Sharing parenting duties 101

While dad can’t breastfeed your newborn, there are numerous other ways you can encourage him to bond with your baby.

Here are some tried-and-tested tips on how to get your partner more involved during the newborn phase:

Change nappies

Right from the get-go, your partner can step in to help change nappies. Any new mom will tell you just how useful just that one simple gesture can be.

Help with feeding duty

If you’re breastfeeding, it’s a bit tricky to get him involved in feeding time. But he can hold the baby while you pump, and also help you figure out the right position to feed. He can also get involved in the burping phase – I know I could never get it right and my hubby turned out to be an ace at it! If you are bottle-feeding (whether it’s pumped milk or formula), dads can get involved with the feeding and it would be good to encourage him to do as many as he can. This will give you a break and also help him bond with the baby.

Run errands

Now’s not the time to feel embarrassed or guilty to ask for help. Let your hubby do all the running around, from changing baby, bathing baby, and soothing baby when he’s crying or needs to be rocked to sleep. (Some dads have become quite the pros at babywearing these days!)  He can also do the tidying up around the house, he can go to the shops for you, and help you in and out of the bath and bed if needs be (especially after a C-section).

Give you some TLC

Your baby isn’t the only one that needs some TLC, you do too. Let your partner make and bring you meals and cups of tea to help you recover and build up your strength. If cooking isn’t his thing, at least get him involved in the grocery shopping, getting prepared meals from the shop, or ordering takeaways if need be!

Share sleepless nights

There’s probably no area where you need his support more than getting your baby to sleep. It doesn’t matter how you go about this – everyone has their one way of figuring this out – having him right there with you is going to be a blessing. He can help by putting baby to sleep or taking turns with you to check on the baby. When your baby grows, Dad can continue to be involved in the bedtime and bath time routine. Also, get him involved in cuddling up and chatting and reading to your baby. Research shows that babies are familiar with the sound of their dad’s voice from when they are still in the womb, so encourage him to bond with your baby from the get-go in this way.

Let him find his own daddy groove

There’s so many things your partner can do to help, but you have to know he’s probably going do it a whole lot differently to you. And that’s okay. Give him some space to discover his own special routines and rituals with the baby. It doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect because, at the end of the day, it’ll still be helpful and give you some time to catch your breath. What’s more, you’re encouraging them to bond, which in the bigger scheme of things will benefit you all as a family in the long run.