New Dad and Stressed? Take Care of Yourself Bro

Let’s be honest new Dad. In the 9 months leading up to your kiddo being born, nothing really changed for you. Unlike your partner, who’s been literally growing a human inside her body, you haven’t really had any physical changes to your environment just yet. 

Except for stressing out about being a new Dad, your world hasn’t changed all that much. But as you will soon find out (or maybe you already have)... all that is about to change in a HUGE way. 

Queue baby. Once that little sucker makes their grand entrance, that all changes. Quick. 

Suddenly it becomes VERY real for you - and guess what… lots of things are going to change. 

Like pretty much everything. 

One of the biggest changes for dudes is usually the lack of sleep. 

Because guess what? New baby has to eat - and eat a lot. So this means that they’ll be waking up every few hours for feeding sessions. And it’s not like they are “sleeping like a baby” the rest of the time (why do we use that phrase anyway… babies sleep terrible!). 

And if you want to be a great Dad - which I’m sure that you do - you are going to want to help out. This means taking shifts rocking baby, feeding baby (if you guys are doing formula), changing diapers, washing bottles, giving baths, and re-doing the swaddle for the 23rd time. 

And not going to lie… that sh*t makes you tired. 

But because you want to be SuperDad, you say to yourself “It’s ok if I’m tired… I’ve got to put my family first.” 

You are 100% correct that you’re family should come first, but here’s the deal: 

If you’re operating at 25%, there is NO WAY that you can be the kind of Dad that you want to be. 

One of the best things you can do for your family is to take care of yourself. 

So let’s talk about a few things you can in-between feedings, diaper changes, bottle washing… the list goes on. M

1. Make Eating Healthy as Easy As Possible 

It is SO easy to pick up McDonalds and say screw it. But as we all know, nutrition is the #1 key to making sure that you are operating at 100% so that you can be all there for your family. 

How the heck do I stay on track with a new baby you ask? Well… here’s a couple of tips: 

A. Food Delivery Service 

Did you know that there are companies out there that will cook (like fully cook) meals for you and deliver them for the whole week? Yep, it’s amazing. 

Nothing like outsourcing kitchen duty to make life easier. They can be a bit expensive, but I’m telling you it is TOTALLY worth it. 

Some of our favorites are: 

Factor75

Freshly 

Snap Kitchen

B. Meal Prep

If you don’t want to do the above - try doing meal prep for the week. Pick up some meats, veggies, etc. and cook all of your food in one day. Go ahead and put them in little tupperwares in the refrigerator so you can grab and go when it’s meal time. 

C. Don’t be Afraid to Ask for Help 

As a new Dad, there are going to be tons of people that are willing to lend a helping hand. Don’t be afraid to raise your hand and ask for help. Having a family member, or neighbor cook a couple of meals that all you’ve got to do is throw in the microwave is huge. 

2. Still Gotta get That Workout In

The second easiest thing to let go is your workout routine. With your new Dad life - it is definitely not as easy as just “hey babe, I’ll be at the gym for the next 3 hours…”, but trust me, you can still get your workout in. 

Try doing some bodyweight workouts at home, or getting a jogger stroller and taking baby for a ride. Just because you can’t stare at yourself in the mirror doing curls doesn’t mean you can’t keep your body healthy. 

Working out makes you feel better, gives you more energy, and will make you a better Dad and provider for your family - so get it done. 

3. Plan, Plan, Plan 

This is probably the MOST important of any tip I could give any new Dad. When you’re running on 4 hours of sleep for weeks on end, your mind is going to be a little fuzzy - even if you’re eating healthy and getting regular exercise. 

Make it easier on yourself and write down your plan for the day the night before. The best way I’ve seen this done is by making a checklist and putting down the 4 or 5 most important things to get done. Then just check them off the list as you go. 

Probably want to put “eat my meals” and “workout” on there (see above…) as 2 of your items. 

Being a new Dad is amazing; even with all the challenges that it comes with. And knowing that you are an Epic Dad - you always put your family first. 

Just remember that in order for you to show up and be the best Dad you can be, you’ve got to take care of yourself. 

You've got this Dad. 

Go Be Epic.