10 Tips for a New Mom

I'm a proud mom to two little girls, Katie (23 months old) and Sophia (7 months old).  My life wouldn't be the same without them. I love seeing their faces every day.

I can't say that I'm an expert, but through my experience of taking care of my girls I've come up with 10 tips for a new mom to share with you.

1. Spend time with your kids. Enjoy the moments with them as they grow up. You won't get those moments back. They are only young once.

2. Sit back and do nothing. This may be the hardest thing to do, but do it even though you know you have lots of things to do. Step away and take some me time. Lately my me time is writing or just getting away to take a shower.

3. Trick to putting your baby to sleep. Once you get your baby to sleep, hold them for at least 20 minutes to get into a deep sleep. Otherwise, they'll wake up when you put them down. I've learned my lesson. lol It's best to slowly put them down with their bottom first and slowly pull your arms away.

4. Sleep whenever your baby is sleeping. You've probably heard this one many times, but it is true. It is especially important in the beginning of your baby's life. You need all the rest you can get with your baby's nightly schedule.

5. Purchase the Moby Wrap. Of all the baby wraps out there, the Moby Wrap was very useful for me. I used it a lot the first 3 months for Katie and Sophia. There were days where all they wanted was Mommy and didn't want to be put down.  All I had to do was put on the Moby Wrap and place them in it. They would pass out and I could get some housework accomplished.

6.  One way to stop crying. One of the best ways I've found to get my girls to stop crying is distraction. When Katie was little, her distraction was watching Sesame Street's video 'Why do I love the letter Y.' We kept on repeating the video to keep her calm. Now her best distraction as a toddler is either watching Mickey Mouse, Doc McStuffins, or Ice Age or having her 'guys' with her. Her guys consist of Minnie Mouse, Daisy, Lamby, Hallie, and Stuffy (the last three from Doc McStuffins). She knows if she is missing one.

7. Easier way to create a baby album. You may not have time to create a baby album with all the fancy paper and stickers, even though you know you want to. I make albums the simple way. I create them on Shutterfly. Shutterfly always has sales and you can get a free album on certain sales. I make albums for the first 1.5 months of their life and for each year. You can choose a theme and add your personal touches without getting glue on your hands. I'll be making one for Katie when she turns 2 in October and Sophia when she turns 1 in February.

8. There are times when your toddler will be a picky eater. It's okay. Even though I know what Katie likes to eat, she'll decide she doesn't want to eat it. You'll do whatever it takes to get anything done them. It may be just crackers and fruit snacks, as long as it is something.

9. It is okay to let your toddler play by themselves in their room. It teaches them to use their imagination with all the variety of things to play with. Katie asks to go upstairs to play. She loves to play dress-up, play with her train set, or even taking all the clothes from the drawers and she either puts the clothes in a pile or puts them on.

10. Have your toddler help you clean or any household task. It can be as simple as throwing something in the trash to putting pillows on the bed. Katie gets excited when I ask her every day to put the pillows on my bed. She runs to my room to help. It helps teach them to be helpful and they enjoy doing it. Don't you wish you were that excited to do housework? Lol

I hope you enjoyed these 10 tips for a new mom. I wish you the best in your adventure of being a mom.