Maren Morris on Her 'Laid-Back' Parenting Style with Son: 'We Lucked Out Having a Very Chill Baby'

Maren Morris is soaking in every moment of her new life as a mom.

The country star, 30, and her husband, fellow singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd, 33, welcomed their first child together, son Hayes Andrew, in March. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Morris had to postpone her tour — but extra time with her new family of three is a silver lining.

"Even though it's bittersweet to not be touring right now, I do feel like it's a blessing that I get this time home for his first year of life," Morris tells PEOPLE of baby Hayes. "So that's been something that I actually treasure now."

"The Bones" singer wed Hurd in 2018, five years after they met while co-writing a song for Tim McGraw. And she says he's the perfect parenting partner.

"Ryan and I are both pretty laid back. We kind of lucked out having a very chill baby. We're pretty chill people, so maybe that's reflected in our kid," says Morris. "We're learning every day."

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The Grammy winner and first-time mom has been reading parenting guides.

"There are habits we're trying to break. Like, not talking to him in a high-pitched baby voice is so hard, but I don't want to talk to him like I do my dogs," she says of her and Hurd's pups, June and Pancake. "I was reading a French parenting book [that said] your kid isn't the boss, you are. That's been a thing we're trying to stick by."

At 6½ months, Hayes is reaching new milestones: His diet's expanding, and he'll soon be mobile.

"We have started him on some baby food. He's been pretty good with everything we've given him, so hopefully we don't have a picky eater," Morris adds. "I feel like he's just about to start to crawl. He's getting his butt in the air — I feel like he's about to launch forward!"

This week, the Grammy winner will get back on stage to kick off a new virtual concert series for members of Verizon Up, Verizon's customer loyalty program. Morris will headline a five-city remote tour, performed live from Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium, from Oct. 20-23. (Click here for dates and details.)

Morris has also been getting back into the swing of things when it comes to songwriting and says motherhood has provided new inspiration.

"I've been writing a lot since my son was born, and I love songwriting — it's my first love," she says. "I feel a little bit freer writing right now because there's no deadline; there's no timeline."

Morris also says she feels less pressure writing this album compared to her major-label debut, HERO, and her last effort, GIRL, both of which were critically acclaimed.

"I actually am very obsessed with what I've been writing recently because I just feel like there's no pressure. I wrote my second record so fast on the road because I never stopped touring. I had to write it on the road and then I just felt like as proud as I am of my last album, it was definitely under a lot of pressure," she says. "My label has been really respectful and kind of left me alone. I feel like that's when artists make their best art is when no one's watching. So I'm really excited about what I've been churning out the last few weeks."

For more from Maren Morris, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.