Thirty Tips for Thirty Days – A Parents Survival Guide

I thought get I’d capture a quick list of tips I’ve picked up to survive and prosper as much as possible in the first thirty days of having a new baby. They’re in no particular order but take a look at them all to see which you find useful. Plus, please do share any of your thoughts in the comments below.

• Puppy toilet training pads – get some of these to go on the changing mat at home. Perfect for soaking up any wee that happens on the mat (and that’s quite often!)
• If you’re formula feeding get a Tommee Tippee Perfect Prep machine. Makes your life so much easier than the manual method! In the middle of the night you’ll be so thankful for it

  

• If you can get two of most things, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. Make your life as easy as possible!
• Buy Water Wipes. Much easier than cotton wool and always at the ready
• If you can I think it’s a great idea to take extra time off work to spend with your bigger family. You can help get things settled by having a bit more time off, plus you’ll never get that time back with your new baby so take advantage while you can!
• Pack your hospital bag nice and early. Strictly speaking this isn’t in the first few weeks of birth of course, it’s before, but it’s still useful
• Your washing machine will never see so much use. We are doing a load every single day. Get yourself set up with a permanent area to hang wet clothes to dry. Also, get lots of non bio washing powder/liquid/tabs
• Have some clothes upstairs and downstairs to save a few trips upstairs when they fill their nappies (and their sleepsuits!)
• Take a look at Aldi baby items. We use their nappies which seem fab (no issues at all and they’re award winning!) plus Mamia formula from Aldi. As I understand it formula is much the same as they all have to meet certain criteria. I have been told Mamia is made in the same factory as Aptamil, though I don’t know how true that is. You’ll save a lot of money at Aldi though!!
• Make sure you get involved. These early days are when you build that first bond with your child, and you’ll enjoy it more if you get stuck in! Feed them, change them, sit up in the night with them (this can be nice, trust me…a great bonding time)
• Get LOADS of muslins. You will use them all the time
• Make things handy and easy to get, including muslins, bibs, well placed clothes and formula/bottles
• Accept that your house will be taken over with baby stuff, literally all over the place
• You will be tired, just know that will happen. Figure out in advance how you can manage that (eg do things the night before so you don’t have to do them in the morning before work)
• As much as you can think about it and prepare in your mind as much as possible, just know you will never be fully prepared mentally. Never. This is from me having my first child. I imagine it’s probably the same for additional children but don’t know that yet!
• Talk to your partner, and keep talking. Make sure the environment is safe to open up on both fronts so if either of you are struggling you can talk about it
• Don’t abandon your relationship. Try as hard as you can to do a few things that are nice for each other. Cook a nice meal, buy some flowers or buy another present, make a nice card saying how well the other person is doing. Little things go a along way
• Ask your partner how they are doing. It’s good to check, especially early on, how each other are doing and any issues they are facing
• Check that your car seat fits on your pram chassis. It’s just handy to be able to transfer them sometimes without waking them (but remember guidance of how long babies should be in car seats)
• Research a lot. This can be online or asking other parents you know. Remember though if you try the latter guidelines change from one year to the next
• Put your phone down more. Don’t miss those special moments like looking into your child’s eyes as you feed them. You won’t care about the hard times then!
• Bottles, dummies, flasks and so on need to be sterilised. I’d recommend Milton tablets and their ‘bucket‘ to make things easier. Just rinse and dump in the bucket ready to use in 15 minutes
• Expect every burp to end in vomit, that way you’re prepared with your muslin under their chin. My technique for burping is to sit him leaning forward on my lap and alternate, in the same burping session, between rubbing circles on N’s back, rubbing up and down on his back and patting his back
• Pause to think things through before you act, even when they are crying like mad. It’s likely to result in less mistakes or mean you get your idea/action completed better than you originally thought
• Formula feeding tip – have a cushion or pillow between you and the side of your chair/sofa. Lean your baby up against this. I’ve found this to be a great feeding position
• Get a nappy bin. Trust me, in the middle of the night you’ll be grateful!
• Get a Gro Light. Read my review here for more info
• Also, a GroEgg, and here’s my review. You’d think they’d given me these Gro items but they haven’t, they’re just fab
• Get sleepsuits that open down the front, preferably down the middle. The faff of having to get any other type on is barely worth it. We’ve a nice sleepsuit we bought that opens at the bottom. He hasn’t had it on yet. Says it all
• Lastly, get a baby book, something to record stuff about them in that you can give them in the future. I’ve got mine from when I was a baby and it’s fascinating with loads of pictures and various items and memories. Just make sure you keep up to date with it!

So there you go. Some real tips you can do yourself to make your early days after having a newborn that bit easier.

Is there anything you think I’ve missed (as I’m happy to learn more tips!!)? If so please add to the comments below.

Feel free to share this if you know someone that’s expecting or has a newborn baby as it may just make their life that bit easier!