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What's your top tip?

Hi all!

We're looking for your top pregnancy, baby and toddler tips for Practical Parenting magazine.

What's the one bit of advice you would want to pass on? Have you got a must have tantrum busting method for your toddler or a fail-safe baby sleep idea you think other mums  would benefit from? Please share them for PP-there's a goodie bag on offer for our tip of the month! Email liz.stansfield@magicalia.com or post on here.

Many thanks,

Liz, PP x

Replies

  • don't be afraid to ask for help..weather you have a new born, a toddler or pre-schooler or even if its ur second baby..if u feel u need help then ask. help is around u in the forms of many people partners, friends, grandparents,family, hv,gp,midwife...whoever it is and however small or silly u may think it is someone around u could help....so asklimage

    and always make time for yourself even if its just 10 mins sit down with a cuppa..having that 10 mins gives u the chance to be you and not mummy,cleaner,chef,etc etc..image

  • Don't worry if your little one doesn't reach their milestones at the same time as their peers, they all get there in the end!
  • I think the tip I would like to pass on is to have faith in yourself and your instincts as a mother and not let the endless stream of advice get on top of you. Especially when you are a first time Mum, you are offered a lot of advice and it is often conflicting. Some of it is good advice and some of it just doesn't work for you even if it did work for someone else. It can be very confusing. You need to just do the things that work for you and your baby.  I found listening, just nodding and smiling and then doing it my way worked the best! All that matters is a happy, healthy mother and baby.
  • If  its your first baby, enjoy evey second, you maybe exhausted but the sleepless nights dont last forever and they do not stay like that for long at all!

    For toddlers - be consistant and follow through with what your promise / threat..... otherwise your words become meaningless!

    Never be too busy for a quick cuddle and a kiss.....

  • I have found since Harry has been walking that there are so many bumpsand falls he will have that I cannot avoid, Arnica cream is the best. If Harry has a bump I quickly apply the cream to the bumped area and the redness goes away and it will prevent bruiseing - A MARVELOUS THING, i would not be without it. (great for those babies/toddlers that bruise easily)

  • All I would say is routine with bedtime.  From day one we always bathed Eve at 7 followed by bottle then bed, she woke for at 3am then went back down and slept through from about 5 months and I can honestly count one hand the amound of sleepless nights i have had other than the usual sick nights.

     Also i took this from my mum and again I have never had trouble with sleep but I have never put Eve in her cot during the day, my mum said try to make a distinct difference between day and night.  Cot is purely for sleeps at night and car pram or your knee is day sleeps.  I used to adore my time with Eve sleeping on my knee it made me slow down and kept us close.

    xx

  • My best tip ever that changed everything for me is 'relax'.

    Pregnancy is awesome and feels great but there are some days when I looked in the mirror and thought I looked like a hippo with bad skin who'd aged 5 years over night and had hobbit feet. It's ok though, relax your pregnant.

    I had a case of the crazies when I was pregnant. Convinced I'd not know what to do, Lee would leave for some foxy looking female without sick in her hair and no stretch marks. I tols him I was crazy and I couldn't help it and it made me relax.

    Mia is amazing but she used to want to be awake all night and sleep all day for about the first 6 months. She'd cry even though she was clean, fed, warm and hugged but it's just a case of relax because she safe and well and maybe having an off day.

    When we had Ava brought her home and Mia hated her and went crazy wanting us to take her away, Lee lost his job and I looked like a stretch mark covered hippo again. Relax, I have my family who are healthy and thats all that matters.

    Everyone seemed to pick up on how relaxed I was and it effected them too. I didn't realise that my stress about everything before effected everyone so much but once it was gone the change was amazing.

    Oh, and you may have guessed, I'm still a bit crazy but not in a bad way anymore.

    image

  • Good Advice Sym, not always easy to relax though and for some harder than others (my sister is a prime example!!).

    PS its good to be a little bit crazy in a good way imageimageimage

  • MY TOP TIP IS READ ALL YOU CAN ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOUR BODY DURING LABOUR, IT REALLY MAKES THE PAIN BEARABLE BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TO YOUR BODY. ALSO IF YOU WRITE A BIRTH PLAN MAKE IT FLEXIBLE BECAUSE BIRTH HARDLY EVER GOES TO PLAN AND YOU MIGHT END UP DISSAPOINTED IF YOU DON'T GET THE CALM, SERENE WATER BIRTH YOU WANTED.
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