Few things in life are more challenging than parenthood. Use this article to become a better parent and a more confident person in general. No one is doomed to being a bad parent, you can improve your skills.

When you have a newborn in the house, be sure to split the parenting responsibilities between both Mom and Dad. Splitting up the responsibilities will keep both parents from becoming exhausted, and give each parent a little alone time once in awhile. It will also help to allow each parent to get some much needed sleep, especially through the night.

Here’s a cool tip for parents of twin babies: Paint your baby twins’ toenails to help tell them apart. As infants, even fraternal twins can look so alike that it can be impossible to know who is who, especially when you are sleep deprived. Assign a color of nail polish to each child and paint just one toenail of each to keep straight who is who!

A great parenting tip is to not try and lay guilt on your child all the time. If you are always trying to make your child feel guilty for something they have done or haven’t done, your child will develop a complex and will greatly resent you for it.

Remember to reward good behavior with praise and recognition. Children usually hear more reprimands for bad behavior than praise for good behavior and that might become discouraging to them. However, if you praise them for specific good behavior that they have exhibited, their confidence will be lifted, and they will exhibit the good behavior more often.

Find a mesh teether. These neat little things allow you to put different kinds of food in them and keep them in the freezer and give them to your child when they need them. You can use any kind of food that your child likes and it will be an enjoyable treat for them as they sooth their sore gums.

Save yourself a step for the midnight awakenings. You just have to put some diaper ointment inside the diaper before you put her bedtime diaper on her. It will make it so you can skip the step of rubbing the ointment on your baby overnight. This one step will get you back to your bed a bit quicker.

Get to know all of the people who are a part of your child’s life. You need to take the time to know your child’s teachers, day care workers, doctors and anyone else that may play a role in their lives. It will benefit you in many ways but it will also benefit your child by you knowing that they are in good hands.

One of the best things you can do for yourself as a parent is to create a support network. From moms’ or dads’ groups to friends, family, co-workers and community groups, having other parents to talk with and share the ups and downs of parenting makes the experience even sweeter. You can glean valuable advice from others who have been there.

Help your child decide what to keep and what to donate. It is easy for a child to get overwhelmed with possessions. Too often the consequence is disorganization and sloppiness. While a parent should never arbitrarily throw away a child’s possessions, it is constructive for them to work with the child teaching them how to keep those possessions from overflowing their room.

Teach your children to be charitable. There are many things that they can do to help others in and around their community. Volunteering at a soup kitchen or visiting the elderly in a retirement home are just a couple of examples. It’s never too early to begin showing children the importance of giving to others who are in need.

Toddlers can be picky when it comes to trying new foods. Studies show that a toddler might have to try a food 10-15 times before they like it. Encourage them to try a bite, if they do not like it try it again in a few days. You will be able to tell if they are going to ‘bite’ or not.

When considering whether you prefer to have a boy or a girl you should take a couple generalizations into consideration. The first of these is that girls are typically much more difficult and expensive throughout the formation years. The second is that girls are statistically much more likely to care for their parents in later years.

When you have small children it is important to anchor all large furniture to the wall. Shelves, dressers, and armoires all pose serious tipping hazards. Small children can easily cause the furniture to tip over and be trapped or seriously injured when trying to reach for a book on a high shelf or climb up to get a toy.

Without the correct parenting advice, you will be unable to develop your parenting skills. Following this article’s advice, your skills can improve and you can be more confident with your decisions. The challenges are tremendous yet immeasurably important. You know you can make it!

Parenting Tips You Should Keep In Mind was originally published on Spring