Things I’ve learned the First 10 Months of Being a New Parent

I’m a new mom, and most people can pick up on that within the first minute of talking to me. In the first 10 months of being a first time parent, I’ve learned A LOT. I’d like to share with you a few of the things I have learned…

1) You will NEVER get a good nigths sleep ever again. Even if your child does sleep through the night, your body still wakes up during the night and early the next morning. On top of that, even if you are able to sleep in if your child is still sleeping in the morning, more than likely you will still get up because you know that “to-do list” isn’t going to take care of itself.

2) Your child will get bruises and cuts often. I still question cuts and bruises my son gets at daycare, but it has occurred to me that I will NEVER be able to prevent him from getting hurt. He is active, he does what he wants most of the time, and he is adventurous so his getting hurt from time to time should come as no surprise. Get used to it.

3) Your child will do through mommy AND daddy stages. One day they may want mom more than dad and the next it’ll be opposite. Don’t get used to your child being a daddys girl or mommys boy because it can change in an instance.

4) Your child will probably say “dada” before they say “mama”. Sorry, but dadda is easier to say than momma. I’m pretty certain our son said “hi” before dadda, but he says dadda ALL THE TIME.

5) Your child will get into everything..that’s not a joke. If your child is crawling or walking, be prepared to never enjoy sitting again for long period of time for you will be chasing them everywhere.

6) Even if you tell your child “no” and slap them lightly on the hand, they will STILL do what they’re not supposed ot be doing. They will learn eventually, but don’t get frustrated if they don’t learn right away. It’s all part of their growing up and learning processes.

7) You will never be able to go to the bathroom again in privacy. I’d love to say that this is a joke, but it’s not. As soon as I head to the bathroom, my son is already headed in my direction. It was weird at first, but now I’m kind of used to having to place him in his walker or pack and play, so I can go to the bathroom in private.

8) Your kid will eventually HATE going into his car seat. We’re at a point where we basically have to wrestle him to get him into his seat and strapped in. That’s also not a joke. It’s sad.

9) Anything hard that your child plays with can and will sometimes be used as a weapon. Stear clear.

10) You will often question and reminisce life before your child, but then you’ll remember that becoming a parent was and is worth all of the things we experience as parents..both good and bad. I wouldn’t trade being a parent for an extra hour of sleep for anything.

I’m sure there are more things that I could add to this list, but I’m off to bed soon since he is sleeping. HA! You can say that “Sleeping while your child sleeps” is NUMBER 11. Seriously though, sleep when your child is sleeping.