I think the newborn days are literally the best. There is nothing more special than a scrunchy, sleepy, cuddly newborn. They smell delicious, sleep all the time, and just change your life for the better from the very second they are born.

However, many new parents seem to dread the first 6 weeks of life with a baby! I think this is because all anyone talks about is how horrible sleep deprivation is, (it doesn’t have to be that bad), how much work it is to breastfeed 8-12 times a day (this doesn’t last forever), and how all around challenging a newborn is.

Well ladies, and hopefully gentlemen, I am here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be that bad! I had a blissful first 6 weeks with my daughter. Yes, I know part of this is because she was an easy baby. But I would also like to take some credit that my husband and I were also just super adept at rolling with the challenges of a newborn!

With all that being said my husband and I sat down together to come up with these 5 Newborn Tips for Dads!

If you enter the newborn stage with the mindset that this stage is temporary and that you should cherish every last minute you will feel a whole lot better about the newborn stage. You might even enjoy it!

One way to get yourself to cherish and enjoy the newborn stage is to get that husband of yours on board. Forward him this post to get you both on the same page!

Newborn Tips for Dads #1: Change ALL the diapers

Your wife is doing ALL the feeding! Hours of feeding most likely. Take one for the team and change all the dirty diapers.

Newborn Tips for Dads #2: Grocery shop, or better yet get Grocery Delivery

Take over the task of grocery shopping so that the new mom doesn’t have to drag herself and baby to the grocery store every week. If doing the grocery shopping isn’t feasible for some reason, then opt for grocery delivery.

Having grocery delivery service will take that stress right off your plate. You will absolutely love InstaCart because it will allow you to shop at different local grocery stores, pharmacies, and even Costco, all from home. This makes meal planning a breeze because you can look over recipes and your pantry and add needed items in 1 click.

We signed up the InstaCart Express plan because it allows UNLIMITED grocery delivery for $99 a year. That is so worth it in my book! That’s less than 2 bucks a delivery if you only grocery shop once a week and let’s face it there will be weeks that you end up needed groceries twice.

The only thing I regret about InstaCart is that I didn’t sign up for it sooner! I’m obsessed.

Read: 10 Things NOT to Say to A Woman That Has Just Given Birth 

Newborn Tips for Dads #3: Skin to Skin isn’t just for Mamas

You’ve likely heard how important skin to skin contact is for mom and babies but you might be surprised to hear that skin to skin contact is important for dad too! Skin to skin promotes brain development, calms and soothes and provides a whole other post of benefits. For more on skin to skin check out this post by Nuroo here.

Related Posts:

• Newborn Schedule
• 10 Newborn Essentials for the First Month
• 5 Newborn Sleep Tips

Newborn Tips for Dads #4: Clean up at the end of the night

Help your wife out by making sure to leave the house tidy at the end of the night. Do those last stray dishes, start a load of laundry. Maybe run the vacuum. Your wife is likely very tired from being at the beck and call of your little one that the last thing she has the energy for is housework. But if you help out by cleaning up at the end of each day things won’t pile up around the house and you will both be able to rest easier!

Newborn Tips for Dads #5: Have a designated time of day that baby is all yours!

The newborn days will be gone before you know it. Give yourself the chance to have some baby time all to yourself. Take the baby for an hour in the evening so that your wife can go take a shower and engage in some self-care and so that you can enjoy some bonding time just for yourself! Snuggle that little one close and enjoy every minute.