As a new parent, you'll be learning something new every day, but you don't have to figure everything out on your own. Sometimes advice from other parents will be exactly what you need.
So get ready to take notes: Below, moms and dads in the What to Expect community shared their best parenting tips and tricks. From the things that made life as a new parent easier to what helped them stay sane, here are 12 things they think every new parent should know.
“Always start a diaper change with the next clean diaper under the baby for a super quick swap, especially if said baby is a boy who frequently pees into the cool air.” — Lemon.Meringue
“Schedule a ‘get out’ time. Around 2 p.m. each day (depending on when she eats because I like to leave right when she’s done) we go out and do something. Whether it’s grocery shopping, running errands, walking around the block, going for a drive, visiting family or whatever. I just need to get out once a day for my sanity! The transition from working full-time to staying home can be rough. Also, call me crazy, but I swear taking her out each day helps her sleep better at night!” — JungleMama19
“I hated burp cloths. They were too small, and when my son spit up it always got on my clothes because the burp cloth didn't cover enough. I ended up using receiving blankets instead. They were so much better! Also, I put a receiving blanket folded in half on top of his changing table mat that way if he peed or pooped during a diaper change I could just switch out the receiving blankets. I wouldn't have to worry about where to finish changing the diaper with a soaking wet or poop-covered changing table cover.” — milewskibaby
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“Don't freak out about the milestones. Anticipate them, enjoy them, document them, but please don't freak out that they took an extra two months to do something. By the time they're 18 months and running and talking, you'll feel silly for freaking out over how long it took them to rake a toy towards them.” — babsra
“Use mesh laundry bags (like lingerie bags, but larger) for baby clothes. So much easier and faster to flip laundry from washer to dryer. Plus, it was easier on my healing body to not bend over multiple times to scoop tiny mittens and hats from the bottom of the machines and no lost socks! A friend got me a set of six bags for under $10 from Amazon — a small gift that has been so helpful!” — Lemon.Meringue
“Keep a running list of household needs on the kitchen counter. Tons of big box stores are doing free two-day shipping with minimum purchase (usually around $50 or so). Once your list hits that amount (or you’ll run out of an essential item in two days), place your order online and let it come to your doorstep via free two-day shipping. Running out to the store with a baby to grab only hand soap or laundry detergent is inconvenient. Plus, I make less impulse buys this way. I truly stick to the list.” — Lemon.Meringue
“Bouncing on an exercise ball for a fussy baby was the best tip I got as a first-time mom with my first! He was EXTREMELY colicky and that was the only way to get peace 100 percent of the time… We had his holding position down to a science and would just bounce the day away. It often put him to sleep! It was a million times better compared to our high-dollar rocking chair!” — mmht1611
“My best advice is meal prep and have easy things ready for the crock pot or to throw in a pan because some days you will be way too exhausted to cook!” — JessicaDHarris
“Mommy and me workouts. I used to think these were so dumb. Like, get a babysitter and go to the gym, or at least wait until the baby sleeps and do a 'real' workout then, right? Haha! Wrong. Babies don’t nap as much as I thought, and when they do there are a million other things to do. Exercising with my baby lets me play with her while she’s awake and get a workout at the same time.” — JungleMama19
“Most local fire stations will install your car seat for you. It can be trickier than you think but so important!” — Wolfechild
“I bought a hanging shoe organizer from Target and hung it in my little one's closet. I have wipes, bibs and burp clothes placed in each cubby for easy access. Much easier than storing boxes of wipes.” — deedee1313
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