To ask your best baby tips?

[BroodyTroody]

A Christmas tips thread has just got me thinking...

What is your one golden nugget of genius advice for a new mum, either something specific I should do, or an invaluable item I should by?

Thank you!

[VisualiseAHorse]

Go for a walk EVERY DAY.

[Lambzig]

Relax, trust your instincts - really, really trust your instincts. Remember your baby is an individual and probably won't conform to the babies in the books. Let them get into their own routine.

[Lambzig]

Oh and remember to enjoy it because it goes all way too fast (sobs as last DS turns 1).

[EXTERMINATEpeppa]

video and photos! take lots.
even just 30 seconds of them playing or eating.

the microwave is your friend. embrace it.

germs are good.

prepare for the poo in the bath incident.

[Kiwiinkits]

Your baby will be happier if you allow him or her sufficient time for sleeping and resting. A well rested baby will sleep better at night. Structure your day to allow sleep to occur.

[Kiwiinkits]

Breastfeeding. There is such a thing as nipples that don't work that well. It is possible that you and the baby are doing EVERYTHING right and it's still not working out. If that's your situation, accept it and move on. Mixed feeding is a good compromise. Don't beat yourself up because Kellymom and Mumsnet is telling you you're just not trying hard enough.

[ThenSheSaid]

Make sure you and your partner don't forget about nurturing your relationship with each other.
Having happy loving parents is good for kids (if you can I know it doesn't always work out)

[JethroTull]

Marking place - my boy is 8 weeks. Too tired to read it right now though!

[bababababoom]

co-sleep and feed lying down, it will save your sanity. I can't believethat my third child was six months old when I realised other people were not sitting up in bed in the freezing cold winter trying not to fall asleep every time the baby fed at night.

[traininthedistance]

Two words: mattress protector! :) I had two of the things as I'd bought a second by mistake and didn't send it back in time, and there were still nights when I wished I'd had a third when I needed to change the bed three times (DD was a very vommy baby....)

[lizardqueenie]

Love this thread it's making me broody

Right my couple of bits would be if your baby is smelling a bit cheesy check under their chin/ beck folks- you would be surprised what gets caught down there so keep it nice & clean.

If you are putting baby back into their own bed after a night feed we found keeping the Moses basket/ crib warm with a heat pad was great for keeping it warm whilst feeding & then taking it out before putting dd back into her bed but we had a little electric heat pad.

Have fun, enjoy & take care of yourself too

[MummyBeerest]

My top 5 products:

Baby carrier-DD lived in it for the first 4 months

WASHCLOTHS-If ever you think you packed enough, get 10 more

Netflix-yep

Any clothing with feet

Clove oil-one drop in a teaspoon of olive oil is the perfect quick fix for teething

Advice:

When people ask to help, let them

[SugarMiceInTheRain]

This thread is great... Hoping I remember some of these when DC3 arrives in February. I've had a fair gap since DS2 was born and needed reminding.

BTW, never knew about the envelope neck vests!! Duh!

A tip which I found useful was to have old towels on the bed - comfier and less rustly than mattress protectors, and avoids damp patches on the sheets when BFing, particularly if you have very leaky boobs like I did

Also, newborn 'outfits' are a faff. Babies are generally much comfier in babygrows anyway.

Most stuff they try to persuade you is 'essential' is far from it, as other posters have detailed - baby baths, top and tail bowls (?!), moses baskets...

[Dangermouse1]

If having visitors in the very early days, ask them to come at mealtimes and bring food.

Don't micromanage your partner, let them work out their own way of doing things and let them share the load with you.

Sleep at any opportunity.

Good for you if you enjoy the newborn stage but don't expect to and don't beat yourself up if you don't. Older babies are much more rewarding for many people.

[ocelot41]

Give yourself permission to feel however you feel and don't judge yourself. Build a network of people you can meet during the day for solidarity a natter and a cuppa.

