Most new moms will tell you that it’s hard to find time for yourself with a newborn baby. A new mom usually feels like she is only feeding her baby and changing diapers. How is that possible with a baby who sleeps 16 to 20 hours a day? Where does your time go?
What if you only needed a bit of planning? Here are a few tips to help you find time to relax and to catch up on your household chores.
Baby’s routine
At first, your baby will not understand your lifestyle and your 24-hour schedule but you can help them understand by doing certain things at the same time every day. For example, try to give them a bath at the same time each day like after their last feed or before their afternoon nap. Don’t forget that as long as your baby has an umbilical cord stump, you cannot submerge them in water.
When they are awake, you can also walk with them and sing lullabies to help them differentiate being asleep and being awake.
Also, your baby sleeps a lot but their sleep is usually divided in periods of two or four hours. That’s why it seems like they are waking up all the time. To help plan your day, note their sleep hours. It is the best way to understand their rhythm and to reserve a few hours to sleep, clean up, play games or watch movies.
Also note their meals. At first, your baby will drink a lot and often but soon they will drink at regular times.
Even if you feel like your efforts haven’t paid off and you are still tired, don’t lose hope! Remember that around their fifth month, your baby’s schedule will look like this:
7:30 - 8:00: Wake up and meal
10:00: Nap
12:00: Meal
15:00: Nap
16:00: Snack
17:00: Meal
19:00: Bath
19:30: Milk
20:00: Asleep for the night (+ night feeds, if any)
Mom’s routine
Once you will understand your baby’s routine, use their nap hours to relax and catch up on your daily tasks. If you fold your clothes while watching a TV show or take a good bath without worrying for your baby, you will have more energy for your family and you will feel more relaxed.
You can also use these first hours of being alone to book the first vaccination appointments, to take care of important papers and to get rid of all the tasks that give you the impression of being overwhelmed, That’s how you will find time to relax and enjoy the magic moments spent with your little baby that is already growing up too fast!
