I’ve read a plethora but more for my knowledge as a doula, childbirth educator and post partum work…
You want a good even keel of knowledge that will allow you to get to a place where you accept that you cannot and will not ever feel fully prepared and that’s OKAY!
You will learn, learn from others, vow to never listen to others, experiment, rinse and repeat. You will make mistakes, and that’s a good thing… as with anything in life mistakes are chances to learn and do better.
Gather resources that align with your parenting style, read about other parents experiences and see what you can glean from them even if you don’t agree 100%.
Make sure you know when and who to call when you don’t know the right answer. Family and friends may not be the best in every situation, join a mothers group, start a playdate group even when your baby is tiny, having mothers with babies the same age is helpful.
And last bit of advice…
A crying baby isn’t always an emergency, crying is communicating … in time most parents and their babies are able to discern what that cry means. It’s often trail and error, process of elimination. It is absolutely OK to put baby in a safe spot and leave the room should you need to gather your thoughts and take care of you.
You’re so welcome, my second eldest just turned 18, four kiddos total.
Seek out the beauty even in the toughest of times, pain is merely a signal to pay attention and this goes for matters of the heart too!!
I think a good way to view the classes and books as adding tools to your tool box. There are lots of theories, ideologies and personal convictions when it comes to raising kids. Being aware of different strategies and frameworks should shape your choices, not enslave you to them.
Every child is different, and every parent is different and our life circumstances all shape what is sustainable and possible. One of my kids did well under a baby led weaning framework and the other enjoyed purées. One can nap on the go and have a flexible day, the other thrives on a strict nap schedule and routine.
Having knowledge of things helped shape how our household runs, but they don’t dictate our lives.
Info about infant sleep habits really helped me. That's the only thing I wished I had read earlier. I liked the book Precious Little Sleep.
Behavioral stuff is more for age 2 and up, you have lots of time to research that and be prepared
I liked having an app to check milestones. I used the Avent app which I can't really recommend because it lost all my data several times but the daily articles actually did help occasionally
I’ve read a plethora but more for my knowledge as a doula, childbirth educator and post partum work… You want a good even keel of knowledge that will allow you to get to a place where you accept that you cannot and will not ever feel fully prepared and that’s OKAY! You will learn, learn from others, vow to never listen to others, experiment, rinse and repeat. You will make mistakes, and that’s a good thing… as with anything in life mistakes are chances to learn and do better. Gather resources that align with your parenting style, read about other parents experiences and see what you can glean from them even if you don’t agree 100%. Make sure you know when and who to call when you don’t know the right answer. Family and friends may not be the best in every situation, join a mothers group, start a playdate group even when your baby is tiny, having mothers with babies the same age is helpful. And last bit of advice… A crying baby isn’t always an emergency, crying is communicating … in time most parents and their babies are able to discern what that cry means. It’s often trail and error, process of elimination. It is absolutely OK to put baby in a safe spot and leave the room should you need to gather your thoughts and take care of you.
Wow thank you for this advice i appreciate it!
You’re so welcome, my second eldest just turned 18, four kiddos total. Seek out the beauty even in the toughest of times, pain is merely a signal to pay attention and this goes for matters of the heart too!!
I think a good way to view the classes and books as adding tools to your tool box. There are lots of theories, ideologies and personal convictions when it comes to raising kids. Being aware of different strategies and frameworks should shape your choices, not enslave you to them. Every child is different, and every parent is different and our life circumstances all shape what is sustainable and possible. One of my kids did well under a baby led weaning framework and the other enjoyed purées. One can nap on the go and have a flexible day, the other thrives on a strict nap schedule and routine. Having knowledge of things helped shape how our household runs, but they don’t dictate our lives.
Info about infant sleep habits really helped me. That's the only thing I wished I had read earlier. I liked the book Precious Little Sleep. Behavioral stuff is more for age 2 and up, you have lots of time to research that and be prepared I liked having an app to check milestones. I used the Avent app which I can't really recommend because it lost all my data several times but the daily articles actually did help occasionally