7 Tips for New Moms to Establish an Effective Parenting Style

Bringing an infant into the world can be a beautiful experience, but the responsibilities of being a new mom can be overwhelming. When surveyed, 30% of new moms find parenting much more challenging than anticipated – 10% higher than men.

Knowing how to parent your child is not always an instinctual act. There is no handbook, and parents make mistakes.

Learning how to parent effectively can help your child in many ways as you prepare them for the next stage of life. You can adopt four main parenting styles, and we’re covering several tips for new moms to help guide you in selecting the right one.

If you’re looking for parenting tips on adopting an effective parenting style, this article will help. Keep reading for some solid advice on positive parenting, and start seeing the change in your child today.

Types of Parenting Styles

According to experts, you can develop four primary parenting styles: authoritative, permissive, authoritarian, and neglectful or uninvolved. Whichever you choose will significantly impact your child for the rest of their life. Let’s briefly look at each before diving into some valuable tips for new moms.

Authoritative

An authoritative parenting style is one most backed by research and recommended by professionals. This parenting style involves setting rules and boundaries and setting the appropriate consequences if the rules get broken. In authoritative parenting, the child gets an opportunity to share their feelings and opinions, and the parent takes these into account.

Permissive

Permissive parents are more laid back and lenient when parenting their children. Parents who use this parenting style often don’t follow through with consequences for bad behavior.

This parenting style can negatively affect children and make them more likely to struggle in school. Children who grow up with permissive parents often battle with authority later in life because they were permitted to get away with anything when they were younger.

Authoritarian

Our next parenting style falls on the opposite end of the scale because authoritarian parents believe children should follow the rules exactly or suffer the consequences. There is no negotiating with an authoritarian parent as they subscribe to the belief of “my house, my rules.” This parenting style relies on punishment rather than guiding a child to make better choices.

Neglectful/Uninvolved

Uninvolved parents take a more hands-off approach and tend to leave their kids to raise themselves. Parents who adopt this parenting style typically don’t know, or care to know, what their child is up to.

This parenting style may be unintentional if, for example, a parent has to work long hours to support the family. Children with uninvolved or neglectful parents struggle with school, low self-esteem, and happiness.

Positive Parenting Tips for New Moms

Now that we’ve reviewed the different parenting styles, we can look at parenting tips for new moms. Here are the seven best to help you adopt a more positive parenting style that will adequately prepare your child for becoming an adult.

1. Be a Good Role Model

The first of our tips for new moms is to be a good role model. Too often, children hear, “Do what I say, not what I do,” from their parents, which can be very damaging.

You want to be a positive role model in your child’s life because kids learn by imitation. For this reason, you want to demonstrate positive behaviors like showing other people respect and having empathy toward others.

2. Use Routines

As a new mom, you can quickly become overwhelmed by all the parenting responsibilities you now have on your plate. One way to combat this and adopt a more effective parenting style is to use routines. Kids function best when they have structure to follow.

This helps them know what to expect next, which allows them to relax in their environment and focus on more important things. So, when your child is old enough, introduce visual aids such as a chores chart. This way, your child can learn how to manage their time in their daily living, setting them up for success as an adult.

3. Dedicate Time

Being a new mom can be overwhelming, especially if you have more than one child. In today’s climate of long work hours and technology distractions like cell phones and TV, parents can quickly find themselves with no time to dedicate to their children.

As you adopt a more effective parenting style, ensure you spend at least 15 minutes with your kids individually. You can use this time to teach them new lessons, listen to what they say, read a book together, and other similar positive activities.

4. Find Effective Consequences

When disciplining your child as a new mom, you want to ensure you put effectual consequences for unwanted behavior in place. Setting constructive repercussions means finding ones your child responds to.

Additionally, you want to ensure you set fair consequences for your child. For example, if they don’t pack away their toys when asked to, an appropriate repercussion would be to take them away for a day or two. It’s essential to follow through with your consequences and not give in so your child knows they’re non-negotiable

Pro Tip: There are many websites with advice on parenting that helps with empowering mothers with knowledge.

5. Involve Your Children

Another bit of advice for new moms is that children have thoughts, feelings, and opinions. When you, as a parent, engage them effectively, they will feel confident to share them with you.

Until a certain age, kids need their decisions made for them, but when they become more independent, you must teach your children to make their own decisions. You can start by asking their opinion on whether or not a punishment is fair, asking them to choose the book they want to read, etc.

6. Say No

Something many new moms find challenging is saying no to their children. However, children need to learn that they can only sometimes get what they want and know how to handle it gracefully. If you’re constantly giving in to your child’s whims, they will struggle later in life with authority figures which can negatively impact their career.

Take time to explain to your child why you’re saying no so they understand you’re not doing it to be mean. However, when saying no, it’s vital to do so in a firm but positive way.

7. Set Aside “Me Time”

The final of our tips for new moms is to make time for yourself. You may have heard the saying, “You can’t pour from an empty cup, ” especially concerning parenting. If you’re a single mom, lean on family and friends or hire a babysitter so you can set aside some “me time” to rejuvenate yourself. Setting aside this time can also teach your child that self-care and independence are essential.

Adopt a Positive Parenting Style and See the Change Today

Becoming a parent is a momentous responsibility, and learning how to parent your child effectively is vital. Effective parenting teaches your child to understand “no,” involving them in decision-making, creating routines, and setting aside time to revitalize yourself.

Teaching your child these things will better prepare them for adulthood. We hope these tips for new moms have helped you better understand how to adjust your parenting for the most favorable outcome.

If you want to read more mom-related articles like this one, check out our other categories. We have more in our Family, Life, and Parenting categories.

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