First Time Parent

When I first started buying for my little one when pregnant, I found myself buying things that I ‘needed’ only to find that half of it doesn’t actually get used. So here’s a list of the things that were for me, a total waste of money:

Moses basket, I spent a fair bit of money on this, it was gorgeous and I loved it! Couldn’t wait for him to sleep in it…he slept in it twice, as he just wouldn’t settle and we resulted in buying him a large cot and sold the Moses basket! Wouldn’t buy one again

Outfits, honestly I spent that much money on clothes when he was newborn and half of them he never wore! Within the first year he went through that many clothes constantly growing, but he mainly lived in vests, sleepsuits and jogging bottoms. I wouldn’t bother with actual outfits as they’re complete and utter waste of money!

Blankets, I bought lots of blankets but he only seemed to use 2 different ones; the others I’ve still got boxed up unused a year later.

Teddies, babies do not care about teddies! My son got bought a lot of them, and they just collect dust, he won’t play with them or hold them even at 1 he would rather play with a building block or a pack of baby wipes!

Bulk bath products: we got bought a lot of different bath products, mainly Johnson’s but when our son was born he had eczema that has only got worse over the first year of his life, so now we are very limited on what can go on his skin, so a lot got thrown away

Nappy bin: I honestly haven’t got a clue why I bought one of these I used it maybe once then just put the nappies in the normal bin

Although we got a lot of things that weren’t used or essential, we also bought some products that were literally amazing:

Prep machine, loved this! Was so good for those night feeds, quick and easy the only problem is at 1 year old he doesn’t have much patience for when he’s hungry. When he wants food he wants it now!

Sleepyhead: again, I loved this. A little pricy but worth it. Carter stayed in his until he was 9 months, and to be honest I did struggle to get him out of it and sleep in just his cot but eventually I managed too. One of my favourite things, would defiantly buy again for another child

Bibs/socks/vests were my top buys for clothing as I don’t think you can have too many of these, for the first few months carter had reflux and was sick constantly, so having plenty of these was extremely helpful, as for the socks we have a sock monster and always end up with odd socks!

Travel changing mat: essential as when you’re out and about 1, not everywhere actually has a changing table and I’ve found myself having to change him on the floor thank god for the mat! And also because the changing tables aren’t always clean, I always wipe it over just Incase by it is hard if you don’t have a mat.

Adjusting from being pregnant, to the newborn stage is hard. For me, towards the end of the pregnancy I barely slept anyway due to not being able to get comfortable and from being in pain in my pelvis. So when Carter was born and he was waking every 3 hours, it was hard but not that hard. At around 3 months he started to sleep through, from 10 until 6/7 which was heaven.

I obviously took this for granted, as apparently there is this thing called sleep regression that nobody tells you about!!

From around 7 months, my little angel has been waking through the night for no particular reason. At first it was literally every hour, he would moan or cry then laugh as soon as I came in. Now he wakes up maybe twice in the night, sometimes for a bottle sometimes for a cuddle.

For me, this is harder than the newborn sleep stage as at least with that you kind of knew what time you’d be awake, now it’s hit and miss. Sometimes I can be awake every hour, sometimes only 2/3 times.

The midwife don’t tell you this when you’re pregnant so prepare yourself! If you’ve got a baby who’s currently sleeping through, enjoy it while you can…it won’t last!

For those of you who don’t know; like I didn’t. Sleep regression occurs in babies at any point and normally lasts up to 6 weeks at a time, it means your baby is more fussy; doesn’t want to sleep, keeps waking up. This is normally in their first year as it’s when their brains develop and they start to learn new things, for example carters started when he started to roll over and sit up, so now he’s constantly standing up and wanting to walk, his brain is on overdrive!

I’ve googled constantly “how to stop sleep regression” “how to get my 9 month old to sleep through” and what I’ve found is what I already do!

1. Establish a bedtime (carters is around 7pm, but I wake him at 10 for a bottle)
2. Teach your baby to self soothe (you can still check on them just don’t make it play time, let them know it’s still bedtime)
3. Start weaning the night feeds. (Carter only has 3 bottles a day, 2 in the morning and 1 and 10pm, but lately he’s started to want a bottle in the night, so I’m wondering if he’s becoming used to this and that’s another reason he’s waking up, so I may try giving him warm water so it’s not worth him waking up…)
4. Day time naps (carter has 2 naps, a long with falling asleep whenever I’m in the car, his naps vary from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, I’m considering shortening his naps or waking him up at 45 minutes so it may help when he’s in bed)
5. Be patient…it’s hard, when it’s 3am they’ve been crying for what feels like forever, you feel like you’re going to cry or have a melt down, they can sense it! I’ve noticed when I get stressed it makes carter worse, so being patient really does help.

