Mom shares how to skip the anxious parenting and 'raise your first baby like it's your third'

Parents tend to get nervous and anxious about raising their first child the right way. In the bargain of books, shows, the internet and more, parents miss out on the whole aura parenthood brings. Instagram mom Caroline Chambers (@carochambers) shared that she faced a similar situation. However, after welcoming her third baby, she is focusing on the joys of parenting rather than getting it right. In her post, Chambers mentioned that with the help of her friends who have raised their children, the mom wanted to provide 6 tips on “how to raise your first child like it’s your third.” 

The mom’s idea was to show parents an alternative to anxious, worrisome parenting when they welcome their first child. Sharing images of her friends and their babies, Chambers said, “We would love to go back in time and give our first mom selves a big hug and a giant dose of the knowledge we now have.” She then confessed that like every mother, their “first-time mom selves were so tired from trying to do everything ‘right.’” More like an unpopular opinion, the mom and her friends shared extraordinary suggestions that they wished they had known back then. 

The first tip read, “Leave the baby alone.” While most moms want to and feel the need to spend time with their newborns, Chamber’s friend Gray suggests leaving the child alone and getting out of the house. She provided alternatives like grabbing an early dinner, going on a date, doing something fun and so on. Adding to this tip, she said, “Find a reliable babysitter early on and book them as much as possible.” The next tip was given by Chambers herself. It read, “Your husband is not the enemy, the baby is.” While the mom was not literally serving out titles, her tip stresses that the couple is a team and will together get through the many needs a baby has.

The third tip shared by Amy, reads, “This too shall pass.” The mom then mentioned that she has used the phrase over 100000 times and though it is overused, it is pretty much relevant in those initial fragile baby moments. She then shared the initial parenting tasks which are too much to handle and said that all of these will pass, “A series of 4:45 am wake-ups. This too shall pass. Spitting up. This too shall pass.” The fourth tip by Gary read, "Don’t save chores for nap time.” She elaborated that children love to watch their parents do anything at their infant stage and it becomes an experience for the baby and mother too.

The next tip from Chambers stressed the need to care for oneself as a mom. “Put on your oxygen mask first.” “You can’t care for your baby if you don’t take care of yourself,” she added. Whether it’s simply getting lunch, buying a bigger pair of jeans, pampering yourself or talking about your feelings, give yourself priority and take care of yourself. The last tip from Amy stated that the ideal routine before a baby's bedtime doesn’t matter. “As long as the baby is fed and put into bed, they will not care how they got there,” she added. With over 20k likes, many moms pitched in while others got a breath of relief. @grazieellez said, “Thanks for this. As a first-time mom, it’s so hard to not feel like a failure when you don’t get things right.” @tonyalesterpsychotherapy revealed, “Early motherhood got so much happier when I was able to let go of some of my perfectionism!”