Welcome back, my friend! Today’s share is all about the 3 things I wish I’d done differently with my third baby.
There are plenty of things I’m glad I did with my babies, but equally there are lots of things I wish I’d done differently, especially with my third baby – Lydia – who seemed more delicate a baby than my first two.
Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and we learn by making mistakes. All babies are different, and with each baby we learn something new. It’s how we grow as parents!
So without further ado, here are the 3 things I wish I’d done differently with my third baby.
3 things I wish I’d done differently with my third baby
1. Used scratch mitts from the start
I’ve never really liked the idea of stopping my baby from exploring with her hands. This view is shared by parenting experts. However, Lydia developed face eczema and a habit of self soothing by raking her nails over her face. Five months on and we were still battling baby eczema.
We found out at six months that Lydia had Cow’s Milk Protein Allergy, which was likely the cause of her skin problems. With dairy eliminated from both our diets, we saw a huge improvement in her skin.
Now, at 14 months old, she can tolerate some dairy foods in her diet. However, winter is a huge trigger for Lydia’s eczema. Managing her skin condition is key, so we pile on the creams in winter.
Using scratch mitts from the start would’ve stopped the itch-scratch cycle so common with skin conditions. In the end we bought these wonderful scratch mitts by ScratchSleeves and they were an absolute miracle.
I can’t recommend them highly enough and they also come in sizes for toddlers and older kids.
2. Paid proper attention to latch and positioning
Ah, breastfeeding.
When Lydia was a newborn, I foolishly assumed that as an experienced breastfeeder, I could just throw her on the boob. Wrong.
Once we got home from hospital I had nipple trauma that seriously inhibited our breastfeeding sessions and left me in pain for several weeks. Strawberry milk, anyone?
Copious amounts of Weleda Nipple Balm helped to protect and heal them along the way, though. Full review of this lovely nipple balm here.
3. Waited until we met our baby to name her
There’s something so terrifying about not having a name or several names ready before a baby is born. But I wish I’d been brave enough to hold back on naming, just once! She’s called Lydia, and we love her name, but she could definitely be a Bonnie, Bessie, or even a Connie!
Final thoughts on 3 things I wish I’d done differently with my third baby
The point here is that all babies are different, and our babies always have something new to teach us! Babies throw curveballs to the most experienced mothers.
What do you think? Is there anything you wish you’d done differently with your baby or babies? Let me know in the comments!
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Until next time!
