Being a teen parent: benefits, challenges and tips

What is it like to be a teen parent?

Young parents say that you don’t need to have a ‘perfect’ life to be a good parent. They say that love, commitment and showing up for your child are what matter most.

Try your hardest to be what they need when they need. Show them they are loved, how to be loved and how to give love.
– Mother, aged 19 years

What are the benefits of being a teen parent?

The benefits of being a teen parent include:

becoming more responsible earlier in life
setting new goals for the future
having energy to play with your child.

What matters most to children is what their parents do, not what age their parents are. When parents raise their children in reliable, loving, nurturing, warm, sensitive, responsive and flexible ways, children grow and develop well.

What are the challenges of being a teen parent?

All parents navigate challenges as their children grow and develop. Many of these challenges are the same for teenage parents and older parents. For example, most parents sometimes feel lonely, isolated or overwhelmed by the responsibilities of raising a child.

But if you’re a teenage parent, you might have to navigate extra challenges, like trying to finish school while looking after a baby.

How to navigate the challenges of being a teen parent and help your child thrive

You can navigate challenges and help your child thrive by:

working on your relationship with your child
building healthy relationships with other people
finishing your education if you want to
getting practical and financial help
looking after yourself.

Working on your relationship with your child

The relationship you build with your child from birth and in early childhood is the foundation of your child’s health and development. A strong relationship with you helps your child feel safe and secure and gives your child confidence to learn and explore. A strong relationship also helps you understand and respond to your child’s needs.

Tips for a strong relationship with your child

Bond with your baby. You can do this through cuddles, eye contact, smiles, reading and play.
Learn about baby behaviour and child development. This can help you understand what to expect as your child grows and develops.
Get to know your baby’s cues and body language. This can help you understand how your baby is feeling and what they need.
Talk with your child – it’s never too early to talk, and the more talk, the better.
Play with your child – play is a great relationship builder. It’s also the main way that children learn and develop in the early years.

As a parent, you’re always learning. It’s OK to feel confident about what you know. And it’s also OK to admit you don’t know something and ask questions or get help. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the demands of caring for your child, call your state or territory parenting helpline. You might also like to try our ideas for managing anger, anxiety and stress.

Building healthy relationships with others

Relationships can be full of emotional ups and downs. And if you have a baby or young child, it can put extra pressure on relationships. For example, less sleep and less time with a partner can lead to disagreements and conflict.

Strong and healthy relationships are good for you. They’re good for your child’s development as well. For example, if your child sees kind and respectful relationships around them, your child learns to be kind and respectful with others.

Tips for strong relationships with your partner, peers and others

Work on positive communication with your partner if you have one.
If you have differences of opinion or disagreements, work together on problem-solving and conflict management.
Make time to stay connected with old friends and make new friends – planning and being flexible can help.
Join a playgroup. Playgroups are great for your child’s learning and development, and they can be a great way to meet parents like yourself. You could look for a playgroup for teenage parents.
Contact your local community centre, child and family health nurse or GP to find out about support groups for young parents. These sorts of groups can provide emotional support as well as information on child development and health care.

If there are problems in your relationships, including family violence, you can get support. Contact the National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service by calling 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732), texting 0458 737 732, using online chat or video calling. You can also call Relationships Australia in your state or territory on 1300 364 277 or Lifeline on 131 114.

Finishing your education as a teen parent

It’s good to finish school, TAFE or university if you can or want to.

If you finish your education, you have a better chance of achieving your life goals, getting the job that you want and being able to support your family. Studying can also help you stay connected with friends, build and maintain your support network, and be involved in your community.

In Australia, if you’re pregnant or have a baby while you’re still at school, TAFE or university, you have the right to continue and finish your education. And with planning and support, you can do it. It’s a good idea to talk to a social worker, a counsellor or the education provider to find out about your options.

Your education options

Education support options might include:

flexible hours or modified timetables
reduced study load or part-time study
classroom support staff or guidance officers
home or online study
supervised home visits from teachers
an alternative pathway to higher education.

If you’re at school and these options aren’t available, you could look into other schools that are good at supporting new parents. Or you could consider completing Year 12 at TAFE or a similar institution.

You could also look at options for balancing family and study. For example, you could look into different child care options. Or you might be able to study at night while your partner, a trusted friend or a relative cares for your child.

If you feel that you’re being discriminated against by students or staff, it’s important to talk to your school, TAFE or university about the issue. You might want someone you trust to help you do this, like your parent or carer, a youth support worker or a social worker. If you can’t resolve the issue, you can get help from your state or territory anti-discrimination agency.

Getting practical and financial help as a teen parent

Practical help

There are many practical things to learn when you have a baby. These include how to:

There are many people who can help you learn, including your GP, your child and family health nurse, and other early childhood experts.

Financial help

If money is an issue for you, it’s worth looking into government parenting payments, which can help you with the costs of raising your child.

It’s good to get help from others in your support network too – for example, your parents, carers, kin and friends. You could also search online or talk to a GP or social worker to find a young parent program near you. These programs provide parenting, housing, financial, education and employment support.

Looking after your physical, mental and emotional health

You’re the most important person in your child’s life.

When you’re focusing on looking after your baby or young child, you might forget or run out of time for self-care. But caring for yourself physically, mentally and emotionally will help your child grow and thrive.

Physical health

The keys to looking after yourself physically are regular exercise and healthy eating and getting as much rest as you can.

Also, smoke, vapour, alcohol and other drugs are bad for your health. These substances pass through your breastmilk to your baby, so they’re bad for your baby’s health as well. But even if you smoke or vape, breastfeeding is still best for your baby.

If you need help to quit cigarettes, vapes, alcohol or other drugs, start by contacting your GP or child and family health nurse.

Emotional and mental health

Your emotional and mental health is very important. You could see whether your GP or child and family health nurse can connect you with a counselling service. Counselling can help parents with personal and life challenges.

If you need mental health support, you might be able to get Medicare rebates for up to 10 sessions with a mental health professional each calendar year. To get these rebates, you’ll need a mental health treatment plan from a GP or a referral from a psychiatrist or paediatrician.

You could also try mental health support services like:

Black Dog Institute
Gidget Foundation Australia
Headspace – call 1800 650 890
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia (PANDA) – call 1300 726 306