Good luck on your sleep regression guys, you’ll need it!

When I first had Carter, all I ever used to hear is “the newborn stage is easy” or “wait until he’s teething” “wait until he’s a toddler” and I used to think ok…whatever.

Well…my little one is almost 8 months old. And for the last 6ish months has slept through almost every night…except the last 2 weeks! First it started off with him having a cold, so he would need soothing throughout the night. Once you’re used to your child sleeping through, and they do wake up in the night, it kills me more than when he was a new born!!

When Carter was a newborn, he would wake every 3 hours perhaps. Which I didn’t mind at all! Because I still got some sleep, and he would sleep a lot in the day so I could catch up, however now, his cold has gone…he’s finally teething…yay.

Teething is hard! It’s a hard stage! At first I thought he was going through that sleep regression, which perhaps is also what’s going on.

For those who don’t know, sleep regression is a period of time when your baby decides to wake up, and won’t settle. This can happen at any time from 6 weeks all the way up to 12 months! It’s due to their brains developing, and since Carter has been learning to do new things, his has seemed to started.

Back to teething, along with his sleep regression, my little one is teething, which is such a hard time for him and me! I feel so sorry for him, I hate having toothache so I can’t imagine the confusing of feeling that pain and not know what’s going on, and the only way to comfort him is with pain relief and teething powder!

So for the last 2 weeks, my child has been waking every hour at least! Maybe 2 hours if I’m lucky. Not for anything in particular, never for a bottle, or nappy change it’s normally just put his dummy back in and he goes back to sleep, or he has a little juice and goes back to sleep.

Now, teething doesn’t just change the way they sleep, it’s changed his attitude! At almost 8 months Carters personality really is shining! He’s cheeky, smiley, also slightly moody (gets that from his daddy) but when he’s teething, he’s needy, but also tries to push away, he’s wingy, wants a nap but doesn’t want a nap!

It’s literally like having a newborn all over again, no sleep and not knowing what he wants!

Good luck to those momma’s and dads that have got a new born, and haven’t gone through this stage yet! The best is yet to come!

Because I’m so used to him sleeping through the last 2 weeks I’ve felt like a zombie! I’m hoping this stage passes quickly!

I haven’t wrote a post in a while as I haven’t been sure what to write about. But over the last few weeks I’ve been thinking about Carters Development, and the development of others.

My baby is 7 months old, and over the last 2 weeks has been rolling over constantly, he did it once and then all of a sudden…he won’t stop! He’s growing so much!

At one point I kept trying to encourage him to roll and he got frustrated, and then one day I just lay him on the floor, and all of a sudden he did it himself! No pressure!

However, he can’t sit up by himself. I found myself googling “what age should my baby be sitting up” “7 month won’t sit up by himself” and I realised. Every child is different!

I’ve met children who spoke well at 1, and some that took longer. Kids that still drink from baby bottles or have dummies after the age of 2.

Carter attempts to sit up but falls forward, although he is improving its a slow mover. However, he has juice, in a child’s bottle. Not a baby bottle, and so many people cannot believe that he will drink from it, as a lot of kids don’t like it! It makes me feel so proud, but when I see babies younger than carter doing things that he doesn’t I found myself worried.

All children move at their own pace, your child will do things other children won’t, and won’t do things others will. Be proud of them never the less!

You can’t push your child to do something if they’re not ready. When they’re ready you’ll know!

I am beyond excited for Christmas this year. I’ve never really been bothered before, but now I’m a mom I feel a whole different way towards it.

I’ve already started buying decorations, and even some of carters gifts! But what is there to get a baby that’ll be 8 months old? It’s such a struggle! I don’t want to get him over the top gifts when he probably won’t have a clue what they are, but I don’t want him not to have anything…

One of the things I’m most looking forward to is seeing Santa! We’ve decided to take Carter to see Santa a few days before Christmas, and I couldn’t be more excited! I can’t wait to get a photo (as you know, I love taking photos of him!)

