If you recently had a baby or are expecting, keep reading because we are going to be talking all about tips for new parents. We polled the 4,000 members of our Facebook group and here were some of the top answers.
Many of our followers “Wish they had known…”
- “About your awake windows and sleepy signs-grab our sleep summary by age here.”
- It’s your job to know when it’s nap time!
- “That it’s okay to ask for help-not knowing is okay!”
- “To track things-diapers, feeds, awake windows.”
- A great app to use for all of that is www.babyconnect.com
- “That fed is best-you may have to pivot away from breastfeeding if it’s not working for you and that’s okay”.
- “That there may be a difference between your expectation and reality, and there is no shame in that. Parenting is a huge adjustment.’
- “That it was okay for babies to fuss a little so you have a moment to observe and be able to assess the root need rather than just muting the tears.”
- Sometimes they’re not even really awake! In our book we go over the difference in sleep cycles and signs you might see.
- “That babies are tired after vaginal birth, but not always after a c-section”
- “How tired I’d actually be and it’s okay to enjoy the journey”
- “That sleep teaching is such a game changer.”
- “That feeding my baby everytime they cried actually led to not getting full feeds.
- In our book The Helping Babies Sleep Method we talk about how to avoid the “snacking cycle!.”
- “That babies cry…A LOT sometimes due to discomfort, but there could also be a bigger issue at play too.”
- Check out our blog on overtired babies.
- “That breastfeed can be hard to begin with…and can take a lot of work and time.”
- “That being overly self-critical can have an impact on the baby-and you need to love yourself too.”
We all may have an idea of what our parenting journey may look like, but it’s likely that it will look much different than what we had expected, and that’s okay! Parenthood is a journey that will stretch you and grow you in ways you never imagined. It’s can be both a struggle and the greatest experience of your life. We all have a different experience and story.
If you're struggling and you’re interested in getting expert help check out our Helping Babies Sleep and Parenting School where Dr. Sarah personally guides you through your sleep and parenting journey!
