Have you finally reached that point in your life where you want to have children? Becoming a parent is one of the most exciting milestones of your life.
However, it’s also the biggest responsibility you’ll ever have.
Before going into parenthood, it’ll be a huge help preparing a few things in advanced, so the transition isn’t as stressful. Parenthood is something many look forward to, but it’s something you must go into with an open mind.
It’s not easy, it costs plenty of money, but at the end of the day, there are many things parents wish they knew before having kids but overall being a parent is well worth the effort.
In this article, we’ll be covering everything future parents need to prepare before bringing new life into this world.
Get Control of Your Debt
If there’s one thing that can make parenthood even more difficult, it is having debt lingering about. Debt is, unfortunately, notorious for throwing budgets completely out of proportion.
What makes it so difficult to manage is that you can have multiple payments coming out each month from various sources. Personal loans, credit cards, and student loans are to name the most common.
When it comes to student loans, you should prioritize paying these off first.
Student loan payments aren’t always easy to manage, especially due to the interest rates. Since children are an investment themselves, you’ll need as much money as you can.
In fact, did you know that babies can cost up to $20,000 for their first year alone? But with your debt looming over you, you might not be sure how to tackle it.
One of the best ways to manage your student loans better is to get it consolidated. Student loan consolidation is the process of combining all your federal student loans into a single new loan.
It’s a great way to lower your monthly payments and stabilize the repayment process. Consolidating is a reliable option if you have private loans, federal, or even both.
However, this process will differ depending on the type of loan you have. For more information, be sure to review an in-depth guide that’ll help you better understand the nuances of consolidating.
Related Post: Financial Must-Dos Before Baby
Have Realistic Expectations
You’d be very surprised to know how many people go into parenthood with unrealistic expectations. There’s no such thing as a perfect parent nor will there ever be.
Parenthood can be challenging and you’re more than likely to make a few mistakes. You might find yourself panicking over nothing, you may accidentally forget to burp your baby and if you’re the mother, you could stress out over breastfeeding.
If you have any questions about breastfeeding, make sure to contact your OBGYN or a lactation consultant.
Set Up Your Nursery Early
Creating healthy sleep habits for your baby is going to be critical once they arrive, so prepare as early as possible. Whether you’re only one month pregnant or planning to conceive soon, setting up your nursery early can save you time.
Many often say the second trimester is the best time to set up the nursery. But the truth is that the earlier you start, the more time you have taking care of other tasks.
Below is a brief list of what you should include when setting up your nursery early:
- High-quality crib
- Changing table
- Dresser for baby clothes and diapers
- Small storage space for bottles and breast pumps
- High-quality rocking chair
- Diaper pail
There are other items you can put in a nursery, but what we’ve listed here are the necessities. Before we move on, it’s important that we point out that you must budget for these items.
Cribs, changing tables, and dressers can be expensive at times. Make sure to keep an eye out for deals and discounts as you shop around.
Learn New Skills
Parenting can be such a rigorous task, there are certain skills you need to learn. Aside from providing unconditional love, new moms and dads should learn how to be active listeners, practice being empathetic, effectively manage their time, provide positive discipline, being a good leader, adaptability, and crisis management.
Crisis management is one of the most important skills that every parent must learn. Children are very unpredictable, and they can get into trouble the second you turn your back.
If your baby ends up hurting itself or they come down with an illness, you need to handle the situation swiftly and calmly.
Marissa is a Pediatric Occupational Therapist turned stay-at-home mom who loves sharing her tips, tricks, and ideas for navigating motherhood. Her days are filled starting tickle wars and dance parties with three energetic toddlers and wondering how long she can leave the house a mess until her husband notices. When she doesn’t have her hands full of children, she enjoys a glass (or 3) of wine, reality tv, and country music. In addition to blogging about all things motherhood, she sells printables on Etsy and has another website, teachinglittles.com, for kid’s activity ideas.
