The moment when you first bring your brand new baby into your home is an incredible one. After months of maternity wear and planning and painting and waiting to meet this little bundle they’re finally there, coming back to your house—their house—with you! It’s a time when many new parents feel both elated and terrified, as the reality of the extra little person in their lives starts to kick in.
While the experience is an amazing one, it also helps to have a few tips and tricks up your sleeve to make things go smoothly. Here are some pieces of advice that will hopefully make the transition from couple to family all the more easy.
Before Baby Arrives
If possible, try to have the house as prepared as possible for the arrival of your little one. Hire a cleaning company to give the entire house a good thorough cleaning to make sure there isn’t a lot of dust around that could affect your baby, and make sure that any paint has properly dried.
Make sure you stock up on newborn nappies, maternity pads for you and plenty of food before you take off to hospital. In those first few days and weeks you can be incredibly tired and stuck in an kind of dream world with your new little baby, so it’s best to have supplies on had.
Settling In
Getting your baby settled in his or her new home is not really the issue—they will be most comfortable wherever you are—it’s getting YOU settled into having an extra person to look after that is the biggest shift. Getting a routine down is one of the best things you can do, and while a sleep/feed routine is not always easy to stick to, a routine that helps you and your partner share the chores and everything else that comes with a new baby should really help.
Sleep schedules are another story and every mother finds their own way through. Generally newborns sleep for most of the time, and it’s later on that sleep becomes an issue, but if you do want to start a schedule early it can be very beneficial.
Bonding
The bond between a mother and a child comes very naturally, and has that mix of the emotional and physical that ensures a lifelong connection in most cases. For the father and the baby, however, the bonding process can take more time, so there are a few things that can be done to speed up the process.
Often, if a father wakes up to a baby when they need a feed and physically comforts the child for a few minutes before/after feeding time, the association the baby makes between feeding and comfort can extend to Dad, too. Another way to speed up the bonding process is infant massage. By gently massaging and touching your baby, you can boost the dopamine receptors in both parties and help your child feel at ease and happy.
Bringing your new little family member into your home is something you’re never likely to forget, and with a few tips and tricks you can make sure it’s as relatively pain-free as possible.
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