As joyous as a new arrival is to a family it immediately throws parents into a tailspin. It’s uncharted waters and with various aspects that need tending to, not just the baby, but our abilities to be effective parents a question can arise: is it helpful to be more organised and methodical during that first important year? While the unpredictability of parenthood is undeniable, there are a number of reasons why we should embrace it, at the very least some sense of organisation. But what are these?
The Importance of Establishing Routines
We thrive on routines as human beings, and getting the baby into a sleep routine is one of those things that will actually bring a sense of stability to parent and child. Consistent bedtime rituals and regular feeding times will contribute to a baby’s sense of security. There are some parents who follow the baby’s lead, however, this can result in a more haphazard approach, especially if their sleep schedule is all over the place. When in doubt, you need to ensure that there is a schedule in place. Even if this means putting the baby in a pushchair and pushing them around the street until they go to sleep this can create some semblance of order when everything else might feel like a whirlwind.
Being Efficient (in Spite of Limited Energy and Time)
The ongoing duties of feeding, changing, soothing, and trying to get them to sleep, and generally having necessities readily available can feel like an endless cycle. Therefore, being more organised can help us be efficient. When we plan the essentials in advance, like baby bottles and having the things we need to hand, it’s going to save precious minutes when every second counts. We can feel like we’re just not focused and constantly have that bleary-eyed feeling during the first year of the baby’s life. Therefore, if we can do our best to streamline a few things here and there, it gives us a bit more opportunity to tend to their well-being, as well as ours and, more importantly, bond with our child.
The “Sleep When Your Baby Sleeps” Approach
This is one of the most common pieces of advice parents offer to brand-new ones. It might be impossible to control a baby’s sleep patterns entirely, and some parents decide at the very outset it’s about establishing proper order and putting them down and picking them up at the same time. But we also need to think about having a conducive sleep environment, and this also means prioritising our sleep as well. Therefore, sleeping when your baby sleeps is undoubtedly one of the best approaches. Sleep is far more important than having a pristine-looking house!
The Importance of Flexibility (Within a Structure)
Trying to be more organised when we have a newborn can be, in many ways, like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. What we have to remember is that it’s not about sticking to a strict schedule or checklist, but about having a framework that allows us to be flexible. Our children’s needs can change instantly, and therefore having an organised approach can give us some peace of mind, while also ensuring that we can be adaptable in the right ways.