So you’re expecting your first baby, and you’ve read all the parenting books to help you prepare? Great — but do they really get you ready for the day-to-day reality?
With hindsight, experience, and a large dose of humour, blogger Ellen from El and Baby A shares her 10 top tips you should know to prepare for a new baby — the practical, funny, slightly chaotic truths that no manual quite covers.
Before her son Aidan was born, Ellen read plenty of books and articles on preparing for a new baby. They were somewhat helpful — but if she’d had this specific list back then, she reckons she’d have been a lot more prepared.
1. Blindfold yourself and make a cup of tea or coffee. Night feeds get harder the longer they go on. There’s a required skill of nighttime nappy changes and making bottles in near-total darkness that you will absolutely master. If you can make tea while blindfolded, you’re already a night-feeding ninja.
2. Surround yourself with colourful, noisy plastic toys. Once the first birthday or Christmas rolls around, your house will become like a medium-sized toy shop, packed with musical, flashing toys. Within days you’ll know all the songs by heart. Find the off switch immediately — this information will serve you well.
3. Spend an entire day using only one hand (your “bad” hand). Some days no other place will do except your arms. Within days you’ll master the art of living one-handed — flipping pancakes while baking a Victoria sponge, all with your non-dominant hand.
You may also like: Are You Ready to Be a Parent? Take the 14-Step Parenting Test and Tips for Surviving with a New Baby and Toddler.
4. Restrict yourself to sleeping in a space the size of your foot (an angry stray cat optional). If you end up co-sleeping, or just bringing your baby into bed occasionally, they will take up 90% of the mattress. They also have the sharpest nails in the world, magnetically attracted to your face.
5. Get the laundry from all your neighbours and family and wash it — daily. It’s hard to explain where it all comes from, but babies manage to soil their entire wardrobe at least once a week.
6. Only eat half of everything you prepare. You know how everyone else’s food always looks nicer? To babies, this is true tenfold. To avoid a meltdown, you will share — even your favourite dessert.
You may also like: How to Survive the First 6 Weeks with a New Baby.
7. Shower for 30–45 seconds. Anything longer is a bonus. You’ll also constantly “hear” your sleeping baby cry while you’re in there — commonly known as shower schizophrenia.
You may also like: 41 Reasons You Know You’re Mom to a New Baby.
8. Hourly, splash liquids of varying colours randomly onto your clothing. Again, their exact origin remains a mystery, but they’ll vary reliably in size and colour.
9. Allow yourself no more than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Unfortunately, “sleeping through the night” doesn’t always mean uninterrupted sleep for you.
10. Have Disney Junior on in the background all day. These characters will be your best friends for the next few years — get to know them now.
All that said, it’s worth every bit of it.
Ellen describes herself now as a one-armed, squeaky-floorboard-avoiding ninja who has swapped crazy nights out for cosy nights in — and wouldn’t change it for all the tea in China.
This post is by blogger Ellen O’Keeffe, first-time mum to baby Aidan. She writes about all things baby and baking on her blog, El and Baby A.
You may also like: Changes in Us When You and Me Become Mommy & Daddy, 8 Top Tips for Positive Parenting, and 10 Positive Parenting Tips Every New Parent Should Know.
Over to You
What’s your top tip for preparing for a new baby? Share it in the comments below — future first-time parents will thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it really possible to “prepare” for a new baby?
Not fully — and that’s okay. You can get the essentials ready (somewhere safe to sleep, clothes, feeding basics), but a lot of newborn life is learned in the moment. Go easy on yourself in the early weeks.
What’s the most useful thing to do before the baby arrives?
Lower your expectations around sleep, housework, and “me time,” and line up practical support — meals, help with laundry, or someone to hold the baby while you shower. Small offers of help matter more than perfect nursery planning.
How long does the newborn adjustment period usually last?
Every family is different, but many parents find the first six to eight weeks the most intense, with things gradually settling as feeding and sleep patterns become more predictable.
Related Articles
- Are You Ready to Be a Parent? Take the 14-Step Parenting Test
- Tips for Surviving with a New Baby and Toddler
- How to Survive the First 6 Weeks with a New Baby
- 41 Reasons You Know You’re Mom to a New Baby
- 10 Positive Parenting Tips Every New Parent Should Know
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