Best parenting advice

PeachsMama · August 2013

I love reading all the awful advice we get while pregnant and after baby arrives but just for a change: Share the best parenting advice you've been given.

fiddlefern · August 2013

It sounds stupid, but sleep when the baby sleeps. Forget about showering or laundry. SLEEP!

katie.725 · August 2013

It's a team effort...don't be afraid to ask for help and sleep!

babymama619 · August 2013

Best advice my mom has given me , this is mostly for older kids, "don't look". If something clatters and they say they're ok, just let them fix it. If you know they can do the stairs and it makes you nervous to watch, don't look. If there is a minor scuffle between siblings in the other room, don't look, they'll likely work it out. Wondering about your perineum, don't look. Is baby sound asleep, if you don't hear her in the crib, don't look. If you go in she won't be asleep for long. Sounds crazy, but sometimes not looking builds my confidence in kids and their confidence in themselves.

CaitS07 · August 2013

This is from my H's aunt who has 4 boys and I plan to try to follow it

Do 3 things everyday

1. Take a shower (Doesn't matter when, but you'll feel rejuvenated afterwards)

2. Put on whatever make-up makes you feel put together. For her it was foundation, for me it'll probably be eye liner

3. Sit outside or go outside for 15 mins. The natural vitamin D will do wonders.

Kim22 · August 2013

A mom of kids I babysat when I was a teenage came and brought us dinner the day we came home from the hospital with our first. She said "remember you have to teach your baby how to sleep." I thought first this sounded a little offensive for people who had babies that just didn't sleep but later I got it. Obviously there is not much you can do to make a newborn sleep but by 4 months I got it. Put them to bed awake so they learned to fall asleep. I'm so glad for that when I hear friends talking about how they have to lay with their 5 year olds every night.

awesnap · August 2013

Never say never. Things I never thought I would do, I did.

IforShort · August 2013

"Try breastfeeding for 40 days. If you still would rather only pump or ff after that then you can." It was great advice and helped me push through the pain. I still never loved doing it like some moms but I got better at it.

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3Dewdrops · August 2013

Don't expect to be perfect. You're a mom in training.

artistlife · August 2013

A baby always has a reason for crying. You will learn your baby's cries. There will be one for hungry, sleepy, hurt, sad, mad, etc. Once baby is old enough try to let baby fix the ones he can.

I didn't get this until one day I heard DS use his frustration cry. I knew he was mad at something. I ran in to see what was wrong. I stopped myself from grabbing him just in time. Had I picked him up, I would have missed his first real crawl. It finally registered that he needed the independence to fix his own issues, in order to learn and grow. Since you learn your child's cries, you will know which ones they can fix themselves and which ones they need mommy for.

Chargersgrl33 · August 2013

When it comes to breast feeding, make small goals. If things don't work out you don't feel as down about it all. This was so true with me and DS. I made a small goal of one week, then when I hit that my goal was 3 weeks, then 6, etc. If you say something like I will do it for a year and then things don't work out, you feel like you let baby down.

And also, formula won't kill your kid! Best advice my Sister ever gave me.

fiddlefern · August 2013

Along the lines of BF'ing, it's going to hurt, A LOT the first month. You will cry and your toes will curl because it is so painful (even if baby has a good latch). Buy a nipple shield, get some lanolin and let your boobs air out (no bra). After about a month they will 'toughen' up.

Oh and there will be times where you think you are at the end of your rope. If your LO is fed and dry don't feel bad if you have to lay them down and walk away for 5 or 10 minutes to compose yourself. You are only human and it's better for you and the baby for you to step away for a few minutes and gather your wits.

MsCrispy · August 2013

fiddlefern said:

Along the lines of BF'ing, it's going to hurt, A LOT the first month. You will cry and your toes will curl because it is so painful (even if baby has a good latch). Buy a nipple shield, get some lanolin and let your boobs air out (no bra). After about a month they will 'toughen' up.

I don't know if this is always true. A lot of times, the pain is a sign of a bad latch. For me, my nipples did not hurt, but I did get a pins and needles sensation during let down for the first week or so. Other than that, I didn't have cracked nipples or any other pain.

inlove0509 · August 2013

MsCrispy said:

fiddlefern said:

Along the lines of BF'ing, it's going to hurt, A LOT the first month. You will cry and your toes will curl because it is so painful (even if baby has a good latch). Buy a nipple shield, get some lanolin and let your boobs air out (no bra). After about a month they will 'toughen' up.

I don't know if this is always true. A lot of times, the pain is a sign of a bad latch. For me, my nipples did not hurt, but I did get a pins and needles sensation during let down for the first week or so. Other than that, I didn't have cracked nipples or any other pain.

It sounds like your LO had tongue tie too! My LO's tongue wasn't long enough to cover her bottom gumline, which was so painful gnawing into my breast. It hurt the first half week until I started using the nipple shield every.single.time until her tongue tie loosened enough at 3 months. I'm so glad I didn't give up on breastfeeding-- these are my sweetest memories of LO's first year.

Best advice I followed was sleep often, like when baby napped. Be persistent with BFing and dont give up! also, be gentle with hubby and compliment him often and let him spend alone time with LO from the beginning so they can develop a tight bond too.

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