6 challenges faced by new parents

Parenting can be as wonderful as can it be challenging and stressful. Read on to find out common challenges faced by almost every new parent. We’re sure that you’ll be able to easily relate to them almost instantly.

1) The Spouse Wars

MOMS! You may want to divorce your husband multiple times in one day because he doesn’t understand how hard it is to take on all the new responsibilities which accompany having a child. It may feel as though he isn’t doing his fair share of baby duty. Next time you want to strangle him in his sleep, try to remember that he, too, is under extra stress trying to financially provide for the family which is now up one member. So keep the communication going; tell him what you need and talk it out.

DADS! Remember that raising a child and taking care of crying babies 24/7 is not an easy job. When your better half is biting your head off about something small and screaming at you to take on more responsibility around the house, don’t fight back. Work might be stressful, but so is hers. Try to help out a bit. Do the dishes or the laundry a couple times a week.

Just remember that it’s normal to occasionally want to shoot an arrow through each other’s heads. A more efficient and easy solution, however, would be to sit down and decide how to split the work. Tension between the two of you is something that most probably will be felt in the first few months, but it’ll go away soon enough, so hang in there!

2) The Hunger Games

It should come as no surprise to you that babies are fussy when it comes to food. They may be extremely picky at times. It wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to give into your baby’s demands sometimes. Don’t force them to eat something they dislike immensely. This doesn’t necessarily mean stuff your child with unhealthy junk food all the time.

Find things that aren’t harmful for your kid and which won’t bring your child to tears. Also try to make feeding time more exciting for your little darling. This is guaranteed to keep you both very happy.

3) Potty Training

Kids go when they feel like it (no matter how much you pray). You can’t force them and potty training doesn’t happen magically. Your kid isn’t going to wake up one day and say “I think I’ll use the toilet to take a dump today, instead of my pants.” It doesn’t happen over the weekend (you only wish it did). It takes time and effort, so keep at it.

A helpful trick is to motivate your child. Promise them a car ride or use a toilet seat cover with their favourite superhero on it!

4) The Tantrum Trials

Babies love to throw tantrums at the most inconvenient of times. It may feel out of the blue and as though your child is out to get you, but sometimes they just don’t know how else to express their discomfort or frustration. Don’t feel embarrassed at parties and gatherings with your friends because nobody expects a baby to be perfectly well behaved and quiet at 5 months old or a year or two old. Just be patient with your child and try to calm them down. Try to find out the reason for the tantrum and solve it.

5) What’s Bed Time?

Sleep is something that we humans hold dear to us at any age. Your baby loves it too, just maybe not at normal human hours (maybe they’re vampire spawns?). You are going to lose a lot of sleep in the first few months after you have a child. It’s the inevitable side-effect of having a child (no matter how old your offspring is). But there are ways you can make it easier on yourself when they’re young and innocent and somewhat in your control.

Step 1 – Create a calming and soothing environment for your kid at night to induce sleep.

Step 2 – Try to get in as many naps as you can for yourself. This will help you catch up on your lost sleep. Babies aren’t the only ones who love naps!

Step 3 – Make a schedule or a plan with your partner. Split the work. Set days of the week when each of you tends to the little devil when he/she is bringing the house down at 2AM.

6) Sick Days. Oh no!

You can’t be in control of everything. Don’t give yourself a hard time if your child falls sick. Children take time to build immunity; it’s natural for them to fall sick. There are many reasons your kid could fall sick – changing weather, a sick playmate/friend, disagreeable food, allergies, etc.

Consult a trusted paediatrician or friend/ relative who is a doctor for the best treatments for your child; someone who won’t prescribe a plethora of wonderfully coloured tablets and syrups for your child to ingest. Good home remedies are friendliest treatments for your kid unless it’s a serious issue.

So, just take a chill pill and don’t beat yourself up about things that aren’t under your control.