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Original poster

Second and third time MUms - what do you cringe with embarassment about with dd/ds1?

70 replies

codswallop · 09/12/2003 13:02

I cringe at

slave to routine - to the detriment of our lives

Taking four adults out to take one baby to the park

taking the baby on pointless trips to places he couldnt appreciate

Being anal about baby food

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Original poster
codswallop · 09/12/2003 13:03

Oh ans seriously thinking tumble tots type things would make him sporty....!!!

OP posts:
zebra · 09/12/2003 13:05

Slave to routine? You're not Another GF mum, are you coddy (naughty naughty zebra, bringing up the GF word)....

I cringe at nothing you mention, but rather the impossibility of EVER going to the loo BY MYSELF.

lazyeye · 09/12/2003 13:07

Hours of preparing expensive organic food, being totally neurotic re food in every respect.

Not realising my son was exhausted..........

FairyMum · 09/12/2003 13:09

Disinfecting, Cleaning and Washing to avoid contamination of Baby

Slinky · 09/12/2003 13:13

Mmmmm - quite a few things

Now thinking about a friend with an "only" -

a) insisting clothes are co-ordinating - to the point that if a top gets wet at nursery or if child wets themselves - friend will change COMPLETE outfit to make sure it still co-ordinating.

b) neighbour who insists on accompanying her Year 2 child into classroom EVERY morning - hanging coat on peg for her etc etc. My Year 1 DS would be mortified if I followed suit

c) Personally I HATE all these organised "baby" groups - ie tumble tots/jo jingles/baby music etc etc. I know and appreciate lots of parents love them, but really couldn't be a*sed to get into all that sort of stuff. Nothing wrong with playing CDs at home and a good old run round the park.

d) Sterilising EVERYTHING that comes into contact with baby. Now I became a bit obsessed with No 1 (didn't know any better ) but by No 3 poor little love managed OK with just sterilised teats!

e) Totally agree with your comments about masses of adults and one baby.

f) Again totally agree with strict routines to the point of not going out because it interferes with X,Y and Z. If I had done that with No 2 and No 3, older one and myself would have gone insane

Probably think of loads more....

StressyHead · 09/12/2003 13:14

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M2T · 09/12/2003 13:14

Thinking that you have to sterilise EVERYTHING!

Changing the baby the second they get a bit of slobber on their clothes (what would visitors think!?!). Sheessh! Why couldn't I just relax?!

Forestfly · 09/12/2003 13:21

Believing that it was an absolute sin to shout at a child.
Never ever putting the baby down, even going to the toilet with it.
This child will never eat chicken nuggets, ever.
Making monday and thursday creative day, mmmm kept up with that one.
I'm going to travel the world with my child, it's not going to change me

StressyHead · 09/12/2003 13:22

message withdrawn

M2T · 09/12/2003 13:25

Oh yes FF - MYYYY child will NEVER eat any convenience foods... all fresh food lovingly prepared by me at home and frozen in nice neat portions. Hmmm, right.

motherinferior · 09/12/2003 13:30

Worrying dd1 would 'get into bad habits' when tempted to take her into our bed at 3 days

Worrying when she wasn't interested in toys/baby books/rolling over at unduly young age

Worrying that if we didn't have the baby monitor on at thunderstorm levels we wouldn't be able to hear her breathing

Worrying that if she did go to sleep she wouldn't wake up (till dp actually stayed awake for three hours to monitor her sleeping patterns)

Oh dear, coddy, what a very cringey thread!

Enid · 09/12/2003 13:35

This thread is really making me laugh - coddy, mine were exactly the same as yours, plus being really neurotic about television.

janh · 09/12/2003 13:37

Singing Jerusalem at her (very loudly) when she was crabby because I didn't know any baby songs!

janh · 09/12/2003 13:38

Oh, and only having a tiny B & W telly and keeping it in a cupboard except when it was being watched - until she was FIVE!

(Can you still get tiny B & W tellies?)

M2T · 09/12/2003 13:40

If I had to take ds to the shop when he was just a we tiny baby I would pack about 10 nappies, 2 changes of clothes and take 2 bottles!!! It was only a half hour trip!! lol

Original poster
codswallop · 09/12/2003 15:38

oh ditto sterilising - ds3 has never had anything sterilised ever...

changing clothes all the time - why/

OP posts:
Original poster
codswallop · 09/12/2003 15:40

I never had a pram coordinated changing bag tho teehee

OP posts:
Janstar · 09/12/2003 15:41

I am just trying to imagine forestfly wiping her a**e with a baby tucked under one arm

Original poster
codswallop · 09/12/2003 15:41

I do that at the mo if I ma say in a swimming pool loo with a crawling baby...

OP posts:
marialuisa · 09/12/2003 18:29

Well, I've only got the one dd but have had a hand in dragging up 2 others. I was excused the usual 1st time mum thing of sterilising, taking out bottles of water and tubs of formula separately and running every time the baby cried.

BUT, what is your prob with kids having co-ordinating clothes and regular baths?? I wouldn't go out without washing and in clothes that don't go, so why should DD? My mum (5 kids) and aunt (9 kids) are the same, so don't think it can be attributed to neurotic 1st time mum behaviour.

Original poster
codswallop · 09/12/2003 18:40

Yes but Ml they are children - it doenst matter if they coordinate....

OP posts:
Slinky · 09/12/2003 19:00

My point about co-ordinating clothes : would you change a complete outfit, including trousers/skirts, and shoes (yes shoes!) if a child had spilt some water on a top!

Similarly, would you change a top if your child wet themselves??????

Surely not....my washing pile is out of control at the best of times, let alone faffing about creating extra washing!

Slinky · 09/12/2003 19:02

Also many a time my children have worn "uncordinated clothes" - due to the fact that they have always chosen their own clothes to wear since toddlerhood.

I really don't care what my kids look like as long as they are warm and dry.

Demented · 09/12/2003 19:09

I had most of the usual paranoias the first time round about sterilising and cleanliness, my biggest problem was the same as lazyeye, I just didn't realise when he needed to sleep.

I recently watched a friend with her first child change her DD's clothes at the same time as she changed the nappy, as far as I could see it was for no other reason than it was the time of day she usually did this. Goodness knows what her washing basket was like!

marialuisa · 09/12/2003 19:33

So what if they are only children?? Sorry, it's one of those things that really riles me, it's ok to snigger about people who take care over their kids' appearance. I bet if i suggested that parents who put their kids in mismatched clothes were slovenly or whatever you'd all be gunning for me. As for changing clothes if water was on a top, no as plain water dries (unless she was drenched) but yep, I would defo change her whole outfit if she wet her trousers, though obviously prob wouldn't arise if she was in a skirt as then you can just do tights and pants.

DD does "choose" her own clothes, but they're stored as outfits in her drawers, separated into play clothes and good clothes, school uniform hung in cupboard. That said, she went round Sainsbury's in fairy wings and tiara so i'm not too cruel and controlling.

Sorry, you'll all think I'm mad, but I just find it really annoying that this sort of "they're kids, they can be scruffy" attitude is seen as superior.

OK, will calm down, prob just a combo of Mediterranean/Welsh heritage, where you do not take your child out of the house in a baby-gro.