five little-shared tricks to survive with a newborn
We've all heard the same generic advice for the first few weeks with a newborn baby: 'sleep when the baby sleeps', 'the dishes can wait' ā¦ š
Here are 5 things I didn't hear anywhere else, but wish someone had told me beforehand!
1. Wear too many clothes to bed
I was getting out of bed dozens of times a night and it was so. so. cold. Wearing too many clothes - a very stylish full fleece tracksuit with fluffy socks - and using lighter bedding, meant when I inevitably had to get up, that cosy warm air was trapped next to my skin & moved with me, rather than being left behind.
2. Plan some hands-free hobbies
Singing, language learning from audio tapes - anything doable out loud and with no hands. Set up shortcuts on your desktop or phone to access these with one click. Maybe you'll get time (and motivation) or maybe you won't, but it's convenient to have them prepared. I used 30-Day Singer, and the FSI Turkish Tapes. I did try some technical Coursera courses but they required too much focus / ability to write on a screen.
3. Adapt chores to one-hand, waist height
Postpartum, I couldn't bend at all and usually had maximum one hand free - so had to adapt as many chores as possible to be doable at waist height, one-handed. Wastebins sat on the shelves, and the cleaning products moved from under the sink to on top of the kitchen counter. Having a spray & cloth out on show, beat hiding it nicely under the kitchen sink, never to be used.
4. Fold a big soft towel in every room
Instant washable baby docking station. Unfortunately stops being as effective when they start rolling around.
5. Wear these tactical patterns
As the baby dribbled a lot, splash-resistant patterns are a tactical choice. Acid wash, mineral wash, distressed fabric, or patterns that disguise splotches well...nobody can spot spat-up milk on these:
