How to Baby-proof Your Marriage: 3 Ways to Stay Connected in the Newborn Season

Marriage changes when you have a baby—but it doesn’t have to suffer. In fact, it can deepen in ways you never expected.

Whether you’re preparing for your first child or you’re knee-deep in sippy cups and sound machines, one thing is true: you and your spouse are on the same team. But that team will need intentional connection, especially when sleep is short and emotions run high.

As believers, it’s important to recognize that the family is God’s first institution—and the enemy would love nothing more than to divide it. But with a little preparation, prayer, and perspective, you can babyproof your marriage and grow even closer during the early years of parenting.

1. Pray—Together and Often

Prayer is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to keep your marriage strong.

Don’t wait until things are hard—make prayer your foundation. Set aside time to pray over your birth, your baby, your communication, and how you’ll disciple your child. Ask God to strengthen your unity and give you supernatural grace for one another in this new season.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

(Ecclesiastes 4:12)

2. Communicate Before—and After—Baby Arrives

Connection doesn’t just happen. You have to make space for it.

Sit down with your spouse before your baby comes and talk through:

• What kind of birth you hope for

• How you want to be supported during postpartum

• How you’ll reconnect once the baby is here

Make a list of simple in-house date nights—things like:

• Board games + takeout

• A bath together after baby goes down

• Reading a book aloud while snuggling on the couch

These don’t have to be elaborate. The goal is consistent connection, not perfection.

3. Invite Community Into Your Marriage

You weren’t meant to do this alone. Having friends or mentors who regularly check in on your marriage is invaluable. Whether it’s a trusted older couple, a small group, or another mom in the same season, choose people who will remind you what matters most and help you keep your eyes on Christ.

Ask them to check in on your marriage—not just how the baby is sleeping.

Final Thoughts:

There is something incredibly bonding about raising a child together. Whether it’s at 2 a.m., bleary-eyed and swapping turns with the baby, or five years later when you realize how much you’ve grown—marriage in the parenting years is sacred ground.

Keep perspective. Stay intentional. And above all, stay rooted in the One who brought you together.