When you decide to have a baby, you need to be ready for your whole life to change. Bringing up a child is very difficult, and many people struggle at first to adapt to life as a new parent. There are some things that you simply cannot do when you have a baby and we’re not just talking about getting to sleep at a reasonable time each night. You’ll need to take better care of yourself in order to look after the baby.
Below, we thought we would look at some of the lifestyle changes that we think you should try to make before your first baby comes along. Read on to get some tips and tricks before your family grows.
Exercise More
How often do you exercise each week? There are tons of adults out there who only exercise when they are running for the bus or the train before work each day. Exercise might be the last thing on your mind when you are pregnant, or you have a baby, but it is actually very important. Looking after a newborn baby can be exhausting and if you are not physically fit, you might find it difficult to keep up with everything you need to do.
By getting yourself into a habit of exercising a few times a week, you can improve your fitness levels and prepare yourself for looking after your baby. You have a few options so why don’t you consider joining the local gym, going for walks with friends or even joining a local sports club? Just make sure you don’t commit to something that you won’t be able to keep up with when the baby comes along and your schedule changes.
Improve Your Sleeping Habits
This next tip might sound like a bit of a waste of time because everyone knows that new babies can totally ruin your sleeping habits. However, if you are someone who likes to stay up late into the early morning every single day, you might find it difficult to adapt to having a new baby. It is recommended that we get between 7-9 hours of sleep every single night. Is this something that you experience?
We recommend that you try to improve your sleeping habits before the baby comes along so that you are well rested. Additionally, you should sleep when the baby sleeps so that you are not running on energy drinks every single day. Improve this habit now and you’ll thank yourself later.
Quit Smoking
If you have been smoking for a long time, you might find this next tip a bit hard to manage but it is a lifestyle change that we should all be making. Smoking cigarettes can not only damage your lungs and your overall health, but it can also be harmful to a baby or a young child. Anyone who is pregnant should try to avoid smoking throughout the entire pregnancy so why don’t you take this period to try to quit?
There are tons of options that can help you to quit smoking quickly and effectively so look into these. Whether you decide to go to a support group or use patches, you can make a big difference to your health. If you enjoy the smoking sensation, you might want to look into vaping and purchasing e-liquids. This is a proven method for quitting smoking, but it can also be fun to vape and try out some new flavours. Find out what you need here about the options at your disposal and make a change to improve your health over time. Invest in good e-liquid and try different flavors for a satisfying vaping experience.
Improve Your Diet
Before your baby comes along, we advise that you spend some time looking more carefully at your diet. Do you eat a balanced diet and three meals every single day? When your baby comes along, you are going to need all of the energy that you can get and having a balanced diet can really help with this. Think about your fruit and vegetable intake and don’t forget to add some protein and carbs to your meal plans.
By kicking the habit of ordering a takeaway or eating a ready meal every single night before your baby comes, you can set yourself up for some good habits in the future. Look into meal planning tips and try to batch cook to save yourself some time. This experience will come in handy when your baby comes along, and you need every minute. You will want to set a good example as a parent and cooking healthy family meals can really help with this.
Cut Down On Nights Out
Another important lifestyle change that you should try to make before your baby comes along is to cut down on the nights out that you have. You may be tempted to live life to the fullest before you need to stay at home with your kids but if you don’t cut down before they come along, you might find it more difficult to do in the future.
It is fine to have a night out every so often and get a family member or friend to babysit for the night, but you need to recognise that you have responsibilities, and you need to look after your own health at the same time. By cutting down on nights out, you can monitor your alcohol intake a bit better and live a healthier life. Don’t cut out your social life completely but cut down and you’ll enjoy those rare nights out a bit more in the future.
Live on A Budget
As your family gets bigger, your daily and monthly expenses are only going to increase. With each child comes a requirement for more food, clothing and other important items. For this reason, you will need to learn to manage your finances a bit better if you want to save some money and get set up for the future.
To do this, we recommend that you try to live on a budget. To set your budget, look at both you and your partner’s incomings and outgoings. Factor in things like transport to work, food and other activities. Once you know how much you have to spend, you can put the rest away and try to stick within your budget. By getting into this habit now, you can make your life easier in the future.
Make Some Changes
If you have a new baby coming along soon, you should try to make some positive changes to your lifestyle as quickly as possible. Even if you aren’t yet expecting a baby but are planning on starting a family in the future, you should look at your lifestyle and see if there is anything that you could change sooner rather than later.
Think about the diet that you currently have and make sure that you are getting enough sleep every single night. You should also try to quit smoking and cut down on the alcohol that you are consuming. If you make these small changes, you’ll be bringing your baby up in a healthier atmosphere and you’ll all live a long life together.
Luciana joined our team as a mum blogger in 2020. A dedicated mum to a lively daughter and a dog, Luna, Luciana brings authenticity and passion to every post. Her expertise in parenting and lifestyle topics offers practical, relatable advice for real-life situations.