Share with WaterWipes what you wish you were told before the arrival of your new born - chance to win £300! NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

The team at WaterWipes would love to hear what you wish you'd been told before the arrival of your new born.

We all can recall those innocent days before the arrival of baby and the impact having a child can have on your life so please share on this thread what you wish someone had told you - or what you were told which was especially useful!

Here's what WaterWipes says: "WaterWipes contain only 2 ingredients: 99.9% Water and 0.1% grapefruit seed extract. Non-irritating to even the most sensitive of children’s or Mums’ skin, WaterWipes help prevent and alleviate nappy rash and other sensitive skin conditions. WaterWipes are the only baby wipe ever to be endorsed by Allergy UK. We think they're great for newborns and we'd love to hear what other pearls of wisdom you wish you knew before your baby arrived!"

Please share a comment on the thread: you'll be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win £300 voucher for the store of choice (from a list). Standard Insight T&Cs apply

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

I wish I'd been told that (poo - stained) vests can pulled down the body as opposed to over the baby's head!

Oh, and not to worry / panic / stress too much or try to 'fix' things (ie. DS' s lack of sleep!) - it doesn't last forever and he will be just fine

Take loads of photos but take lots of video too, they change so quickly you forget the mannerisms they had

I wish that the classes I went to before I had DD didn't dwell so much on the birth and put more emphasis on the practical. I had to perform my first ever nappy change shortly after DD's birth, in the middle of the night, in the dark, trying not to wake everyone else in the room- and I made a right hash of it!

Don't put yourself on a pedestal as you are bound to fall down

That the carrycot would hardly be used at all.

That every visitor would bring unsolicited advice and rather than dwell on advice which doesn't suit your family, it's perfectly reasonable to just smile politely and immediately disregard it

i wish i had been told to ignore all the 'helpful' advice and just go with the flow. I felt bombarded with stuff and it was mostly,in hindsight, rubbish.

I know its not in the theme of the thread but im pleased my DH told me to get out to groups. i made one of my best friends there.

I know now that it's really obvious, but if you haven't read any baby books or been on any courses, you don't automatically know that babies are meant to have naps. I wish I'd known that.

That the old adages of the first baby always arriving late and labour taking a long time with the first aren't always true!

I wish I'd been told that cranial osteopathy can help babies who have been traumatised by birth. My baby slept badly, cried a lot, startled dramatically at loud noises and had a bunch of other symptoms that were all massively relieved by osteopathy.

Wish i'd been told that babies get constipated, especially if bottle-fed and that if you use gripe water it may help. What I found out by accident was, whilst changing my baby, when I lifted his legs up together by the ankles and bent them towards his tummy to freshen him up, that it relieved him of the poo missile which shot right into my lap!!! Really!! His agony was over and mine was laughing so hard i was in stitches!

Some newborn babies just like to be held. You won't "create a rod for your back," or any such jazz.

Newborn babies recognize the smell of milk. Bear this in mind if they cry when you hold them.

You don't need half of the baby stuff you think you do.

It's a lot easier than people tell you it is going to be, apart from the big changes to sleep patterns.

That everything is a phase and gets better/changes in time.

That really all a child needs is attention and cuddles.

To "enjoy" the early months when they (usually!) sleep a bit more and you can get some decent Netflix watching in!

They will grow up much faster than you expect. Treasure as many moments as you can.

As your child physically grows, you develop as a parent. You don't have to be a "good" Mum before you have a baby, you just need to keep a tiny newborn fed and clean. As his needs develop, your skills to provide them also grow.

Just take it a day at a time.

That the best was to cope with rubbish broken sleep is to go to bed super early, ie 8pm. This helps because bays best stunt is often the first after they're put to bed and you feel so much better for it.

I wish we were told to GET TO SLEEP when the baby is sleeping!

Baby went on a 8 hour sleep marathon .... spent that time faffing around, 'cause "the baby will wake up any minute now"!!

Was knackered and a half the following day!!

What tongue tie is - could have saved me lots of pain with my first and getting it sorted in the first week for my second was a lifesaver.

To pull out the frilly bits round the legs of a nappy to stop leakage.

To use a muslin to dry their bottom to prevent nappy rash.

To use Water Wipes instead of Pampers (leaves skin greasy) or Huggies (needs residue wiping off with cotton wool and water).

I wish I had been told how recovery from childbirth can be just as painful as the childbirth itself. I had a vaginal birth and the pain for the first couple of weeks afterwards was horrific despite not having any complications with my birth. Despite going to ante-natal classes we never really talked about this aspect and I was not very prepared in my mind for how sore I would be. I wish that I had been told that I could wait longer than 10 days past my due date to get induced even if it is Christmas. I regret not pushing the matter and waiting to see if he would come on his own. I also wish someone told me that I wouldn't need half the rubbish that I bought. A million different gadgets and gizmos that I used once and put away!

That it is normal for breastfeding to be uncomfortable to start with. All the "it doesn't hurt if you are doing it right" just made me convinced I was doing it wrong

that it will be all joy and no fun, unless you really work at protecting some time for yourself and time with your partner. Children can all too easily become the only thing in your life - they are delightful, but they are naturally selfish and don't want to share you! Its the best thing in the world having kids, but it is also the hardest thing to deal with as far as our personal space and partnership goes.

I wish I was told how mentally draining the "baby blues" would be. When my milk came in I was a leaking, sobbing, snottery mess. But, it does pass after a few days.

I wish I had been told how often babies are sick! When expecting my first child, I bought loads of beautiful (and expensive) 'hand wash only' items ... They either didn't get used or were ruined in the washing machine!

I wish someone had told me that it is perfectly normal not to feel that "rush of love" when you first look at your baby and that it can take time to fall in love with your newborn. I spent months being eaten up with guilt becasue I thought I was a terrible person and I didn't love my baby.

You are both learning together so follow your baby not what others say you should be doing!