Things I wish I knew
As a parent to two kids, 2 and 4.5 yrs olds, I think I’m now a little bit more seasoned than I was 4.5 years ago. There are some things that one can only learn through experience, while there are other things where one could benefit from previous veteran moms. I didn’t have a lot of mom-friends who had young kids and therefore I was armed only with what I read on the internet and books. As such, one would only find what they’re looking for, if they knew what to look for.
Or maybe other moms did pass advices to me, I just didn’t take a lot of them to heart. If that were the case, I either can’t remember it or refuse to believe it.
In any event, there are some things that I wish I knew much earlier.
- The mesh crib thing you see in the pictures in this post? The white thing around the bottom perimeter? It’s called a Mesh Bumper and it’s wonderful. If the baby is sleeping in the crib, get it. It wraps all the way around a crib and prevents the baby’s arms and legs being pushed through between the slats, and since it is mesh, it’s breathable.
- It’s OK to let the baby fuss a little bit while they are trying to settle down / fall asleep. There’s no need to pick them up at every fuss and whimper, especially when all their needs are met (fed, burped, changed, not hot, not cold, etc.)
- Introduce a white noise / sound machine. It not only soothes baby to some degree, it also help drown out noises outside of the baby’s room so that while baby is sleeping, other people can continue to carry on conversation and normal activities in other parts of the house. It is especially helpful if the living quarter is small.
- Let them feed themselves as soon as they are able.
- Keep them in a high chair / booster seat for as long as possible. Always insist to sit down* if any eating is involved.
I’m sure there are other things which I can’t remember right now. If you’d like to add anything, please do so. It is already overwhelming as it is for any new mom preparing to enter parenthood, any and all advice ahem, experience from those before her would be extremely beneficial. Even if she thinks to herself, Ha, *I* will never do that.
* An ex-colleague always insisted that her daughter be sitting down if she were to consume any sort of drink or food. They are able to be consistent each and every time. As far as I know, this little girl has never ever ran around or not able to sit still or sulk while eating meals / snacks. Sigh.