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

That you'd never get to just do what you want to do. Like have a lazy day just chilling with Netflix and not doing anything or worrying about anyone. Your mind is always on your child no matter what you do now. You never feel as carefree as you did before.

That you'd spent the rest of your life worrying over this little person; their safety, their health, their future, whether they'll get bullied, whether they'll struggle in school, whether they will grow up confident and with good self esteem and be happy. Endless worrying.

That you will feel so overwhelmed with love it will make you cry. That you will feel so overwhelmed by fear it will make you cry.

I wish I had known..
to take more videos as photos jusy aren't always the same.
That time really does fly, so definitely cherish every moment.

Not to worry what others think, don't worry about judgement.
To relax and just go with flow and what works at that time, you don't need to follow every bit of advice and every child is different.
To take more fanily photos so the children have lots to look back on one day.
To not be so hard on yourself, everyone struggles at some point.

That life would be so irrevocably changed forever. That I would become a different person, that my dh would, and that our relationship would change as well. And we wouldn't get a 'proper' holiday for Christ-knows how long either.

I love my kids but wish we'd waited and enjoyed that lifestyle for a bit longer before having babies...

How indelible Sudocrem is.

That it is absolutely fine to cheerily tell people to go forth and multiply when they tell you you are doing wrong based on a five second snapshot of your parenting career.

I wish I'd known just how difficult sleep deprivation would be & made the most of my days when I could sleep in!

I wish I'd known just how difficult sleep deprivation would be & made the most of my days when I could sleep in!

That everyone and his dog has an opinion on what you are doing wrong/should be doing because it's what they did.
It's perfectly fine to smile and ignore, instead of getting worked up about it and how terrible a parent they think you are. Just do what works for you and your family and balls to anyone else. Took me a while to ignore the "rod for your own back" guff spouted by certain people who were anti-cosleeping/bf/sling-wearing, and even, as I was once told, anti-cuddling baby too much. Of course there's no such thing as cuddling a baby too much. When I heard that one, that was my turning point at which I decided they were talking out their backside and I would ignore from then on.

To throw any sleep training books in the bin, trust your instinct and know they do eventually sleep!

It will all be ok in the end.
There are many stages and they all eventually pass.
It's ok to be overwhelmed.
I wish I'd worried less and enjoyed it more.

I wish I'd known that 'good enough' really is good enough.
Don't waste precious time with your baby worrying about the state of your house, catering for all your visitors (tea and biscuits are fine and they can make the tea) and fretting that you are not doing ' it right' looking after your baby.
How important it is to get out of the house for some fresh air, both for you and the baby.
That despite the lack of sleep, and constant worrying the baby years are actually the easiest it only gets worse

I'd wish I'd known how much parental influence declines over the years, as children get older and become more influenced by their peers. I would have been more relaxed about things and not stress so much about trying to always do the right thing.

I wish I'd known how guilty I'd feel. Guilty that I only breastfed for the first 3 months, that DS watches too much CBeebies, that we haven't visited the park or that I haven't made sure he has his 5 a day.

I wish I'd known that some new borns will not be put down. At all. Dp and I slept in (short) shifts so that one of us was always holding ds for 11 days!

I wish I had known that my heart would do a little flutter every time he smiles at me and it would make the pain of labour worth it

I wish I had known that I'll never feel lonely again but that it can be a bit overwhelming having to be constantly available. I do appreciate being able to have a bit of 'me time', which isn't being self indulgent, it's essential for my mental well being.

I also wish I'd known how difficult it would be for practical reasons to go back to work - childcare is so expensive and difficult because we both work irregular hours.

I wish I'd known to value my free time highly.i also wish someone had told me that baby vests could be taken off downwards instead of over the head - doh!

I wish I'd known to value my free time highly.i also wish someone had told me that baby vests could be taken off downwards instead of over the head - doh!

I wish I knew I'd have to develop a repertoire of about 70 different 'interested noises' for when DS shows me the thing he's built out of Lego for the thousandth time.

I wish I knew what to with that repertoire when he stops doing it

That everything will actually be ok. Don't stress :)

Ha ha ha. Pretty much all the things I think I've learned the hard way, and could have done with knowing about before I had dc, I had already been told when pregnant with dc1. Of course I didn't believe them. Of course I thought I knew better. Of course I thought I would be different.

That time and money will always be in short supply - there are always things to do and buy!

You know your child best and other people's advice can be helpful, but you should trust your instincts.
You will make mistakes but it's not the end of the world.

I wish I'd known how much love I'd feel... I'd have done it sooner!

That all babies are different. And all mums are different. And so you can listen to all the advice in the world but eventually you will just find the way that is perfect for you and your baby together.