First off, there will be those strangers you run into while grocery shopping. They’re pretty nosy, aren’t they? They want to know if you’re breastfeeding, if the baby sleeps through the night, how old your baby is, how far along you are in your pregnancy… Yeah, because they don’t understand that your saggy belly is just a “remnant” of the pregnancy. As if I could have a one-month-old baby and be six months pregnant… tssss… These people will no doubt give you their two cents. “Your baby seems pretty chubby—maybe you should feed him less.” Um, no? “Didn’t you put a little jacket on him? He might get cold.” Yes, you’re absolutely right—he’s cold. That’s why he’s all sweaty on this beautiful 30-degree day with no humidity…
Everyone has an opinion on how to raise YOUR child. Your little one loves playing in the water! He goes wild when you put him in the bath. Oh, well, that’s dangerous. It’s dangerous that he loves water! What? You’re super happy because you love water too, and now you’re having nightmares about everything that could happen if your child decided to go swimming on his own. You have a fenced-in pool and a padlocked deck, but you still imagine all kinds of impossible scenarios. And yes, they’ve managed to make you paranoid…
Do you have dogs? You should get rid of them! Honestly, it’s dangerous. It’s like if I left my dogs alone with my baby. My dog might be the nicest in the world, but an animal is still an animal—and I know that! So even if you tell me that 10 times a day, it won’t change anything. I’m already being extremely careful.
People will probably tell you that co-sleeping isn’t good because your child will develop bad habits and will still be sleeping with you at age 10! At that point, you might as well buy a king-size bed! And then, when you’re proud to say that your baby now sleeps in their own room, in their own bed WITHOUT YOU, people tell you that three months is too young to sleep alone.
Seriously, is someone pulling my leg?
And that’s not even mentioning the doctors… At every appointment, you see a different doctor. And every doctor has a different opinion. One will tell you that under no circumstances should you put sunscreen on your baby before they’re 6 months old, and another will tell you that if it’s a mineral-based sunscreen, it’s fine. One says your baby is way too small, and the other tells you he’s average. Seriously, can’t you guys just agree? And I’m not even mentioning what my friends’ doctors tell them!!!
So to you, who’s about to become a mom, I have just one piece of advice to give you. You’ll hear a million recommendations, but in the end, the only person you need to listen to is yourself! You know what’s best for your child. You have an incredible maternal instinct. You might not have discovered it yet, but it’ll come. So please, learn to trust yourself!
On that note, I have to go. I’m going to go get my little one. She’s having fun in the water with my dog. Don’t worry, I put sunscreen on her!