All parents make mistakes. Just think back to your own parents and see how big you can grow that list. Knowing the most common mistakes new parents make will keep you from making the same, or at the very least ease off a little bit of that anxiety that comes with having a child.

1. Panicking over anything and everything

Many new parents panic over every little thing that happens with their newborn. Is the baby pooping too much, too little? Is the baby eating enough or getting enough sleep? That rash looks like it needs immediate attention and those cries require a doctor. Do any of these sound familiar to you? Living in the age of fake news and online experts doesn’t help. The instinct to Google every single symptom adds to the new parent anxiety. To overcome the constant worries talk to your paediatrician and read best selling books from reliable authors to educate yourself more.

We recommend:The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby From Birth to Age Two

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2. Not letting the baby cry it out

As parents we think our job is to make sure the baby is not crying. Babies can be dry, fed, content and still cry. It is part of their stages of development. Some babies cry more than others and colicky babies tend to cry a lot more. It doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong with them. With time you will learn to recognize your baby’s cries and intervene when needed. The Happiest Baby on the Block; Fully Revised and Updated Second Edition: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer really helped me understand some of the different cries and ease of the anxiety of listening to my baby cry.

3. Waking up your baby to breastfeed 

Is my baby eating enough? Some parents are told they need to breastfeed every 3 hours so they wake up their babies in the middle of the night to feed them. As long as the baby has enough wet diapers and seems content, you do not need to wake the baby up for a feeding. It is normal for a two month old to go six hours without eating during the night.

4. Ignoring yourself and your marriage

A newborn is a lot of work. Between all the feedings, lack of sleep, laundry, cleaning the house and constant care for the baby, it is very easy to let yourself go and forget about you or your partner. It is very important to find time to socialize and have a little bit of fun. If weather permits, take the baby out for a lot of walks with your partner . There are a lot of community centers that have activities designed for infants that allows parents to socialize with other parents and share experiences. Dedicate some time weekly to spend with your partner, just the two of you.


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