A New-Parent Cheat Sheet for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, receive a bouquet of flowers from two children as they leave the Canadian High Commission following a visit on Commonwealth Day in London, on March 11, 2019.
Becoming a new parent comes with a wide range of emotions, from joy and excitement, to overwhelm and, well, utter fear. Did you read enough baby books? Did you practice changing enough diapers? How much do you need to feed your baby? Why is it so small?
These are the thoughts racing through the minds of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan now that they've welcomed their baby boy into the world, but they’re certainly not the first or last parents to feel this way. That’s why we created a new-parent cheat sheet of articles that answer all the pining questions asked by first-time moms and dads. We have it covered when it comes to boosting your baby’s brain power, soothing a colicky baby and even embracing tantrums as they get older.
Congrats (and good luck) to the new royal parents and everyone else experiencing parenthood for the first time!
What to Know About Breastfeeding
Many new moms look forward to the possibility of breastfeeding as a way to bond with their baby. But what may come easily to some, certainly does not to others.
Check out this snapshot of what to expect before and after birth in preparation for this equally magical and frustrating experience.
Getting Baby to Sleep
Are you wondering when you will ever sleep again? If your baby is keeping you up all hours of the night, this article offers some tricks to get your baby to sleep.
Our personal favorite? The French “pause” suggests parents let the baby cry for a minute or two to see they can settle down on their own before rushing to their side.
Soothing a Colicky Baby
If your baby is colicky, it can be quite frustrating for both parent and child, mainly because the cause of it remains a mystery.
But don’t panic, here’s a lengthy list of ways to soothe a colicky baby as well as give you a better understanding of the issue at hand.
Boost Your Baby’s Brain Power
Every parent wants their baby to excel, and that means doing everything you can to enhance your baby’s brain power.
It doesn’t have to be as difficult as it sounds though. Here’s a guide to easy, daily tasks — from reading to snuggling to playing — that you can make part of your routine, while also enhancing your baby’s early development.
Baby Food Done Right
Want to know when to start feeding your baby solid foods? This article starts at the beginning, suggesting that you start your 5- or 6-month-old with semi-solid foods like baby cereal.
Then, it takes you through all the steps of feeding, with recipes for veggie purees, egg muffins and more exotic foods like Japanese and Indian.
Use Baby Sign Language
Your baby will likely not begin forming two- or four-word sentences until 18 months at the earliest. That’s an entire 1.5 years of very little communication.
Enter Baby Sign Language. As early as 6 months, your baby can start learning basic signs to tell you if he or she is hungry, thirsty or tired. Just read this to learn all the signs you’ll need for those early stages of your baby’s life.
Surviving Travel With Kids
If Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan follow any of Princess Diana’s parenting steps, they will likely be traveling with their baby at a very young age. Luckily for them, they get the royal treatment and don’t have to worry much about bothering other passengers on airplanes.
But the other 99.9 percent of us could really use some tools to help make flight times pass quickly. Band-Aid watches, stickers and drawn-out snack times make this read both entertaining and informative for those new parents who still need to get from place to place.
Fears Toddlers Face
Darkness, bad weather, strangers — you name it, and your little one is likely afraid of it. Rest assured, however, that it’s completely normal.
Here’s a roundup of 15 typical fears that toddlers face and how to help them overcome some of these anxieties.
Things Never to Say to Your Child
If your baby is still an infant, it may be difficult to believe that one day very soon they will piss you off so much that you might say something you regret.
We’ve all been there, but if you can, try to avoid these phrases at all costs.
Common Discipline Mistakes
Not only will you say something to your child that you regret, you also will likely make some mistakes when it comes to discipline. Lacking consistency, disciplining when angry and forgetting to use age-appropriate techniques are all common.
Read this guide to learn more about the mistakes you can make and alternative ways that will make disciplining easier for everyone involved.
Diversity Education Matters
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s baby is the first biracial family member to be born into the royal family, which means the other family members should really start upping their diversity education game (if they haven't already). Same goes for the rest of the world that will be watching this little tike grow up in the spotlight.
Not only can diversity education for young children help society reduce biases on a larger scale, but it can also help with your child’s development. This article tells you how.
Embracing Tantrums
Ahhh, the dreaded tantrum. Every parent’s nightmare doesn’t have to be one if you embrace that tantrum instead.
As this author points out, children have BIG emotions, and tantrums are a way to help your child analyze them and share them so that eventually they’ll be able to handle them in a more mature way.
Avoid Ruining Your Kid’s Childhood
Of course, all parents fear that they will do something so wrong that they will ruin their kid’s childhood altogether.
While that’s very unlikely, this article shares some key things you can avoid doing in an effort to raise a more well-rounded human being.
What to Know Before Having a Second Baby
While some may argue it’s too soon to start talking about the second royal baby for Harry and Meghan, we disagree. Having a second baby comes with a whole new set of responsibilities that make parenting quite different than when you only have one.
So, it’s never too early to start understanding those differences. This mom shares some of the more enlightening aspects of having a second child that she wishes someone would have shared with her.
Hysterical Parenting Memes
Parenting definitely has its ups and downs, which is why it’s good to remember to have a sense of humor through it all. Luckily, there’s a meme that pokes fun at just about every struggle associated with raising children. Our favorite? A “Breaking Bad” picture of money piles, with the caption: “When you go back and look at what you’ve spent on daycare over the years.”
So, take the time to scroll through this list and have a good laugh. After all, parenting goes by too fast not to look on the bright side. The royal baby and all the other 2019 babies will be adults before we know it — cliche, but oh so true.