Decision Overwhelm

Sitting down for a quick break during her baby’s nap, Megan opens Instagram. In the first reel she sees, an old college friend shares how much she loves using cloth diapers for her daughter. Megan keeps scrolling but feels that familiar twinge of guilt. She tried cloth diapers once or twice, but she couldn’t seem to get them clean, she struggled to find time to wash them every other day, and the benefits just didn’t outweigh the costs for her. Still, she wondered if she should try again…her friend could do them with ease, so why couldn’t she?

This is just one example of the countless decisions we face as parents. We want the best for our children, but it’s not always obvious what that is. From the beginning of pregnancy, we choose a provider for pregnancy and delivery, sort through baby registry recommendations, and try to decide which of the thousands of parenting books to read. Once baby arrives, we find that we need to choose how to approach sleep, whether to push through breastfeeding struggles or try formula, and whether to babywear or not. The first year progresses, and we decide whether to go with purees or baby-led weaning. With each stage our child enters, the decisions keep coming.

If you can relate to feeling overwhelmed with decisions or less than confident in the decisions you’ve made, we hope d is for decisions can simplify your parenting in an intentional way. By taking time to be thoughtful and to consider the big picture, you will be able to spend your energy and time on what is most important to you and let go of the rest.

What factors contribute to this decision fatigue and overwhelm? Check out our blog post “Why are Decisions So Hard?”.