They figure out those door things. At least mine did. This was the best thing. Would've saved some money going straight to locking the top of the doors. And if those don't work for you, try these. I personally love them. Compared to some of the other door/cabinet/drawer safety gadgets, this one is (to me) the easiest to undo in a pinch. I use them for drawers that I don't want him to get into and my in-laws have used them for their entryway doors that doorknob safety gadgets and my top lock doesn't work for. With this latch you can put it in their reach. Their little hands won't be strong enough to open them for a long while.
2. If you like to run, walk, or be active in any way, go ahead and buy a jogging stroller. You'll want it later if you don't. AND you don't have to spend hundreds of dollars on a good one. There are very highly rated ones on Amazon for a reasonable price.
3. Buying clothes for your child isn't as fun as you thought it would be. Because you never know what is going to fit or not. So annoying. And if you have a boy...well good luck! No matter where I go, the boys section is always significantly smaller than the girls section. There are far fewer cute things for boys too, especially around holidays. It's so irritating.
4. People without children just don't get it. This is not to be mean. It's just reality. I thought I got it. I tend to be a very empathetic person and as someone who works with children and their parents on a daily basis (or at least I did while I was a working mom) it was imperative that I empathize with what parents are dealing with when it comes to their child. And as much as I thought I understood the desires they had for their children to be amazing, successful, loved, cared for, respected, etc...I didn't truly understand it. Lots of people told me that I could not understand what it's like for them because I did not have children of my own. And to some extent, they were right. It's similar to that cliche that no one understands how much their parents loved them until they have one of their own (for lots of parents...NOT all, mind you. I'm making a generalization here that all parents have this deep love for their child, but truth be told, that isn't always the case). You just can't understand it unless you're in it. You can't understand why parents "wouldn't change a thing" even when their child is acting crazy and they are delirious with sleep deprivation. Yes, having children is pretty hard in so many ways. But they are incredible. It's just amazing to watch them grow and learn. They really are worth it. <3
5. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS have snacks available when out and about. If a child becomes hangry they are the absolute worst version of themselves and they will flip the crazy switch no matter how well behaved they normally are.
6. If you have a very wiggly sleeper, chances are you're going to have issues with diapers at night time. Mine always woke up saying his diaper was hurting him. I'd find scratch marks and pinches every morning. Sometimes it would just fall half off. I tried night time pull ups, and those are good IF your child is still peeing a LOT at night. It might not be the MOST comfortable, but it's probably going to be more comfortable than the diapers and it will hold the pee. Once my son started peeing less at night I finally found a pull up that worked perfectly. Pampers Easy Ups Training Underwear was our favorite. These ones did not have the velcro-like pull away sides (that almost always inevitably came undone somehow and were so scratchy). They are easy to tear away at the sides if you have to take them off that way (for a poop). They held his night pees very well. He loved them for sleeping in. (Please note that this was all prior to potty training. I am not promoting the use of pull ups during potty training.)
7. Don't get a dog before a baby. Now, this is not the case for everyone. I have heard and known of many dogs who are just AWESOME pre-baby doggies. But many of them are not. And at the introduction of this new tiny person who takes all their attention away then gets bigger and tries to squish them with love or chase them around the house with toys, many dogs do not appreciate the new family member. Ours most certainly did not. He's almost three now and she's only now begun to warm up to him. But she mostly doesn't like him.
Also cats. Cats are assholes. Having them before or after a child doesn't really matter because they will be assholes regardless. And be prepared for your child to get scratched a lot. And maybe even bit on a regular basis. Although, once again, I have known a lot of people with cats who are awesome. It's luck of the draw with these beasts. So take my advice lightly here.
8. Invest in a carpet shampooer. You will not regret it.
9. You will end up putting a shit ton (That is a legit measurement, right? I'm gonna go with 'yes') of clothes in storage. And clothes in storage get stale and funky smelling. BUT I have discovered (thanks to my amazing sister-in-law who always smells really good) that there are real ways to prevent stale clothing smell (this also works for storing sheets and blankets!). Gain Original Scent Laundry soap is amazing.
I have clothes that were stored for over a year that were washed in this stuff and they came out of storage smelling exactly as if I had washed them yesterday.
It's also a useful trick to use those smelly laundry beads by dumping them in a cloth satchel and tossing that into your storage space (go easy though, that shit is strong!).
10. They really do grow up too fast. It's mind boggling and bittersweet. You want them to grow up and become amazing human beings, but at the same time that's your baby! There are so many moments I didn't realize I should have savored. So many lasts that I wasn't prepared for.
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