At my parent ed class they said:

- it's best to swaddle
- don't forget that if you fold blankets (because they're too big) then to count the actual layers (i.e 2 layers if you've folded in half)
- don't leave your baby in all their outdoor clothes when you get in because they've fallen asleep in their pram and you don't want to wake them! They will overheat in the nice warm house, especially if you leave them in the pram, near a radiator!
- new advice is not to bath your baby until the cord falls off - just top and tail
- don't clean the cord unless some poo or wee gets on it
- bite rough nails off their fingers - it's easy to cut their skin with baby nail scissors and the cut can get easily infected
- bit controversial - but newest guidance is to make bottles up as and when you need them as opposed to making up the day's bottles in the morning etc. Apparently the best way is to put the boiled water in the bottles, wait 30 mins to cool and then add milk powder, as this allows any germs in the milk to be killed. Can't see many people doing this though - you can't wait half an hour for a bottle to cool when your baby is hungry - and you won't always know when they'll get hungry so you can be prepared in advance!
- no bumpers on cots
- room temp should be around 18 degrees for baby
- best way to check their temperature is using the back of your hand on their chest or tummy

Keeping the baby at the right temperature is what I worry about the most! Sure it'll just be instinctive when she gets here though

thats what my sister told me to do. she said blend up the same food you have but obviosuly be careful about how much salt is in it. but if you are out and about buy some jars. i think she struggled badly with her first becasue every meal and desert was a jar and they taste so strong in flavour that normal food tasts bland after having them all the time. so i will be doing the same as you. blending up our food here but buying jars for when we go out for the evening or day etc xx

great thread

That makes me so happy to hear u say that lol as no1 told me that i just used my own initiative and thought to do that! So I'm glad it is actually something that people do!! In saying that though, OH cannot wait to buy a jar of baby food as they stare at him when he is in the supermarket apparently and he says they are yum.

the only thing my sister told me not to use was jar food like dolmeo, ragu etc as they have far too much salt in for baby. however they do baby gravy and sauces at supermarkets which doesnt have salt in etc.

i did try some once and i wasnt impressed. same for fomular milk tried that and yuck

i'll never forget my sister gave me a fish pie flavoured jar meal to give me nephew and OMG he stank of fish pie for about 4 days, even his poo's stank of fish pie. it was not good

i wonder if the deserts taste nice though?? lol x

I hope you dont mind me posting here as i am ttc #2 atm

Do..
Trust your instincts
Talk to people if your finding things hard
Allow yourself a cry - hormones will be flying round


Dont...
Allow yourself to listern to all the advise .. your baby
forget to eat and drink
try and be super woman !!

Its ok for the house to be a muddle - my gran always used to say visitors are for helps not just for holding (baby)

Its ok for a baby to cry for a minute when you take a wee.....


Lastly all the best with your babies xx

There are so many things you will figure out on your own and do things to your own style, good thread for reference though!!!

I swaddled my DD - it was the only way she would sleep peacefully as babies like that cuddled up secure feeling, they have been used to being all cuddled up in our tums so its reassuring for them to feel snug - but others may not want to swaddle but most midwives recommend this initially and the tend to be swaddled in hospital.

My list of donts..... - The do's you will make up on your own but the donts are far more important.

DO NOT - under any circumstances .... Let visitors dictate to you when you get home. You set the rules, do not try to please everyone and let the whole world round to see the baby. You MAY feel completely fine but just remember what your body has been through and is going through and it may not be apparent initially just how much all the stress/tiredness and worry affects you. I cannot stress enough the importance of resting!!!!

Do not worry about little things like housework getting done. If you can afford it I would seriously recommend a cleaner literally someone 2 hours a week (cost about £15 max per week) just to come in and hoover, polish, clean bathrooms, wipe down kitchen, mop floor if needed but I only recommend it if cleaning is a real worry for you, this is a way round putting extra pressure on yourself - get someone else to do it if its something that you are normally always on top of, as really your time will be better spent resting!

Do not if you can help it, get into a routine of letting baby sleep in your bed after night feeds. We fell into this trap and let me just say our dd (now 5) only started sleeping in her own bed at 3 and a half through the night. She would scream every night when we put her in her cot, nothing worked to get her to stay in there and when we put her into a bed initially she would just continuously get up and come to our bed - trust me - supernanny couldn't have cracked our daughter. All she wanted was to sleep in our bed!! It was torture! All be it a wonderful contraceptive!


Most important thing is to make sure you enjoy every second of your bub - they really grown up so fast and if you get worried about anything or need advice then always ask for help and don't worry on your own xxxxxx

was told to buy some olive oil for babies skin for when it gets dry in the creases and not to use creams as they cant have a bad reaction to them in the first few weeks x

This is a really great thread - so helpful for a first time mum who simply doesn't have a clue
xxx

Well what a brilliant thread!! Thank you to everyones great advice!! Sorry I can't offer my own but this is my first baby so I'm pretty clueless!!

One good piece of advice someone else gave me though is for those of you with dogs, try to keep their routine as much as possible (won't always be easy I know). Some people tend to let their dogs live with parents or someone for first few weeks but apparently this can make them misbehave because they feel like they're being pushed out whereas if they're there from start they adjust much better. I know anyone with dogs will know there own dog very well so everyone will do what's right for them but just thought I'd share that anyway.

x x