Infant and Baby Needs

When a new baby comes along your days can seem a bit hectic. Well a lot hectic. Here are some tips to help you get through the rough patches in the beginning.

1. Make a to-do list every night: This will take some willpower at first to accomplish but it will pay off. Include the things you need to do the following day, and the things you would like to accomplish, in order of priority. Don't necessarily expect to get everything done, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing you are headed in the right direction. I've learned what I can do with one hand, what I can do with two hands, and what I need both hands and all my concentration to do.
2. Accept help when it's offered and ask for it when necessary: Taking care of a new baby is physically and emotionally exhausting (not to mention time-consuming), so so shuffle the duties in your home instead of suffering in silence. Ask older children to take on a few more chores. Get your husband involved in the weekly grocery shopping.Things may not get done exactly as you would have done them but they are getting done!
3. Make it easy at mealtimes: Instead of resorting to take out and which can sabotage your food budget use simple menus such as grilled cheese and tomato soup with carrot sticks, or scrambled eggs and toast. Ask someone else to cook. When you do have the energy to cook a little more double your recipes and put one in the freezer. It will a time saver before you know it.
4. Do something to recharge mom each day: It’s easy to spend a lot of time vegging in front of the TV as a new mother, but excessive TV time is an energy zapper. Try reading books from the library as you’re feeding baby. Get hard back books or big soft bound ones that make it easy to keep open in front of you (use a clip to hold the pages down if necessary).Try to make sure that you get some exercise every day, whether that's a walk pushing a stroller, or a workout with great exercise DVD for new moms.
5. Don't attempt to be superwoman: This is never a good idea. New mothers with "superwoman" complexes are more likely to suffer from postpartum depression. Aside from the pain this can cause and the extra burden it places on a woman and her family, it's also a surefire way to throw a budget out the window! So keep things simple: clear your calendar, and relax your housekeeping and food preparation standards. It's ok to be in survival mode for a while.