Raising a baby is stressful enough without all the parenting rules that new moms feel they must follow. When it comes to your baby, you know best. So learn to trust your instincts and say goodbye to advice you feel is not right for you.
We’ve listed below 6 common rules of baby care that can be broken:
Rule 1: Keep your newborn indoors
New moms are often advised not to take their baby out of the house. With so many factors beyond your control, such as the weather, or the presence of germs all around, it can be tempting for moms to shut the windows and lock the doors.
However, the truth is that both you and your baby could do with some fresh air and a change of scenery!
Rule 2: Keep pets away from your baby
It is a common misconception that pets pose a health risk to babies, but in reality, playing with a pet or even being licked and slobbered over will unlikely cause any harm your baby. In fact, contact with another human being is more of a risk. It is still advised to take safety precautions and not leave your little one alone with an animal unsupervised.
Rule 3: Breastfeed your baby for at least 12 months
With the numerous benefits of breastmilk, it’s no wonder moms want to exclusively breastfeed their babies for at least a year. However, this plan does not always work out, and moms do often find themselves needing to use the bottle or formula from time to time.
Do not blame yourself whenever your little one gets sick thinking he might not have had enough breastmilk to fight off the disease. As a mom you should learn to trust your instincts when it comes to such parenting decisions.
Rule 4: Nap when your baby naps
Despite sounding like a great way to catch up on sleep, most moms find they cannot snooze during daylight hours due to the their body clocks. Instead of feeling frustrated, look for another way to spend your time the best you can, by resting, tidying up, or relaxing to some music.
Rule 5: Forget housework when your baby is around
Not worrying about housework when you have the baby around may sound like good advice, but in reality, letting chores pile up will not help a new mom’s stress levels. Even getting a small task done like washing the dishes or doing the laundry can provide a sense of normalcy and control. Many moms will actually feel more relaxed after doing so!
Rule 6: Restrict your child to one extracurricular activity at a time
As your kid grows and learns, you will be surprised at how well he or she can handle numerous activities. Contrary to popular advice, having various schedules such as music lessons, sport or dance practice, or play time with friends, will actually help your kid thrive and be happy.
You might want to reserve a few nights a week for quiet family time so your child doesn’t feel too pressured.
