Every new mom needs the best parenting tips because these tips go a long way in assisting them to take good care of their newborns and themselves.
When a woman gives birth for the first time, she will battle to contain all the advice that will pour in from all corners.
The new mom needs to be careful with the advice she adopts, otherwise, she will end up implementing the wrong advice that could be detrimental to her or the baby.
I have been there, and I understand the feeling. To compile this list, I spoke to experts and experienced mothers to offer the best parenting tips for new moms.
It was a wonderful experience, and within a week of speaking with over 30 experts and experienced mothers, I was able to gather the following tips. I guarantee you that these tips will come in handy and offer guidance as a new mum.
Here are 50 Best Parenting Tips Every New Mom Needs
1. Always Trust Your Instincts: One of the best parenting tips I always give new moms is that they should always trust their instincts. As you grow older and become more experienced, you will trust your instincts more.
But if you can learn to trust your instincts from the onset, you will make fewer mistakes in your parenting journey.
2. Do Not Transfer Aggression: As a new mom, you will always be on your toes. This is as a result of the changes in your hormones. You should try not to transfer the aggression to your spouse or other people around you.
3. Appreciate Every Little Gesture: Try to say thank you to everyone who shows concern or offers a helping hand – no matter how little.
4. Be Polite to Everyone: You should be polite to everyone and always say the magic words – Please, Excuse Me, and Thank You. You do not want to be offending anyone at this stage.
5. Always Be Prepared: You need to be alert at all times and do not allow anyone or anything to take you unawares. You have to remember that you now have a baby – a new life to protect and care for.
6. Try to Exercise Occasionally: During this period, you are very likely to add a few pounds. Try to exercise whenever you can. Use a stroller for your baby and take walks from time to time. You will find the exercises more fun as you do them more often.
7. Steer Clear of Lousy Parents: Some parents will want to talk down on your babies by giving stories of how smart and organized their babies are. Steer clear from such parents, chances are that they feel inferior around you and your baby.
8. Beware of Toxic Relationships: You should beware of friends who are capable of influencing you negatively. You are a mother now and should let go of toxic people in your life.
For instance, you should not accommodate a friend who is influencing you to engage in alcohol or activities that reduce the attention you pay to your baby.
9. Become a Baby Again: One of the best parenting tips I give to new moms is that they should become babies again themselves.
Yes, you should come to the level of the baby to play with them once in a while. Babies love this so much!
10. Document the Process: Always take photos and capture the moments as they unfold. These photos and videos will come in handy as the child grows up and talking about the moments are always perfect family bonding times.
With the advent of smartphones, you have no excuses.
11. Accept Your Mistakes: I know you want to try to be the perfect mom, but please whenever you are wrong or make a mistake, own up to it and accept your mistakes. You are a super mom, yes! But you are capable of making mistakes too.
12. Give Yourself a Break: Yes, give yourself a break. Do not get soaked in the pressure. You should take a break sometimes and truly give yourself a break
13. Teach Your Children the Way to Go: Do not make the mistake of doing everything for your kids. Teach them to do certain things themselves like picking up their clothes, clearing their plates, saying thank you, etc.
14. Pay Less Attention to Distractors: One of the best tips for new moms is to always put their phones aside. As a new mom, you cannot pay as much time as you did to your phone and cable television.
15. You Should Live in the Present: As a new mom, every other thing can wait. Do not allow anything to overwhelm you. Live and enjoy the moment. You should care less about anything that doesn’t promote the well-being of you and your baby.
16. Expect the Worst Eating Habit: When it comes to food, babies can be very unpredictable. Be ready to be faced with the worst eating habits you have ever witnessed. (Smiles) But you may be lucky and your baby will love food – or maybe too much for your liking!
17. Do Not Panic: One of the best pieces of advice for new moms is to always be in control of the situation. As a mom, you should try to always be calm and never panic.
18. Early to Bed, Early to Rise: As a new mom, you do not only rise early when you go to bed early, you rise stronger and refreshed – ready for the new challenges.
19. Be a Role Model: As your baby grows older, they will emulate everything you do, and treat people the same way you do. So, be careful what you do and do not do.
20. You Should Learn to Say No: As a mother, you should know when to say no to things – and pieces of advice that are not in your best interest or that of your baby. The early you learn to say no, the better – and the lesser, you will need to.
21. Be Prepared for Poor Health: Yes, your bundle of joy is going to fall ill someday. No, do not panic. It is normal for your baby to be ill. You just have to be prepared to take extra care of the baby.
