Share the Rookie Mistakes that you made with you PFB.

[Hollyoaks]

DH and I joke that dd is our trial run and any dc that follow will benefit from the rookie mistakes we have made.

These include:
Thinking that dd at 18mo would be fine with spaghetti hoops, toast and a spoon while I made my dinner. Ooops, just pleased I had stripped her to her nappy as we were both having a bath in the sink afterwards.

Thinking that giving her the dummy at 2 weeks old would be a temporary measure.

To think that chocolate would be just for treats and not to keep her quiet.

Thinking that a zip is a suitable barrier for a toddler.

Assuming that 4 nappies would be enough the first time I left her when I went back to work.

To think that going back to work would be fine and not at all heart-wrenching.

I'll keep thinking as I know there are loads more.

Putting dd1 in her crib to sleep her first night at home dressed only in a vest with a thin blanket over her. We were terrified of overheating her but the poor little mite was obviously frozen and yelled all night only going to sleep when the sun came up....

Oh, we were the opposite and were terrified dd would be too cold when we left hospital with her as very windy and snowing. However, her vest, babygrow, home-nit and chunky cardigan, gloves and snowsuit meant she couldn't fit in the car seat. Took some video footage at our foolishness and then quickly redressed before the midwives caught us. Took some time to get the hot/cold balance correct.

I think my little one probably shivered for most of the first three months. It was summer, and I was terrified of making her too hot so she was pretty much always dressed in a vest and not much else. And it wasn't an especially warm summer.

I had read, or been told, what the perfect temp the room should be for a baby, so I kept a thermometer right next to ds1 for the first 2 months and was constantly turning up heating or opening windows. Remember getting rather hysterical when dh left a window open too long one day and the room temp dropped by a horrifying 5 degrees!!!

Thank god I was alot calmer by the time ds2 came along!

This has reminded me of a very funny pfb thread from a while ago:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=other_subjects&threadid=277867-oooh-can-we-have-a-thread-about-things-y ou-said

New parents are mad aren't they?

I was like that with the bath water and have only just started to rely on my hand as an appropriate way of determining that it won't scald.

Thinking that if DS1 had so much as dribbled on his top and anyone saw it, they'd think we were dirty and so rushed to change his clothes at first sign of any wetness, I must have changed that poor baby more than 10 times a day.

Am not going to admit that I used to take his 'normal' changing bag with nappies, wipes, etc. and then another bag with at least 6 outfits in. And I didn't drive so had to lug it all round on his buggy and then be moaning to everyone I had no room left for the shopping. And how I even got out of the house with all that washing to do....

Am not going to admit any of that. At all. Ever.

Actually, I think the biggest mistake I made was stressing too much about stuff. Lots of "am I making a rod for my own back here?" (answer: no, not particularly), worrying about the fact he wouldn't take a bottle especially when I was going back to work (he adjusted fine once he was actually in nursery), worrying that he wouldn't nap at nursery because it was almost impossible difficult to get him to nap at home (he turned out to be one of their best nappers). With DD I was far more prepared to go with the flow and assume that things would work out OK. I ended up doing most things the same way that I did with DS, I just didn't worry about them so much.

Thinking that when ds1 fell asleep on me that I should put him down in his cot, and get on with some housework - whereupon he woke up within 10 minutes. Took me ages to work out that he'd have a nice long nap if I carried on holding him, and I'd be able to watch tv.

Heres another one, rinsing sterilised bottles off as I thought the fluid would taste horrible and possibly be toxic doh

We tried the dream feed thing for 3 months before I had a sudden epiphany and realised that if it wasn't going to work after 3 months, it might not actually be going to work at all, and I may as well sleep instead. I still feel like a bit of a heel about that.

Bumping for more mistakes

Buying a Sangenic nappy bin - they stink out your house! With dcs 2 and 3 poopy nappies were put straight outside!

Cooking loads and loads of Annabel Karmel baby recipes and wondering why dd1 wouldn't eat them, then asking myself if I would eat pureed red pepper & cauliflower?

Yeah, I remember stressing over the weaning and why dd wouldnt eat my home-made vegetable mashes and fruit purees but loved the ready-made jars [hmmm]

She was always difficult when it came to anything lumpy and would usually spit it out or refuse to open her mouth, why was that never a problem with milky buttons?