On Day 7 of our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway, we asked you what advice you would give to new parents. And over 500 of you answered! The most popular response was “Sleep when the baby sleeps”- and it’s true! Forget anything else you need to do, no-one will judge your house being a mess or seeing a stack of take-out boxes in your kitchen. They will nod and understand that we all went through the same thing.
Here are some more of our favorites.
- “Allow help and don’t feel guilty about it” – Gita P
- “Try to make your life as easy as possible for those first few weeks. Have your pantry stocked with easy to prepare foods, use paper plates, don’t be afraid to order out a lot.” – Eric
- “I thought the second I had my baby it would all be bliss. It is really hard those first few weeks! I couldn’t believe how tired I was, sore (c-section) and emotional. Breast feeding was really hard at first etc… But, after a few weeks you just sort of naturally figure things out and it gets so much better. I would say just hang in there and enjoy your baby, but don’t feel defeated if its not all roses and rainbows right off the bat.” – Jessica A.
- “Get a quality baby carrier that will help you get all those precious snuggles in while still getting other things done around the house” – Allison
- “My sister and I think completely different in how to raise and take care of children and you know what? That’s ok. Neither one of us is wrong. So just do what YOU think and feel you need to do.” – Emily
- “Don’t stress about what everyone says you “should” be doing – trust your instincts and do what’s right for you and your family!” – Maura
- “My advice for those who want to breastfeed and have never done it, join a breast feeding support group and seek advice from a lactation consultant. They were the best help ever to me!” – Sandra U.
- “I hear so many new moms stressing…Relax. Your baby will reach his or her milestones exactly when they are supposed to. All babies are different.” – Kim T.
- “The one piece of advice? You can’t spoil a baby. No amount of holding, sleeping in your bed, nursing, etc, can ever do any harm to your baby/toddler, even preschooler.” – Amy M.
- “Resist the urge to try and do everything by the book, that is so instilled in every new parent. No one or at least I’m not going to tell you your a bad parent if your kid is still sleeping in your room after 6 weeks, or not sleeping through the night by 9 mo, still drinking out of a bottle after a year, has a pacifier after a year, and on and on the list could go. Focus on the important stuff, is baby safe, growing, being cared for, and forget everything else.” – Natalie S.
- “Whatever pre-conceived notions you have about motherhood, will be completely washed away once that baby comes out and you just have to do what you have to do to survive.” – Ann C.
- “My best piece of advice was given to me by my Midwife – never get used to anything, the good things will change and the bad things shall pass.” – Patty
- “One piece of advice I wish someone had given me is.. rather than buying an infant car seat that only holds up to 30 lbs and then another car seat after that, spend the extra money on a nice convertible car seat that your child can use from the time they are born until they no longer need one.” – Ashley O.
- “My one piece of advice is: LET THEM TAKE PICTURES! Yeah, after giving birth we don’t all feel like we look our best, but these are precious moments and you can never get them back! I wish I was in more of those early pictures.” – Brooke D.
- “My advice is to take all the advice everyone is going to feel they need to give you with a smile and some salt….do what you feel is right, take the advice you feel is good for you and do not let anyone make you question what you do as a mom. It is natural you will do what is best and you can’t people please…just baby please. Enjoy this time because it goes by too fast” – Tracy
- “I would say it’s the greatest job in the world but the most demanding. Take some time for yourself when you can and don’t feel guilty about it. The time taken will be good for you and make you more of a super mom for your LO than you already are!!! Oh and always always always go with your gut. Moms are usually smarter than doctors, nurses, etc when it comes to their own children.” – Carmell
- “Don’t try to be perfect…” – Cyndie
