Anything you'd do differently.

[savidgerl]

Having just had my second child I am interested in what things you have done differently with your younger children that you didn't with your first. What has hindsight taught you?
For me persisting in putting the latest baby to sleep in a hammock next to the bed hopefully means we won't be bed sharing for the next 1.5 years like we ended up doing with DS.

breastfeeding, cloth nappies, swaddling and homemade food

I second the swaddling. I bought a miracle blanket and it has worked miracles. Got 5.5 hours of sleep last night and DD is only 1 week

Really expat - that is quite a wholesale change. With DD I started a bedtime routine at a much younger age. Am struggling to think what else. Breastfed for an extra month exclusively, weaned later, breastfed for extra few months partially that sort of thing.

kep persevering with proper food. I gave in to DS1's faddy eating when he was about a year and have been paying for it ever since

With no. 2:
Stopped taking it all so seriously.
Stopped comparing myself with other mothers.
Stopped the endless video footage in favour of very occasional photos if I remembered.
Stopped waiting for the moment when I would become a wonderful, patient mother who never shouted at my children.

later weaning.
did what (crap) HV said and Eweaned dd1q at 12 weeks (bf to 1 yr).
With ds I help out to recommended 16 weeks (bf till 15 months)and with dd2 to 26 weeks (bf till 24 months)
DD2 is a fab eater, ds is OK, dd1 is a fusspot.
Wish I had held out with her like I should have, but as a first time mum with bad PND I was struggling.

But all my kids are great now. Still very glad I started a loose bedtime routine at 6m. They are all in bed by 8 now (age 6, 4, 2) so I get a bit of time to myself, even if they are up at 6.30!

Stopped being in such a rush for them to do everything. With DD I couldn't wait for her to reach each milestone to see what would come next. With DS I was much happier for him to just stay a baby as long as possible. Unfortunately for me he had other ideas! He crawled 5 months earlier and walked 7 months earlier than his older sister!!!

Hoping to do more homemade food - actually, hoping to just wait until he can be weaned onto more normal foods, and cut out all the baby rice stage.

Didn't want a dummy this time, and managed not to - but I think that all depends on the child.

Breastfeed longer

Cloth nappies

Try to ignore hv more.

Stand my ground with MY child, and MY birth

RELAX

Drink more wine

Second time I did
MORE jars- I weaned later, did lumps earlier and he ate our food from early on and when he can't has a jar- I have no time for specially prepared stuff lined up in pots in the freezer. Annabel Karmel is dusty (her book that is)
BF longer- its easier than sterilising
Left him to his own devices (mostly out of neccessity) and bliss he can entertain himself for ages at 10m !! DS1 was a huge attention seeker!!
Used disposable nappies when we went out- cloth when at home.
Basically made things easier on myself
and totally totally totally discouraged crawling or movement of any sort!!!