Surviving the First Five Years of Parenting

Being a parent is a very fulfilling journey. It is also an experience that is full of a lot of physical, emotional and mental stress, especially during the first few years.

Parenting comes with a lot of sacrifices. If new parents do not take the time to relax, they might burn out.

Having this downtime will help you appreciate your baby more, and give you the renewed strength to cope with the everyday demands.

Here are a few ways you can help reduce stress and relax:

Communicate with your partner
Don’t keep your partner guessing. Communication is vital for good parenting.

Failure to communicate clearly with each other can lead to bitterness and frustration toward your partner. It is, therefore, a good idea to lay down some rules and assign tasks for each of you, even before the baby is born.

You can rotate nights of the week when one of you will be awake with the baby while the other one gets some much-needed sleep.

Set a timetable of sorts to assign specific tasks for both of you so that no one would feel as if they are carrying all the burden on their own.

Get help
While it might seem like you have to do everything for your child to be a good mother, doing this is the fastest way to suffer from exhaustion.

Delegate to your friends and family often and take this time to do something for yourself. This allows you some quality time to replenish the dwindling energy levels.

Grandparents, particularly are a great resource to have on tap. Even just leaving your baby with them while you do the shopping is a mental break for you.

If you need to sleep during the day, have someone who is willing to take your baby for a walk in the pram to give you an hour or so of peace to rest. Help in the way is invaluable and treasured.

Ensure your child's safety
Keeping your child safe from harm can be stress-inducing, especially when they start crawling and walking. Your child's first five years is a very vulnerable time for them as their curious minds will make them do things that might be dangerous.

There are many ways to eliminate risks and dangers your baby may face both in and outside of the home.

Perhaps one of the most obvious is always to use baby car seats. As well as being the law, it will protect your child adequately whilst travelling.

It may also be beneficial to have a second car seat so that your baby can travel in a grandparents car for example. That way you are not constantly removing seats to and from different cars.

Exercise
It might seem like you can not possibly find time to exercise as taking care of your child is a full-time job. However, you do not need a long period to exercise; you can take short 10 minutes breaks throughout the day to help ease parenting stress.

You can do yoga or pilates from the comfort of your lounge room. Jump on the stationary bike when the baby is taking a nap. Go for a walk with the baby in the pram, being outside will be great for you both.

You can also do squats while changing your baby's diaper or use them as makeshift weights for building up your strength. Exercise releases endorphins that make you feel refreshed, and it gives you an energy boost that does wonders for your mental health.

Avoid comparison
Just because your friend's child has started crawling and your child of the same age has not does not mean there is something wrong with your baby.

Every baby is different, and so their rates of development will be different as well. Comparing your baby's growth with others is just giving yourself undue stress, and you might end up trying to force milestones on your baby, which can be dangerous to your child's growth.

Let go of all expectations and allow your child to develop at their own pace. Should you have any concerns, then consult the medical profession and they will give you clear guidelines as to what to do next.

Get adequate rest
You would be of no help to your baby if you are a walking, talking zombie. This means you need to take time away from the baby and get adequate rest.

You do not necessarily have to sleep, just relaxing, reading a book or taking a bath can work significantly in helping you de-stress.

Your body also needs time to recover from pregnancy and birth. You may feel like superwoman but even she needs her beauty sleep and downtime.

Make time for your partner
It is easy to get caught up in taking care of your baby, causing you to neglect your partner. While your baby needs a considerable amount of your time, you can still find snippets of time to go out with your partner, take a walk or cuddle up while watching a movie.

Spending quality time with them will ensure that your bond remains strong and you will both be able to enjoy the joy of raising your baby and being a family.

Above all, enjoy the formative years of your child. Take every experience, good or bad, and cherish them. Very soon, your child will grow and become independent, and these memories will help put into perspective just how precious your child is.