Tell Asda what you wish you knew before becoming a parent - £300 voucher to be won NOW CLOSED

[PoppyMumsnet]

Sometimes, we wish we had the benefit of hindsight– knowing what to have said, what to have done would have made the situation a whole lot easier. Asda would like you to tell them about the things you wish you’d known about before being a parent to a baby/toddler. Would being a new parent have run more smoothly had you known certain things before? What sort of things would you have liked to have known?

Here is what Asda has to say: “Here at Little Angels, we understand how daunting it can be waiting for the arrival of your long awaited little one. That’s why we’d love you to share your top tips on anything from being a parent for the first time or what’s different when you have your second.”

So what do you wish you’d known before becoming a parent? Time flies by so quickly - maybe you wish you’d known to take more videos or photos. Perhaps you wish you’d known that children are much more expensive than you originally thought, so you could have planned better. Maybe you wished you’d known about a support network that you could have spoken to from the very beginning. Or maybe you simply wish you’d known how hard it would be so you could have mentally prepared yourself?

Whatever your story is, Asda would like to hear about it. All those who post below will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 Asda voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard T&Cs apply

I was 39 when I had my DS. Knew nothing about babies. Thought they were like china and would break. For the first 2/3 weeks DH did all the bathing as I was too scared (he already had a DS who was 7 so had been there and done it). I wasn't even confident putting a nappy on for God's sake!! Wish I knew after I had given birth that within a month I would be in the full swing of things, even hoovering with him sitting on my hip!! Makes me laugh at myself now he is 12 (going on 22!) to think how naive i was to be nearly 40 and not have a clue about babies.

That you know best!
You've carried this amazing person for 9 months, so listen to your instincts
Yes, the books can aid you, but don't be ruled by them - they are not made for all babies and babies are individuals and should be listened to, not crammed into routines as per a book written by someone who is not and has not been a mum!

I wish I'd known that my baby wouldn't sleep in her Moses basket because she'd only sleep on me and that that was normal. I wish I'd known feeding to sleep was normal. I wish I'd known that travel systems were a waste of money, my out n about nipper is all I ever needed.

That nature you have no control over but nurturing is the single most important component of parenting there is and it doesn't matter if your 2 year old wants pants on their head with wellies and armbands on, it really doesn't.

I wish someone would have told me not to listen to all the advice, trust in my own instincts and enjoy being a mum instead of worrying what other people thought of my parenting. Panicking about bedtime routines, did I wean to early, why wasn't my house as tidy as my friends, all these things when I should have been enjoying my baby.

Everyone talks about how much time children will take - but you don't actually realise the corollary of this until you actually experience it: how little time you will have left.

I wish I had known that being "good enough" is better than "perfect" but streessed.

I wish I have prepared myself to the fact that not all babies just 'sleep,poo and feed'.

That they can also stay awake for longer hours for the first 10 weeks especially when they have colic or reflux.

I wish I'd known that breastmilk doesn't flow just like that after giving birth, that the breasts need massage to stimulate the production.

Now that I have experienced these things, hopefully for my second baby will be more knowledgeable

I wish I'd known how terrified I'd be when I first brought that little baby home and that despite having not a clue what I was doing that my instincts would kick in. That I'd turn out to be an okay Mummy and that I would manage to bring two little people up and turn them into the lovely children they are today.

I wish I'd savoured and enjoyed the baby stage more.
I wish I'd known how much they'd make me cry, both happy & sad!

I wish I'd known how hard it was going to be, especially when breastfeeding didn't work and my tiny baby was rushed back into hospital having lost so much weight within 5 days. I wish I'd known that it was ok to give formula and to not beat myself up about it. I wish I'd known reflux and colic were fairly normal and there wasn't anything I could have done to change that.
I wish I'd known that actually, despite the crying and the sleepless nights, that the newborn days would be (in hindsight!) the most wonderful of times and I wish I'd enjoyed them more. I wish I'd just sat still and held him, rather than been obsessed with getting stuff done whilst he slept. Life was SO much easier when he couldn't move
I wish I'd known the absolute incredible love I'd feel whenever I hold him - even now he's a wriggly toddler. I wish I'd known how that love is enough to reduce me to tears on a regular basis. I wish I'd known just how bloody amazing every single day would be - even the really tough ones...watching him learn is just wonderful.

Don't listen to other people, pressures, opinions. Follow your own instinct.

Oh and enjoy those last few weeks of maternity if it'll be your first born, it's the last time it'll be just you, don't wish it away.

As a full time dad, I wish I knew how much fun it would be, rather than panicking about 'making the grade', sure it hard sometimes, but overall, it is far better than working for a firm for 8 hours a day and usually I get a thank you once a day from my son which is better score than when I worked. Plus I am wearing my grey hairs like little badges of honour. Bring on the grandchildren...

I wish someone had told me about the fountains little boys create when they wee! Took me weeks to get to grips with whipping one nappy off and replacing it with another so I didn't get soaked.

I wish I'd relaxed a bit more and was less anxious, it's all going to turn out ok. Easier said than done!

I wish I knew it most of my friends would be bored by my mum life

That the cliché of time flying is so true.

Sleep is for the weak and guilt comes as standard

That you just need to do what works for you and your family. It might work for you but not someone else. That's ok an don't people are trying to help with advice but trust your instincts and smile and nod. Your instincts as a parent are amazing. The people who aren't being helpful offering advice or criticise don't allow them to make you doubt yourself. That's really hard at first I still have a wobble sometimes now but it gets easier to ignore and trust your decision.

I wish I'd known or understood that every baby really is different. They are their own little person and the person who knows them best is mum. Being a mum became so much more enjoyable when I start to trust my own instincts and follow my daughter's lead.

I wish I had known that it was ok for children to reach important milestones at slightly different ages. As an anxious parent I was worried that my child wasn't able to walk proficiently on the day he was 1 and felt I was a bad parent because he wasn't reading the Encyclopedia Britannicia on his second birthday because all my friend's kids were.......OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration but goodness me, it was so competitive and it was so worrying to be a mum to a baby.

I wish I had know how hard breastfeeding can be. How all-consuming having a baby is, so I would have made the most of every minute before having kids. That it is normal to struggle and feel alone.

I don't think there is anything I'd really have wanted to know before, but I do wish I had more photos of me with my first when she was a baby.

A reminder that the hard times don't last forever is always useful too!

I wish we'd waited to buy certain bits of equipment to see what our baby's personality was first. Certain items were used once and never again (moses basket, certain slings, swaddling wrap - our baby hated all three!).

Just how difficult life would be.