Being a new parent comes with hundreds of worries and stresses. Most of them concern the health and safety of our new little miracles. When they are in our arms we are assessing their every move and noise. When they are away from us we can’t think about anything else. If you are prepared with a few health and safety tips you will be better able to relax and enjoy your time with your baby. You’ll also be more able to relax and take advantage of your parenting breaks when they come. Here are some health and safety preparations and tips for brand new moms that will help you really take advantage of your down time.
1. Check for lead in your environment.
Lead is an extremely serious contaminant that seriously affects child development. It affects multiple types of development including brain and cognitive development. Paint, water and soil are the main sources of childhood lead contamination. It is especially important that you have your water filtered or assessed if you plan on using formula.
2. Install the proper fire and contamination detection for your home.
Keep yourself from needless panic and worry by making sure your home is properly equipped with adequate detection devices. Different sizes of homes have different requirements so you may want to consult professional advice of adjustments. Let your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors take a little bit of the worry off of your plate.
3. Familiarize yourself and your family with your car seat.
Take some of the anxiety out of those early car trips by making yourself and everyone in your life car seat masters. You will be able to feel secure about having fun out and about if you don’t have to second guess yourself the whole way. It also makes it easier to let one of your family members or friends give you a baby break if you are confident they will use your baby’s car seat correctly.
4. Keep a baby diary.
Yes, this idea helps you keep track of the exact day and time of all of the cute little skills your baby develops as they grow. However, it can also help you recognize health and development patterns (or differences in patterns) that you may not have noticed as quickly otherwise.
5. Inoculate your child against diseases.
There have been a lot of controversies around vaccinations and their supposed side effects. However, as a new parent you should be aware that your child has a serious risk of contracting disease and no proven chance of developing autism from regularly scheduled vaccinations. Choosing whether or not to vaccinate is like choosing between protecting your child from a swarm of bees or protecting them from Bigfoot. One is a real threat, one is not.
6. Stimulate your child’s continued development by abstaining from corporal punishment.
There are significant studies that say using corporal punishment does more to harm a child’s development than to encourage it. It is certainly worth considering other methods as they grow older.
7. Don’t compare your child’s development with anyone else’s.
You will likely have the urge to compare your child to the children of your friends, or perhaps even to your own childhood development. Do what you can to resist these urges. Your child is one of a kind, and they won’t develop exactly like anyone else. Try not to get wrapped up in who reaches which milestone first, and do your best not to let anyone else get you wrapped up in it, either.
Being a new parent can feel like you are navigating a mine field with a stroller. Just remember that there are things you can do to help keep your baby safe while also helping to alleviate your stress. When you are sure that your baby is safe and healthy, there is nothing left to do but actually enjoy the experience of being a parent.
