First-time parents are in for the ride of their lives! Nothing is as fun or as rewarding as being a parent. Nothing is as challenging either. There will be plenty of ups and downs along the way for first-time parents but one thing is certain. The experience forever changes you.
If being a first-time parent isn’t challenging enough, new parents who live in a big city like Chicago have an extra layer of difficulty. Navigating your and your child’s way through the big city can be difficult at times, but it is very doable if you keep a few things in mind.
Chicago presents its own unique wrinkles for first-time parents and we are going to give some advice for expectant parents in the Windy City. Here are five pieces of advice for first-time parents in Chicago.
1. Plan your baby shower early
One of the most fun and exciting times in the lead up to having a baby for first-time parents is the baby shower. You get to gather all your friends and family, have a big party to celebrate the new arrival. You also get a lot of the stuff you need to raise a child… and there is A LOT of stuff!
You want to pick an amazing venue to hold your baby shower. That way your guests will have a great time and it will be memorable for everyone involved. The best venues for baby showers (Party Slate has a useful rundown here) can fill up early, so you’ll want to start looking for your venue in advance.
Make sure the food and drinks are just right, you get a good deal, and the venue can comfortably hold everyone you want to invite. You will also be taking a lot of pictures at a baby shower, so just like a good wedding venue, picking a picturesque setting should be among the top priorities.
2. Plan ahead on childcare as the best daycares can fill up
One of the biggest challenges that new parents face after the baby is born is how to work and raise a child at the same time. Jobs in Chicago are time-consuming and demanding and new parents will need a helping hand in order to work to support their family.
For this reason, planning ahead to make sure your child gets the best daycare possible is incredibly important for first-time Chicago parents. The best daycares in the city fill up quickly, so you want to start doing your research and possibly even your registering now to get your child into the right daycare.
You want to find a daycare that is well-reviewed and that has policies in place to keep your child safe and give them the best experience possible. That is the number one priority. After that, you should look at things like location, price, services offered, and flexibility of hours.
When you find the best fit for you and your family, act quickly. Some daycares in the Chicago area have waiting lists that can be quite long. Even if your little bundle of joy isn’t here yet, it is never too early to start getting daycare options in place for when you have to go back to work and must leave your child in the care of a professional caregiver.
3. Plan days out for your child
While there will be many days where first-time parents have a difficult time wrangling a child in the Windy City, there are also many experiences that you can give your child here that you wouldn’t be able to anywhere else in the world. Make sure that, as hard as it can be sometimes, you are taking advantage of everything the city has to offer young families.
Chicago is home to incredible parks, beautiful beaches, Navy Pier, the Chicago River, and plenty of museums and zoos. There will be nothing better than looking back with your teenager or adult child someday at pictures of them in a stroller and your family in Millennium Park, at Lincoln Park Zoo, or visiting the Chicago Children’s Museum.
Yes, there may be crowds, and getting there with a baby can be difficult at times but it will be very rewarding in the end. In addition to giving your child special Chicago-centric experiences, it will also make you look at the city you love in a new way. Pre-gaming in Wrigleyville in your 20s and pushing your child through the neighborhood on a beautiful spring day are both fantastic outings but in very (very!) different ways.
4. Plan for the weather
They don’t call Chicago the Windy City for nothing! While the city’s famous moniker may not have come directly from the winds off Lake Michigan, it certainly fits on a cold winter’s day. You will most likely spend a good deal of time outside in Chicago with your new child so make sure you are prepared for the weather.
Babies will need to be kept cool and shaded on the hot and humid summer days. If you are taking a trip to the beach, make sure you have umbrellas or a tent to keep your child out of the sun. If you are going out during an infamous Chicago cold snap, you will need to bundle your baby up. In addition to winter baby gear, it always makes sense to pack a few extra baby blankets so you can throw one on when needed.
5. Plan out your baby’s sports team allegiances
Chicago sports fans take their sports and their teams seriously. That’s why it is so important to declare your child’s allegiances early. Don’t give them a choice! Don’t let your father-in-law in Wisconsin get your baby a Green Bay Packers onesie or your cousin in St. Louis give the gift of a Cardinals hat.
You need to stake your claim early. Deck your kid out in Bears, Bulls, and Blackhawks gear from the get-go. They are Chicagoans after all, so they don’t have a choice in those sports. What they can choose between is Cubs vs White Sox, so if you have a preference between the Chicago teams of America’s pastime, make that choice clear too. If a young kid looks back at pictures and videos and sees themselves decked out in Chicago sports garb, there is a good chance that you’ll have a fan for life.
Conclusion
If you are about to be a new parent, congratulations. It will be, at the same time, the best and most difficult thing you ever do. If you are raising a child in Chicago, good luck. There will be challenges but it is also an awesome experience. Just remember, book your baby shower and daycare early. Take your child out in the city whenever you can but make sure they’re ready for the weather. And, above all else, don’t let them become a Cheesehead!
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