The Great 'What you wish you'd known when you had a baby' Hunt 2012 8 October 2012 at 10:46AM edited 9 October 2012 at 7:21PM in Marriage, relationships & families 140 replies 48.7K views

Former_MSE_Debs

After Martin mentioned fitting a car seat on his Facebook page - MSE junior is due in 3 weeks - one follower posted him tips such as "pin a 'baby sleeping' sign on the front door to stop disturbance". So we thought we'd use the collective wisdom of all MoneySavers to help new parents everywhere - including our Martin.



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AuntyVi

Don't get too hung up on what (any) parenting books say you "should" be doing. They all say different things, and babies are all different too. If it works for you, great - but if it doesn't, feel free to chuck the book out the window and do what YOU think instead!

AuntyVi

Oh, and try a sling, great for getting them to sleep and for being able to get on with things hands-free.

And join Mumsnet, it's great for tips and support!

I could get on a roll here....!

ems2

I would avoid the sign on the door, babies need to learn how to sleep like everything else and it will be easier, for parents and the baby, if they can do it with a bit of normal noise.
Fairly certain not everyone will agree so should point out jmo.

Gillyx

The sign is ideal if the parents want a rest though. Do agree with babies sleeping whenever though

building_with_lego

How to breastfeed lying down. It would have made the first few weeks MUCH easier with DD; by the time DS came along I had it down to a fine art and meant we all got more rest.



Have a great birth, Mrs MSE! Literally millions of people are waiting for the news :rotfl:

stubbyd

To make your rooms more child friendly crawl round on your hands and knees as this gives you a view of the world from their height / angle.

Makes you realise corners of coffee tables, etc are danger zones.

Jezzabell

Make sure you have your MSE 'No Cold Callers' sign up. I was getting very annoyed being disturbed by the doorbell when I was feeding my baby,as was she. Never sure if it was a visotor, a delivery or some annoying cold caller. Now if the bell goes I know I need to answer it. I've only had one cold caller since the sign went up and I took great pleasure in asking him why he'd ignored my sign and felt fine about shutting the door!

janineo

I found this article too late for me to benefit, but it's such good advice I'm passing it on to every pregnant woman I know!

http://www.becomingmamas.com/life-in-the-fourth-trimester/

Hope it helps

Cazza1234

Don't waste money on all the things they advise you to buy. Most of them aren't necessary!
Don't be afraid to accept second hand clothes etc - they are in them such a short amount of time - I recently bought some brand new pram shoes from a charity shop for 99p - bargain. Also, if the clothes get really messy then don't be afraid to throw them away rather than try to wash them!
Oh and breastfed babies have explosive bottoms - so watch out when changing!
Most of all, enjoy it - it may not seem like it at the time, but they are small for such a short space of time.

Cazza1234

If you have a c-section - BIG PANTS!