Hints and tips for a new mum?

Gingham_Ribbon

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Pick your battles.

What you should spend on your child: twice the time you think you should and half the money.

We all do it differently. Go with your instinct.

Ask for help. There's no such thing as supermum.

Enjoy yourself.

VK-2008

<LI class=custom>No matter how calmly you try to referee, parenting will eventually produce bizarre behavior, and I'm not talking about the kids. <LI class=custom>Fatherhood is pretending the present you love most is soap-on-a-rope. <LI class=custom>The truth is that parents are not really interested in justice. They just want quiet. <LI class=custom>Sex education may be a good idea in the schools, but I don't believe the kids should be given homework.
• Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home.

HelenKA_2

Cotton wool and water are fine for baby's bottom.

Flannel or sponge are fine for baby's face and neck.

Try to have the day time sleeps in a different place to night time eg use a travel cot/moses basket/pram/sofa during the day so that baby starts to learn from early on that bed=sleep.

skintchick

thanks everyone! The book looks great now it is nearly full! Still no replies from people who are coming but at least the good folk of MSE have saved the day!

scottishminnie

When your non mummy friends come round to visit looking immaculate and polished don't get hung up on how they look compared to how you look and feel and please remember what you've achieved. Secretly we (speaking from experience) are either totally in awe of you or a little envious. For whatever reason you've done something that we either haven't or can't.
Revel in the attention, you deserve it - just don't ask us to clean the loo, it's bad for our manicures

MichelleM

Sorry, as a new mother, I had to add things I didnt know....

1. If you breastfeed you will spend at least the first 5 days with baby attached to you, it is normal.
2. Not very money saving but me and hubby bought the whole series of The Royale Family to watch whilst I was stuck on the sofa feeding each night, it became part of our routine and helped us laugh even though we were so tired we could cry!
3. When putting baby down after a feed (especially in your bed) put a muslin cloth under their head as they will most probably dribble or vomit.
4. I bought this Pillow for for me whilst pregnant as I couldnt sleep properly, now it belongs to my daughter, she lives in it; it supports he back and neck whilst she sits on the sofa watching TV with us. It smells of me as I use it for breast feeding so she curls up in it and falls asleep on her own when tired. And most of all, she feels like she is being held so I get time to do other things!
5. Keep the boxes/manuals for some of your baby items (e.g steriliser) as you will find that you wont need them at some point so they will need to be stored away or sold on ebay.
6. Dont feel guilty if you dont "feel" completely in love with your baby in the first few days, the tiredness will make you feel like a robot. Give it a week or so.
7. If youre giving up on breastfeeding, as a last resort try the bottle but still keep latching baby onto you in between whilst you increase your milk supply (if possible).
8. I agree with the person who posted about breastfeeding whilst lying in bed, it was the only way I could actually sleep in the first month!
9. Dont worry about routines until 12 weeks as babies have too many growth spurts and changes in sleeping/eating habits that it could make you feel like youre doing something wrong.
10. And finally... you will feel like hitting people where it hurts when they ALWAYS ask you if your baby is hungry at the slightest wimper/cry. You will know your baby the best so have the confidence to say, NO... she/he is tired.. etc.

HTH!

P.S (TMI alert) After the birth, you shouldnt "wipe", have a plastic jug or bottle with warm water in to clean downstairs and soothe you!