Surviving Baby’s First Year
By Guest Blogger Jennifer Mearns
Do you sometimes want to kick those people that say stuff like, “Sleep when the baby sleeps!” or “Enjoy every moment, they are only babies once?” Me too. Do they think you enjoy the moment when your baby blows out his diaper in church and you have to rush his poo covered bum to the bathroom to clean him up? Do they think you enjoy hour four of colic screaming?
It’s OK not to enjoy everything about motherhood. Not everything a mother does is enjoyable. Here I discuss some practical tips for surviving your baby’s first year that might make things easier, if not actually more enjoyable!
Travel Formula
For the formula feeders out there, invest in some travel formula packets. That way if you’re out and your baby is hungry, you will always have something to feed them. Keep a clean bottle in the diaper bag. Also, keep a bottle at places you frequent-grandparent houses or other family members. I would advise against keeping one at Chipotle, but you can always ask.
Zip-Up Sleepers
The last thing you want to do during middle of the night diaper changes is fiddle with stupid snaps or buttons. The zip-up sleeper is the way to go. Babies are hard enough to stuff into those full body sleepers, don’t make it harder on yourself. Baby clothes are cute and for the most part completely impractical. I’m not saying don’t dress your baby in them, but honestly, I don’t think my second child wore actual clothes until he was seven months old.
Head and Shoulders
For bad cradle cap, my pediatrician recommends Head and Shoulders. Cradle cap is basically the worst case of dandruff you’ve ever seen, so it makes sense that Head and Shoulders would help. Simply massage it onto the scalp once a day until the cradle cap is gone. It works really well. Just don’t get it in their eyes. It’s probably the complete opposite of Johnson and Johnson’s No More Tears. I’ve used it on all three of my boys.
Sleep When Baby Sleeps?
If It works for you, by all means, sleep when the baby sleeps. I still do! Some people, however, are much more productive than I am and would rather use that time to catch up on housework or shower. That is fine! Absolutely, do what works for you. Me? I prefer to catch some z’s. They are elusive enough in the nighttime. You might as well catch some when you can!
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Jennifer lives in Greensboro with her husband, three boys and multiple pets. She’s written for many websites including Scary Mommy, Pregnant Chicken, Her View From Home, BabyGaga and Swaddles N’ Bottles. You can find her blog at
