What Is the One Thing You Would Have Done Differently as a New Mom?
Each month we ask our readers a question… these are their answers…
Forgiven myself for making mistakes and not having all the answers. If I could go back to my daughter’s first few years, I would stop trying to do it all and just enjoy the moments more. I miss the moments.– A. Macedo
Asked for help and accepted help. Now I have three kids and people aren’t knocking on my door to help like they did with a newborn! – A. Connors
Given myself a break and allowed more time for self care. Being a mom does not mean you have to be a martyr. I think teaching realistic balance is the best thing we can model for our kids, but also the hardest. – C. Krist
Slept with my babies and not listened to anyone but my gut for parenting advice. – T. Scott
As a stay-at-home mom, I would have introduced a babysitter into the routine earlier on, so that my kid would naturally have gotten used to being looked after—not to mention being put to bed—by somebody other than me! – Lauren Apfel, Brain, Child’s Debate Editor
Bought only one type of socks. – M. Darlene
Stay home longer, jobs can wait a year. – P. Medrano
Written a little something about myself or my baby every day. – S. Preston
I tried to do EVERYTHING myself. It was hard to ask for help. As a result, I was sleep-deprived and had shot nerves (with a bit of anxiety/short temper thrown in). I miss those first six months like crazy, and often feel as though I could have done things differently. – S. Farmer
Put my kids in the crib earlier than I did. – D. Balan
I should have napped every single time my husband told me to nap. – Hilary Levey Friedman, Brain, Child’s Book Review Editor
I don’t know how I would do it but I would do bedtime differently (my children, currently six and nine, still do not go to bed, instead they creep into the bedroom at night to kick me in the head.) – H. Fletcher
Chilled out a little more. – T. Driscoll
Stayed home more. – M. Hope
Not attempted to go back to work – D. Fine
Researched vaccines on my own before administration. – E. Bowdin
Relaxed. Not taken myself too seriously. – A. Strazza
I would have slept when my baby slept and been awake with the baby and hired someone to clean house for the first three weeks and told all visitors to go away and make an appointment – A. Ling
Worry less. – E. Tompkins
I would have had even more parties, to this day my now teenage children remember all their themed birthday parties — rainbow, flowers, pirates — and I loved every minute of the planning and playing. – Marcelle Soviero, Brain, Child’s Editor-in-Chief.
I would never have registered for – let alone tried to consistently use – the shopping cart insert. Too much effort, plus some germs are good! – Hilary Levey Friedman, Brain, Child’s Book Review Editor
Spent more time reading to and singing to my babies. Held them longer, played with them more. Not worried about messes and dirty clothes. Let their friends come over more (I’m an introvert and only child, and didn’t feel comfortable with people in the house). – D. Page
Insisted people take lots of photos of me and my child. – T. Guerra
Skip the parenting books for the first two years. – S. Pilman
If I could do it all over, I wouldn’t have fussed so much about our kids wanting to sleep in our bed. – R. Johnson
Gave up on breastfeeding. It was never going to happen and I wasted so much time and emotional energy stressing about it. – K. Morgan
Learned to let others (spouse/mom) hold my babies more. – L. Jury
Trusted my instincts and ignored a lot of “advice.” – C. Vechio
Hold, hold, hold, and talk and sing and dance. — M. Holden
Nothing. I did the best I could with what I knew and what I had. – L. McBride
Take better care of myself. – A. Miley
Said “no visitors†in the hospital – B. Ardel
Delivered anywhere but where I did.– L. Mercantile
Napped when they napped. – K. Oates
Return to the October 2015 Issue
