For new parents, the decision to return to work after welcoming a baby or opting to stay home with your little one is not made easy by societal pressures that place a stigma around being a stay-at-home parent.
The truth is, if you are in a place financially where you can afford to stay home with your new baby, there are many benefits to doing so. Some of the benefits of being a stay-at-home parent include:
1. It’s Better For Your Baby
Research shows that in the first few months of life, babies thrive when receiving personal touch. Keeping your baby close by and showing them affection through holding them, cuddling them, or playing with them, is shown to help with mental, emotional, and physical development.
Staying home with your baby gives you the opportunity to keep them in your arms all day long, ensuring that they are receiving the affection they need.
2. Save Money on Daycare
While being a stay-at-home parent might cause your household to lose one source of income, the money lost might not offset the cost of daycare. Childcare is *very* expensive, and can cause the average household to lose several hundreds of dollars each week at a minimum.
Depending on your family’s financial situation, opting for one parent to stay at home with the baby might be the cheapest option for daytime care.
3. Keep The House in Shape
Balancing being a parent with all of your other responsibilities around the home can quickly result in burnout – and a very messy living space. As a stay-at-home parent, you can keep the house in order while keeping an eye on your child.
From tidying up the living room to a complete office remodel with Key Interiors, all of your home projects can get done a little more easily once you are home throughout each day.
4. No Dress Code
For busy moms, the option to choose to stay in your pajamas all day is a game changer. When you stay at home with your child, it is likely that it will be just the two of you all day, which means there is no need for you to dress up. Stay comfortable all day long in your favorite sweatpants or pajamas and you will be thanking yourself in the future.
Making the decision to be a stay-at-home parent can save you time, money, and stress in the exciting months after having a new baby. These are just four of the countless benefits to being a stay-at-home parent!