Our guest post today is by Randi.  She tells us the 10 most important things she learned on her own as a new mom

1.       Start EARLY with pumping and giving the bottle

I learned this the hard way. I bought a pump (the Medela Freestyle) and for some reason it didn’t that work well for me, so I exclusively breast feed and didn’t pump or give Paris a bottle until she was about 8 weeks old. I switched pumps to the Medela Pump n’ style Advanced, which was a stronger pump and it worked wonders.

2.       Breast Feeding is a huge time commitment but worth it

For me, nursing was an incredible experience. It was such a special time that I shared bonding with my new baby and I still look back on it fondly. It’s great for the baby to build immunity and helps you get back in shape, so it’s a win-win situation all around. However, no one told me that it is literally a full time job. It takes an hour to nurse and babies eat 8 times/day – every 2-3 hours in the beginning and it’s painful. It gets better after the first few weeks and it’s worth every minute.

3.       Working full time and being a mom is tough to juggle on a daily basis unless you have the support of a hands on dad, great nanny and a flexible job

I feel very fortunate to have such a supportive husband. He spends a lot of time with Paris – helps change diapers, plays with her and even takes her to swim class every Saturday. Additionally, working at company that is extremely supportive of working mothers and has been ranked in the Top 10 companies by Working Mother’s Magazine, the benefits are unparalleled. The company culture embraces working moms and has made it possible for me to continue to reach my professional and personal goals.

4.       Children’s clothing sizes are not universal

Paris is now 1 year and she wears clothing ranging in size from 6-18 months. On average she wears 12-18 months but I need to take good look at everything before I buy it as children’s clothing are sized very different across different labels.

5.       Use Destin

It smells terrible, but it’s extremely helpful in preventing diaper rashes. On an everyday basis I use Aquaphor, but am making it a point to use Destin more as it really works.

6.       Switching from napping in the stroller to the crib is a big transition

For the first few months Paris only napped in her stroller. The motion put her right to sleep. Once she needed longer afternoon naps we started putting her in the crib. She cried the first few times but eventually went down and took a nice long nap.

7.       Some babies get very strong headed starting at 1 or even  earlier… not at 2!

Paris is a girl that exactly what she wants and lets you know it.

8.       Everyone will try to give you parenting advice, listen and  just smile and nod

Starting when I was pregnant everyone wants to give you advice. I listen to other people’s advice however when it comes down to it I have just tried to follow my instinct. Every baby is different and everyone has their own way of parenting.  Although I did find reading what to expect when expecting and what to expect the first year as useful guidelines.

9.       Babies don’t need a million toys, they prefer household items

During her first year of life, Paris enjoyed playing with an empty box and/or a plastic cup as much as she did any fancy toy, so save your money!

10.   You never know how much you can love another human being until you give birth to them!

 

Randi Sandler is a Financial Consultant with a big four accounting company. She has over 10 years of experience working in the financial services industry. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and daughter Paris, who just turned 1 year on Halloween. She loves living in New York City, working out, playing tennis and exploring new activities with Paris.