Share the best baby advice you’ve been given with ASDA Little Angels for the chance to win a £300 voucher! NOW CLOSED

[EmmaMumsnet]

Having your first child can be a daunting time, causing you to ask yourself ‘Am I doing this right?’ multiple times a day. And with the constant stream of parenting tips from all and sundry, it can be hard to know who and what to listen to. ASDA Little Angels would like to know what the one piece of baby advice someone gave you was that really cut through the noise and made a difference.

Here’s what ASDA Little Angels has to say: "We all know you can get great advice online from the likes of Mumsnet or our own Baby & Toddler Club; but sometimes that one thing that makes your life easier can come from the most unexpected source. We’d love to hear yours!"

Did someone show you a handy trick to make nappy changes hassle-free or tell you the must have essentials for your nappy bag? Maybe you were given golden advice on how to still feel like yourself whilst caring for baby? Or perhaps you were told tips on how to get your baby to sleep through the night?

Whether you were enlightened by the numerous uses for wet wipes or told a never-fail trick to soothe your baby, please share it below and you will be entered into the prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £300 voucher of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs apply

It's all a phase, and it will pass.

Accept help, and remember that the dust will still be there tomorrow and if anyone cares then they can pick up a duster can't they

'Never try to fathom the mind of a small person'. Still true now she's 5!

Every baby is different so don't get yourself stressed out comparing your baby to other babies.

My son was a terrible sleeper & I was desperately trying to sleep-train him, using a book for guidance. It wasn’t going well.

My mother-in-law chipped in “maybe he hasn’t read the book. And she was right! At that moment, I decided to give up & bought him in to bed at night with us when he woke up. We all got some sleep & it made life so much better. One of the best decisions I ever made!

The best ever baby advice I received was from a friend who explained to me that the flap over of material on the shoulders of a babies onsie actually open up so that you can take the onsie off down over the shoulders instead of over babies head! Not one parenting book, mag or class taught me that - my friend saved me many grimacing "mess over the head" situations :)

its your child. you decide

Bathe the baby in the kitchen sink - it is at just the right height - much easier than kneeling by the bath.

Go easy on yourself - you don’t have to be perfect, and it is too easy to put way too much pressure on yourself to be perfect.

I've always trust my instincts with DDs and it has always worked out good for me.
There's no book or others opinions to show you the very best way to adapt with your child.All babies are different even siblings.Things that worked out good with 1 child will not 100% work with another.Motherhood we learn it along with our child as he/she grows.
My special advice will be for any new mum : always cook homemade meals for your child,try every vegetables and fruits that you can.When growing up your child will be not a fussy eater and will eat his/her vegetables and fruits without any problem.
DD1 was fed on ready made food in jars in supermarkets and is now very fussy and won't eat nearly anything.
But DD2 ate homemade meals,she's a very happy child and will eat whatever is served to her.
So bond with your child and be 1 with him/her and your life will be breeze for both of you and all the family.

My late mum told me when i first got DD1 to don't listen to anybody's advice or don't looked it up in books to grow my child.To always believe in my instinct as a mother.
And she was right !!! Mum knows best.
It was the very best and only advice i've ever been given,it did help me a lot with my children and i still practised it.

When you first come home with a new baby take them in the nursery or in your bedroom on your own and say out loud ‘I am your mummy’ it will be one of the best memories of the precious early days you will always hang on to as there are so many.

Don't worry if your child doesn't speak or walk as early as some others. Children develop at different ages.

Get a sling. Saved my sanity with a fussy baby.

Don’t spend loads on a fancy pram- so glad someone told me this. Both mine were pram refusers and lived in a sling

Oh, and (from my mum) that there are lots of different “right” ways to parent, so choose the way that suits you best

Definitely trust your instincts. And don’t listen to baby books telling you what your baby “should” be doing, it just stresses you out. All babies are different, and do things at different stages, so try not to compare and worry yourself.

And people say sleep when the baby sleeps - do it! I didn’t with my first but with my second I managed to get them napping at the same time so I would have a little shut eye too. It made the world of difference!

To pull the vest downwards when there's a poo-splosion! And to nap when baby naps!! Saved me!

At first I couldn't think of one specific advice. A lot was common sense but I only had that from growing up watching my mum, aunts etc and helping out with my cousins. Those memories stuck with me.

However reading on, this may sound silly but it was my husband's advice that really helped me.

As it was only the two of us and we have enough family and friends nearby, we made a good team of me breastfeeding what felt at times like 24/7, and he did nappy duty. So for several weeks I didn't change a nappy as he had paternity leave then there were times my parents came to visit and they would do nappy changes.

Then the day finally came when I was totally alone all day and I dreaded it. I found the thought of changing a nappy overwhelming. I think this was due to new found motherhood. It happened when my second was born too where I had given birth and the midwife told me to change his nappy and I went blank. Anyway my husband sat me down and showed me how you get a nappy and place in under baby, take the front part of the dirty nappy off and fold it underneath her bottom. Clean clean and clean then place it in the nappy bag. Fold over the new clean nappy and then bring the nappy straps from the side to the middle of the nappy, sort of overlooked to keep it secure. And I'm still doing it today.

It really does sound so silly but I was a youngish mum and after birth my brain sort of switches off but I do stay in one place and breastfeed all the time for the first few weeks. On the other hand I had advice from others saying my baby is not hungry and is probably hot, cold, tired, not tired etc (this was true for when she was much older but not the first few weeks) so a lot of advice I'd ignore and I was pretty much baby led. Now she's nearly 4.
Big thanks to my husband who helped me get over what seems like such a simple task though.

The best advice I’ve had so far was from my lovely Midwife who said do what you’ve got to do to get through the day. This helped massively when I was beating myself up about feeding formula.
Also if Baby is fed, changed and should be happy but is still crying it’s ok to put them somewhere safe and take 5 minutes away to compose yourself.

"Take care of yourself and the baby don't worry about the house!"
-- my DH, when I was trying to do too much on my first mat leave. He was dead right, you don't get mat leave so that you can have pristine skirting boards after all.

You can’t spoil your baby with cuddles. Why waste time trying to get them to be on their own. They are only tiny for a short time, ds3 is definitely my last so I enjoy every cuddle and nap he has on me, the housework can wait, he will soon be like his older brothers, not interested in cuddles and glued to their screens!

Every baby is an individaul, no two are the same likewise every mother has a different experience with raising their baby. Enjoy those first days as much as you can with your precious one, dont feel stressed over what other babies are doing / milestones they're reaching but your baby isnt.. your little one will do everything at their own time.

Fresh air helps them sleep, pushing their pram outside is a great way to get them to nap and you out of the house.

Everything is a phase.

I know it has been said plenty of times but trust your own instinct, you don't need half the stuff and just go with it, it is usually a phase!! This is all easier said than done with your first but definitely wish I followed it! Oh and don't compare yourself or baby to anyone else. I guess everyone has their own style.

Vests pull down - best tip ever!

When it all gets a bit too much, make a big pot of tea and don't worry about doing anything until the pot is empty.

A hot drink and some time to compose yourself can work wonders.