Fun fact, I am growing a human

[Firestarterr]

My husband and I decided to go on a great and terrifying adventure, we made a human. This is our first and I am absolutely terrified (I think he is too but he is better at keeping calm).

Any advice would be great! Also, stuff that you actually found useful, I'm worried I will end up with a bunch of stuff that isn't useful. We are also going to try cloth diapers, which no one in my life has tried, so advice there would be great too.

[Moirae]

Congratulations. I'm not a mother and don't ever plan to be, but I'm an aunt who has taken care of toddlers and infants. As for advice that's actually useful, hmm... If you don't already know, always put your baby on his/her back to sleep on a firm mattress and don't use blankets, stuffed animals, pillows or crib-bumpers. This will drastically reduce the chance of suffocation or SIDS.

[Firehawke]

Congrats!!!

I have no real advice (the closest I've ever been to being a mom is my cat and the fact that I take care of 18month-3year old kids a couple of hours a week at church and read books to kids ranging from 2-5 years a few times a month at work)...but I recommend books! Every kid needs a few books for their own personal library (and if possible, make sure they are books that you and your hubby don't mind reading over and over again )

[mbiogirlumd]

Hooray for you guys!! Every one of my friends who have had kids have recommended the book "What to Expect When You're Expecting". Also your child will grow out of clothes faster than you think but you will still need a lot of them, so hit up all your friends and family who've recently had kids for hand-me-downs! And do your best to remember that you don't have to be the perfect parent and know how to do everything from the get go. You will learn, so don't put that kind of pressure on yourselves, consciously or otherwise. And laugh!! Kids are hilarious at any age. ^_^

[Firestarterr]

Thanks everyone!! Both families love reading and we have gotten books, and some free cloths too! I am also planning on hitting up garage sales and seeing what kind of cheap useful stuff I can get. We will hopefully find out the gender May 3

[Pyper]

COngratulations!

[blackmageheart]

OH MY GOODNESS! Congratulations!

The best tips I can give as a parent (and a single one at that) are:

1. Get as much as you can either 2nd hand or nearly new - except car seats and mattresses for cribs etc.
2. People will now give you constant unsolicited advice - feel free to reject that advice if it's something that doesn't feel right for you
3. The real key to being a good parent is PATIENCE - with the baby, with other people, and definitely with yourself!

[Firestarterr]

I already barely have patience, people keep wanting to touch my stomach. Who does that to someone they barley know? I wasn't expecting the advice quite yet, but people have opinions on what I should eat and wear and everything else. It is driving me a bit crazy.

[Firehawke]

Good luck with all of that!!!

[Clarington]

Oh my goodness! Congratulations! I haven't been around for awhile because of my own new human (he'll be 10 months old next week). This is my first as well and I was utterly terrified and pretty sure I had no maternal instincts whatsoever. My husband and I knew absolutely nothing about babies (he'd never even held one before). Surprisingly, it's all been okay - so that's my biggest piece of advice - know that no matter what people tell you, which advice you follow, which you ignore, or how many people you have to refrain from kicking in the teeth along the way, in the end you'll figure it all out. Even if you're completely baby-phobic like I was!

So now for a few practical things:
1. I tried cloth diapers and failed miserably, but not until after I had spent a fortune on them. I was so sure I was going to do it, and did tons of research to decide which ones to buy, but it was just too much of a pain for me. It's worth trying, but don't make my mistake - only buy a few to start (and ideally a couple of different brands) and only invest in more once you know it's working for you.
Cloth wipes, however, are amazing. My wipe warmer might be the best thing I've bought. It seems like a stupidly superfluous item, but having it at my diaper station makes the cloth wipes just as convenient as disposables, and they work so much better.

2. It can be daunting going out with a newborn, but making the effort to find a group of like-minded moms is well worth it. Having a non-judgmental, supportive group of people to answer questions, or even just vent to, can be a real sanity saver on the bad days. Obviously it depends on what is available in your community and what suits your interests - maybe a stroller fit class, library play group, or church group? For me it's been a breastfeeding peer support group.

3. If you end up breastfeeding get a silicone breast pump. I'm on a mission to tell all new moms about these. You can get one for $10-$20 and I use mine way more than the very expensive pump collecting dust in my kitchen. If the silicone pump ends up not being enough then go for the upgrade and you're only out a few dollars.

I could go on and on, so if you ever have any questions, or just want to vent about something stupid someone told you, feel free to message me. And enjoy the ride. Babies really are amazing.