Accept Reality – If you stress yourself out about having an untidy house, you’re going to miss out on some of the best moments in your baby’s life. Make “don’t sweat the small stuff” your mantra – and accept the reality that your house is never going to be pristine when there’s a baby, toddler or child underfoot.

Imperfection is Okay – Nobody is perfect, but if there’s anyone on earth who needs to be told that, it’s a new parent. Don’t beat yourself up when you become frustrated or even upset with your little one – nobody can keep up a perky mood 24/7. As long as you have good intentions, you should be just fine.

Savor the Small Things – Be sure to remind yourself to appreciate the small, seemingly forgettable moments that you have with your child. From time to time, sit back and reflect on what a great time you’re having with your baby. Before you know it, he’ll be a teenager.

Maintain Friendships and Prioritize Romance – You shouldn’t let your friendships – or your marriage – fall by the wayside when you have a baby. After all, those relationships help to nurture and sustain you. Without them, your stress levels will be that much higher – and your parenting skills will suffer. Take time to be romantic with your spouse, and set aside time to hang out with your friends – kids-free.

Make Dinnertime a Priority – Right off the bat, make dinnertime a time for the whole family to be together in a quiet, relaxed way. As your child grows older, you’ll be glad that dinnertime is a tradition in your household. You don’t have to serve gourmet meals, either – the simple act of sitting down together as a family should more than suffice.

Get in on the Playtime Action – Watching your child play on the floor is great. However, it’s even better when you make a point of joining her. Whatever age she may be, get into the habit of joining your child during her playtime. She’ll always remember what a fun, involved parent you were – and it will afford you the opportunity to find out more about your little one.

Take Care of Yourself – As one of the most important people in your child’s life, it is imperative for you to stick around for as long as possible. Therefore, eating right and getting plenty of exercise is critical. Not only that, but doing those things sets a great example for your child to follow.

There’s no guidebook available for parenthood. All of us make it up as we go along. However, the preceding tips can help you strike an important balance in your life – and in your baby’s life. Down the line, keeping these points in mind will make you a better parent. And remember the best parents always keep kids in mind when making important decisions.

Consistency Matters

Early in her life, your baby will thrive with a routine. Consistency is essential to a baby’s happiness and healthiness, so be sure to have a schedule in place for things like naps, playtime, feedings and other daily events. Furthermore, enhance consistency by keeping the same toys and objects in the home; resist the temptation to introduce one new toy after another. In doing so, you will confuse your baby and make it more difficult for her to improve her memory. When a baby’s surroundings and routine remain relatively static, she is bound to flourish.

Use Her Name

Don’t fall into the habit of calling your baby “baby” too often – and don’t forget to address her altogether. Your baby will gradually begin to recognize her own name. This is one of the first signs that her memory is growing and improving, so make sure to use her name as frequently as possible. If you feel a little ridiculous by using her name nonstop, then you are probably using it enough!

Add New Skills and Toys Gradually

New toys and games give babies the opportunity to grow their memories. However, giving them an onslaught of several new toys at once – or introducing a new toy on one day, and another on the very next – will only confuse your little one. Make it a point to introduce new toys gradually; let her hone her skills with each one before moving on to the next one. This will get your baby into the habit of learning, which is one that will serve her well throughout her life.

Don’t Skip Naptime

A tired baby is one who isn’t particularly interested in expanding her memory. Just like grownups, exhaustion can make a baby’s mind go blank. Make sure to give your little one plenty of time each day to recharge her batteries. A well-rested baby will have a much easier time making the connections that she needs to grow and improve her memory.

Have Conversations with Her

Naturally, tiny babies can’t actually speak. However, they can learn that their input matters very early in life. As you do various things, narrate them for your baby’s sake. When she babbles at you, make sure to show her that you are listening; take pains to respond as often as possible. These habits will help you baby learn about word associations, too, which are the building blocks of learning how to speak.

Encourage the Concept of Object Permanence

As your baby reaches 10 months or so in age, you can begin encouraging the concept of object permanence. Games like peek-a-boo help teach your baby that things don’t magically disappear when they’re no longer in sight. This is another critical phase in the development of your baby’s memory, so nurture it as much as you can.

