serenity kids community round up the best advice and gifts for new moms

Serenity Kids Community Round-Up: The Best Advice and Gifts for New Moms

Estimated time to read 8 minutes

Becoming a mom is one of the most exciting times of a woman’s life. But we’d be lying if we said it didn’t come with some feelings of nervousness. This is completely normal, but sometimes you just need some realistic advice from other moms who have been in your shoes and know exactly what made their journey as a new mom a little easier.

So we asked you — the Serenity Kids community — for your best advice and gifts for a new mom. Here is a round-up of your feedback.

Advice for new moms from real moms

1. Sleep when you can

This is one of the most common pieces of advice given to new moms. But let's be honest — we all know it can be hard to sleep when it feels like the dirty bottles, dishes, and laundry are piling up around you. Not to mention, putting down a snuggly sleeping baby is hard.
However, according to studies, sleep plays a vital role in helping your body heal from delivery and may reduce your risk for postpartum depression. It will also help improve your overall mood, patience, and your ability to actually soak in and enjoy these early days with your new baby.

Remember that you don’t have to nap every time your baby is sleeping, although nobody would blame you if you did. You can find a balance between holding your baby when they sleep, taking a nap yourself, and catching up on chores. Just find what works best for you and your family.

2. Shower when baby is awake

Showering when the baby is asleep is probably more common, but showering when your little one is awake is an easy way to free up some time during nap time to actually sleep.
Simply bring a bouncy seat into the bathroom with you — if your bathroom is smaller, you may have to leave the door open and place their seat in the doorway. Replace the shower curtain liner with a clear liner and fold the decorative shower curtain over the top bar or use a ponytail to tie it, so you can easily see your baby during your shower.

3. Keep track of feedings and naps

Although it may seem like wearing a baby out will help them sleep better, it actually has the opposite effect. In fact, an overtired baby will have a hard time falling asleep and may sleep for a shorter period.
Keeping track of when your baby eats and sleeps will help you anticipate when they will be hungry or tired, so you can be prepared and hopefully avoid some tears.

4. Visit a lactation consultant

If you’re breastfeeding, schedule an appointment with a lactation consultant early on — ideally during the first few weeks of your baby’s life when they’re still learning to breastfeed.

5. Be realistic

You can’t do it all. Be realistic with what you plan to accomplish in a day. Going into motherhood with a long list and expectations for yourself will set you up for disappointment. Try to set boundaries for yourself and lean on your friends and family for support.

6. Give yourself grace

This applies to so many aspects of motherhood — from our postpartum bodies to trying to maintain a clean house. Most importantly, remember that your baby and husband think that you’re Supermom at the end of the day, even if you don’t stay caught up on all the household chores.

7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

New moms often feel like they’re doing everything on their own. But sometimes, this results from not asking for help or not accepting the help when it’s offered.
Be open and honest about what you need and how someone can help you. It may not be apparent to your partner or anyone else exactly what you need, but your loved ones will want to help however they can.

8. Remember that babies are only babies for one year

Everyone will tell you to enjoy this time with your baby and family because it goes by quickly. And it’s true. Soak it all in while you can and be as present as possible.

Best 2022 postpartum gift ideas from our community

Food, food, and more food

Worrying about cooking dinner and cleaning up afterward is not what any new mom should be thinking about, especially while healing from delivery. Any help in the food category will be appreciated during these early days.
Other ways to help out a new mom with mealtime include:

Comfortable loungewear

After having a baby, comfort is your friend. Although nobody would fault you for staying in your pajamas all day, we’ve all done it — cute loungewear is a great way to feel comfortable while looking a little more put together.
Some of our favorite items include:

Help with household chores

After having a baby, the last thing a new mom wants to worry about is household chores. There are many different ways you can help out, so you can find something that works for your schedule and budget.

Self-care for mama

As any mom will tell you, self-care is easy to put on the back burner once you start having kids. Other top self-care product recommendations for new mamas include:

You got this, mama!

Motherhood is a whirlwind of emotions — it’s exciting, scary, invigorating, and exhausting. Whether you’re a new mom yourself or have a new mom in your life, we hope this article gives you some ideas of what other moms have found works best for them.