There’s so many aspects of Christmas to look forward to. The look on friends and families face once they open gifts, the lights, the pretty tree, the decorations, the music! I’m getting excited writing about it! I’m currently on a spending ban for Christmas decorations because I can’t seem to stop buying them!

This year, we will be celebrating carters 1st Christmas, hopefully we will manage to see all the families on the day, it’ll be so busy but I cannot wait!

What did you all get your babies for their first Christmas? I’m thinking noisy toys and a ball pit! Who knows what Santa will bring!

As a mom, I find myself picking up on what other parents do! I don’t mean to, and I’m sure they’re doing fantastic jobs, but do you ever see someone doing something to/with their child and you almost want to say “you’re doing it wrong” or “don’t do that” I can’t help it!!

I’m sure other moms do it to me! The other week I saw a man carrying a new born, whilst it was hot, in just a vest. All I thought was, does she have sun cream on? Where’s her clothes? Why isn’t she wearing a hat?!

I’m not a judgy person, but since becoming a mom I can’t help it! Everyone makes mistakes, but as parents I’m sure I’m not the only one who picks up on what others do!

Another thing is, when I look at parents and I sympathise, when someone is there with a crying baby and you can see the embarrassment and frustration on their face I almost feel like approaching them myself and reassuring them they’re doing great…not that my opinion matters!

But we’ve all been there, when there’s a public meltdown, and that’s only the infant stage! I cannot wait for the toddler meltdowns, terrible two’s as they say!

So, as of the 1st September my little one officially turned 5 months old! He’s growing so fast, it seems like only a week ago he was here. I can’t believe I’ve been a mom this long!

Well last night we decided to move his cot into his own bedroom. He’s been sleeping through for quite some time, but lately he’s been waking a lot and I think it’s due to me moving around so much in the night.

Last night my little one slept from 8:30 to 5! Without waking up once! Not even for his dummy! He had a bottle this morning at around 5:10 and went straight back to sleep. I can not believe it.

So, not only did he have a better night sleep but so did I. When he was in my room, the slightest noise he made and I would shoot up, so we are both better for it.

I found it so emotional last night, which is ridiculous I almost felt like I missed him, even though he was in the next bedroom. I was so tempted to just have one more night with him in our room, but so glad I didn’t!

Maybe this is the start of better sleep for all of us!

I’m currently laying in bed writing this, wide awake. Isn’t it funny how when your baby sleeps through you still wake up constantly just to check he or she is ok?

Carter went to bed at 8pm last night and we’ve stopped waking him at 10:30 for a bottle, and he’s sleeping right through. He’s fast asleep now and I find myself looking at him half wishing he would wake up so we could spend time together, but also enjoying the time to myself.

As a mom, I find I worry all the time! When does this settle down? Why doesn’t his dad wake up constantly just to see if he’s ok? Is he more laid back than me? Not a clue!

It’s so crazy, my little boy is almost 5 months old, he’s growing way to quickly. I still worry about him just as much as the first night we bought him home…I have a feeling this worry will never go away!

At 4:30 am, on a Saturday morning I am wide awake and my baby sleeps. Sod’s law that he wouldn’t wake up when I’m wide awake yet always wakes when I’m tired!

I’ll probably regret this later on and I’m sure it’ll catch up with me that I’ll be tired and our little one will be wide awake!

It’s nice to spend some time to yourself, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to relax because being a parent is hard, nothing is simple anymore. Even just something like going to the shop, you have to pack up to take the baby with you even if it’s literally just outside your house just incase they need something!

Everything you plan has to be around him/her, if you want to go anywhere you have to make sure it’s suitable for a baby, or that he/she will be ok for that long doing something. It’s crazy! You go from only looking after yourself to putting a little humans needs before your own…but! I wouldn’t change it for the world!

Sometimes I find myself feeling as though this isn’t real. How have I got a baby? How am I a mom? I still cannot believe it! Like, It’s so crazy how fast time goes once they’re here. It still feels like yesterday he was born. It’s surreal! But watching him grow, laugh, cry, change every single day, is honestly the best feeling.

I absolutely love being a mom.

One of my biggest fears when I had a baby was what I’d do if he had a melt down in public and I couldn’t soothe him.

