If there’s one thing that every experienced parent will tell anyone who’s just had a baby, it’s this: you’re never prepared. Now, that might sound kind of scary. After all, if you’re never fully prepared, how are you supposed to deal with everything that parenting entails? Well, the truth is that, while you’re never fully prepared, one of the best things that you can do as a parent is to be able to roll with the punches and face new things head on. This is especially true when it comes to those significant parenting milestones that a lot of people worry about. In order to take just a little bit of the stress of being a new parent away, here are some things that you can do to face those parenting milestones head on.
First trip out of the house
When you’ve got a brand new baby, it can often feel as though you want nothing more than just to stay in your little bubble at home together and completely ignore the outside world. Sadly, that just isn’t possible. When you’re getting ready for you and your baby to make the first trip out of the house, it’s a good idea to be prepared. Take as much stuff as you can but don’t overload yourself to the point where you may as well be carrying a bag full of rocks.
First medical appointments
Taking your baby to the doctor can be a pretty stressful experience. After all, a lot of people don’t much like going to the doctors themselves, let alone for their baby. But finding a decent pediatrician and pediatric dentist is incredibly important as your baby develops. Most of the time any appointments will be pretty bland anyway which is just what you want.
First proper meal
The first time that you try to switch your child over to solid foods is probably going to be a disaster. If that happens, don’t worry it’s okay! The best thing you can do is just to relax and let your child experiment with and experience solid food in their own way. That way they will come to see food as something fun and interesting rather than something that they resent being shoved down their throat. (Figuratively speaking, of course.)
First unexpected hospital trip
There will probably come a time when you find yourself rushing to the hospital with your child because of some kind of emergency. In all likelihood, it’s because of some kind of accident. Here’s the thing: kids are clumsy, and they don’t have much of a survival instinct. This means that they’re going to hurt themselves sometimes. Not only is that to be expected but it’s okay. Sure, it’s scary when your child gets hurt, but they can be patched up very easily, and it says nothing about you as a parent when it happens.
These milestones might not be quite as exciting or adorable as your child’s first words or first steps, but they’re just as important, and it’s a good idea to try and be ready for them when they happen. You might not ever be totally prepared, but that doesn’t mean that you need to be caught totally off guard either!
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