In this article, we are going to see the best 50 good parenting tips for new parents.
- Make a wish come true. Set aside an hour or two each week to do exactly what your child wants, without interruptions or distractions—even if they want to play a game you hate or build block towers and then knock them all down.
- Start and end each day with “I love you.” We often think we show our love to our children through our actions, but children want and need to be told they are loved.
- Think ahead about safety. Anticipate what your child’s next move is likely to be and then protect children accordingly. If your 9-month-old is getting up, now is the time to build doors, cover sharp table corners, and keep pot handles away from the edge of the stove.
- Compliment your partner. Never end a day without acknowledging – at least once – the role your partner plays in your children’s lives.
- Choose childcare carefully. Spend as much time researching your options as you did the last time you shopped for a new car. Call others who use the facility, talk to the principal and staff, and spend plenty of time observing the children at play.
- Leave the scene. If your child is having a meltdown pick them up from behind and carry them away. Too much face-to-face interaction escalates the situation.
- Do not rush to punish. Every child has a cup that needs to be filled – and refilled – with love, attention, affection and respect. A rough day, a great frustration or a harsh word will empty the cup. If your child is behaving, hug them, listen to them, and spend time together. He will be more cooperative and both of you will feel closer.
- Never take a bath break. When you bathe your baby, don’t pick up the phone unless it’s portable right next to you. A child can drown in seconds if left unattended.
- Look the other way. Once a week, ignore one of your child’s little transgressions—misbehaving at the table, forgetting to clean up right away—and remind yourself that you’re not perfect either.
- Sleep when your baby sleeps. If you stick to your old sleep schedule, you will be sleep-deprived, which makes you more likely to be upset and can contribute to postpartum depression.
- Don’t panic about picky eaters. They won’t starve, so continue to offer a variety of foods and small, frequent meals. Let your kids see how much you love vegetables.
- Act now, talk later. Respond to your child’s misbehavior in the heat of the moment, but talk about the incident later in a “planned discussion” where you set the rules and your expectations.
- Be your child’s favorite toy. Instead of always offering a toy, entertain him yourself. After all, you move, you make sounds, you can take turns with him and react to what he does, and you are warm, soft and safe.
- Recheck your car seat. Improperly installed child seats are a major cause of injury. Whenever you put your child in a car seat, make sure it is still in the right position.
- Be romantic. Go on a date, kiss in front of your kids, and tell your partner, “I love you” (with the kids within earshot).
- Create photo albums. Devote two hours a month to creating lasting, organized family memories. When you collect photos or souvenirs, you will have time to think about the preciousness of your life.
- Soothe your baby’s dry skin. Keep a jar of thick fabric softener at the changing table and massage it into your legs and thighs with each change.
- Stamp a nickname. Address your child with a special nickname that reflects your unique connection with him. A child with many names is a child loved many times.
- Read all food labels. You always know what your child is eating, especially if they have food allergies. For example, whey and casein, common ingredients in packaged goods, are actually just milk.
- Present a united front. When you and your partner disagree on how to deal with bad behavior, talk and read about it until you reach a consensus or compromise.
- Make family rituals sacred. Do an activity together once a week, such as reading a book aloud, going for a walk, driving in the woods or having Sunday breakfast at the same restaurant or cafe. These are the types of memories your children will cherish the most.
- Low aggression in the bud. Never let your toddler hit or kick you, even if you know they are angry or frustrated. Immediately block hits and firmly say, “No, you’re not going to hit me.”
- Teach your child simple songs and nursery rhymes. Rhyming and playing with sounds is fun and will set your child up for the specific skills needed to read.
- Put your baby down when they are awake. Letting her self-soothe is key to her sleeping through the night. If you breastfeed or bottle feed her before bed and she falls asleep, change her diaper one last time to wake her up.
- Make amends. One of the most important things you can say to your child is “I’m sorry, I messed up.” Admitting that you are wrong also gives your child the right to make mistakes.
- Never condition your love. You should love your child just because he was born, not because he plays the piano or aces his math tests. Tell him often that you would love him regardless of his grades and that your love for him grows every day.
