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 having children is not text book.. and to stop listening to other people on how they should be raised, you are their mother and your maternal instincts will never fail you, you'll be more at ease with everything.

I wish I knew how hard it was going to be and what to do in certain situations so as to feel better prepared and less overwhelmed. I could not have coped without my mum

I wish I knew that it was going to be a 24/7 job there is never any time off from worrying,caring,needing and wanting from children.

To sleep as much as possible! To enjoy my carefree life as you worry so much about them!

I wish I'd known how crucial it is to have a support network of family and friends. We didn't, though I don't know how we could have done things any differently, because I love my daughter and can't imagine life without her. But it's been so very, very hard, just the two of us raising her (which mainly means me, LOL). I did what I could at first to join mums and babies groups, but didn't meet anyone I felt I had much in common with, and drifted my own way after a while. My family are in another country, my husband's family are either very elderly or do not live locally, and our friends don't live nearby. We have never, in the 13 years since my daughter's been born, had more time together as a couple than a rare snatched afternoon while she was at school, and it feels like we never get a break or any privacy. It's taken a toll on our mental health and our marriage. We really have learned a big lesson about how important community is, and how no man is an island as the saying goes - we really do need each other.

I wish I knew how to build a large cage at the back of the garden - for me.

I wish I knew more about coping with sleepless nights, and to take a nap when I should have instead worrying about the housework when my DC was asleep. Your sanity and health is more important than a hoovered carpet and a dusted cupboard.

I wish I'd known that thing would work out and not to worry

that the years go even faster - how is it they are starting secondary school an the last 11 years have flown!

I wish i had known how expensive children are and would have saved more money. I wish I had realised that having four children would mean that I wouldnt be able to spend lots of time on each child and I wish I had had a husband who stayed in a job for more than three months.

To just relax and take each stage at a time, everything always works out in the end!

I wish I knew just how much it would change your life, that you worry about every little thing, that you will be sleep deprived for years but wouldn't change it.

I wish I had known to trust my own instincts and not listen to everyone's advice - sometimes a mum knows best!

Don't listen to other people, and go with your own instincts

How time flies.

I wish I'd known I had to enjoy every moment as they grow up so quickly!

I wish I'd known how difficult childproofing would be. They get into everything!

I wish I'd known how quickly it would all go. Sometimes I worry I've missed things and the memory of certain things isn't strong enough.

That this too will pass

I wish we lived closer to family

• That there is no right or wrong when it comes to parenting - different things work for different families, and what works with one child may not for another.

• That have two children close together does things to your sanity.

• That I could have delayed the children's injections - leaving bigger gaps between them like with my DC3, and it wouldn't adversely affect them.

• That tongue tie is a thing and can impede breastfeeding.

• That these little people in my life are the most amazing, funny and downright awesome individuals I've ever met.

I wish id known that no parent is perfect! i struggled to juggle houseowrk, keeping the kids happy and work ! i then realised that each parent is different and not everything needs to be perfect!

I wish I knew how taking a year out of college to go travelling would have been amazing.I have friends that have gone on many adventures and grew as a person from those experiences.I decided to have my children when I was 21 and at that time most of my friends were off seeking new adventures while I was loving parenthood,oh well never mind I am going on a gap year when i'm retired.

wish I had known how hard the teenage years would be.

i wish i knew i didn't have to over worry about every detail and have everything perfect!

When I had my first child I went out and spent a fortune on items before she was born - pushchair, clothes, bottles etc, but I didn't realise how much I would need to buy after she was born - extra babygrows, more bottles, milk, nappies, toys etc. When I had my second child I made sure that we had some extra money for that first year so that it covered all those extras that you don't think about.