7 Ways Friends And Family Can Lend New Parents A Hand

While there are many things that new parents must do to get through the first few weeks of parenting, the important piece of advice is to not be afraid to ask for help. When you embrace parenthood for the first time, you shouldn’t have to go through it on your own. And, you especially shouldn’t have to handle coming up to things to do on your own.

So, check out this list of 7 things that you can ask your friends and family to do for you, as you continue to get settled in with your newborn!

Mealtimes

“If you’re too tired to fix meals during your first few weeks home with a baby, then that’s normal,” says Makayla Farncomb, a psychology writer at OX Essays and Liahelp. “But you still have to eat. You may want to contact friends and family, and see if they can help you with the cooking, or send you something to eat whenever you need it. Plus, it’s important to have ready-made meals and snacks accessible in your kitchen and cabinets for those days that you can’t prepare a full meal.”

Grocery Shopping

Shopping for groceries might be easier thanks to pick-up and delivery services. But still, it’s important to have a friend or family member do some of the shopping for you. Create a list of groceries that you need, and then hand the list and money to a trusted friend or relative. Now, when creating your list, consider stocking up on these items:

• Fresh fruit and nuts
• Yogurt
• Other ready-to-eat healthy snack
• Coffee (and creamer)
• Tea
• Easy-prep meals
• Protein shakes
• Tylenol and ibuprofen

Light Chores

There are so many things that need to be done in the home. However, if you’re too tired to do much around the house, then enlist your friends and family to do the following for the first few weeks as you heal and recover from delivery:


Load/unload dishwasher; or wash dishes

• Vacuum
• Change/take out the trash
• Dust and wipe down surfaces
• Light yard work (i.e. mow lawn or shovel a driveway)

Nursery – Organizing And Assembly

Sometimes, you may need a second opinion on how to organize and assemble your nursery for your newborn. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend or a family member to put help you put together furniture, a crib, and a play area for the baby to enjoy.

Run Errands

Once you deliver your baby, your life will be hectic, that you can’t run as much errands as you used to. Therefore, ask someone to help you with small errands, like: 

• Picking up basic essentials from the store
• Picking up or dropping off mail from the post office
• Picking up take-outs (as mentioned earlier)
• Taking your car to get an oil change, etc.

Pet-Sitting

“If you have a dog, or any other furry friend for that matter, then be sure to talk to friends and family about dog-sitting or pet-sitting, as you care for your baby,” says Madeleine Soares, a lifestyle blogger at Paper Fellows and State of writing. “Preferably for the first week or two postpartum, ask someone you trust—AND who your pet trusts— to help out with walking, feeding, grooming, or visits to the vet.”

Babysitting

Finally, you may want to consider who would be the best babysitter, in case you need on. There’s nothing wrong with constantly getting offers from friends and family members to babysit. So, be sure to create a list of people, their emails, their texts, etc. whenever you’re in need of a babysitter. In this way, someone will only volunteer if it’s really convenient for them, and they won’t get burned out from too much babysitting.

Conclusion

Ultimately, there’s nothing wrong with asking people for favours, as you care for your newborn child. In fact, the best part about taking up people on their offers to help when a baby arrives is that it gives you plenty of time to check in with yourself, get some rest, and settle into your new life with ease.

By keeping in mind this list of 7 things that friends and family can help out on, your loved ones will understand your situation; and you will all grow closer and closer together, as you welcome a new addition to your family. Remember: Don’t be afraid to ask! 

This post is contributed by: Kristin Herman
Kristin Herman is a writer and editor at UK Writings and Academized. She is also a contributing writer for online magazines and blogs, such as Boom essays. As a marketing writer, she blogs about the latest trends in digital advertising and social media marketing.