By keeping the preceding tips in mind, your baby is sure to develop an incredible memory. That memory will help her reach her milestones a lot more easily, and will be a great benefit to her throughout her life.

Start Small – Don’t introduce your baby to being away from you by leaving him for hours on end. Instead, set aside ten or twenty minutes a day to leave him alone in his room. This time shouldn’t be devoted to napping – it should be used to teach him how to play by himself. Gradually lengthen those periods of time so that he becomes accustomed to the concept of you being gone.

Play Games – Games are great ways to bring home the concept of object permanence to your baby. Peek-a-boo is definitely the top choice; your child will love it, and it will teach him that just because something’s temporarily gone, doesn’t mean that it isn’t going to return. Besides, you’ll have a blast while engaging in this often hilarious game with your little one.

Never Sneak Away – Sometimes, parents dread seeing their children’s anxiety so much that they choose to sneak away rather than saying goodbye. In the short-term, this may seem like a smart move – after all, it spares you the big, emotional scene that is sure to happen. However, it is extremely unfair to your child and will actually reinforce his separation anxiety. As tough as it may be, make sure that you always say goodbye and that your baby is aware that you are leaving.

Slowly Introduce a Babysitter – Babies who are introduced to the concept of babysitters early on tend to have a better time of things later in life – especially when going to school for the first time. However, you shouldn’t just plunge your baby into the world of babysitting. Instead, have the sitter come over and spend time with both of you first. Gradually leave the baby alone with the babysitter for longer and longer periods of time.

Have a Goodbye Routine – Babies are definitely creatures of habit and respond well to routines. Therefore, it is very helpful to have a set routine to follow whenever it’s time for you to leave. You could make up a silly little song to sing, or simply smile, hug and kiss your child goodbye. However you do it, he’ll eventually learn that saying goodbye isn’t something to dread. You could use a similar routine upon returning, too.

Tell Him You’re Leaving – Just because your child can’t speak, doesn’t mean that he isn’t listening. Make sure to tell him when you are leaving and what you’ll be doing while you’re away. Eventually, he’ll learn that you will always come back to him.

Separation anxiety can be stressful. Luckily, it’s generally a short-lived phase. By following the preceding tips, you can shorten it even more and help your baby develop into a confident, happy toddler. Someday, you might even miss the days when he hated to see you go!

Use the Right Language – Try not to refer to the new baby as “the baby” or “my baby.” Instead, use terms like “our baby,” “your baby,” “your brother” or “your sister.” This will help your child understand that, while the new baby is going to become a part of the family, she’s not going to usurp his own place within it.

Promote Fatherly Bonding – Ideally, your husband will already play a very important role in the life of your first child. However, it’s even more important for him to bond with your first child before the new baby arrives. Despite your best intentions, you’re going to be devoting a lot of time to the new baby; your older child is bound to feel left out. With dad on his side, though, it won’t sting as much.

Discuss Baby Names Together – Make your older child a part of the planning for the new baby by allowing him to come up with name possibilities with you. Otherwise, run some of the names that you are considering by him to make him feel like a part of the process.

Handle Major Changes Before the Birth – If potty training or other things need to be taken care of, make sure that they are done before the new baby arrives. Otherwise, you and your child will be too flummoxed by all of the excitement that the new addition brings.

Bring Him Along to Your Doctor Appointments – Take your older child with you to your prenatal appointments. Let him listen to his new brother or sister’s heartbeat and view the ultrasound.

Let Him Help You Pack – When the time to prepare a hospital bag arrives, let your older child help you out. Be sure to tuck a picture of him into the bag – and let him see you do so. This will make him feel wanted and needed.

Reassure Him of His Importance – Take time to talk about your older child’s own babyhood with him. Tell him stories about when he came home. Let him know how proud you are of him for growing up into such a big boy, and make sure that he knows that he has an important place in the family.

Let Him Help You Prepare the Baby’s Room – As you decorate and arrange the new baby’s room, let your older child give you a hand. Take him along when you pick out accessories and decorations for the room; let him choose a few things himself.

