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What was the most first-time mum thing you did?

165 replies

ChefsKisser · 29/05/2026 21:48

On the back of another thread what’s the most ‘first time mum’ thing you ever did with your child?

we were at a relative of my husbands for a family bbq and relative had bought their lovely newborn along. I’d held her plenty through the few hours but later I was upstairs doing something. When I came down everyone was a bit tense and baby was fractious- his relatives had wanted to leave but wanted to ‘make sure I got to say bye to the baby’ before I left. Of course I did but internally I thought bloody hell you really didn’t need to stay for that…!! and it made me remember all the mental things I did with my first.

I know it’s been done before but any good ones? Light hearted- we’ve all been OTT FTPs and this isn’t a criticism!

OP posts:
Ritaskitchen · 29/05/2026 21:59

I ironed the muslin cloths. Before I realized that was crazy and stopped. Because all that happened was they got covered in vomit - he had bad reflux.

shellyleppard · 29/05/2026 22:00

First time I changed my eldest son's nappy I put it on back to front 😂😂😂

FrothyCothy · 29/05/2026 22:02

Made my parents and partner drive totally out of the way, late one evening, to buy the exact same cot we had at home to keep at my parents’ house. Somehow I thought that would mean she slept. She never slept longer than 90mins in 18 months! But the cot did remain for DC2 and now my niece so at least it stood the test of time!

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Byron1990 · 29/05/2026 22:04

I used to recite poetry to him that I memorised while he was on the swings at the park, there were often other parents there probably thinking what a bellend. I also once called an ambulance as well because he threw up 🙈

Martiniolives · 29/05/2026 22:04

Took her to a&e when she had a cold.
In my defense it then helped me know when i actually DID need to tske her to a&e for a cold (developed croup)

Shudacudawuda · 29/05/2026 22:04

I wouldn't have the TV on when he was in the room for the first few months of DS1's existence. I was worried seeing a screen would do bad things to his brain.

Leorag · 29/05/2026 22:11

Ironed muslin cloths and sterilised dummy's that fell on the floor for a second ( this was just with my 1st, I chilled out a lot with no 2!)

Thebackrowgal · 29/05/2026 22:11

declined any offers of friends old baby stuff as I didn’t want hand me downs for my pfb!

ThatMintMember · 29/05/2026 22:13

I stripped my newborn off after he met some of DHs family members; he smelled like old lady perfume and I couldn't handle it. I also bathed him after my friend who smokes held him as she smelled very strongly of perfume too, no doubt to hide the smell!

I was very overprotective in those early days!

MCF86 · 29/05/2026 22:15

Thought he'd never have more than 30 minutes of TV a day 🙃

Justmadesourkraut · 29/05/2026 22:16

I remember quizzing a friend about when her three boys had moved from 3 naps a day to 2 naps a day and silently judging her sooooo much for not remembering the exact age (in weeks.) My pfb was about 6 weeks old. Hers were 12, 14 and 16 years old!!!!

The best ever on Mnet was the parents who were taking their pfb (I think about 6 months old) on holiday on a flight to the med . . . So they booked a Manchester to London flight for the 3 of them a month before to get him used to being on a plane!

MyNameIsTina · 29/05/2026 22:16

I wrote my mum an 8 page document for how to look after my PFB for a couple of hours. Took the bouncy chair, Moses basket, sling and pushchair so she had a choice of places to put her!

MoreDangerousThanAWomanScorned · 29/05/2026 22:16

Changed the words to Rockaby Baby because I found the original reference to the baby falling too upsetting. The most puzzling thing, looking back, is why I didn't just not sing that lullaby at all?

I also cried for about 48 hours on and off because DS1 had got a very slight, teeniest bit of colour on his cheeks after a walk and I was convinced this meant I had let my baby become sunburned.

Eyesopenwideawake · 29/05/2026 22:17

As a long term cat owner but a first time puppy mum I tried to squash him into a cat carrier to take him to the vet, rather than letting him walk.

Does that count?

Shudacudawuda · 29/05/2026 22:23

Oh I've just remembered aswell, I kept meticulous notes for the first few months about how long he fed for and from which boob, along with nap times. Then I would study the timings desperately looking for a pattern, any kind of routine I could cling to, it all seemed so random and exhausting in those early days.
I had charts and everything, I actually think looking back now that I was going slightly loopy. Probably lack of sleep.

secon · 29/05/2026 22:23

Put baby on a feather filled pillow when talking to them (I had a bad back to couldn’t hold anything for very long) because I thought if they rolled over (in the split second it took to blink), they’d still be able to breathe through the gaps in the feathers…

AmusedLilacBalonz · 29/05/2026 22:23

Believed that my daughter sleeping through the night from 7 weeks was entirely down to my parenting. Gave the most appalling unsolicited advice to other poor mums who hadn’t slept in weeks “have you tried putting him down drowsy but awake?”. How anyone didn’t punch me…luckily the second one came along to humble me because my goodness 😂

Luckydog7 · 29/05/2026 22:23

Tearfully asked my sister not to use a particular girl name for her (turned out to be a boy) unborn child so I could save it for the second child I hadn't conceived yet.

Had, what I genuinely believe was a minor panic attack, (heart palpitations, struggling to breath) thinking about my son driving and having a crash. He was one at the time.

secon · 29/05/2026 22:25

Put a border around my birth plan and had it laminated- the water filled, classic musical playing in the background, natural birth I’d planned didn’t happen (csection)! 😂😂

Luckydog7 · 29/05/2026 22:26

AmusedLilacBalonz · 29/05/2026 22:23

Believed that my daughter sleeping through the night from 7 weeks was entirely down to my parenting. Gave the most appalling unsolicited advice to other poor mums who hadn’t slept in weeks “have you tried putting him down drowsy but awake?”. How anyone didn’t punch me…luckily the second one came along to humble me because my goodness 😂

I did this too but unfortunately both my two were very good sleepers so I imagine I was unbearable. Tbf I did try to hold back, at least I was that self aware.

LittleRobins · 29/05/2026 22:28

First night at home with DS he got the hiccups and I was convinced it meant he was dying. I was googling in a panic how to stop his hiccups.

Lack of sleep is an utter bitch!

TappingTed · 29/05/2026 22:29

Took DS to the GP for baby milk spots.

Cried because the days of the week vests some absolute knob gave me weren’t clean on the right day and I felt like I’d failed at motherhood (DS was around 3 weeks old at this point and it was summer so everyone could see his vest as it was the only thing he was wearing!)

Thunderdcc · 29/05/2026 22:33

We went to Lanzarote when dd was about 9mo and I packed about 6 litres of UK tap water to make bottles.

DD1 did not have chocolate until she was over 2yo, when dd2 came along my standards flew out the window. I'm still quite proud of that one 11 years later 😂

Caferouge · 29/05/2026 22:33

I felt sad when I realised that he had eaten his first non-organic food. He’s 13 and it’s Haribo and Space Raiders most days now.

MoreDangerousThanAWomanScorned · 29/05/2026 22:38

AmusedLilacBalonz · 29/05/2026 22:23

Believed that my daughter sleeping through the night from 7 weeks was entirely down to my parenting. Gave the most appalling unsolicited advice to other poor mums who hadn’t slept in weeks “have you tried putting him down drowsy but awake?”. How anyone didn’t punch me…luckily the second one came along to humble me because my goodness 😂

One of the mums in my mum group was like this, and she was a lovely woman so I tried not to hate her, but... I remember once we were all out for coffee and she asked whether I could buy hers because she'd left her card at home and I just thought 'as if you don't already have enough! You don't even need coffee!'

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