I am certainly no expert but 2 kids in, there are some things I wish I had known off the bat. Different things work for different moms or kids or families but this is what I've learned.
Things I Wish I Had Known Before I Had a Baby
- Buy used! Some things should be new but kids go through stuff in a blink so find another mom with an older kid or look on Craigslist for used clothes, swings, gear, etc.
- Baby clothes sizes are not literal. My daughter wore newborn clothes until she was almost 6 months. She is 20+ months now and still fits in 12m clothes. My son, however, was born at almost 10 lbs and basically never fit in newborn.
- Co-sleeping is a game changer. (This is not for everyone and it needs to be done safely!) I tried to get my 1st to sleep in the bassinet for the first few months of her life and she didn't sleep more than an hour or 2 at a time. Once I brought her to bed with us, we both slept like babies, literally. My 2nd has been in bed with us from day 1 and he basically sleeps through the night.
- You and your child will eventually develop your own language.
- Pregnancy brain & Mommy brain is a very real thing.
- You will think your child is giving you a hug or a kiss but really they are wiping boogers on you.
- You will get thrown up on. Probably a lot. And you will be more concerned with how you are going to find time to take a shower.
- Aveeno soap is NOT tear free. Johnson's is.
- Your baby's poop tells you everything you need to know.
- You will care less about touching your baby's poop than your own.
- Your baby will still be the cutest baby in the world even if he/she doesn't have hair.
- The hair WILL grow.
- There are some things that are nice to have another mom's opinion or kid comparison on but the most successful parenting style is the one you figure out for yourself.
- You will care A LOT less about those sleepless nights than you think. At least if you're going to be awake in the middle of the night, it's to hang out with your awesome kid.
- When they ARE sleeping, you'll miss them.
- For the first several months of their life you will bathe around their sleep schedule.
- It never fails that as soon as you get in the shower you will mysteriously hear a phantom baby cry.
- Not everyone gets that "pregnancy glow".
- You could work out every day of your pregnancy and still get "fat" but don't worry, that's what's suppose to happen.
- You will consider only having one kid because you will convince yourself that there is NO way you could ever love another human being as much as you love that one. Then you do.
- You will inevitably and accidentally hurt them at some point. Probably more than once. And you will feel horrible about it for a very long time but everyone does it.
- Moms cry when their babies get shot at the doctor. That's just what happens.
- Your kids will be one of the funniest people you know.
- They will do something that amazes you every single day.
- Enjoy walking around naked. After you have a baby, fluids will be flowing from every orifice and need to be covered.
- You will pee yourself at some point.
- You will want to cry over spilled milk. Breast milk.
- Nap time is just as much for you and your sanity as it is for them.
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