Best piece of parenting advice?!

[Bigfatmomma]

If you had to give just one piece of parenting advice, what would it be?

Was thinking about this the other day on hearing an excited, newly pregnant lady talking.

Think mine would be: "Listen to your heart." (ie don't listen to any of my advice ).

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The best parenting advice someone gave me was "don't do what your mother did - and ignore her when she complains." Love that one!!

joash!! That is fantastic advice!! Wish someone had given me that lol

bfg.. only advice that i have heard been given is 'dont hold expectations, enjoy the unexpected'

Congratulations xxx

Remember that mother knows best and remember that you are the mother. Echos what others have said here already.

On a more practical note - keeping all the labels on clothes until you are about to use them is a good idea. You get soooo many pressies, especially for the first, that you never get through them all so at least you can take them back to the shop and exchange them for a different size or for something that you need. Sounds harsh but that's the reality.

Dont waste your money on a huge high chair. That was the best tip from SIL who did and hated hers. I went for a First years booster seat at a fraction of the price!!
2nd time around, my advise would be dont go for double buggy, complete waste of money for me. I baby bjorned ds2 til 9mo, ds1 in pushcahir. Then went to pushcahir for ds2 with ds1 on buggy board.
And I swear by swaddling, best thing I learnt from dm. Both children settled really well when tucked up neatly. Hope it works for my next one.

Whatever is bugging you, it will pass. It feels like forever at the time, but one day someone will ask you "did yours do that?" & you'll start to say no & realise that they did, & you've forgotten all about it.

(having been asked for advice on a 4 year old wetting the bed & having to be reminded by DH that actually dd did this until she was 7. How could I forget that?!

Mines similar to Tallulah's.Whenever they start refusing food/milk/sleep ect,repeat to yourself'It is just a phase-it will pass'.

mine was given to me by my grandma which was "never go upstairs empty handed"theres alwas something, toy,washing ect that needs to go upstairs

Mine relates to teenagers so write it down and don't forget it

Don't let them have a mobile on contract (unless you have a bank balance like Richard Branson)

and more seriously - pick your battles otherwise everything is a battle.

carrots stain and everything else you can work out between yourselves

Did we have the same grandma fostermum?

Mine also used to say "Remember, if your hearth and your sink's clear - your house is clean."

Don't worry about tomorrow - concentrate on TODAY, and cope with today. (If he/she isn't sleeping/eating/behaving well today, but you can cope with it - that's OK; don't make it into a crisis by worrying how you'll cope if he/she doesn't sleep/eat/behave well for the next 2 years!)

Someone said to me before I had my DS 'don't be the expert', i.e. don't be the only one in your relationship who knows how to do everything with the baby (be it feeding, nappy changing, bath time, whatever). Because if you are the expert, you'll be the only one doing it forever more, and that's no good for you all as a family.

My fil said to me - the trick is, to make them want what you want. Has always stood me in good stead. I know you said only one, but my second one - which is closely related is, if you ask them nicely, twice and they don't do it, they ain't going to do it - you have to change something.

From my grandmother: if it won't matter in 5 years, it doesn't matter now.