When people say 'Make memories with your baby'?

[Worththewait2019]

What do they mean? I don't think there's anything I'll actually forget but I feel like I'm not doing enough with my 5 month old to make those 'special memories' people talk about.

They're just social media wankers. Ignore that making memories crap, memories get made no matter how many photos you post on Instagram of the one time of day your baby wasn't covered in puke or poop.

I remember very well. The sleep depravation, the endless worries about every sniffle or cough, the never ending well intentioned advice that would send you into a panic, the constant ‘am I doing this right?’ and ‘is he hitting the milestones?’.

At that age you are just focused on keeping the little thing alive.

Make memories with your baby I always took to mean was that you need to spend precious time with them, forget the housework that'll always be there and who cares if the house gets a bit messy. You've a lovely 5 month old child to enjoy so do that.

Do things because they are enjoyable at the time. I don't really remember exactly what I did with DDs when they were babies, but I remember we had a lot of fun times.

Dear God, just ignore them. It's a wanky cringey lame thing to say.

Just be with your baby. Try to enjoy the little things and don't wish and worry too much time away.

I remember when DS poonamied all over a £10k silk rug.

See, now that's making memories @LordProfFekkoThePenguinPhD

It certainly was! The look on my sisters face was a picture!

A 10k rug though

God, that phrase gives me the rage and parents use it for babies to teens. Totally meaningless and utterly wanky. Just go and have fun ffs. We all do things with our kids without feeling the need to let everyone know about it. Posting this shit on FB make think that that's the only time this month you've actually spent any time with yours! Yes, this phrase definitely gives me the rage

Honestly I'm so relieved by your replies!

I've had a pretty crappy day which is very unusual btw but was doubting myself, especially when I look on fb and see someone else on mater it's leave visiting all Art fairs & galleries yet I haven't even made it out the house today 😳

'Living your best life' is the phrase that gives me the rage @mrsmagoo

It means being with them and making the most, not fretting.

E.g I remember ds1 getting spag bol all over the place, I was quite down and tired at the time and cried . Dh took over and took a photo of him. No big deal it went in with all the others.
On fb this week my gd looking just like her dad did, absolutely covered in it.

Take the photo's let them look dirty and funny for granny. Mess doesn't matter That photo made my week.

They are all corny sounding, but they are right, it's what you are doing anyway OP.

I’ve tried to block quite a lot of the memories.

worththewait that's really cringe too. I think I might be getting old

Thing is - we can't control what events make it to our memory. That trip to the museum where you all saw the dinosaur and the paintings and had fancy cake that went all over your child's face - the ONLY thing about that day that your child might remember is the odd looking woman in front of you both in the queue for the loos, swaying a little, talking to much and offering her a boiled sweetie. The dino and cake - might not even make an impact but the odd tipsy lady is out of the ordinary and will stay with the child for a long time.

My DS is 8 months old and I've spent most days home with him tbh. I don't take him out constantly because, honestly, he's a baby and until now wouldn't have even been aware of anything anyway! He's a very happy baby and I'm spending time just watching him and getting to know him. I've never understood the making memories thing as I've got very few memories before secondary school age so whose memories are you making? My memories of being home with him will be a lot better than being out all the time dealing with other people when I just want to look at this amazing human that I made!

Baby is probably a bit young now but as they get older and you have different experiences try to enjoy and remember them like first swim, digging in the sandpit, decorating the Christmas tree that kind of stuff. Try to savour those moments when you’re laughing together and you look around and think how happy you are.

Eurgh, hate that phrase!! You don't 'make' memories! Just enjoy your baby as much as you can, doing what you want to rather than what you feel you should be doing.

One thing I'm trying to do (when I remember!) is keep a little notebook of DD's and DS's milestones, but also just what they're like as they grow up, funny little habits they have etc. My mum did the same for me and it's been nice to look back together now that I have kids.

@vgiraffe I'm going to get a book to write milestones, that's a fab idea. Wish I'd have thought before now ☹️

I'm sure you can backdate stuff as you'll remember things from the last 5 months. I try not to write loads as it'll be too much to ever read again! So just stuff like when they first smiled, first rolled over and then little things like what makes them laugh, how they're sleeping (or not!) etc.

Yup, it means post a whole load of shit on social media constantly telling everyone how much you love your Bubz.

In reality, if you’re still sane, it means trying to enjoy your baby through the veil of sleepless nights and remember the odd milestone or two.

IMO and expwrii, memories happen for a number of reasons - some good, some bad - but almost always something out of the ordinary and not planned. Even things like weddings tend to generate memories about the smaller, unscripted moments than the big set pieces.
The things we remember most, as a family are not the many times we took the children to the park with a picnic, but the one tine we did it and a bird pood on my dc2's sandwich. Or the many times we went 'tadpoling'as children but I do remember the one time my sister fell in and we had to make a long journey home on the bus, with her covered bead to foot in mud. The thing is, memories happen, they are not planned. A bit like the people who come on here every November /Deceme asking what Christmas tradition they should 'start' - like memories, traditions happen naturally, they are not planned.

Enjoy your baby. Do what you are doing. The memories will come and they will be more special for their spontaneity.

I was so exhausted I can’t really remember the first 9 months of my ds’s life... I remember walking to the garden centre a lot, and us both crying at rhythm time. I took lots of photos though, and he looked very cute!

The amount of people I see missing what’s happening in front of their face as they are so desperate to get a photo of it. Just try and savour the time you spend together and don’t put pressure on yourself to document it in some way.