Everyone will have different tips and recommendations. There isn’t ONE right way to do things, so try out everything and find what works for you and your family. These are things I’ve learned from my parents that see me, things I’ve learned from Tampa Mommy Groups that I’m an avid member of, or things I’ve gathered from Doctors and Caregivers in Tampa.

1. Take Naps when baby is sleeping.

We know you have laundry to do, you want to take a shower, you’d like to clean your kitchen. But how are you going to feel when you are moving on three hours of sleep? Just sleep when you can so you feel like a functioning human being.

By the way, babies LOVE to be shushed. Try it! If your little one seems fussy and just won’t go down for a nap. Swaddle and shush. Try out this awesome Baby Shusher app and tell us what you think about it.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

That friend that keeps asking to come over and see your little one? Sure! Come on over. While you’re at it, I’m going to clean the kitchen. BETTER YET, why don’t you clean my kitchen or bring a meal over so I may rest and enjoy my newborn baby. The point is, just ask. A good friend will know what you need and be willing to help when asked.

3. Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Read a book, take a bath. Do something to treat yourself.

Where’s the time you say? Remember that friend that wants to come over? Take advantage. Again, they know you need ME time. I’m sure they’d love to cuddle with your newborn baby.

4. Go with the flow!

You were always on time, 15 minutes ahead of time in fact, perfectly polished, manicured and groomed. It’s going to take some time to get a new routine down. Things are going to take longer. Getting ready, eating, driving, etc. Expect everything you once did to now take twice as long. At least till you get your new routine down. So just go with the flow for now.

5. When changing a diaper, put the clean one under the dirty one before you take it off.

If you haven’t had a child yet and you’re wondering why, you’ll only need to do this incorrectly one time during a dirty diaper disaster to know why. So just take our word for it. 🙂 Or make sure whatever is underneath this dirty diaper, can be thrown into the wash.

BONUS Tip 6. Hire a professional for Newborn Photos

You don’t know how many people hire someone based on price and one or two photos they’ve seen. Just to find out that the one photo they saw did not represent their work. And the lesser price they paid represented their inexperience. Most photographers offer payment plans if you didn’t plan on spending extra money. Do yourself and your newborn baby a favor and hire the experienced photographer and don’t just “like” your photos, LOVE and CHERISH them.

If you have some great tips for New Parents, please feel free to chime in below.