Remember that if you are out and about you will ALWAYS meet more people who are having it easier than you on the sleep front. That's because those who are having it WORSE than you haven't managed to leave the house, are still in their pyjamas, and scarfing HobNobs. So you are not actually alone if you are finding it tough, it just looks that way!

[Workberk]

Try to find someone trustworthy and sympathetic who you can phone, text or email at any time when you are finding things tough.

[Binkybix]

Ocelot: your last para is so obvious but I'd never thought of it like that have a 5 month year old). Thanks!

When baby has a snuffly nose have them in the room with you when you shower - steam helps clear it.

[Hopelass]

I'm loving this thread; my DS is only 6 weeks old so I'm hardly an expert but here are my tips....

1. Ragworts post 100% sums me up postnatally and as someone else said should be laminated and supplied to every new mum. DO NOT feel guilty if you don't have that "sudden rush of love" everyone goes on about. It took me a good two weeks to get my head around what had happened and gradually learn to love my DS to bits as I now do. I was very emotional and realise now that it was entirely normal.
2. Definitely batch cook and freeze if you can. This has saved my sanity and we are just coming to the end of my stash now. It's like someone else has cooked for you! I recommend curries, chilli, stews, Spag Bol etc.
3. Breastfeeding does not necessarily come naturally for everyone. DO NOT beat yourself up if it does not work out as you expected. Mixed feeding is not poisoning your child!
4. If poss get a co-sleeper cot. Invaluable for patting baby to sleep again from your bed for that extra half hour
5. The nights do get easier I promise and I'm saying this only 6 weeks in!!!
6. For any stitches; arnica tablets, witch hazel on maternity pads, paracetamol and ibuprofen, lavender and tea tree oil dissolved in milk put in the bath. My midwife recommended not too many baths as the stitches might dissolve early (not sure how true this is but I had a bath every other day and all is fine; had two tears and episiotomy).

Good luck and enjoy your baby

[BoffinMum]

If they are tiny and get a cold, the pharmacist can make you up sterile saline drops for their noses so they can feed properly.

[BoffinMum]

All the advice about cot death can mean you have allowed your baby to be a bit too cold, if you find they are not sleeping. An extra blanket is fine.

[peppinagiro]

My key items:

A crescent shaped feeding cushion - she slept on it, fed on it.

My nursing chair. Didnt get it for 3 months - thought it was pointless. Has saved my poor back - she would only take daytime naps in a sling with me walking about, and since the chair she'll feed to sleep in it while i have 30 mins sitting there rocking. She sometimes even lets DH lie in it with her in the sling. And now at night she feeds to sleep and conks out in 5 mins flat even if she wont go in a cot afterwards

A miracle blanket - yes I know it's now not advised to swaddle, but my DD wont sleep without it. She's also a master breakout artist, so it needa to be impenetrable - Miracle Blanket is or was until she got big and more determined. I bought loads of gro bags in all different togs while pregnant and they've not been used at all.

So do take all this with a pinch of salt - one person's indispensible item is another's waste. Similarly, we never used the pram, moses basket, or now any of the padded coats and snowsuits we've been bought....

[youretoastmildred]

peppinagiro - Is it now not advised to swaddle? I thought the miracle blankets were.... miraculous. When did this change? Is it an overheating / cot death thing?

[traininthedistance]

Oh and to second the person who mentioned about cheesy neck folds - do check the armpit folds too every so often as they can get stuff caught in there. DD was a bath refuser for a while and I thought I'd been giving her enough of a wipe but the armpit folds are surprisingly deep and when they're little they don't like to extend their arms right out. At one point DD got some niffy sweaty stuff stuck right in the crease: thankfully the skin was just a bit red but they can get fungal infections in the creases when that happens - when they're little just check right into the fold every couple of days to see if it needs a bit of a clean.

[traininthedistance]

(Plus re the mattress protectors - get a good quality one, eg by Hippychick - the kind that aren't rustly and are like cotton- topped sheets. They aren't unpleasant or noisy to lie on and are worth the expense in mattress-saving! Put it on a few weeks before your due date too in case of waters breaking in bed. Mine paid for itself many times over!)