30 Pieces of Advice for New Parents from Parents Who Have Been There
Becoming a parent is like stepping onto a rollercoaster—exciting, terrifying, and filled with unexpected turns. To help you navigate this wild ride, here are 24 pieces of real, funny, and practical advice for surviving life with a newborn.
1. You will not realize how fast this precious moments go by
One day, you’ll miss the snuggles, the newborn smell, and even those midnight feeds. Soak it all in. One minute your baby is just coming into the world and opening their eyes for the first time and starting to learn this new and beautiful world and before what will feel like no time they will be crawling and walking and going off to school. Embrace these moments, take pictures videos and record everything that you please because these moments will not happen again.
2. Remember this in the hard times
Even when you are exhausted, the house is a mess and you want nothing more than to sleep or take a shower, just remember there will be a time when you will look back and miss this. We have so many parents tell us as their kids get older and start to leave the house that the only thing they wish is that they could have spent more time with their children. So take a break, tag out with your partner and when you are ready, come back enjoy the moment and show your baby all the love you feel for them.
3. Its ok to feel down
You are going to be exhausted, your hormones and cortisol levels are going to be all over the place from everything y'all have been through (especially mom since she did 99% of the work!). Go for a walk, get some sunlight, treat yourself to your favorite snack and just relax.
4. Laughing helps
You'll have a number of times that from the outside are bad experiences like getting spit up all over the outfit you just changed into or your baby cry every time you put them down. I remember one of the first times my wife and I gave our son a bath he pooped all over the tub just as we were getting him out, my wife and i just stared at each out and laughed. This was completely new to us and now there was another mess to clean, but just like us those types of moments will be funny memories and stories to tell when your kids grow up.
5. Sleep When the Baby Sleeps… and Do Everything Else When the Baby Sleeps Too
You'll hear this a lot. But let’s be real—you’ll probably scroll your phone, stare at your baby, or try to clean up the explosion of baby gear in your house instead. The key really is use this time to relax or do whatever self-care or errands you need.
6. Lower Your Expectations for Productivity
Some days, keeping a tiny human alive is the only accomplishment that matters. And that’s a big one! Don't put too much pressure on yourself, if you make a mistake learn from it. Need advice read some of our parenting tips or ask trusted family and friends.
7. It’s Okay to Let People Help You
Say yes when someone offers to bring food, fold laundry, or hold the baby while you shower.
8. Set up a meal train or prepare food before the baby comes
Before the baby comes see if one of your friends or family can start a meal train where people sign up to drop off a meal each week or send you something on Uber eats or Doordash
8. Always Pack an Extra Outfit—for the Baby AND You
Spit-up, pee, and surprise blowouts don't discriminate. Be prepared. or just embrace it with our I Wear These Stains with Pride Tees for the whole family, because let's be real you and your babies outfits are going to get stains that you just cannot get out. So we make this apparel to embrace it, every stain ads to the mosaic and you won't have to throw them out, because it will add to the look.
9. If You Think They’re Done Pooping, Give It Five More Minutes
Trust us. This one is self explanatory haha. Its also a good thing to learn the bicycle technique and learn to rub their belly lightly in a clockwise direction. These motions can help your baby relieve intestinal discomfort from gas and help with bowel movements.
10. Before you take off their diaper, wipe a room temp baby wipe above the diaper line (around their belly button area)
Do a few quick wipes back and forth and make some cute baby noises so they don't get startled by the sensation, wait 30 seconds or so and thank us later. Doing this helps your baby pee and its definitely better if they do that before you take off their diaper or right after you put a fresh one on. Not only will this reduce the need for you to change outfits because they got soaked during the change, but it will also help keep your little one's diaper dry reducing the chance of diaper rash.
11. Don't buy a wipe warmer
They are a waste of money and most baby's don't care if the wipes are not warm. They are a waste of money and electricity since you will need to leave the warmer on 24 hours a day.
12. Baby Wipes Are the MVP of Parenthood
Use them for diapers, spills, sticky hands, and even cleaning your own coffee spill and always make sure you have them in your diaper bag. Pacifer and bottle whipes are also good without a lot of chemical they are good for cleaning these items when they inventably get dropped when you are out and about and might not have a way to easily clean them.
13. Get a diaper bag for changes on the go
These are a great help when you are out with your baby for an easy diaper change, snack storage and everything in between.
14. Google Is Both Your Best Friend and Worst Enemy
Try not to diagnose every weird newborn sound as something life-threatening. We've all been there, we care so much for our little ones. The amount of times one of our significant others have been concerned over something that turned out to be normal or nothing is more than they would care to admit. That being said If you are concerned about your baby seek medical advice, speak to your pediatrician they are there to help.
