Baby’s First Year: Why Being the Best Mother Means Caring for Your Own Needs, Too

With an estimated 2 billion mothers worldwide, becoming a mother is something that will likely happen to many of today’s young women. Whilst having a baby is without a doubt one of the happiest, most rewarding things anyone can go through, it can also be one of the most challenging and overwhelming with many different fears along the way.

mother and baby

Especially if you’re a new mother, taking the best possible care of your baby is likely to be your no.1 priority – and rightly so. But just because you now have a tiny human to look after, this doesn’t mean you have to completely neglect your own wants and needs too. Caring for your own needs is just as important as looking after your baby, as it is vital you keep yourself healthy and well for your baby’s sake. So if you’re struggling to find motivation to take your needs seriously too, here are some simple ways to look after yourself without compromising the needs of your baby.

Ask for help

No one said motherhood was easy and, if you’re trying to juggle everything on your own without any help, you’ll likely burn yourself out in the long-run. No one likes to admit they’re struggling but, for the sake of your baby, if you’re feeling unable to cope it’s essential you’re not too proud to ask for help.

Your family and friends will likely love your baby as much as you and will want to do anything they can to make your job easier. Even if it’s just babysitting for a couple of hours so you can have some time to yourself, accepting help from others is an ideal way to reduce any stress you may be feeling.

Treat yourself

Especially in the first few months of motherhood, you’ll likely want to spend every cent you earn on buying new things for your baby. Whilst it’s great you want to give your baby everything you can, it’s essential that you also treat yourself.

Luxury items like a car are likely to become even more important during the years of motherhood, as it’s only a matter of time before your baby grows up and wants to be taken to play dates. So, if you’re in need of a family-friendly vehicle but are blowing all your money on treats for your baby, be practical and weigh-up what’s most important. Click here to discover some affordable options for inspiration.

Drink water

We’re always told to drink lots of water but, as a mother, it’s never been more important. Not only will it keep your energy and hydration levels up, but will also provide the essential liquid needed for breastfeeding. Keeping both yourself and your baby healthy, ensuring to drink lots of water is one of the simplest steps you can take.

Motherhood will always be challenging even for the most prepared mothers. Both your physical and emotional wellbeing will be tested like never before so, even though you’ll likely want to focus all your energy on your baby, it’s still important to give yourself some love too!

Image source: Pixabay

What Happens When Parents Are Too Permissive

Parenting is a lifetime process and no one really knows how to do it perfectly. In most cases, parenting is being reflected on how you experienced it from your parents and whenever you find it effective, you would also do it to your kids.

Some new parents would keep themselves busy reading parenting books or perhaps watching parenting guide videos. However, parenting is subjective and parenting is unique in each individual. The parenting style of one person may not be effective to the other and entire process is fully trial and error.

permissive parent

There are parents who don’t want their children to be upset. As much possible, they see to it that everything that their children want would be given. This is the time wherein parents tend to become very permissive. Permissive parenting is one of those four types of parenting wherein there is little or minimal rules implemented. They don’t pressure their kids that much when it comes to curfew, things that shouldn’t be done and they will just allow them to learn their own mistakes. Somehow it builds independence but in the long run, children wouldn’t be able to learn how to organize themselves.

If children are used that their parents are permissive, they would think that anything they want to do would be okay. They would think that they can do things on their own and their parents will just be fine with it.

As time pass by, these kids can’t easily follow rules and regulations that would end up hopping from one workplace to another. Sometimes being too permissive is not good. As the saying goes, “anything too much is not okay”. Same goes with parenting, if you’re too strict, your kids would end up being scared their entire life and if you’re too lax, they would end up disorganized.

Image Credit:
David Castillo Dominici – Free Digital Photos.Net