Changes and Milestones to Be Prepared for As A New Parent

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As amazing as the newborn stage of parenting can be, the wonder of watching your child develop, experience the world, and learn things can be just a special time, if not more special. Exploring the world through your baby’s eyes can be just as exciting as a parent as you get to see the world differently than you would as an adult and see what there is to learn and explore.

Guiding your baby through developmental milestones and witnessing their first of many “firsts” is an exhilarating journey. It’s true that babies will never learn or develop as fast as they do in their first few years of life, and being a part of this rapid growth is a joyous experience.

Understanding the activities your baby is about to engage in and being prepared for the changes they bring is crucial. It allows you to make the necessary adjustments in your life and your home, ensuring a safe and nurturing environment for your baby. 

First roll

Their first roll, unaided, signifies that they are figuring out their body and how to control it. Rolling over for the first time signals that your baby is no longer content with simply lying there; they want to move more and explore the environment. This means the environment needs to be ready for them.

Once they start rolling over, you need to be aware of where you leave them alone and the surfaces around them. For example, if you set them down on a raised changing table, will you be able to hold them if they suddenly roll mid-diaper change? Or if you usually leave them supported on a sofa or chair with pillows and cushions around them, will it be safe for them once they learn to roll and do so with more frequency?

Sit to Stand

Once your baby is starting to get more mobile and they’re exploring more, the sit-to-stand action of them pulling themselves up can give them so much more confidence and allow them to get to different places and see from different viewpoints.

But is it safe for them to do so? Furniture that can be used to pull themselves up must be secured to floors or walls so it doesn’t topple over on the baby if they decide to use it for support to elevate themselves. Be aware of what they might attempt to use to pull themselves up from sitting positions to allow you to assess safety in your home and keep them safe.

Discovering Their Voice

Once your baby finds their voice for reasons other than crying to communicate with you, it can open up a whole new world for them. They will be chatting and mimicking sounds, and this can be so much fun as a parent as you get to show them how to use their newly discovered vocal cords.

While this isn’t a danger to the baby or yourself, it can be something you need to prepare for. You will be used to their different sounds and cries for different reasons, i.e., their hungry cry or their tired wail, for example. But a new way of communicating can change this, and as a parent, you may suddenly find you’re missing cues or don’t quite understand what they’re telling you.

While their babbling might be just that, it is important to pay attention to changes in how they communicate so you can still meet their needs and help them build on this new skill with ease and reinforce the rules they are making. 

Sleep Progression and Regression

Sleep regression is when your baby reaches certain ages, the sleep patterns you thought you had reinforced and down to a tee can be suddenly thrown into chaos as the baby decides they no longer want to cooperate. They’re not doing this to stay awake longer or to be spiteful. Sleep regression is a real stage babies go through, and it can be quite unsettling for everyone. 

Sleep regression can occur at 4, 6, 8, 12, 18, and 24 months, and you can deal with this in various ways. You can reinforce your bedtime routine so that nothing changes and your baby still goes to sleep at the same time, etc. You can introduce calming bedtime routines, i.e., a bath and story before bed. You can ensure they stay in their designated sleep space to reinforce further recognizable sleeping habits and patterns and, most importantly, be patient. It is a stage their body goes through as they develop, and it is entirely normal, if not a little bit frustrating. 

On the other hand, as your baby grows, you need to be able to introduce them to different sleeping environments. Whether you need to know when to switch from crib to toddler bed, move from toddler bed to regular bed, or adapt your baby’s sleeping times and nap durations as they get older, you need to be aware of the different ways your babies’ sleeping habits can and will change and how you can support them to get still the rest they need in a healthy way.

If you do not adapt your routine to accommodate changes in sleeping habits as your baby moves through the first couple of years, you might undo all of the work you have put into creating a consistent bedtime routine and be unable to help them grow and develop as they need to, especially if they’re not sleeping in an appropriately sized bed.

Self Feeding

The fun part of parenting, when your baby starts on solid foods, can be a rollercoaster for many parents. Finally, you need to decide on the feeding approach you want to take, whether you start off spoon-feeding your child pureed foods or follow the baby led weaning viewpoint, you need to prepare for the feeding part of your parenting journey as soon as they’re old enough to introduce food into their diet.

This means ensuring you know how to feed your baby, what the best foods and preparations are, and, more importantly, the best spoons for feeding your baby and allowing them to start learning to feed themselves.

Floor coverings can be beneficial, as can removing pets from the area once the baby starts learning to feed themselves and finding suitable clothing for both you and the baby, including bibs that allow for a cleaner feeding experience and fewer ruined clothes.