Put me down, I won’t break.

“My kids get me up too early” or “Why won’t my baby sleep through?”” I can’t even shower!” Have you heard these statements when chatting over coffee with young mums?  I have. Or “He won’t let me put him down”. So poor mum has a baby attached to her all day! This would drive me insane. It seems that new parents are too afraid to teach their children to fit into the household. The household totally revolves around baby. That’s tiring.

HAVE A SHOWER! It’s ok to put the baby down, it’s ok to lay the baby in the crib for 15 minutes while you have a shower. If you can’t handle having them out of sight, then lay a towel on the bathroom floor and lay them there. If you have a toddler who you fear will bother the baby, then bring some crayons and a colouring book for the toddler into the bathroom and leave the baby safe in the crib. Although you should be teaching the toddler to be careful with the baby anyway and not be touching without supervision.

It’s important to get up, get dressed and attend to your ablutions everyday, to feel human. It helps you get into a routine quicker and I believe helps to stave off the baby blues. You can’t be a happy and healthy mother if you don’t take care of yourself.

A trick that worked for me when the babies were young to get a ‘sleep in’, once they could move around, was to place some toys at the end of the crib after they were asleep so that when baby wakes in the morning they have some fun distractions and won’t cry out straight away for you to come get them. Some mornings I was able to get an extra 45 minutes before having to get up! Let’s be honest, 45 mins is almost heaven sent for the sleep deprived mum. This can work for older babies/toddlers too with toys and books. Don’t be in a hurry to get them out of that crib because once they’re out then the next phase begins. Unless of course they’re already scaling the railing like it’s the only thing between them and freedom, which really it is.

The earlier you start getting to your new normal the easier it is to adapt with a new baby in the house. As scary as it all seems, they’re resilient little things and all forgiving 🙂 . Just relax, enjoy your new little baby and accept help when it’s offered. Soon enough, like anything people get busy in their own lives and expect you to get on with yours.