The key thing to keep in mind when it comes to preparing a child for a new sibling is that he needs to feel special, too. Make sure to have well-wishers bring along gifts for him – and include a present to him from the new baby, too! All of these little touches will ensure that your child welcomes his new sibling with open arms.

Talk to Other Parents – In your circle of friends and family, there are bound to be at least a few couples who strive to have an equally involved mother and father. Get together with those couples and pick their brains about how they make everything work. Ask them about the challenges that they have faced and find out what kinds of advice they have to offer. As time goes by, you can always call them up when issues arise, too.

Trust Your Partner’s Parenting Abilities – Many times, women have a natural instinct to handle most of an infant’s care. All too often, they feel that men simply don’t have a natural knack for it. You could easily fall prey to this issue, subconsciously feeling that your partner simply isn’t capable of caring for baby in a sufficient way. Instead of hovering over your partner, criticizing his every move, leave him to his own devices. Have trust in him that he’s able to take care of your infant; true equality will develop from there.

Give Each Other Alone Time with Baby – As the mother, you’re apt to spent significantly more time alone with the baby than your partner is – especially when he’s a young infant. Make it a point to give your partner plenty of alone time with the baby, too. Take the opportunity to go out on a solo shopping excursion, or go out and see a movie with a friend. Resist the urge to call and check in every two minutes, too – let daddy have plenty of quiet, one-on-one time with his baby. Eventually, it won’t seem like such a big deal.

Be on the Same Page with Parenting Goals – Before even attempting to be equal partners in the child-rearing game, it’s critical to sit down and discuss one another’s goals about and for the baby. Be as specific as possible, too; misunderstandings can make any effort to raise a child equally crash and burn. Be clear about what behavior is acceptable – and what isn’t. Talk about punishments, too, and how you’ll handle a baby who refuses to sleep. Knowing how your partner will deal with various things will make you more comfortable with giving him an equal role.

Support One Another – Finally, be sure to point out the great job that daddy is doing from time to time. Ideally, he will do the same thing for you. Remember that the two of you are in this thing together. Giving genuine, positive support will work wonders for making your partner a strong, capable parent. In the end, the bond between all three of you will grow stronger than ever.

Milestones Between Birth and 3 Months

Very early in his life, your baby should show a clear interest in examining and watching other people’s faces. Although he’ll be curled into the fetal position for a while, he’ll gradually begin to stretch and move during this period of time. He should be using the left and right sides of his body equally. At two months, he should be opening his hands more, smiling, tracking objects and controlling his head better. Around three months, your baby should be lifting his head and chest when placed on his tummy, as well as grasping onto rattles and other similar objects.

Milestones Between 4 Months and 7 Months

You’re sure to be amazed at the speed with which your baby develops. Around four months in age, your baby should be cooing on a regular basis. His hands should be loosely open most of the time, and he should be reaching for toys when they are placed within a close proximity to him. Around six months, he should be holding his own bottle and other objects with two hands, passing toys from one hand to another and using one-syllable babbling patterns. Between the ages of five and seven months, your baby should be sitting on his own.

Milestones Between 8 months and 12 months

During the last part of his first year, your baby will achieve many significant milestones. The concept of object permanence will develop around eight to ten months; games like peek-a-book are great options. At the same time, his clearer understanding of his relationship with you could prompt some separation anxiety. Remember that this behavior is absolutely normal and to be expected. Around nine months, your baby should be exploring his toys with his hands, more than with his mouth. He should also begin pulling himself up using furniture, then start “cruising” – or making his way around the room while holding on to various things.

As your baby approaches his first birthday, he will probably say his first real word. A baby’s first steps are another important milestone for new parents; the window in which he should be expected to walk independently is quite large, though. Many babies take their first steps around their first birthdays, but some don’t truly begin walking until 16 months. Around one year in age, your baby should also be using his thumb and forefinger more dexterously, handling objects more easily.

It seems like every person has an opinion about the milestones that a baby should reach – and when he should reach them. If you have genuine concerns about your baby’s development, see the advice of a medical professional. Well-meaning friends, family members and even strangers can make you worry over nothing. In the end, your baby is sure to develop into a happy, healthy toddler!