The Happiest Baby on the Block and The Happiest Toddler on the Block 2-Book Bundle pdfdrive com

Appendix B
A New Parents’ Survival Guide: The Top Ten
Survival Tips for Parents of New Babies
Now that we’ve talked all about the baby’s crying, let’s talk about
yours! All new parents know that if you ask five people for their advice
(not that people even wait for you to ask), you’ll get ten different
opinions. So, even though you didn’t ask me for my opinion, here is my
list of ten sanity-saving survival tips to help you endure the challenges of
your baby’s first months a little more gracefully.
1. Trust Yourself: You Are the Latest in the Unbroken Chain of the
World’s Top Parents
Leslie, still in her hospital bed with four-day old
Gabriel, told me: “I’m usually such an optimist, yet
I’ve had weird dreams of dropping him and leaving
him places. My husband jokes that some special
‘inexperienced-parent’ alarm will go off when we take
Gabe home from the hospital!”
•
Trust yourself. You know more than you think you
do.
Dr. Benjamin Spock
If you’re like most new parents, you probably alternate
between feeling like a major-league pro and an amateur. It’s
enough to give a person “parental whiplash!” And, the
conflicting advice given by many baby experts can deepen the
confusion.

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But before you lose confidence, please remember this: You
are part of an unbroken chain of successful parents that
stretches all the way back to the beginning of time. You and
your baby have survived because you are descended from the
best mothers, most protective fathers, and strongest children in
the world. That’s why Dr. Spock’s advice to parents to trust
themselves is so correct.
Trust your feelings. Relax and remember that all your baby
really needs from you is milk and your nourishing love. And all
you really need is patience, support, a little information, and
perhaps a massage every once in a while.