Guest Post
10 Ways You Can Give Your Baby The Best Start In Life
Bringing home your baby is an exciting time in anyone’s life. It can also be overwhelming. First-time parents especially worry that they’re not doing the right things for baby. You want to be able to look after the baby, not feel constantly exhausted, and also remember that the start you give them in life will follow them forever. How do you give them the best possible start in life without overwhelming yourself, or inviting too much pressure? Parental scrutiny aside, there are a few things you can do to help your little one early in life, which will develop great habits, and guide them at every stage of their lives.
Give Them A Safe and Comfortable Home
It goes without saying that children, especially newborns, need a clean and healthy environment to grow up in. Keeping a clean home, using green cleaners which aren’t toxic to your family, can help you achieve that. Ensure your home is cool in summer, and warm in winter. Finally, investing in an air purifier for pet hair for the baby’s room is a good way to get rid of pet dander, odors, dust, and allergens to ensure that your baby has the best start in life. HEPA air filtration systems can remove more than 98% of all air-born toxins for the most thoroughly clean air.
Healthy Meals For A Healthy Start
There is a lot of pressure for moms to breastfeed. While it’s true that breast can help promote brain and immunity developments, a good formula can be just as powerful for giving your baby what he or she needs. The important thing is to feed the baby according to his or her needs. If feeding is a stressful experience, neither baby or parent is going to be feeling great about it. Use your baby’s feeding as a bonding experience. Once you’ve weaned the baby onto solid foods, remember to stick to a healthy, unprocessed diet, with plenty of fats for growing bodies. Stick with a variety of foods, and your child will be less likely to become a picky eater or develop disordered eating habits.
Be Communicative
From the minute your baby comes home from the hospital, talk to them! Make faces, babble with them, point and name things during play, and use their own name often. This helps develop language abilities. As they get older, keep the lines of communication open, by taking the time to talk about their day, or making space to ask if something is bothering them. Keep it age-appropriate, but don’t be afraid to share your own worries and mistakes with your kids. This will help them understand that even adults have a hard time sometimes, and will allow them ways to communicate with you that don’t involve judgment.
Set Reasonable Expectations
We all want our kids to excel, but if your little one isn’t hitting his or her milestones, try not to stress it. Everyone develops at their own pace, and even a small child can sense your stress or even disappointment in him. Every child should have the chance to discover their own talents and strengths. Be proud of their accomplishments, but try not to attach any significance to a particular failure.
Be An Example of Positive Relationships
Kids who grow up with contentious relationships in their lives often have difficulty with attachment and security in relationships as they grow. Of course, we don’t always know how a relationship will turn out once we have a child. It’s important to be a model of positive relationships for your child. If both parents are together, regularly showing affection and spending time as a family can help a child feel secure in their place at home. If parents are not together or are splitting up, it’s even more important to show a united front when it comes to raising the child, keep arguments civil and strive to reach a balance, to model positive relationships for your child.
Show Affection Regularly
Speaking of affection. Showing physical affection to your baby or young child has been shown to promote brain activity, helps build self-esteem and confidence. Hugs, cuddles, and touching all have a huge impact on infant development. Unfortunately, children, especially boys, receive less affection as they grow older. This can negatively impact their sense of self, and ability to communicate with others. Take some time to hug, tickle, or show affection to your little one, and set them on a positive path for life.
Encourage Creative Play
Every child has a talent. But whether your child is a future sports star, a musician, or a great chef, creative play, from arts and crafts, to pretend games, to building blocks, can help them get there. In the world of electronic tablets, little ones experience a world of wonders just by flicking on a machine. But it’s important to take the time for imaginative, creative play. This helps your child act out scenarios, uncovers new talents, and even improves problem-solving!
Teach Responsibility
Personal accountability and responsibility are skills any child will carry with them for the rest of their lives. Teach them responsibility by setting reasonable limits. Always remember, no matter how frustrated you are, your little one is still growing and learning. Punishments, like time out, should be in proportion to the transgression, and focused on learning and growing,
The Importance of Reading
One of the most important things you can do for your child is to give them an interest in reading. That means reading to them when they are young and encouraging a habit of reading for fun and pleasure. Family reading time and reading stories before bed will help your child with more than academics. Your baby will learn communication and language faster, and your child will develop a skill, and a love of stories, that will carry on throughout a lifetime!
Give Reasonable Freedom and Independence
One of the hardest lessons to learn as a parent is when to let go. You can start yourself and your baby on a healthy path to independence by embracing your own village. Invite friends and family into your lives with the baby as early as possible. Not only will it save your sanity, but it will also allow your child to adjust to new faces, and be comfortable with new surroundings earlier on. Later, give your child a sense of responsibility and autonomy by allowing them to pick out their own clothes, or choose between two things when you’re making meals. These little nods towards independence will help your child take ownership, and gain independence and confidence.
We all want to give our kids the best start in life. From the time when they’re tiny, everything you do has an impact on them. Make sure it’s a positive one. Mimic behaviors you want to see, and encourage positivity, independence, and affection in your child. Follow the tips on this list, and you’ll be able to parent with confidence. Confidence we’re sure you’ll pass on to your child!
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