When a baby is born, adults are "reborn" as parents, too. It's a whole new phase, especially for first-time moms and dads. As for any woman, bringing new life into the world (as miraculous as it sounds), is one of the hardest things they may have to go through. Still, that's only the beginning.
Every parent will have the joyful days they can cherish eternally, but they will also have those on which they'll feel like they've failed. The good news is that it's entirely normal, and parenting is a learn-as-you-go process. But just so you can avoid them, here are 20 mistakes that most new parents make!
Waking The Baby In Attempts To Check Breathing
Parents with newborns can be anxious about every little detail in regards to their child. When a baby is sleeping, the silence can be daunting for a parent. Curious to ensure that their child is breathing fine, most parents touch and move the sleeping babies and end up waking them. Consequently, infants get deprived of their sleep.
To avoid this, it is recommended for parents to place their hands tenderly on the baby's chest to feel his/her heartbeat. Another method to check your baby's breathing would be to bring your ear closer to the baby's mouth and listen to him/her breathe.
Using A Baby Nail Clipper
Parents or not, everyone knows that baby nails are sharp enough to cause harm to themselves and others. One of the biggest struggles and fears that parents face is trimming the nails of a newborn. Fingernails grow faster than toenails and therefore need regular trimming. How does one successfully trim a baby's nails without hurting them?
The most highly recommended method is to file them using an emery board. This could be much easier to do right after a bath when their nails are softer. However, if you're too intimidated and don't have a steady hand, put mittens on the infant's hands to avoid scratches and seek help.
Purchasing Baby Clothes Excessively
Most parents say that their babies grew in the blink of an eye. In fact, it is normal for these angels to gain 5 to 7 ounces a week and grow 0.5 to 1 inch every month. Truthfully, seasoned parents have already lived to regret their shopping sprees for baby clothes since infants grow so quickly!
We suggest buying clothing and diapers a few sizes bigger, so you will be able to use them now or in the future, depending on your baby's size. You will most likely receive newborn clothes and diapers as presents anyway, and that could be sufficient.
Not Sleeping When You Have The Chance
It could be your lucky day if your little darling falls asleep early in the night. That would be your cue to get some sleep because before you know it, your kid will be up again with a heavy diaper, crying and waiting to be fed.
Functioning well when taking care of an infant is a struggle, especially since sleep deprivation is so typical in parenthood. It is next to impossible for any mom or dad to fall asleep while their child is still up. However, it is advised that the parent sneak some rest while their infant is asleep—even if it's just for a 15-minute nap.
Worrying That You're Failing Your Child
Babies cry quite consistently until they're approximately three months old. The most common reasons for these waterworks are hunger and tiredness. Feeding them and putting them to sleep would normally give you some peace and quiet. But as a new parent, you have to understand that there could be other reasons why your newborn is crying.
For instance, dirty diapers make babies uneasy. They can also be in physical discomfort from earaches, diaper rashes, or from being too hot or cold because of their clothing. Another significant thing for breastfeeding mothers to remember is to lower their caffeine intake as this can make infants restless.
Not Planning Ahead
Say you finally made plans and have an opportunity to get out of the house along with your baby. Of course, getting ready with one will cost more time. Rather than running late on your perfectly planned day out, it is always best to have time to spare.
It's not just about getting ready, but feeding and burping your child beforehand and making sure he/she has a fresh diaper on too. You would also have to double-check the diaper bag to confirm it has all the essentials. Children are observant. They'll read your emotions and reflect on your anxiety when you're in a time constraint. Hence, always plan ahead!
Inaccurate Installation Of The Car Seat
According to Insider, a study carried out in 2016 and 2017 showed that 36% of child car seats were installed inaccurately, while 33% were of the wrong size. That's an alarming number in regards to life and death situations. Some of the main mistakes are the harness and the seat being too loose and the angle being miscalculated.
The right way to place a car seat is facing the rear end of the vehicle. You should never move your child to a front-facing car seat before it's the right time. To further ensure your kid's safety, always read the instruction manual, and try to get help from a professional.
Forgetting The Necessities At Home
Once you become a parent to an infant, you must register in your head that you should always have the diaper bag whenever you leave the house with them. Your tiny human being will definitely need a lot of items for a day out. As their guardian, you have to be ready for vomit, smelly diaper situations, and every possible scenario you can imagine.
When packing the diaper bag, make sure you have adequate diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, baby food or snacks for older babies, blankets, extra clothing, bibs, a toy, washcloths, and a pacifier. You can never be too prepared when you have a baby!
Leaving Your Baby Unattended On An Elevated Surface
When it's time for a diaper change, as a first-time mom or dad, you might make the mistake of leaving your toddler unattended on a changing table. This is an enormous risk that may have severe repercussions, especially if your child is on an elevated surface.
Some changing tables are furnished with safety straps. However, safety straps or not, you must always have eyes on your baby. It is mandatory to have at least a single hand on your baby at all times because they can roll over in a millisecond. We're sure you wouldn't want to see your kid fall from a high point and get dangerously injured.