Since Carter has been born, he has possibly had 2 or 3 melt downs in public. I remember the first he was perhaps 3 months old, and I was out for lunch with my mom and step dad, and one minute he was laughing the next he was screaming. No reason at all, he wasn’t hungry, I’d changed his nappy. He was tired but didn’t want to sleep. I was trying to rock him, playing his favourite lullaby…nothing. It wasn’t soothing, I was looking around seeing people stare, seeing them judge, the Pity they’d give a long with the people that you could tell would of loved to of Said “shut that baby up”

Nothing worse. It was mortifying, but then I looked at Carter and I remembered thinking, this isn’t about anybody else this is about Carter feeling relaxed so I went back to focus on my son and before I knew it he was fast asleep back in his pushchair.

Half of the people staring were probably thinking how embarrassing, poor girl. Some were wishing I’d shut him up sooner! But for anybody who’s ever judged someone for their baby crying, or even when you see parents walking and ignoring there child because they’ve throwing a tantrum, it’s got nothing to do with anybody else!!!

You deal with YOUR child the way you see fit!

If your child is being naughty and you shout, that’s your choice.

If your child is crying and wants to be held, hold them!

If your child is being disruptive and you chose to ignore, again…your choice!

I personally feel that when people stare at your crying baby it’s because they wish they’d shut up, it is loud, it’s hard to concentrate but I don’t care about you! Find something else to talk about rather than my sons tears.

When trying for a baby there’s plenty of things that everyone fails to mention…how tired you are, how often you are or aren’t sick, your emotions, cravings etc. So let’s talk about it.

My pregnancy, from the start I was sick, every day, always the same times early morning. When you need to be sick you will be, I was once sick in the street on the way to work! Embarrassing!

Cravings, I didn’t have any particular cravings through and through, one minute it was tuna sandwiches, the next it was Vimto, then it was Chinese chips and gravy! It was forever changing, something I enjoyed last week made me sick the next week!

Emotions, if anything I was a lot nicer when I was pregnant due to not wanting to stress my unborn child. I wouldn’t argue I wouldn’t raise my voice I stayed calm, other than when I was crying because I wanted food!

Kicks feel uncomfortable, for me my kicks used to keep me up at night and sometimes even hurt, used to drive me insane!

You need to wee…all the time! Your bladder is under a lot of pressure!

Next comes after birth…

Labour is scary, you will panic during but you will be fine!

Boobs. Boobs hurt…ALOT! If you decide not to breast feed. They swell and leak, I was told to put a hot flannel on not realising this made them 100 times worse! They even used to leak when carter would cry!

Your vagina hurts. Even more then your boobs! I had to have stitches so that was a pain in itself, but your body has been through a lot of trauma, you bleed for perhaps 4/5 weeks, you have to wear big horrible pants with big thick pads. Not pretty!

Weeing hurts. I don’t know if it’s just because of the stitches, but I used to cry when I weed. The only way I could wee was either in the bath or straight after a bath. Not even ashamed! You do what you gotta do!

Your belly is like jelly, it’s all squishy and may still look like you’re pregnant. It’s the strangest feeling looking down and seeing a deflated belly! You are beautiful!

You will miss parts of being pregnant. When I was pregnant I remember saying I can’t wait for this to be over, but even now I miss feeling him move and kick inside, react to my voice

You will feel bad about yourself. Your body is not what it used to be. Your boobs are different, your belly, you’ll have stretch marks in places you didn’t even know you could get them! You’ll have a baby pouch at the start, the bottom part of your belly is not as flat as it was before BUT it will go back if you work on it!

You can’t eat what you want anymore without gaining good weight! The weight you gained when you were pregnant was fun you could eat whatever you wanted. That time is over!

You can no longer get away with the excuse “I can’t I’m pregnant” I used to use this a lot, when I didn’t want to do something because I felt too lazy (although I use the I’ve had a baby excuse).

Everyone will have an opinion “don’t do this” “you’re doing it wrong” “I’d do it like this” people can give advice. But do it your way if it works! Your baby!!

You will loose friends. The amount of people that say “can’t wait to meet your baby” or make out they’ll be a huge part of your child’s life is ridiculous. People stop making effort, you won’t get invited out as much, you’ll loose friendships especially with people who don’t have children themselves they don’t understand how demanding being a parent is!

You’ll be judged, my friends, family and complete strangers. If it’s not the way they’d do something then whatever you’re doing is wrong…don’t listen to them!

Everything will be ok, you’ll learn your own methods. You’ll be the best parent to your child you possibly can be!