15. You Will Cry Over the Smallest Things
The first smile. The first bath. The fact that your burrito got cold before you could eat it. It’s all emotional now, you are tired and this is a huge change in your life, sometimes its good to let the tears flow. Lean on your partner and talk about how you are feeling.
16. Get a white Noise machine
White noise has been shown to increase babies rem sleep which will help with their development and overall sleep quality. Not only that but if your baby is sleeping in their bassinet and the dog barks or doorbell rings youll be thanking your white noise machine for helping drown out the noise.
17. Get Curtains for windows and make a great sleep environment without stimulation for your baby
Early on when you and your baby are home from the hospital they will most likely sleep in a bassinet in your room if there are windows we recommend getting curtains to reduce daylight during the day and making a more conducive sleep environment. Leave them cracked a bit during daytime naps to allow some light in, this will help your baby start to understand the difference between night and day. (In case it wasn't clear, please
18. Let your baby see sunlight during the day and reduce light/have more red or yellow light at night
This will help your baby adjust to the natural daily rhythms. Play with them with the curtains and blinds open during the day. Take them outside in the stroller for a walk for some fresh air and at night use red or or very yellow lights. White colored and harsher lights have
19. Ditch the mobile over the crib and move it to the changing table instead
Mobiles or other stimulation set kids up for failure for good sleeping habits. In general their crib should be a very boring place which promotes good sleep. After a few months of not getting a full night sleep you will thank us a 1000 times over for recommending this. If you already have a mobile a great place is too put it over the changing table to give your baby some entertainment during diaper changes.
20. Buy More Pacifiers Than You Think but first start with a variety set as each baby has their own preferences.
They will mysteriously disappear into another dimension and every baby has their preference. Don't introduce these at first as they can cause conflicts with breast feeding, but when your baby is ready they can be helpful for soothing especially as your baby starts to teeth. Extra tip: Put these in the fridge when your baby teethes for added relief from the soreness.
21. Buy multiple bottle types when you start bottle feeding each baby will have their prefernce
22. Use Glass baby bottles
23. Point the vent hole up when feeding and hold the bottle horizontal to the ground when feeding
23. Buy a sanitizer either microwave or countertop
24. Be Prepared for the Cluster Feeds
There will be times as your baby grows where they will seem to be constantly hungry. This is very normal and is called cluster feeding, this is part of their development and many times can occur around a growth spurt so your baby needs extra nutrients to grow.
25. Change your alarm on your phone to the cricket noise or vibrate only
This sound is much less startling than others to a baby and is more natural so if your alarm accidentally goes off while the baby is sleeping this reduces the chance they will wake up.
26. Poop Will Become a Major Topic of Conversation
Color, consistency, frequency—you'll suddenly care way too much about it. It's a good thing though we promise, its a good way
27. Learn the 5s
28. Swaddling Is Like a Magic Trick—Until It Isn’t
It works wonders… until your baby decides to break out like a tiny Houdini. When they are starting to break out or roll over they should no longer be in the swaddle
29. Layer babies properly to keep them comfortable
This will help regulate their body temperature sleep better and overall be better for their safety.
30. Don’t Stress Over Milestones
Every baby develops at their own pace. They’ll get there when they’re ready. For example girls generally develop auditory learning skills earlier than boys. You will fill out a survey before your pediatrician appointment to gauge their milestones and how their development is going. That being said if you want to help your baby's growth the best ways to do that are to engage their senses and motor pathways. Our high contrast apparel is a great way to do this every moment of the day, reading, talking and helping your baby learn to move their hand arms legs and limbs are great ways to help them achieve these milestones.
31. Try to put your baby down for a nap when they are still awake
This will help them get comfortable understanding that their crib is a place for sleeping. This also sets the foundation for good habits as they get older and start to be able to sleep through the night. If you are always putting them in the crib asleep it can lead to issues down the road. That being said if your baby falls asleep in your arms before you put them down for a nap, you do not need to wake
32. Coffee Is Essential. So Is Water.
Stay hydrated—caffeine can only do so much. Drink lots of water hydration is key especially for breastfeeding moms. Check out our drink ware for some awesome parent themed ways to keep hydrated no-matter how chaotic your day is
33. Ignore Unwanted Advice
Everyone has an opinion. Do what works for you and your baby, just because a friend or family member says something doesn't mean it is correct. If you are concerned about something talk it over with your spouse or consult your pediatrician.
Final Thoughts
Parenting is messy, magical, exhausting, and rewarding all at once. You won’t do everything perfectly, and that’s okay—you’re the perfect parent for your baby.
✨ Need cozy, high-contrast baby apparel? Check out Hammer & Rattle’s newborn collection—perfect for stimulating little minds and making life easier for parents!