Things the books don't teach you:

[DCJenn]

Maybe this will be a more helpful thread instead of the Books to Buy. There are so many things that you learn on the fly.

1) Always carry an extra shirt for you. You'll always carry an extra set of clothes (or two or three) for the baby but you'll want one for yourself, too. Learned this the hard way at the Moscow airport as I then had to wear apple juice vomit for the remaining 12 hours of the flight home.

J

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Keep 'em coming

[ladymoreta]

Looking forward to reading these!

Here's mine: You are stronger than you think, and you can live on a lot less sleep than you think.

[Thirteen]

This may sound like AA, but: find your *Higher Power. Believe in the Higher Power. Ask the Higher Power to help you through the exhaustion and frustration. Focus on one step at a time. Get a mentor. Attend a meeting (breastfeeding support group, play group, PPD group, newborn care class, etc).
*(I feel like Higher Power is much more user-friendly to all on this board).

[HouseofWool]

Unless you are truly and awful parent (as in one of Hussey's clients) you won't break your kid. They are much more resilient than you would expect. Until you hit the toddler years and then all bets are off because toddler MUST.HAVE.THEIR.ROUTINES!

[Ladybug122]

After bringing a newborn home, for goodness sake, when people offer to help you say YES!!!! Be it a meal, an hour nap, someone to clean your bathtub, someone to take your older child to the park, take the help because friends family WANT to help and in a month or so you'll have plenty of time to do it alone!!

[diggitydot]

Giving your kids choices is a good idea. So long as each of those choices is what you want them to do.

[v-girl]

Projectile poop. Watch for it. Never stand in the line of fire.

Enjoy your new baby -- the dishes will still be there later.

If you need lipstick (like me), Rimmel makes a fab stay-put one that won't leave kisses all over your baby.

[houseelf]

All kids potty train eventually. Don't make it a power struggle.

Pace yourself. Parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to conserve energy for the long haul.

You must be the person you want your child to become. You need to really work on through those unresolved issues. Living joyfully is a gift to your kids.

Baby signing and swaddling really do work wonders. (See disclaimer below)

There is no one right way to parent and no two kids are alike. Don't compare yourself or allow yourself to engage in crazy battles about the best way to parent.

Make sure your actions reflect your intentions.

It is much easier to teach a kid to read by introducing phonics sounds first and letter identification later.

As big as the problem du jour feels, this too shall pass.

[v-girl]

Don't get mad. Take pictures. See the pic I posted of K jumping in a muddy puddle during our walk today.

[Deebs]

Find a safe place for your baby (like a crib or a swing). There are times, that you need to put your shower, going to the bathroom, etc first. It's okay. Put the baby where you know he/she is safe, and let them cry while you get what you need to get done. It won't scar them for life, but it might save your sanity!

[Michele]

Infants are portable! Plop them in a carrier (or stroller) and go! The first few months are the easiest IMO to go to dinner, shop, go on vacation, etc.

[alison]

Outsource!

Have your friends and family help you out by doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning.

I outsourced our grocery shopping by ordering from Safeway.com. Diapers from diapers.com and so on. It's great to get out of the house, but leave the big bulky stuff for the ups guys!

And.. There's no right or wrong way to parent! Don't get hung up on the "babies need to be weaned off their binkies/swaddling/insert your favorite shutter-upper."

[DCJenn]

Put down the disinfectant. Walk away. Germs are not evil and your kid is going to get sick anyway. Be practical, not crazy.

on the same token- only you know if your kid is 'really' sick enough to stay home. I medicated mine w/ tylenol and benedryl last week and pissed off a bunch of my friends. Oh well. (His temp was 99 and he said he felt fine- no headache, stomachache, sore throat or anything else that screamed contagious.)

Swimming diapers really are worth the extra expense if you swim in a public pool.

Jenn

and somedays it's easier to put yourself in timeout than to deal with the child.