First Baby
When I had my first baby, I was a scared new mom who did not know how exactly to approach motherhood. I was worried, tensed and thought anything I did to my baby, needed the doctor’s approval. I wish I were better to read and better informed about handling babies. My baby was comparatively a non-fuss baby, and yet, I worried so much every time she cried, that I would be on tenterhooks all the time.
When I think back, there would be so many things; I would never have done with my first baby at all.
Getting Worked Up About Cluster Feeding
My baby was a total cluster feeder. She would feed for hours, literally, when she was 2 or 3 months. She would start at about four in the evening and not stop till about seven in the evening. I used to get so flustered and worked up whether my breast milk was not enough, or whether I should be starting an external feed for the baby, or perhaps the baby was not getting nutrients. I should have read about cluster feeding, or spoken to my doctor about it. Instead, I just fretted about her feeding habits, until my husband spoke to the doctor and we found out that, it was common about infants to cluster feed.
Rushing to the Doctor Every Time She Cried
My child once hurt the front portion of her mouth, as she tried to stand up and lost her balance. Since she had just started teething, the sharp front tooth hit against her lips, and she started bleeding. I got so worked up that I rushed her to the emergency. The doctor at the emergency was calm and told me not to get so worked up. I was crying while my child had already stopped crying and was, in fact, playing around. I realized pretty late that, it is okay not to rush to the doctor every time, the child cries. Sometimes, a bit of patience and being calm works wonders.
Not Giving Her Enough Time to Get Used To Solids
I started solids for my baby when she was around 7 months. Unfortunately, my method was not correct. I wanted her to eat everything as soon as I started it. So first I gave her mashed apples and then the next day, immediately gave her mashed carrots and the third day, mashed bananas. Unfortunately, I did not give her enough gap to get used to the taste and started to get used to new textures and colors and food. As a result, my child would not eat any solids but just keep crying all the time, as soon as I got the spoon for babies next to her. Only after consultation with my mother, I realized that I was expecting too much, too soon and that babies need time to get adjusted to new food and textures.
Not Letting Her Sleep Alone Till She Turned Two
We used to co-sleep with our child till she turned two because I used just to find it easier to breastfeed her. Unfortunately, this was not the right thing to do. Because, after two, when we tried to put her in a separate bed, she just would bawl all the time. She hated the prospect of sleeping alone, and just would not agree to it. It took a lot of effort and patience and stories, to get her used to sleep alone by herself.
Not Letting Her Eat On Her Own
It is very important to give children the sense of independence. I made the mistake of not letting my kid eat by herself till she turned 3. I used to feed her every meal. As a result of it, she found it very difficult to finish her food at school by herself. While, I do understand the messiness associated with letting a small child eat on her own, I think it is very important to let children be independent as early as possible. This makes them more independent as they grow older.
Not Reading Aloud To My Baby
We often underestimate the ability of babies to understand words and gestures. We can start reading to kids as soon as they are born. Bright colored board books, cloth books, animal pictures, large printed words – All these help a child learn faster. Reading aloud to babies is one of the best ways to let their imagination flow and get some nice one of one time with the baby. I realized only later when I had my second child that reading aloud is something all children enjoy. It makes the bonding between a child and a mother so much stronger. Gestures and animated voices while reading aloud means that you are teaching your child about different sounds and words. All these contribute to the child’s brain development immensely.
Not Speaking To the Baby
A lot of people often feel that talking to babies is not necessary because they do not understand anything. But this is not true. We should often be speaking to kids. It gives them an idea of language and communication and makes them more social. While the baby would just babble back, it is the baby’s way of social interaction.
As a mother, there are a lot of things; I feel I should not have done with my first baby. I wish I had been more conscious and done a bit more reading. I think as a mother, I have learned a lot of things as my baby has grown, so all the new moms out there, do read experiences about other moms online and learn from their experiences.