Be prepared.
“Always, always carry a change of clothes, an extra two diapers, and wipes in your car for emergencies!”
—Joseph K.
Be knowledgable.
“I wish I'd known it was OK to eat dirt.”
—Jody B.
Be strategic.
“To keep your mouth shut when holding the baby up. To always bring a backup to the backup clothes (and potentially a backup to Mom’s or Dad’s clothes as well). To not stand behind baby when changing the diaper.”
—Matt G.
Be practical.
“Any time my first child cried, I looked at the clock wondering if it was time to feed him. With the second, I never looked at the clock and followed this mantra: When in doubt, whip the boob out.”
—Sara D.
Be quick.
“When they throw up in the grocery store and you literally catch it...knowing what to do with it would have been helpful.”
—Carla K.
Be ready for anything.
"‘Sleeping while the baby sleeps’ is a myth once you have more than one; no matter how much you try, the house will look like a war zone within five minutes of cleaning it; and date nights become similar to unicorns — you never see them... but I never thought I could love five people so equally and deeply.”
—Lydia R.
Be ready for more.
“I don't know where to start… When I was having my first kid, I wish I would have known six more would follow! Lol!”
—Talethia H.
Be reasonable.
“You don't have to go all out for every birthday and holiday! They truly only care about the one or two things they ask for, and when they're younger than 2 years old, all they need is the wrapping paper and a box to play with and they're satisfied.”
—Kellie K.
Be calm.
“I wished I had subscribed to the CTFD method of parenting: Calm The Eff Down. Babies are resilient and will hit the milestones when they're ready.”
—Kelly D.S.
Be vigilant.
“Little boys will pee anywhere. ANY. WHERE. Closet? Check. Trash can? Check. Middle of his dang bedroom on the carpet? Double check.”
—Kristin B.
Be patient.
"The one thing I wish I had really known — and people tell you, but I don't actually know if it is possible to understand the first go 'round — is that each struggle is fleeting. Each one feels like a crisis, like it will never end, and like it might be fatal if left unaddressed. But some of the roughest days were followed by some of the easiest. It never lasts too long. And you can survive anything for a week."
—Samantha H.
All images via iStock
Experienced parents have seen (and learned) it all. Live, learn, and get Luvs.
