Are you planning for a baby? Raising a baby comes with many considerations. From balancing the financial and emotional aspects to ensuring their health and well-being is optimal — you’ll need to consider the following things to make you, your partner, and your newborn child’s experience the best that it can be.
Here are some things you need to consider when planning for a baby.
Who will support the child?
Will your partner be around or are you a single parent? Do you live in the same place as your grandparents or are you alone in a new city?
Whatever the case, your child will need your utmost love and care. If you have more hands ready to help out with errands and chores around the house, the job becomes easier to accomplish. You can gain much-needed space to allow you to rest too.
Day-to-day life will have a dramatic shift once the baby arrives. So much so that it might interfere with your work and career. You and your partner may find yourself in a situation where taking care of the baby and earning for the house will spread you too thin. If you find yourself in that scenario, you can drop off your children in a friend’s house, grandparent’s house, or a child care centre.
Will my partner and I have a good parenting style?
Creating a family can be very rewarding. You may enjoy your time together with your partner — but it’s a good idea to understand how they act as parents as well. Even the strongest relationships can falter when you’re unprepared to deal with the stresses of raising a child for the first time.
Stellar communication and unwavering commitment are a must for both parties to succeed in raising a child. Ask relevant questions to get a feel of how your partner would approach parenting:
- Are you ready to have a baby?
- Will you practice honest communication with each other?
- Do we agree on the circumstances on when to bring the child to child care?
- Will we have the same financial responsibilities?
- If we break off our relationship, how will we move forward with our baby?
Alongside that, also answer any of their questions your partner would ask in regards to raising a child.
Is my physical and mental health up to scratch?
For mothers, you should talk to your doctor about preconception health care three or so months before pregnancy. This is necessary to protect the well-being of your child and ensure that preventable diseases and risks don’t take place.
Aside from that, disclose any medications or illnesses you have to your doctors. This will help them prescribe the best course of action. Also, avoid any activities that may cause harm to your unborn child, such as smoking, drinking excessively, and ingesting fatal substances.
Your doctor or nurse will give you guidance in regards to your physical health, mental health, diet, and lifestyle — all to make the pregnancy as smooth as possible for you and the baby. Talk to your local doctor or local community clinic if you want to avail this type of care.
Am I financially ready to be my child’s parent?
It’s not uncommon for many people to rush headfirst into the process over the excitement of having their own child. But if you’re not ready, you’ll run the risk of acquiring financial responsibilities that are well beyond your ability to pay off.
That’s why saving up for your child is crucial. You should have money set aside for new expenses, such as baby clothes, toys, and cribs; as well as long-term expenses, like their education, insurance policies, and college funds.
Moreover, get an idea if your job offers benefits that can help you trim costs when raising a child. Also, build up your emergency fund to take your new family member into account.
Have I considered the cons of parenting?
Ask any parent — raising a child is no easy feat. There’s plenty of factors to consider, such as extra expenses, loss of personal time and freedom, and diminished peace of mind. Your nights out with friends or your spare time exploring a new hobby might come to a standstill once a baby needs your constant attention. The stresses may be all too much to bear if you’re not ready to take on one of life’s biggest challenges.
It’s important to remember that no one’s born ready. But if you’re mentally prepared to take on this challenge, you can plow through all the hardship with the resilience to raise your child right. If your desire to raise a mini you is greater than the fear of hardship, then you can say with absolute certainty that raising a child is right for you.
Is my current environment conducive for parenting?
Is your neighborhood a safe place for you to walk in at night? Does your home have security and privacy? Are you in a high-criminal area or a gated subdivision?
Newborn babies sleep 16 hours a day on average. To protect their growth and development, placing them in a good environment is essential for them to grow up healthy. You can set up a baby crib in your room during the first few months to look after them during the night.
Keep the room’s environment moderately cool, but not cool enough that they’d need thick comforters or blankets. That may run the risk of them suffocating. Lastly, close your windows so that you don’t unknowingly expose them to smoke or noxious fumes.