What Is a Baby Planner and How Can It Help You?
Parenthood is a universe full of uncertainties, recommendations, and doubts about where to start, even when we’ve read the latest recommended books. Although each child presents their own challenges, the arrival of the first child in a family doubles the stakes, and some advice can be confusing. That’s why it’s important to use our own resources that allow us to know ourselves, get informed, feel safe and prepare ourselves for what’s to come. With that in mind, we want to suggest reaching out to a baby planner.
There will always be a share of surprise, typical of any bond in full development, but there’s also much we can do to connect with motherhood and turn it into a pleasant experience. The advice of a baby planner can be one of those good tools, so we’re going to tell you what it is. Keep reading!
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What’s a baby planner?
A baby planner is one of the ways in which you can seek the service of accompaniment and advice regarding parenthood. They’re especially useful for those who are going down this road for the first time, as the experience really turns your world upside down. And because there’s so much contradictory advice out there, it’s really important to find your own path.
Therefore, a baby planner can give you a general idea about how to get organized, help you establish priorities, and guide you in the short and medium term. They play a key role in showing you different options and, especially, in adjusting expectations and dismantling unique ideas or plans.
Having this help can bring you serenity and calm in a situation that, in itself, is stressful. However, planning shouldn’t be confused with rigidity, as thinking about the future doesn’t imply clinging to a single idea. It’s not about leaving your partner out of the process, but rather it’s about facilitating an experience so you can live it to the fullest.
It’s very important to emphasize that the service provided by a baby planner doesn’t replace other resources that prepare women for motherhood. In other words, seeing a baby planner isn’t a therapeutic process, nor does it replace medical or midwife check-ups. It can be a very useful and practical complement, but the roles shouldn’t be confused.
Finally, it’s true that not everyone will be able to hire this professional service. If that’s the case, it’s good to be able to think of alternatives to it, such as using a notebook or planner to write down all the objectives or tasks you wish to accomplish. Also, it will help determine the resources and budgets you have to face this new reality.
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How a baby planner can help you
Next, we’ll share with you some ideas about how the help of a person with expertise in motherhood and parenting could be useful.
- It’s a way to transition into the new role you’ll have to occupy. If we prepare for every decision we make in our lives, then becoming parents should be no exception. It’s also to help you make your own decisions, in the midst of a maelstrom of advice and other people’s experiences.
- It serves to get in touch with your emotional state and to start sizing up how you feel about the change your life will bring. It’s often believed that the maternal instinct will develop naturally, but it’s a unique and dynamic bond that’s built with your baby, in a moment of revolution and change.
- This is the starting point to reflect on parenting and on the model you want to apply in your home. Many times, we repeat models uncritically, out of inertia, because we’ve always seen it done that way. However, stopping to think about what we want gives us an opportunity to make our own decisions and walk our own path.
- It helps you to optimize your time, to understand which needs should be covered first, and which are secondary. At the same time, a baby planner can also guide you as to which accessories are essential and which are less necessary. Because in the need to have “everything under control”, you may be tempted to spend money on things you don’t actually need.
- Baby planners are a source of updated information regarding trends and research on parenting issues (child development, attachment, breastfeeding, postpartum, among others). Many times, we get carried away by the advice of third parties and don’t inquire about its source, which can lead us to make mistakes.
The importance of preparing
Motherhood doesn’t mean seeking perfection. On the contrary, it’s about building teams: With your partner (if present), with your family, with your network of friends. It’s also about recognizing your strengths and using them, as well as identifying your weaknesses and dealing with them.
Finally, it’s about seeking an experience of motherhood that you can enjoy, that allows you to connect with the baby in front of you, that’s experienced as a moment of learning and growth. While there are changes, stress doesn’t have to overcome you in this process of adaptation. Becoming a parent requires the ability to be flexible, adaptable, and realistic with change so that we can embrace it day by day.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- Verea, C. P. (2004). “Malas madres”: la construcción social de la maternidad. Debate feminista, 30, 12-34.
- de María Cáceres-Manrique, F., Molina-Marín, G., & Ruiz-Rodríguez, M. (2014). Maternidad: un proceso con distintos matices y construcción de vínculos. Aquichan, 14(3), 3196-326.