Best Parenting Tips (So Far) - All Behind A Smile

You know that magical time when the baby is down for a nap, you are fully caffeinated and functional, and there is plenty of time to work? It only happens once every blue moon, but here in the All Behind A Smile household, that time has arrived. It seems the perfect time to share some valuable tips I’ve learned from more experienced parents.

It’s been a hot minute since work of any kind has truly happened, with everything from catching a cold, to switching to a new medication with horrible side effects, to withdrawal from that same medication (once my psychiatrist finally agreed to put me back on the old medication) happening within the span of a few short months.

Baby number two (another boy!!) is due late April/early May, so being back in the driver’s seat may not last long… but we will do the best we can, while we can.

Down to the Nitty Gritty

With updates out of the way, let’s get down to the reason we are here… it’s finally 2022, and after the past two years, no one truly knows if we should be tiptoeing, or creating a stampede… but we aren’t here for another “goals” or “happy New Year post”.. not really.

No, this is more about raising our baby (and baby to come) in the best way we can, and how that looks for now.

Over and over again, we get advice (sometimes unsolicited, sometimes not) from more experienced parents. Some are further along that we are, and some are in a similar place, but through it all, we pick and choose what works for us and how we want our children brought up.

Curious about how our journey has changed, from childless to expecting our second baby within two years? See Preparing for Motherhood (for the First Time) for our unique path of trying to conceive (while suffering with mental illness) to that first positive test and all of the different (and interesting) challenges along the way.

The Best Tips (So Far)

It can be frustrating at times in the baby stage, because everything is changing so rapidly. Literally just this week, our (nearly nine month) baby started standing by pulling on nearby objects and hanging on. He had previously been standing with help, but this is another level if you know what I mean!

He used to be content to play in his indoor fenced play area, or jump in his jumper, but now he will only play if someone sits there with him – leave (even for a moment) and he loses his mind to big, heaving sobs.

So… here are the tips!!

Rotate toys – this one sounds strange in some ways.. I mean, he’s going to outgrow toys, and if you put them away he might never really get a chance to play with certain ones – but it can help prevent the baby/toddler from developing attachments to certain toys, and prevent you from losing your mind when they have a meltdown because said toy was damaged/destroyed/lost.
Combine baby led weaning and the purees approach – initially I was concerned that alternating our feeding approach frequently (we usually do each approach at least once per day) would be confusing or difficult, but it actually saves our sanity and helps our baby to adjust to new foods and textures. How does it save our sanity, you ask? When we are short on time, we can pull out a pre-made puree (either store bought or made prior) and spoon-feed, instead of worrying about baby eating on his time (very slow) and cleaning up a huge mess after (baby led weaning is not for the faint of heart).
Keep curtains open and noise at typical levels for baby napping during the day – again, this one seems contrary… don’t you WANT baby to nap? But baby will adjust just fine.. and this not only helps baby develop a better day/night cycle, it helps you live a normal life while baby naps… no more tiptoeing!!! We don’t even use a sound machine (day or night), and baby literally just woke up from his first nice, long, three hour nap (I cap him at three hours per nap, but he only naps twice a day at most).

There you have it! My three favorite tips (so far) from other parents. Anything you would add or change? Respond in the comments below! I would love to hear from you.