Sleep-deprived new parents are a really easy target for most marketers. One of the best things you can do for your baby and yourself is to slow down.
Perhaps the worst way to prepare for a new baby is with obsessing over the nursery or with a day of shopping. And the best ways to prepare for a new baby are to unburden your schedule, build a community and relax. Check out a few great ways to prepare for a new baby without spending any money!
Table of contents:
- Try to slow down
- Let go of perfection
- Sleep more
- Create a community, not shopping lists
- Choose your healthcare providers
- Give
- Borrow
1. Try to slow down
It’s important to slow down since soon your life will be turned upside down. The months and weeks leading up to the baby’s arrival should not be filled with a long to-do list. It’s not a good time to overburden your schedule, move houses or start a home renovation. It’s a good time for spending time with people you love, sleeping in, and long walks.
2. Let go of perfection
Letting go of the need for perfection is one of the best ways to prepare for your new baby without spending money. The wall murals, the accent pillows, and nursery details will not be noticed in the dark as you rock your baby to sleep. Your little one will not care if her/his socks do not match her/his outfit, but she/he will definitely care that your voice is soothing and your arms are steady.
More: 9 Ways to Relax During Pregnancy
3. Sleep more
You might get a lot of advice from other new parents to sleep more now since you are about to lose your normal sleeping pattern. Think of having more sleep as not only about ‘stocking up’ but about developing a new habit. Get into the habit of having sleep whenever possible. Develop your napping skills and try to make sleep a priority.
4. Create a community, not shopping lists
Your new friends from childbirth classes or your neighbor with three grown children will help you more when your baby arrives than all those battery-operated baby soothing devices. Think of filling your life with friendships and don’t fill the rooms and closets with various baby paraphernalia.
5. Choose your healthcare providers
Spend more time choosing good healthcare providers than shopping for baby clothing and a stroller. Find a good midwife, obstetrician, and pediatrician. Rather than asking new moms what is in their diaper bags, ask them about their time at a hospital, their child’s doctor, and if they recommend their midwife or obstetrician.
6. Give
Giving is a strong element of creating a community as well as a supportive circle of family and friends. Give your attention, your time, and whatever financial contributions and goods you can.
Help your friends in need or bring a meal to a family with a new baby and try to give what you can. But give without any expectation. Give because you can and because it feels good and makes you happy.
More: 6 Great Reasons Giving to Others Makes Us Happy
7. Borrow
The first year of your baby’s life is filled with rapid changes and growth. What delighted and amused your 3-month old might be of no use just several weeks later. Try to borrow any needed things from relatives and friends who will be only happy to give their unused bassinets, booster seats, and play mats.
Do you have any other tips on how to prepare for a new baby without shopping? Share them, please, and thanks for reading!
