How To Support The New Parents In Your Life

Photo: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

When someone you know is going to have a baby, it's amazing how much this can affect the whole social group. This is something that you should be aware of and prepare for as well as you can to make sure that the new family knows how much you care and want to be there for them. We'll take a look at some of the best things you can do. These are all great ways to show up and support the new parents in your life. Whether they are your friends, relatives or colleagues, these useful ways will ensure that you are supporting them fully. 

Share Your Excitement
Often one of the best things you can do to support the new parents in your life is simply to share your excitement with them. Just expressing your enthusiasm and excitement for them as they are going through this experience can mean the world to them, and help them feel encouraged. There are many ways to share this excitement, and it’s something that you might want to think about if you want to do it right.

For instance, you might, send them a message, buy them a card, or visit them. Anything you can do to express just how excited you are is going to show them that you are there for them and willing to share in the experience with them, as far as they are willing to do the same in return.

You should certainly make sure to offer your help, if you're inclined to and you are able to help in any way. But bear in mind that a lot of people will be offering their help to the new parents, and not all of those people are going to follow through. You can set yourself apart by making sure to offer help early on, and then actually sticking to it when the time comes for them to need your help. If you can do that, it’s likely going to make things a lot easier for them overall, and they will probably really appreciate it. When you offer your help, make sure that it is sincere. This is above all what people are going to appreciate, and you would be amazed how much it can help to do this if you want to really ensure that you are caring for them effectively. 

Photo: Khoa Pham on Unsplash
Photo by Daria Obymaha: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother-and-daughter-on-grass-1683975/
Photo by Daria Obymaha: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mother-and-daughter-on-grass-1683975/

Buy Gifts
People traditionally buy gifts for new parents and this is a both a nice and useful thing you can do because it presents an opportunity to give them something they are going to really need and be able to use. If you want to do this as effectively as possible, you might even want to ask them first what it is that they need, so that you can then make sure that you are giving them something that nobody else has got them yet. That might mean you end up buying a gift which is less exciting than you might have imagined, but that’s okay as long as you are helping them out.

There are so many gift ideas for new parents, so it’s all about making sure that you are getting them what they really need, and something that will be useful to them in some way,. This will help them to get excited and they will surely appreciate the thought and care that was put into a well chosen gift.

Hold Space For Them
Sometimes, offering yourself to those new parents just means that you are holding space for them. This is a simple and powerful way to make sure that you are actually helping them, but without putting undue pressure on them to respond to you or to accept your help if they don’t actually need it. Holding space is a subtle way to give support, in a way that is open and encouraging, and ensures that they are not going to feel as though they have to say yes.

As it happens, that turns out to be one of the single most useful things you can ever offer them, so it is definitely something that you will want to make sure you are doing. This isn't something that everyone will think of but it will go a long way to help them to feel appreciated, and to feel that they have the support they really need.

Photo: Ana Tablas on Unsplash

Show Interest
One thing about the new parents in your life is that if this is their first child, they're probably going to be keen to talk about nothing but their child for quite some time. That is something that you and everyone else who is close to them will have to get used to. At first it might seem as if this is going to be a tedious experience. However, it is vital and can go a long way to showing you are being genuine with your support.

You can help them feel better by showing curiosity, asking questions about their baby and generally expressing interest in their experience. If you are able to do that, it’s one of the best things that you can do to let them know that you care and are there for them and a gesture that they will surely appreciate greatly. Something like this takes little effort but can be very meaningful to expressing support.

Help In Practical Ways
One of the most important things you can do is to try and offer help in some practical ways. Anything you can do here is really going to make a difference, and help to make them feel supported during this special time. Even small things like helping to cook or run errands can be extremely helpful as it gives them the time they need with their newborn and the new parent will likely be very grateful for even simple acts.

Again this is all about offering what they actually want and need, not what you think you should be offering, which is a subtle difference that you really need to be aware of. As long as you manage to do that, it’s going to help a great deal and they are going to feel a lot more supported on the whole.

So these are some of the best things you can do to support the new parents in your life. Whoever they might be, they are bound to be grateful for any type of support you are able to offer so let them know how much you care and want to be there for them.

This is a contributed post.

2 comments

MELODY JACOB said...

I appreciate this post because many individuals lack knowledge on how to assist them, and it's beneficial that we share more information on this topic.

LoveT. said...

Very good Post.