Things No One Told Me

I thought that being a mom would come naturally to me. After all I was a nanny for over a year. I have babysat countless children in high school and college, yet I kind of had no idea what I was doing when Adilyn came into my life. What babies don't just fall asleep on their own? They have to learn how to sleep on their own? Nap time does not always come easy? They wake up in the middle of the night? Honestly no one gave me enough warning about what life would be like with a baby. I still have so much to learn, but I feel like I am getting the hang of things.

• Keeping babies up a little longer is usually a bad idea. They sleep less even though they are more tired. I would have loved to know this one months ago. All those battles with naps I had with Adilyn ended (for the most part) once I read Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Baby. Babies under six usually can't stay awake for longer than 2-3 hours. Well they can stay awake, but they are going to be overtired. Honestly why did everyone I know fail to mention this to me?
• Here is something that I find so odd, but true. The earlier you put your baby down the longer they tend to sleep. Say what? I read in a book that babies should stay up 2.5 hours in between their first and second nap. So I followed that advice even though Adilyn showed signs of being tired long before the 2.5 hours were up. Thus a battle went down when I tried to put her to sleep. So I say go with what your baby is showing you no matter how long it has been. Adilyn sleeps the longest for naps (2 hours or so) when she has been awake for 1.5-2 hours. 
• If your baby misses a nap or takes a short one it is not the end of the world. As a first time mom I would freak out when this happened. To be honest I still get upset when her naps are messed up because I like schedules. In reality so does Adilyn. She is so much happier when things go according to plan. 
• If something works for one mom does not mean it will work for you. On that note don't feel bad if your baby does not do what other babies do. Adilyn still does not sleep through the night. She wakes up once a night to nurse. I have heard from so many moms that their babies started sleeping through the night when they were 1-3 months old. This made me feel horrible because there must be something wrong with my baby. Then I heard from moms who said their babies did not sleep through the night until 6+ months old. Every baby is different and you should not compare them. 
• Life is so much better when you realize that as long as your baby is happy that is all that matters. 
• Be sure to take time for yourself. Or else you will have a melt down and have nothing to give to your sweet baby. This is so hard for first time moms. You feel like you have to do everything for your baby and you want to make sure all of their needs are met. But if you are too busy meeting their needs to notice your own needs life gets really hard really fast. Figure out what you can do each day to give yourself a break