Car seat safety
No one tells you how to install the car seat, let alone how to put the baby in the car seat safely. Of course all car seats come with a manual, unless you buy it used but be VERY CAUTION when buying used. Make sure the car seat hasn't been recalled and only buy from someone you trust and will tell you truthfully if the car seat has been an accident. However, I highly recommend buying a brand new car seat, it is better to be safe than sorry.
Back to my first point, of course it comes with the manual but some people do not read manuals. We didn't and we not only struggled with installing it but also with putting our newborn baby into it after leaving the hospital. Might I add, our hospital did not do a car seat check because of liability issues, I'm assuming no hospitals do car seat checks unless you have a preemie or a low birth weight baby (correct me if I am wrong, guys).
Once we YouTube'd it (because I mean how else do we find out these things, am I right?), we were able to get her in but again NO ONE told us that the chest clip should be at her chest and not her belly until a follower mentioned it when she was FIVE MONTHS OLD so we have been having our baby improperly restrained for FIVE WHOLE MONTHS.
Moral of the story, READ THOSE MANUALS!!
Chin to chest sleeping hazard
There will come a time, when the baby sleeps best in either the bouncer, the swing or her car seat and it is easier to leave her there to nap instead of moving her to her bassinet or crib. However, sleeping elevated like that, gravity pulls that baby's big ol' head forward and they do not have the neck muscle to pick it back up. When their chin is to their chest, their airway is blocked. Think of a straw and if you bend it, it blocks liquid well that is similar to what happens to the baby's airways. So if your baby sleeps better in an elevated position (Sophia slept best in the swing and stroller), keep your attention on them to be sure their chin does not fall on their chest while sleeping. Also, it is best to not use head inserts that did not come with your infant seats as that can make it more likely for your baby to end up in the chin to chest position.
Babies cry a lot
Of course babies cry, we all know that. It's how they communicate and let you know if they are hungry, tired, need a diaper change, too hot, too cold, etc. But they cry A LOT, like a lot a lot and if you have a colic baby, it's harder because there is nothing to calm them down. Be prepared for a lot of crying from you and the baby to be honest, I shed some tears with Sophia a few times.
Lack of sleep
So your thinking, I can't wait to have this baby out of me so I can sleep comfortably. HA. There is no such thing as comfortable sleep as a parent especially if you bed-share willing or not. We did not plan to bed-share but when that is the only way to get that sweet little baby to sleep so you can get at least 30 minutes of sleep before her next feeding since you wasted so much precious sleep time trying to get her to sleep, you do what you gotta do. And even than, some think I will finally have sleep once the baby sleeps through the night but what people don't tell you is not all babies sleep through the night. The braggers brag of how they got their baby to sleep through the night by doing this, this and this. First off, all babies are different and not everything that works for one mom will work for another. Second, those moms that don't brag are probably the ones with their child still waking up in the night. My kid is that child, she wakes up multiple times during the night. What I can say is you get used to it.
Hip safety when baby-wearing
With the popularity of baby wearing and all these carriers in different price points, you wanna jump on the baby wearing bandwagon so you either buy one or someone gifts you with one but no one tells you to properly support your baby's hips when wearing him. If the baby's hips are not properly supported when wearing, it can lead to hip dysplasia. Please refer to Babywearing International for optimal positioning for babywearing.
Photo by LaPalomento Photography
I am so excited to be teaming up with Freshly Picked; to celebrate I am doing a giveaway for one of you lucky readers to win one pair of Freshly Picked moccasins of your choice!
Disclaimer: Please allow us 48 hours to verify all entries and choose a fair winner. If you have won a giveaway including Freshly Picked moccasins within the last 60 days, you will not be eligible to win. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond to the congratulatory email before a new winner is chosen. May the odds ever be in your favor.
I could go on and on but those are the major ones that I had to learn the hard way. What did you other mommas have to learn on your own that no one warned you about when you were expecting?
Giveaway
I am so excited to be teaming up with Freshly Picked; to celebrate I am doing a giveaway for one of you lucky readers to win one pair of Freshly Picked moccasins of your choice!
Disclaimer: Please allow us 48 hours to verify all entries and choose a fair winner. If you have won a giveaway including Freshly Picked moccasins within the last 60 days, you will not be eligible to win. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 24 hours to respond to the congratulatory email before a new winner is chosen. May the odds ever be in your favor.
More Pregnancy Tips & Tricks:
Nighttime Routine during Pregnancy
Nighttime Routine during Pregnancy
Pregnancy Must Haves
What to Ask While on a Maternity Hospital Tour
What to Take From the Hospital After a Maternity Stay
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (see my review here)
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (see my review here)
What to Pack for the Hospital during a Maternity Stay
Baby Registry Tips & Tricks
Bradley Method Class Review
Surviving a Summer Pregnancy
What to Ask While on a Maternity Hospital Tour
What to Take From the Hospital After a Maternity Stay
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (see my review here)
The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth (see my review here)
What to Pack for the Hospital during a Maternity Stay
Baby Registry Tips & Tricks
Bradley Method Class Review
Surviving a Summer Pregnancy
