While being a parent or guardian in any capacity is a hard, being the only person responsible for the care of one or more children throws a whole new spin on parenting. Whether you’re about to have a newborn baby join you or you’ve recently ended a relationship through divorce, there are things you can do now to help yourself be ready for some of the obstacles and hurdles you’ll have to face as you parent on your own.
To show you how this can be done, here are three ways to prepare yourself for becoming a single parent.
Get Organized
The first thing you’re going to want to do to get yourself ready to become a single parent is to get organized. Without adequate organization, you might find important things slipping through the cracks simply because you don’t have the ability to get everything done on your own at the last minute.
As part of this organization, Christine Coppa, a contributor to Parenting.com, recommends that you stock up on items that you’ll be needing, especially if you’ll be parenting an infant. By having things on-hand like diapers, wipes, formula, easy dinner ideas and more, you’ll feel much more prepared for anything that comes your way, which can reduce a lot of the stress and anxiety that often comes with being a single parent-or parenting in general.
Find Options For Child Care
Even if you’re able to work from home or spend a lot of time being the primary caregiver of your child, there’s going to come a time where you have something you need to do on your own or simply need to take a little break. To make sure you’re able to do these things, it’s wise to spend some time finding options for child care when you need it.
Whether it’s talking to a few local child care centres or finding someone who has been trained to care for infants and toddlers, it’s important that you have options other than the friend who’s always there to help out. People who are trained and maybe have a Cert iii in childcare or similar certification could be your go-to because you’ll have the assurance of their trained skills and won’t have to worry about whether your child is being neglected. However, when you do talk to a person(s) about this, make sure you get all the details right and that you are able to trust the person you’ll be leaving your child with. Check on their certifications and ask any questions that are on your mind. Try not to stick to the first person you talk to, as it is always helpful to have a few alternative options.
According to the staff at the Mayo Clinic, it can be helpful to have different types of people that you can turn to for child care in various situations. While you might want to have a teen from your neighborhood that can watch your child for a few hours on occasion, you’ll also want to have one or two options on stand-by for daytime child care if you have to go into work or your typical sitter or nanny gets sick. The more options you have, the more likely you’ll be able to find someone to care for your kids when you can’t.
Take Things One Day At A Time Once Baby Arrives
Once you’re officially a single parent, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and under-qualified for the task ahead of you.
To help keep things in perspective, Rachel Sarah, a contributor to Parents.com, recommends that you try to take things one day at a time rather than trying to plan things out too far in advance. If you take on too much, you can really run yourself out in no time. So as hard as it may be, try your best to just take each day as it comes.
If you’re about to find yourself as a single parent, consider using the tips mentioned above to help prepare you for this next phase in your life.