Doing Everything Alone
When a parent spends more time with a baby, he/she learns to perform baby duties more quickly and efficiently. Mothers especially have an incessant need to take care of their babies by themselves. This is all right. However, the workload is often going to be overwhelming. Thus, we suggest you let your partner learn baby tasks.
Although some men are great with babies, most struggle to take care of them. Therefore, it is best if you let your partner have some bonding time with your baby and learn the same way you did. Eventually, you will both be able to share baby duties and be one big happy family!
Expecting Too Much Spare Time
Even if you're on maternity leave or you're a stay at home mom, once you have a baby, you can kiss your leisure hours goodbye. Most people believe that staying at home will give them a lot of spare time to get more work done. But in no way will this be true.
Having an infant means you will be on a constant loop of feeding, cleaning, washing, dressing, and entertaining your child. Once you put your baby down to sleep, you may have 2-3 hours or even less quiet time. Most mothers use up this time to have a nap since they're up most of the night.
Struggling To Maintain A Spotless House
New and seasoned parents can try their best to have a spotless house at all times, but in reality, it's a demanding job. When you become a mother or a father, you start to have more priorities. You need to make sure the bills are paid, there's food on the table, there are clean clothes to wear, and more.
Having a freshly cleaned house will be the last of your worries. You may end up feeling like a failure, but just take a look at your child/children. If they're fed, clothed, healthy, and happy, then you're doing a great job. Everything else can be done eventually once you have sufficient time and help.
Turning Down Help
Every parent, without a doubt, wants to do the best for their children. But keep in mind, doing your best is not the same as doing everything by yourself. If you're offered help by friends or family, accept it. Because parenting is exhausting and consuming, you will need all the help you can get.
Everyone knows that you'll always be the best version of yourself for your own child/children, who share the same blood and DNA as you. They also know you would do anything for them. Therefore, if you're offered help, do not refuse it. Say yes, sit back and relax!
Not Preserving The Memories
Once you enter parenthood, the days will go by faster, and before you know it, your sweet little angel will be moving out and going off to college. Hence, do not forget to spend as much time as possible with them, so your regrets later in life will be minimal.
With technological advancements, parents nowadays tend to take heaps of pictures of their babies and post them on social media. But most parents don't realize they're missing out on the important milestones such as the first step and the first word. Therefore, it's best if you record more videos so you can always cherish precious memories.
Being An Obsessively Protective Parent
Each parents' first instinct would be to protect their child at any cost. This is normal as long as you don't obsess about protecting your kid. Being overprotective will have its snags in the unforeseen future, and you will unknowingly have damaged your child permanently as a result.
Studies have found that kids with helicopter parents are more likely to have health issues, both physical and emotional. This is the aftermath of always being told what to do. They also tend to be more entitled and have problems with being independent when they're adults.
Always Staying Home
First-time parents tend to be extra cautious about their babies after they are born. As a result, they develop a habit of keeping to themselves at home for months. While the root of this idea has emerged from the fact that babies have a frail and vulnerable immune system, staying indoors is not a solution.
Babies are more defenseless against germs and are more easily prone to catch the flu if they're in crowded places for long periods. It is suggested for parents to take their babies for a stroll through the park or the neighborhood. There, they can get some fresh air and a healthy dose of sunshine.
Worrying Unnecessarily By Comparing Babies
Parents, especially mothers, are more likely to panic over the littlest things when it comes to their children. While having playdates, you could notice differences among the children. You need not worry if your child is slower or faster, smaller or bigger than the other children.
Every child grows differently, and that's okay. If your child's pediatrician says everything is okay, it most likely is. Your friend's baby may walk sooner than your baby. You can observe the differences as such, but do not be unfair to your child by being impatient.
Overreacting To Every Little Symptom
When you have a newborn at home, you take all the precautions necessary to make sure they're healthy. However, the slightest triggers from your baby's end can make you overreact. It is best to stay on the safer side by getting your child checked out if something doesn't feel right.
However, taking them to see the doctor for the same cold multiple times might be an indication that you're stressing too much. If you new mamas catch yourself stressing about the stress in regards to your children, remember that babies have survived millenniums without modern medicine and in worse circumstances.
Disregarding The Changes In Behavior
As a parent, if you feel that your baby's body feels abnormally warm, use a thermometer to check the temperature. If it's higher than 99.5 Fahrenheit, it is a fever. Still, doctors usually say that you need not focus too much on the number on the thermometer as you should the behavior and activity of your child.
If your baby is energetic, playing, and eating fine, there's probably not much to worry about as doctors say. But if you notice a change in their behavior, for instance, they're drowsy and inactive, that would be your cue to rush to the nearest medical institution.
Depending On Swim Diapers
Experienced moms and dads have shared that swim diapers don't do much, especially for situations such as diarrhea. These special diapers can keep formed stool from hovering in the water. However, they're not that good when it comes to diarrhea and urine leakage.
Chlorine doesn't kill bacteria instantly and doesn't kill certain bacteria at all. This is why any pool's safety conditions could be violated if a child has a bad accident in them. So even if using swim diapers is all right, it is still advised to avoid bringing babies to the pool during their sick stomach days.