How To Support A Friend Who’s Just Had A Baby
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Having a baby can be challenging at times! Sure, it’s a joyous time that’s filled with love, but it’s also exhausting and uses up all of your waking hours. And as a good friend, you naturally want to help out! But apart from buying them a great gift for their baby shower, what can you do to help out when your friend’s baby comes along? Well, a little bit of help goes a long way! And the more you can do day by day, week by week, the better you’re going to support your friend during this time of need. Use ideas like those below to get you started.
Respect Their Boundaries
You want to help, of course. But it’d be rude to just barge in and expect your offer to be welcome. So talk to your friend first. Ask them how they feel about visitors, and whether or not you can do anything to help. Be direct about what you want to do for them, but accept their answer as finality. If they say yes, great! Head over and do what you can. But if they say no, just remind them the offer is there and leave them be.
Cook for Them
Food will always be welcome, no matter what house you walk into! And when you’re actively caring for a newborn, you’re not going to have much time to cook for yourself. So bring over something homemade your friend can dig into while you visit. Whether it’s a plate of sandwiches, a plate of cakes and cookies, or a week’s worth of reheatable meals, you’ll be loved forever.
Help Prep Their Back-to-Work Plan
Your friend is going to have to be a working parent at some point in the near future, and that can be a hard decision to go over alone. So head round and sit down with them to talk it out. Go through the pros and cons, the best time to go back to work, and what to do with their child in between. Indeed, you can help them decide on the best form of childcare if they have no family members able to look after their baby. Run through the necessary features; of course, safety is the top priority when choosing a daycare, and then go through facilities nearby that fit the bill.
Clean Up When They Can’t
Cleaning is a pretty intensive activity at the best of times, but when you’ve got a newborn to feed, burp, and put to bed, it’s going to become impossible. Why not get your own duster out and offer to clean up for them? Get permission to put the vacuum around while they’re out, load the dishwasher, and even strip the beds if need be. Your help here will be much appreciated.
If you want to be the best friend ever, be there when there’s a new baby in town! Bring food, clean up, and hand out some mental energy they’ll very much depend on.
*This article is based on personal suggestions and/or experiences and is for informational purposes only. This should not be used as professional advice. Please consult a professional where applicable.
