If you are a new parent or planning on becoming one soon, you have some of the happiest and most exciting times of your life ahead of you, but you also have some challenges to face. Being new at parenting can be stressful and you may feel like you don’t know what you’re doing or that you are doing things wrong, but this is completely normal and all parents go through it! If you know what to expect it will help to ease your nerves.

Here are 3 challenges every new parent will face.

Baby-proofing

Baby-proofing your home means taking out everything that is harmful or could be harmful to a baby or rearranging it and making sure that there’s no way your new baby could get ahold of something that could potentially hurt them. 

Although as a new parent you will be watching your baby almost every second of every day, there will be times when you have to turn your head and one moment is all it takes for a catastrophe. 

With a child around, you will also pay much closer attention to all sorts of things around your house and their dangers. You will find yourself calling an exterminator much more quickly than you would have before kids, and you’ll always be making sure that your smoke detectors and security cameras are working properly. Worrying and being ultra diligent are just parts of parenthood! 

Sleeplessness

Losing sleep is a major part of having children and unfortunately happens to almost every new parent! Babies usually only sleep for a few hours at a time and often wake up in the middle of the night or very early in the morning in need of food or a diaper change. Their loud, wailing cries can definitely affect your sleep schedule and leave you feeling exhausted all the time. The good news is, this won’t go on forever! You will find a routine with your baby and will get used to running off of less sleep than you did when you were childfree. And it’ll all be worth it. 

Messes

Children are messy, especially when they’re babies and can’t clean up after themselves. This is just part of the deal. You can expect to have all types of bodily fluids on your hands, face, clothing, and in your hair. Cleaning products will be your new best friends, and don’t forget to bring a change of clothes for yourself packed into your diaper bag for when you’re on the go with baby. You’ll get used to it and eventually your child will pass this stage and move onto another one that is challenging in different ways. 

Being a new parent, while fun, can also be scary, stressful, and difficult. But fear not, because millions of others have gone through this before you and have gone through all the same stuff. If you know a little about what you can expect, that should make you feel better. Hopefully this list helps!