As a new mother, I have done about 95% of all the things I said I wouldn’t do when I became a mom.
We all talk a lot of talk before we have tiny little humans, I won’t let my child scream like that in public…I won’t ever let my child sleep in bed with me…well let me break it to ya, we all do the things we said we would not do.
Raising tiny humans is hard..really hard, especially when new moms get little to no sleep. So when there is a chance to catch a break and get some rest, you do what you have to do to keep your sanity. Two of things I said I would never do as a mom, but have found myself doing are as follows.
1. My baby will never sleep in bed with me.
I remember hearing about mothers who slept with their children…and saying omg I will never ever do that, that is so unsafe. Well as that is true, and if your baby sleeps good in their crib then boo yahhh for you, you don’t have to worry about it. But if you are anything like me…your baby doesn’t sleep for anything in his crib. Liam slept really good 7-8 hours in his crib every night for about 2 months, then when he started teething..he would sleep maybe 30 minutes in his crib without waking up in full screaming mode. If I want to get any sleep in the middle of the night..then right beside me he sleeps also. If I want to get no sleep at all ever..then in his crib he goes, waking up every 30 minutes and having to be rocked back to sleep..then 30 minutes later do it all over again. But if he sleeps right beside me then we both get a full nights rest. To all the mom-shamers out there…yeah I know bad habit to start and break…but for this mom..you have to do what you have to do to get sleep/rest and to keep your sanity so you do not go absolutely insane. So if you are like me, and your child sleeps right beside you so you can in turn get rest..then let me tell you, you are not alone. I believe a lot more moms do this but don’t admit to it because they think they’re wrong.
2. I will not sit outside my house with the car running for an hour just so my baby can get a good nap in.
There is nothing like a good cat nap for a baby in the car. Can’t get your baby to take a nap? Strap them in their carseat and go for a drive. I can’t count the number of times we have had to do this. Again, mom-shamers…I know, we all know, bad habit to start, but when your kid is so tired but will not lay down for a nap at home, going for a drive to accomplish the goal is the only way to get the job done. People in my neighborhood probably think I’m crazy, “There’s Kylie sitting in her running car again for an hour on her computer..sitting right outside her house”. This is me…this is my life. You never ever wake a sleeping baby….that is the #1 lesson I have learned in the past 10 months of motherhood. If when you stop your drive in your driveway and your child is still asleep…never ever shut off the car until the baby wakes up by themselves. So I have learned to pack my computer when we go on our drives..so when we park and wait…I have something to do in the driveway. Countless times I have tried carrying Liam inside in his carseat while he still sleeps…every single time he wakes up and is grumpy cat because he did not get his nap finished. So here we are…advice from Kylie…car rides are the best naps…and you never wake a sleeping baby…so pack your computer because you may be wasting your gas out in your driveway for awhile if you want a happy baby.
SO some rookie mistakes you can make as a new mama like I did..is if you do not want your child/baby to sleep with you every night..then do not ever start letting them sleep in bed with you. Because only one night can change their sleep patterns forever. But if you are down to your last straw on getting sleep..then I’m here for ya..because we moms need sleep too.
A chance for peace and quiet time by yourself? Then take your baby on a drive until they fall asleep and park with the car running so they stay asleep. I have found if I need some peaceful quiet time then this is the best solution. Yeah yeah, you’re wasting gas but you’re gaining peace…so really you’re benefiting in the end.
The two things I always said I would not do as a mom…here I am doing them.