What's the best bit of pregnancy or baby advice you ever received? Win a £200 voucher

[LibbyMumsnet]

When it comes to pregnancy and babies, everyone has (often unsolicited) advice to offer. But sometimes it's the little things, often learned through trial and error, that turn out to be the most useful.

Perhaps it was a tip that made breastfeeding easier, something that helped you feel more confident about giving birth, or a small change that made those exhausting newborn days a bit more manageable. Or maybe it was something you wish someone had told you sooner!

We'd love to know: what genuinely made a difference to you and your baby? Whether you're pregnant, in the thick of the baby years or looking back with the benefit of hindsight, share your experiences, discoveries and hard-won wisdom. You never know who you might help.

Share your tip or experience by 6th December 2026 for a chance to win a £200 VEX voucher (Mumsnet T&Cs).

And if you’re looking for support, the government’s Best Start in Life website brings together trusted, NHS-approved guidance from pregnancy through the early years. Or sign up to weekly emails tailored to your stage of pregnancy or your child’s age, with personalised tips to support your child’s health and development.

I was writing an intricate birth plan and was told to be open to whatever came. I think it applies to the whole birth / baby /child rearing experience. Plan all you like, but your child will determine how things go!

Newborns need to sleep 90 minutes after each wake time.

Fed is best!

One size does not fit all, as in find what works for ypu and your baby ( obv within safe guidelines of course).

Best advice was to fight for my baby. If you think something is wrong and your baby is not acting normal, then don't take 'oh everything is fine' for an answer. Go to a different person if you have to. Honestly made the difference between baby gaining barely anything and looking gaunt to baby finally gaining weight and looking like a healthy baby.

The best thing I've made with my second newborn was asking my mom and friends to prepare ready-to-cook meals! And with my second baby I allowed myself to accept help and not to be ashamed of it. It is ok not to be ok, it is ok to feel tired and exhausted. So when someone is offering their help, I say yes.

For me, it was the exhaustion mixed with the worry. I remember lying awake at night, listening to my baby's every little breath, almost afraid to close my eyes in case I missed something. Even when they were sleeping peacefully, I couldn't switch off. I wish someone had told me that it was okay to feel overwhelmed, that I didn't have to be a perfect mum and that looking after myself mattered too. Sometimes the best advice is simply to trust yourself, accept help when it's offered and remember that you're not alone. Those newborn days can feel endless, but they really do pass.

Being shown how to latch - after a week of pain, and almost giving up, breastfeeding became so easy, especially the night feeds - had I have given up and gone onto the bottle, things would have been so different. So glad I was referred to a breastfeeding support group - and a lovely lady came to see me at home.

After yet another bout of tears because my boy wasn't sleeping when the book said, my mum said "he can't read the book". And that just stuck. I was a much more confident parent after that. I got rid of all the books and trusted my instincts.