7 Of The Biggest Challenges With Having an Under One Year Old
As soon as you have a child, it seems as though your entire lifestyle changes overnight. Suddenly, you’re faced with the task of looking after this sweet innocent being and nothing about yourself matters anymore. Although you should certainly be taking care of yourself too, it’s hard to see past the youngster you’ve created. Any parent would be lying if they said having a child under one was easy work; it’s challenging, it’s tiring and it can be very lonely at times too. However, you can work through these challenges in a positive way and find your own methods. Your one and only wish may be to sleep better, but it will soon settle into place and you’ll have your own routine in place. Perhaps you’re struggling with a new crawler, or they’re changing so quickly that it’s difficult to keep up. All of these worries, concerns and struggles are completely normal and they will get easier as time goes by. With that being said, here are seven of the biggest challenges most parents will agree on when it comes to having a child under the age of one.
Lack of Sleep Consistency
Sleep is a thing of the past when you’ve got a child under one living in your home. Usually, it starts off with a bedtime routine that consists of fighting with them to get them to drift off, even when they’re in their most tired state. Then you might experience several wakings in the night which may be due to 10 month sleep regression symptoms or generally unsettled sleep. Rest assured, this will just be a phase and you will be able to get a good night’s sleep again someday. Being able to predict when they fall asleep and when they get up again will be nice in the future, it’s just not always possible when they’re still so young.
Feeding Issues
There are so many different milestones when it comes to feeding a baby that’s under the age of one. Some people may find challenges with bottle feeding, breastfeeding or weaning onto solid foods. All of these challenges are legitimate and will be being experienced by other parents in the same position as you. If you are concerned about your baby’s eating habits, you may want to consult your pediatrician for further advice on the matter. They will be able to send you some guidance so that your little one is nourished in the best way for them.
Movement Milestones
When your baby rolls over for the first time, waves their hand or starts crawling, these are huge milestones that you want to take note of, but it can be hard to keep up. Going from a crawling baby to a walking baby is a huge step and it can often take time to adjust to these changes.
Learning and Communication
Babies can find it very frustrating to communicate when they are so little, because there is still so much to learn. Parents can find it equally challenging too as they just want to know how to help their baby and support them through these changes too. With that being said, watching your baby learn, grow and communicate in new ways is so fulfilling and joyous that you may find the positives outweigh the negatives.
The Speed of Change
Your baby is going to go through so many changes very quickly and you may not like the speed that it’s happening. Some parents struggle to adapt to the ever changing needs of their baby as there is a huge difference between a one month old and a one year old!
Going Out and About
When you have a tiny baby that lays still in their pram for hours on end, you may be able to go out for lunch or get coffee with your friend without a second thought. As soon as your baby is rolling over, crawling or even toddling before the age of one, it becomes much more difficult to get out and about. This is a challenge that gets easier with time; you just have to ride out the tough moments and look forward to the times when they can just walk along beside you!
Loneliness as a Parent
Having a baby under the age of one is isolating to say the least. Perhaps you’re mourning the loss of your old life and longing to have a little slice or normality back someday soon. It is completely normal to feel lonely after you’ve had a baby, but you don’t have to suffer alone. It’s so important to speak out to people you trust and allow friends and family to support you in any way that they can. Being around other parents who are also in the same position as you can be very helpful too, as everyone will understand exactly what you’re going through.
It is very easy to say right now, but make sure you enjoy the small moments when they’re so tiny. You will never get these memories back and you’ll look back on them fondly. Although the sleep regressions may send you into a frenzied place at the time, and the feeding problems are enough to worry you to death, they are all hurdles that can be overcome. Working alongside your partner and finding your own rhythm in your new life may take time to adjust to, but the rewards will be worth it so much more in the end. You will certainly resonate with some of the challenges mentioned above, and they’re all a completely natural part of parenthood. Finding comfort in the fact that there are thousands of other parents out there in the world going through the same thing right now may help you to feel at ease during tough times. Ultimately, you will find your very own way of navigating through these challenges of having a child under one. As they get older things get harder in a different way, so try to savor the small moments of delight whilst you work your way through the trenches of having a tiny person to raise!