Parenting Infants • • • •

Starting Strong from the Very Beginning

Bringing a baby home from the hospital can be one of the sweetest and scariest moments all at the same time. Finally the work of pregnancy, labor, and delivery is over and now you have that little baby as a trophy for all that effort. Or maybe you adopted your baby. Years of waiting and pursuing have brought you to this point. But now what?

So many ideas are out there about raising children. You can pick and choose through the libraries of wisdom to develop your own strategy of parenting. You may try some things for a while and then switch to something else that you believe might work better. That’s one of the signs of a good parent. You have to be flexible and take time to get to know your baby.

All children are unique and special. There is no “one right way” to parent. You’ll find wisdom in books and the vast opinions of moms and dads who have gone before you but you’ll have to evaluate which of those ideas is best for you and your baby.

It’s important to start good parenting now. Sure you’ll need ideas about feeding, bathing, dressing, and carrying your baby. Most importantly you’ll want to develop a philosophy of parenting early on. We have a lot of ideas for you and you’ll find some great help here. But taken as a whole, the ideas represent a way of living with children that helps them grow and develop physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.

We say that parenting is heart work. In fact that’s the name of one of our books. It would be helpful for you to read that book as soon as you can because it gives you a strategy for parenting that goes beyond simple behavior modification. Read more about Parenting is Heart Work here.

We know that you’ll have many questions about how best to handle things like sleeping through the night, feeding schedules, separation anxiety, and other common areas. And it won’t be long before you’ll be asking questions about discipline, potty training, and working through other toddler related issues. You may want purchase the CD set called Parenting Toddlers available in our web store.

We have another resource you'll find helpful now. There's an online support group for parents of infants. Joanne Miller, RN, BSN manages that support group. She’s a pediatric nurse and you’ll find that the group offers wisdom and support from other parents just like yourself. You’ll learn ideas, discover more resources, and be able to share your own concerns.

Spiritual development starts now. Talking to your baby, singing worship songs, and even telling Bible stories is an excellent way to begin good habits of spiritual interaction. Be sure to pray for and with your baby often. When parents pray with each other and with their kids, they develop spiritual bonds that are so important for families.

As your baby grows and develops you’ll make important parenting shifts. We want to help you all along the way. If you haven’t already done so, you might want to sign up for free email parenting tips. Although those tips are generally for parenting children ages 2 to 18, you’ll benefit from seeing the advice go by now to prepare you for what lies ahead.

We have more resources in the works for infants so check back with us often. We’d love to help you as you continue to grow as a parent. May God richly bless you and your family.