Five tips to give your newborn the best start in life

'All you need is love’ – so goes the song, but we all know that caring for and providing for a newborn requires a lot of practical stuff too. Here are five things you can do that could set your baby up for life. 

1) Build your village

Establishing a good network of friends and family during the early stages of motherhood is a great way to thrive as a new mum. This ‘village’, no matter how small, can provide a solid foundation offering you and your new family support guidance, love and help. Knowing there are others around who are able and willing to lend a hand or even just a sympathetic ear, can make a world of difference to you and therefore your baby during your first year of motherhood.

2) Build financial security

Babies, bless them, are born with twinkles in their eyes, not dollar signs, but at some point they’re going to need to stand on their own two feet - physically and financially. Some people tend to set their baby up a savings account and budget to put some money into it on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be much – even $10 per week would add up to $2,600 (even without any interest added) by the time they turned five. You could also ask close family and friends to make a deposit in it, in lieu of baby gifts.

3) Get healthy

We all know how important it is to maintain a healthy lifestyle, and it’s even more important when you have a baby on board. However, once baby comes along, your healthy intentions can easily fly out the window! Have a chat with your partner about things you can both do to improve things your eating and exercising habits. Get your partner on board as much as possible and remember, you’re not only doing for yourselves, but to set a great example to your child.

4) Get insured

As parents we spend our lives preparing for minor mishaps, but it’s so important to take this preparedness to the next level. Life insurance is a surefire way to protect your loved ones and ensure they’re taken care of if something happens to you or you can’t work. The main protection products are Life, Income Protection, Trauma and Health/Medical. It does come down to what you need, your priorities, and your budget. Discussions with a Cigna insurance adviser will allow the right protections to be put in place.

5) Be there for your baby

A baby’s brain grows mostly based on their early experiences at home, and the more loving interactions a baby has, the healthier their development will be. Just by caring for your baby - responding to your little one’s cries and noises, speaking in a soft low voice, making eye contact and holding them close - you are hugely boosting their brain development, as well as nurturing your relationship with them.