*This post is sponsored by Pampers and Babies “R” Us. I received free promotional items in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
As a mother of four, I am well-versed in the art of diapering. I have changed a diaper every single day for the last eight years. We are nearing the “finish line” of diapering, and I’ve learned just how important it is to find a reliable diaper. Pampers Swaddlers are the #1 choice among hospitals, and is the softest diaper Pampers makes. (We love them!)
I wish I had known from the start just how important it is to choose a QUALITY diaper. Now that I’ve been around the block a time or two (or four!), I’ve learned a few things. Here are a handful of tips I wish I’d known when I started my journey as a mother.
1. Relax!
With our first child, I was a bit neurotic. I kept charts of minutes slept, minutes spent playing, feeding times, amount eaten, etc. I had pages and pages of notes and felt the need to document every waking minute of my child’s life. It was crazy – and knowing how long she was sleeping at night vs. during the day didn’t change anything.
Fast forward to my fourth child – where I realized it was fine to let her sleep when she was tired, and eat when she was hungry – not spending all of my energy trying to document her schedule. Lightening up and working with her natural schedule was SO much easier – and you know what? Both girls started sleeping through the night about the same time.
Do your best to stay relaxed. I found that having a more laid-back approach to parenting my newborn was more enjoyable for everyone, and gave me more energy to focus on caring for and enjoying my little one. They were a lot more fun than neurotic note-taking.
2. A Family That Eats Together…
Our first child ate purees, yogurts, and “kid” food until she was 2 years old. My husband was working full time and going to school full time, so I almost always made her a separate dinner – and usually defaulted to those classic “kid” foods. Towards this end, it was SO hard to get her to begin to eat a wider range of foods – especially healthier options. We finally got there, but it took A LOT of work!
With our fourth child, I had learned my lesson! Harper began eating what we were eating as soon as she showed an interest in solid food. Whenever I could, I made what we were eating for dinner available to her. Now, she is a two year old who LOVES any and all veggies, and readily eats anything I put in front of her.
3. Quality Counts
I am a girl who loves bargains. Just about any store I enter, I immediately start scanning for the clearance racks, or hunting for those little discount stickers. With our first baby, naturally, I wanted to save money. We bought several “off” brand diapers – and paid the price! I won’t go into detail about the “poosplosions” we encountered – but needless to say, we found that our child’s clothes stayed cleaner AND they slept through the night better with a quality diaper.
Speaking of quality diapers…
Pampers Swaddlers are available up to size 5 at Babies “R” Us, and their knowledgeable experts can help you choose the perfect fit for your little one. Here are a few features of Pampers Swaddlers:
· With up to 12 hours of overnight protection, Swaddlers help you make your baby as comfortable as possible
· Swaddlers color-changing wetness indicator makes it easy for you to tell when your baby might be ready for a change
· Swaddlers give your baby comfort and protection they’ll love for even longer
· Swaddlers Super Economy Pack and Economy Plus Pack are now available (online only)
One very lucky Chasing Supermom reader is going to have the opportunity to win an incredible prize pack, that will allow you to head to Babies “R” Us to purchase Pampers Swaddlers (or anything else in the store OR at Toys “R” Us!!)
One winner will receive a $15o gift card to Babies “R” Us/Toys “R” Us, and a 64 count package of Pampers wipes! Thanks for entering and good luck!!
I wish I would had known how expensive kids were gonna be. I should had been saving for years!
Breastfeeding takes a lot of time and dedication but definitely worth it
I wish I would have known how little sleep I was going to get!
The expenses of rearing a child!
I will never have children, this would be awesome to win for a great friend. Thanks for the chance to win!
i wish i wouldve known about babies being sick!! sometimes i have no idea what to do lol
How loud and noisy they are!
I wish I knew how little sleep I would get for the next 18 years!!!
I don’t have earthly children yet. I wish I would have known how prevalent miscarriage is…. 🙁
I am so sorry Caroline. Thinking of you today, and remembering your angel babies along with my own.
How much energy they would have… all the time!
I wish I had known , as others have said how sleep deprived I would be in the first year!
They will develop their own sense of style. Now matter how preppy I was determined to dress my son, he now insists on wearing tshirts and black basketball shorts every where he goes. Thank you
how much diapers would cost me per year
I wish I had know just how much I would fall in love with them. If I had I would have had them sooner!
I wish I would have known how that you lose lots of friends after having a baby.
That it’s okay to ask for help!