22. Build a Connection with Your Baby: As a new mom, one of the best tips you need is to build a strong bond with your baby. Yes, it starts from the first day you birth them into this world.
23. Eliminate the Possibilities of Hazard: As a new mom, you have to be extra vigilant and make sure you protect your baby from any possible hazard. Put harmful objects away at all times.
24. Join Parenting Groups: It will profit you to join groups where you will meet other parents – new and experienced. Such associations will profit you in no small way.
25. Read Your Baby to Sleep: Experts say mothers should read their babies to sleep at night. Not only do you get to share the precious moments before they sleep with them, but you also help to develop their mental capacity.
26. Take Your Baby for Walks: Make it a habit to take your baby out when he/she is old enough to go out. Go to the park or take a walk with your baby in a stroller down the walkway. You will notice that your baby will appreciate the gesture.
27. Know When to Be a Parent: I know you must have read books that advise you to be a friend to your child and be close to them as possible. While this is correct, you should also know when to be a parent – not a friend.
28. Help Your Child to Study: As your baby grows older and starts learning, you should remember that you are the first to teach him or her what he/she knows. Make out time to play that role and help them study.
29. Ba a Mom: Your career may be demanding and there could be a million things you have to attend to in 24 hours. No matter what the case may be, find out time to be a mother.
30. Monitor Changes in Your Baby: Whether you are a new mom or you are experienced. It is unforgivable if something happens to your baby due to your negligence to your body changes or health. You should always monitor the changes in your baby.
31. Be Consistent: One of the best parenting tips for new moms is consistency. You must be consistent in your decisions and activities; otherwise, you will influence your growing child negatively.
32. Find a Balance: The only person that can know what a mother goes through is a mother. You will need to find a balance with everything or else you will break down.
33. Be Ready to Answer the Dumbest Questions: Mummy where is your pee-pee? Yes, you have to be prepared for situations like this when your baby will grow to the stage of asking you the dumbest questions.
34. Create a Routine: There has to be something you do with your baby that no one else does. Something that the baby knows is significant to you. That way, the baby strikes a stronger bond with you.
35. Take Out Time to Know Your Baby: You need to carefully study your baby from an early age to enable you to know the kind of human being they are likely to grow up to become. This will help determine the right training for the child.
36. Know When Your Baby is Sorry: Yes the baby has just pooped on your favorite dress for the fifth time in a row, and you couldn’t help but scream at her. Did she burst into tears or did she wear a puppy look? Encourage your baby to be sorry always by appreciating their apology.
37. Know Your Go-To Person: You should identify the person in your life that you can call on in case of an emergency. You have to carefully check through your family and friends to identify the one person who is available and willing to turn up for you.
38. Encourage Your Partner to be a Mom: Do not do all the work alone. Encourage your partner to take over and assist with bathing, feeding, and putting the baby to sleep.
39. Be Open to Your Kid: From the onset, be open to your baby. Let them grow with the belief that they can talk to you no matter the situation.
40. Compliment Your Baby: One of the best parenting tips I have ever had to give new moms is to make it a habit to compliment their kids.
41. Teach Your Baby to Sleep: You should be able to teach your baby to fall asleep on his/her own. To do this, you may want to try the saddle technique or any other technique you prefer.
42. Carry Out Research: As a new mom, you must make sure that 60% of the time you are on your phone is dedicated to research on how to handle things such as crib mattress height, how to make your baby sleep better, dream feeding, etc.
43. Ask Questions: One of the best tips for a new mom is never to assume. A new mom should never assume. Always ask questions and seek clarifications when in doubt.
44. Teach Your Kid Manners: As your baby grows older, you should teach them manners – both in the homes, to people, and when outside.
45. Catch Them Young: While I do not support enforcing a particular career or choice on your kid, I believe you should catch them young. Monitor them to know their interests and strengths, and put them in the activities that align.
46. Do Not Compare Your Kid: Do not think they are too young to notice or be affected. Do not compare your kids to others for any reason whatsoever.
47. Do Not Be Overly Protective: I know everyone has told you to protect your baby – including me. But you should try not to be overly protective. Sometimes, you should allow them to fall and try to stand on their own. They will be better for it.
48. Do What Suits You: As a new mom, you should only engage in activities that suit you. Do not try to please anyone for any reason whatsoever.
49. Be Proud of Yourself: You just brought a human being into the world. It is fine if you take a second to enjoy the moment. Breath it all in and be proud of yourself.
50. Learn From Your Mistakes: As a new mom, you are bound to make mistakes, no matter the amount of support and knowledge you amass. You should learn from each mistake and not repeat it a second time.
