It is never easy for mothers to leave their babies behind and this is more so when they are still very young. But, after a few months or even weeks of maternity leave, you will have to go back to work. As hard as it might be, you need the job to cater for the needs of your child and to ensure that they have a bright future. However, you can make the transition easier for you and the baby by following the four tips below.

4 Tips for Returning to Work After Having a Baby 

1. Start Making the Preparations Early

Even before you give birth, you will know how long your maternity leave will last, and so you have enough time to make the necessary preparations. Instead of waiting until the last week or few days to make the arrangements you should start as soon as you give birth or even before. Look around or ask friends for recommendations on the best daycares in your neighborhood or where to get the best nannies.

2. Stock Up

As you make preparations for returning to work, you will need to stock up on things that you will need to make the child’s life as comfortable as possible in your absence. Key among these items is a breast pump, breast milk storage bags, and enough nursing pads. Also, you will need to get a good bag that you will use to pack your baby’s stuff as you take him to the daycare. To make sure that you do not forget anything you should make a small checklist. The list should contain everything that you will need to make life comfortable for your child while you are at work.

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3. Remember to Do Dry Runs

It is important to prepare your baby physically and mentally for the time that you will be working, and so you should not just wake up one day and take him to the daycare. A few days or about a week before you have to go back to work you should do some dry runs by waking up at the time that you will have to rise when going to work, prepare the child and take him to the daycare just to check it out. Practicing the routine will make things easier for both the mother and child. Also, it can be a good idea to go to work a couple of days before the end of your leave and work for half day shifts or part-time so that the baby can spend a few hours at the daycare before you have to leave him there the whole day.

4. Avoid Taking Work Home

You will have heaps of work to do once you resume your duties but to make the transition easy you should avoid taking work home. It is important to remember that you will have less time to spend with your child and so you should dedicate most of your free time to him/her. Also, make sure that house chores and cooking do not take up much of the little time that you have for your baby.

Leaving your child to get back to work will not be easy, but the tips above will be very helpful. However, there are also many other things that you can do to make the situation better, and they include making sure that you get regular updates from the daycare. Also, make sure that you do not feel guilty about leaving your baby because it does not mean you are a bad mom.