- Watch yourself. You are your child’s first and most powerful moral teacher, so make sure you set the example you want them to emulate. Ask yourself every night, “What did my child learn from my behavior today?”
- Trust your instincts when caring for children. If you have reservations about a caregiver or feel like your child isn’t doing as well as they could, you’re probably right. Don’t worry about hurt feelings or awkward conversations. Your child’s needs come first.
- Don’t be overprotective. You should not try to protect your child from all disappointments, failures or stressful situations. Children must learn to cope with difficulties in order to cope with life’s challenges.
- Avoid vicious cycles. If your child is misbehaving in a certain way and you’ve already told them 100 times not to do it, don’t issue warning number 101. Instead, make the behavior easier for your child. If he always leaves his coat on the floor, install low hooks in the closet.
- Let your toddler explore. Parents often don’t want their kids banging big pots or doing other things that are annoying or messy, but that’s how kids learn.
- Wake up a sleeping baby. There are times when this is a good idea – during his morning nap to make him sleepy enough for his afternoon nap, or during his afternoon nap to make him sleepy enough before bed.
- Ban bad habits. Children are not born to hate – they learn it. Refuse to allow discriminatory remarks of any kind. Help your child discover positive qualities in people and teach them to focus on similarities rather than difficulties.
- Bait and switch. When your child misbehaves, distract them with something that is incompatible with the misbehavior. For example, if your child takes food from someone else’s plate, give him a glass of milk.
- Promote friendship over popularity. You cannot guarantee that your child will be liked by everyone, and it is not your job to make him popular. Support her friendships, but don’t try to micromanage her social life.
- Wear rose-colored glasses. Your positive attitude is crucial for your child’s self-image. Change your language so that everyone perceives it more positively. For example, instead of saying, “My child is too active,” say, “My child is so energetic.”
- Listen before you give advice. The most important moments in parenting are when your child experiences emotions such as sadness, fear, anger, disappointment or embarrassment. First, help your child label the emotion and validate how they feel. Only then suggest ways to solve the problem. This will make your child more likely to come to you for help.
- Show your toddler the differences. For example, your child may like one type of food (say sweets) while you prefer another (salad). This is the endless interest of young children learning that people can have different views and tastes – an important life lesson.
- Don’t be a slave to developmental milestones. Children develop at different rates. Try not to push your child – he will let you know when he is ready to start climbing, walking or reading.
- Limit rewards. Help your child develop his own internal reward system to congratulate himself on a job well done. Change your pronouns: Instead of “I’m really proud of you,” say “You should be really proud.”
- Not helping with homework too much. It is your child’s responsibility, not yours. If you check in, she’ll feel like she can’t do it herself.
- Make honesty a priority. Never lie in front of your children—for example, don’t tell a telemarketer that your spouse isn’t home when they’re actually sitting on the couch.
- Share your loves. Whether it’s a favorite hobby, a wonderful song or poem, a great recipe, one of your favorite childhood memories, or a fun game, you’ll remember and cherish it.
- Set a sleep schedule for your child. By 3 months, your baby should start sleeping where you want him to sleep at 1 year. After that, it will be much more difficult for her to make a change. If she is in a stroller, move her to a crib; if you’re not going to sleep together, move her out of bed right away.
- Stand by your child. If you don’t know what happened in a particular situation, don’t play devil’s advocate. For example, if he says, “I hate the teacher! She made fun of me in front of my friends today,” don’t immediately say, “I’m sure you gave her a good reason.
- Do not worship the advice of experts. Trust only your children, not Mozart CDs, children’s academies or flash cards. No one will ever know what your kids need or who they really are better at.
- Be stupid. Dance, burp, laugh until you cry and spit watermelon seeds at your kids.
- Plan a meal together. Let your children help you choose the dishes and participate in their preparation – they will be more likely to eat what is served.
- Break the rules occasionally. Have ice cream for dinner or wear pajamas on a snowy weekend.
See also:
