never leave the suitcase behind.
- Stop Closing the Bathroom Door
This is a strange but true reality for parents: Private bathroom time will be no more. Start preparing for parenthood by always leaving the bathroom door open, regardless of whether someone is nearby or in viewing distance.
- Cut Shower Down to 2 Minutes
Parents of newborns often sacrifice personal hygiene to tend to the needs of their little angel. When baby is awake, you are right by his/her side. When baby naps or sleeps, you are attempting to juggle countless tasks and duties: laundry, dishes, bottle prep, house cleaning, eating, paying bills, scheduling necessary doctor appointments and possibly taking a very, very quick shower. To prepare, practice showering in just a few minutes.
- Embrace Clutter and Chaos
Those earliest days with baby are pure bliss. Thank goodness for blissful ignorance, because those earliest days often leave your home and life in cluttered chaos. Everything about having a baby seems to fill your living space sooner than you can organize.
Embrace the chaos. It will not last forever.
- Say Goodbye to Down Time
Once baby joins the family, private times are no longer an option. While it is recommended parents take time for themselves when they can, most of us feel the burden of the chores in need of attention over the call to tend to self.
- Imagine Wearing Your Heart on Your Sleeve
Once you see, hear, smell, and touch your baby the first time, you will experience a love greater and more powerful than can be described. The love is fierce and there is hardly anything a parent would not do to ensure the safety and happiness of their child.
Having a child is like wearing your heart on your sleeve. If you can imagine how that will feel, then you are more than prepared to be a parent.
