How to Help the New Mom
Pedi-at-home Plus recognizes that being a first-time mom can be a major life transition for women. Many women are on parental leave for a year often after working for a number of years. During this time, they have acquired many skills through training and experience. Then suddenly they are at home with a new baby – no instruction manual, no training, no learning curve and sometimes no support team. Every baby will behave in his/her own unique way. This can make it difficult for moms to know what to do no matter how many books or web sites they have consulted.
The research on childhood development highlights the importance of the early years in contributing to healthy human development. This begins with infancy so it makes sense that to have a good start in life, the mom has an important role to play. Pedi-at-home recognizes that not all moms have the support they need.
If you have a new mom in your life as friend or family, Pedi-at-home has compiled a list of ways you might offer your support. Also, let’s not forget the new mom who also has other children which presents all sorts of different challenges.
If you have two hours or more to spare in a week, here’s some ideas of how to help:
o Offer to take the baby for a walk so mom can have some time to herself in the house. She might want to take a bath/shower, read a book, have a snooze, make a phone call or just do nothing at all.
o Offer to look after the baby so mom can have a break away from the house for a short time to do whatever she wants.
o Arrange to come over for a visit but make sure to bring the coffee/tea and treats or make it for her when you arrive. While you’re there you might offer to do her dishes, put on a load of laundry, a quick clean-up in the bathroom, or anything else she might appreciate. If there are older children, you could take some time to play with them.
o If you are going grocery shopping, give her a call to see if she needs anything. She could email or text you a list.
o If she has to go to an appointment with the baby, you could offer to accompany her. This is especially helpful if she has other children.
o If she has a dog, you could offer to take it for a long walk.
o If she is new to Toronto, she may not know mother’s groups/programs in the area. This information can be found in “The Little Paper” and web sites such as "Mumnet" and
"Mommy Connections".
o As mom feels more comfortable leaving the baby for longer periods of time, you could offer to babysit so she and her partner or friend can have a date night.
o Send a supportive, encouraging email or text.
o For special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday gifts, or just to help mom take a break and relax, think about a Pedi-at-Home Plus gift certificate.
The new mom will need varying levels of support so don’t think just because she was confident and efficient in her job that she can manage this life transition without any difficulties. It’s a whole new world for mom and the family.
o Offer to take the baby for a walk so mom can have some time to herself in the house. She might want to take a bath/shower, read a book, have a snooze, make a phone call or just do nothing at all.
o Offer to look after the baby so mom can have a break away from the house for a short time to do whatever she wants.
o Arrange to come over for a visit but make sure to bring the coffee/tea and treats or make it for her when you arrive. While you’re there you might offer to do her dishes, put on a load of laundry, a quick clean-up in the bathroom, or anything else she might appreciate. If there are older children, you could take some time to play with them.
o If you are going grocery shopping, give her a call to see if she needs anything. She could email or text you a list.
o If she has to go to an appointment with the baby, you could offer to accompany her. This is especially helpful if she has other children.
o If she has a dog, you could offer to take it for a long walk.
o If she is new to Toronto, she may not know mother’s groups/programs in the area. This information can be found in “The Little Paper” and web sites such as "Mumnet" and
"Mommy Connections".
o As mom feels more comfortable leaving the baby for longer periods of time, you could offer to babysit so she and her partner or friend can have a date night.
o Send a supportive, encouraging email or text.
o For special occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, and holiday gifts, or just to help mom take a break and relax, think about a Pedi-at-Home Plus gift certificate.
The new mom will need varying levels of support so don’t think just because she was confident and efficient in her job that she can manage this life transition without any difficulties. It’s a whole new world for mom and the family.