How Parenting Changes Your Life

Becoming a parent is a major change that, honestly, no one prepares you for. You might read books, take classes, and get advice that might help, but it doesn’t give you the whole insight. Life might become a bit more hectic, but it is also filled with so much love for your child. You become ready to give up so much to watch that little person be happy and satisfied. When your family starts growing, you can expect a lot of changes. Here are some of the ways that becoming a parent changes your life.

You will need a bigger bed

Before you got a baby, you probably had a smaller bed that could hardly be called a bed at all. However, as your family grows, you realize that your mattress has to grow with it too. There are a lot of benefits to upgrading to a mattress that is the size of king bed dimensions, considering how your lifestyle will change when you have children. If you’re a parent who is comfortable with sharing your bed with your children or newborn, a bigger mattress reduces any potential risks like rolling onto each other. 

Another advantage is when you need to do nighttime feeds in bed, you won’t have to disturb your partner. Your baby might wake up in the middle of the night hungry and you must tend to them. Having a roomier bed means less stress for you and your partner, plus your child’s comfort. Your baby will want snuggles in the morning. They automatically become your alarm and you’ll have to take them out of their crib and put them in your bed. A bigger bed creates more space for the child to crawl and wiggle.

Changes in sleeping patterns

Having children will change your sleeping patterns, whether it’s a toddler, kindergartner, or preteen. You might have nights they sleep soundly and other times, you get sleepless nights. Most of the time it is infants who influence your sleep pattern because they have a sleeping pattern that’s different from yours. The baby’s REM (time in which dreams occur) is different. Baby’s spend approximately eighty percent of their sleep time in REM, whereas, adults spend twenty percent. On average, an adult’s sleep cycle goes for ninety minutes while a baby goes for fifty minutes. Hence, babies sleep for shorter periods, around four hours, and wake up easily. Automatically, when the baby wakes up, you’ll have to wake up and attend to it. This means sleep deprivation for you as a parent. However, there are a lot of different ways you can compensate for that lost sleep.

Financial planning for the future

Before becoming a parent, you probably bought everything you wanted without thinking twice. But when children come into the equation, they give you a sense of responsibility and patience. Instead of just planning for day-to-day stuff, you will start planning for the future. Children give you the need to save more as you look at the bigger picture. The wise parent will learn the joys of budgeting and think twice before making a large purchase. You learn to not only look at material things, but also important investments like school activities, sports, summer camp, and college funds, etc. You invest in your children more than anything else.

Healthier eating habits

As a parent, you always have to lead by example. Fast food might be a tempting choice if you’re a parent on the go, but it’s definitely not the healthiest for your children. You become more entitled to making healthier meals for them. You pick healthier choices instead of junk. When you change your eating habits and make eating healthy normal, that’s what your children will learn too. Most of your meals will have to be healthier to protect your children’s health. With technology, you don’t even have to hassle. If you don’t have time to go grocery shopping, you can actually order them online and have them delivered to your doorstep.

There are countless ways your life changes with having children. But with modern parenting skills, you’re good to go. Children are a beautiful part of our lives.

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