Mommy Tidbits

When my daughters are old enough to have their own families these are some of the serious and somewhat silly tips I will pass on to them:

 

1.  Trust your 'Mommy gut'.  I've personally found most 'expert' advice to create unnecessary stress.  My kids have hardly ever done anything when they were 'supposed' to.  They rolled over late, crawled late, and walked late.  They are tiny and barely on the growth charts.  If I'd allowed the doctors to guide me on these things, we would have been doing infant physical therapy and stressing over calories.  I could see my kids were fine though!  And they really were!  I'd skip the baby and parenting magazines too, entirely.  

 

2. Schedule and routine aren't everything.  When Logan was born I completely trusted the 'experts'.  So we had a schedule and routine made of steel.  I was obnoxious with it and so inflexible because some harm would surely come to my baby if we didn't stick to it.  He had his naps right on schedule, he ate on schedule and ate exactly what he was 'supposed' to, and we had routines to get through everything (bedtime, bath time, meals, dressing, etc.).  No wonder I was exhausted!  He was a super demanding baby because of it!  With each subsequent baby I've learned to relax a little more and so the baby part has only become easier.  A simple routine and schedule is totally sufficient.  Naps don't have to be at 10 and 2 every day; baby just needs enough sleep, etc.

 

3. Know how children's clothing sizes work.  This one is silly, but I was seriously perturbed that I didn't figure this out until my second child.  There were a lot of clothes that my first two babies didn't get to wear much because I didn't understand that 'size 3 months' meant '0-3 months' or 'size 6 months' meant '3-6 months'.  Also '24 months' is the same length as 2T, but not the same width generally.  Diapers can be a mystery as well.  Luckily I figured that one out before Logan was born, but I've seen new parents (dads in particular) buying size 4 for their newborn because no one told them there were diaper sizes.  I'm sure they figured it out as soon as they opened the package and were frustrated that another trip to the store was necessary.

 

4. Dressing rooms are fantastic for nursing.  It took four babies before this bright idea occurred to me.  A fussy baby can make shopping really stressful, but many stores already have the perfect place to nurse...without a cover up! 

 

5. The best parking space is not the one closest to the store, it's the one closest to the cart return.  My conscience pricks me if I don't put my cart 'away' after shopping, so I've learned that it's better just to park by the cart return.  It saves walking time, I'm closer to the kids at all times that way (because I put them in the car before returning my cart), and it's convenient when I arrive (instant stroller!).

 

6.  You don't have to scrub 'baby blow outs'.  I wish I'd learned this one when Logan was a baby.  This is another thing it took four babies for me to figure out.  I've found that I can throw the soiled clothing into a bucket with water and a scoop of OxyClean.  Then I let it sit for a few days before dumping it into a regular load of laundry.  I don't scrub at all and the clothes come out totally stain free.

 

7. Baking soda cleans almost everything.  It takes crayon and pencil off of walls, cleans tiles grout, removes soap scum, and works on baked on spills in the oven.  It keeps your drains and pipes clear and gets rid of throw up smell.  It's also a main ingredient in the most awesome laundry detergent I've ever used.

 

8.  Vinegar cleans almost everything else.  I don't use vinegar much because it stinks and I'd much rather use baking soda, but it's almost just as awesome.  It'll eat away dirt on just about anything.  It's particularly wonderful when it comes to hard water.  Check this out: 

 

Before:

After

9. Sand paper is great for desperate situations.  Vinegar and baking soda did nothing for this nasty toilet and it really bothered me.   Even though I'd scrubbed and disinfected the toilet, I didn't really want anyone to use it.  So I tried sandpaper.  It didn't damage the porcelain and I felt like I had a brand new toilet!

 

Before

After