Because once baby arrives most of our plans go out the window

I am a massive fan of a plan.
I thoroughly enjoy being prepared and the sight of a list is enough to make me giddy. For this reason I wanted to feel really prepared for parenthood. I read lots of books and blogs and tried to familiarise myself with what to expect when the big event happened. In hind-sight it was genuinely the biggest waste of time. Every child is different and I quickly realized that it is a learn-on-the-job type of thing. 
Here are some of the plans I had
  • Bath time will be an important part of our night-time routine. Every single night my child will wind down in the bath and it will be a relaxing way to prepare them for sleep. - Nope. My child was born with excema and has extremely sensitive skin. We bath him 1-2 times per week or his skin reacts very badly. Bless him. 
  • I won't expect sleep until the baby is at least one. Anything before that will be a bonus. What was that about one? We've hit the two mark and sleep is still a rarity around these parts.
  • Motherhood won't change me. I'll still be me. The exact same person, just with a cute baby. Becoming a mother has changed me in so many ways. And you know what? I am so grateful for that. The world is a better place now.
  • Soothers are not necessary. I won't be buying them or using them. I have now bought ALL the soothers. We rely on it so much and I want to kiss the face off the person who invented them.
  • Some things are sacred. I won't become a paparazzi mother. The world doesn't need ten thousand photos of my child eating her dinner. Today I posted a video of my child sneezing. What? It was cute.
  • I'll teach my child right from wrong. I'll take the gentle approach and in return they will respond gently to other people. My toddler is THAT kid who hits, bites and says bad words. This isn't as easy as I thought.
  • I won't fall in to the trap of dressing my baby in impractical clothes just because they are cute. Babygrows all the way. They make dicky bows for newborns... that's all I'll say.
  • Slings are a waste of money. I won't be spending €100 on a piece of fabric to hold my child against my chest when I can just hold them? Instead I'll buy several and develop an obsession with them.
  • I won't use food to reward or calm my child. There are other ways of doing this. I now have a packet of snacks under the buggy at ALL times in case a tantrum strikes in a public place.
  • I won't buy in to the hype of branded toys and characters. I'll focus on educational toys. Yesterday we spent €23 on a singing Fireman Sam hat. What?, it SINGS. 
Written by Tracey, mummy blogger and staff writer at www.familyfriendlyhq.ie.
Check out her own blog at www.loveofliving.blogspot.ie

Topics