Jul 15

Jul 15 Five Things I Wish I Did Differently With my First Newborn

Hi friends, nice to have you back! Today I wanted to share and reflect on five things I wish I had done differently with my first newborn. As most of you know, I am a mama of two (a 26 month old and a four month old). Back when it was just my son, I made a list of things I wished I had done differently with him. Since then, I have changed the following with my daughter, and I’m so glad I did!

1. I wish I didn't swaddle my newborn

From the moment my son was born, we swaddled him 24/7. I mean, who doesn't like a baby burrito, right?! It was all sunshine and rainbows until the dreaded day he got strong enough to break through the swaddle! This led to him crying every time we put him down to sleep. If that wasn't bad enough, there was also the safety hazard of the swaddle itself getting loose, and potentially covering his face! This was a huge deal breaker for me! Instead, I wish I had skipped the swaddle, and used an arms free sleep sack from the start. (We did and are currently doing this with my daughter, and we love it!) This sleep sack allows baby to sleep safely with the feeling of a light blanket, and encourages them to sleep with his, or her, arms free! (Plus, it turns out, babies are just as cute sleeping sprawled out as they are wrapped up like little burritos.) Win, win!

PS. If you want to support my blog, and are interested in purchasing an arms free sleep sack, I attached links to the ones we use below!

2. I wish I didn't invest as much in newborn sized clothing

Newborn clothes are undeniably adorable…it's how fast babies grow out of them that's the problem! Often times, excited mamas buy, or are gifted with, more newborn clothes than their babies can wear before they have to move up in size! Plus, if you plan to cloth diaper like we did, you're in for a rude awakening when the cloth diaper under your child’s clothing shortens your window even more. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way when we couldn’t zip up our son’s pajamas with his cloth diaper on! Ugh. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy ANY newborn clothing. However, take these things into consideration, because babies grow fast, and “fluffy butts,” as they refer to them in the cloth diapering world, don’t quit.

3. I wish I only bought zipper footie pajamas with mittens

I'm personally not a fan of fancy newborn outfits: dresses, suspenders, shorts, vests, etc. It's all too much work in my opinion, and the last thing I need is for my living, breathing baby to look like a stuffed, stiff doll. With my babies, comfort is key…plus I think they are the cutest in zip up footie pajamas all day long! Buttons and snaps are a total pain! Try unbuttoning your newborn's clothing to change their diaper in the middle of the night while they're bawling their eyes out and hungry! Not so cute anymore, is it? Zipper footie pajamas with attached mittens are a game changer! The mittens protect your newborn from scratching their face, and from people touching their little hands (a perk for that extra germaphobe mom, like me!). All in all, they are cozy, convenient, and much easier to maneuver in the dark.

4. I wish I wore my newborn in the baby wrap/carrier earlier

My son was incredible in the carseat, car, and stroller, thank God. However, I waited way too long to put him in the baby wrap, and carrier which limited how I was able to transport him early on. My son was four months old when I first tried out baby wearing. Every time I put him in, he would get extremely uncomfortable, hot, and cry. With my daughter, I put her in the wrap at one month old, and after the third try, she could be transported anywhere in it! Crowded farmer's market, here I come! (PS. I actually prefer the Solly Baby wrap over the Boba wrap for the thinner, more breathable material.)

5. I wish I spoke my mind to strangers

Being a new mom comes with a lot of beautiful moments. It can also bring on a lot of social anxiety, which I hope to blog more on in the future! I was that first time mom that dreaded asking strangers to not touch her newborn. Looking back, I wish I just kindly, but firmly spoke my mind. Maybe it was the people pleaser in me. I would dread leaving the house, to prevent coming into contact with that well-intentioned stranger who couldn't wait to put their unwashed hands on my baby's precious skin. (Cue the magic of footie pajamas with mittens!). If you, my sweet reader, have touched a stranger’s newborn baby without asking, I'm glad you're reading this because we are friends, and so I’d rather you hear it from me. Don’t. Sometimes us new mamas are too nice/scared to say this...or sometimes we assume it's a well known law. No worries…from this point on, ask first. It’s polite, respectful, and a chance for this new mama to share her boundaries. As a second time mom, social anxiety is still real, but this time I'm not as shy. Hello kind stranger, it's nice to meet you, but please don’t touch my baby!

And there you have it...five things I wish I had done differently with my first newborn. Don’t worry, it's natural that us first time moms will learn these things as we go! If you're a first time mom, I encourage you to keep a list of things you wish you had done differently with your newborn! When the second child comes around, you'll be happy you did! Of course every child, and experience is not the same, so now it's your turn to share in the comments below…What is something you plan to do differently with your next child?

Cool, Calm, and Collectedly Yours,