The Best Baby Advice You’ll Ever Get in 2021…
… And it’s not what you think. There are endless resources, books, magazines, podcasts, and well-meaning family members spelling out the perfect solutions for every baby problem you could possibly have. “Your baby won’t sleep? Follow this formula.. Your baby needs toys X, Y, Z for the best development…. Make sure your baby eats THIS or their brain won’t develop….” And my personal favorite, “When my baby was your baby’s age he was doing THIS, what has your baby accomplished?” ALL UTTERLY ANNOYING AND NOT IN THE LEAST BIT HELPFUL. So new moms reading this post, do you really want to hear the best baby advice you’ll get this year? I’m not an expert, just a fellow mom who wants to help. Well here it is, it’s plain and simple – you know your baby best and let the other advice go in one ear and out the other.
You know your baby better than any other person on the planet, whether he or she grew in your womb or were welcomed into your family some time later. Follow your instincts and don’t get caught in the trap of listening to all of the stuff. It’s just noise. When I was pregnant and reading every piece of literature I could on how to “properly” raise a child, I found myself so incredibly overwhelmed. And once my son was born I got so many opinions from too many people leaving my head spinning, and second guessing everything I was doing. And then my sister in law gave me this most treasured advice – “you know your baby best, smile and ignore the rest”. It was freeing.
Here’s some pictures of my handsome little guy, Asher – the precious boy who made me a mama. Had I listened to every guidance given to me by the good intentioned souls in my life, I doubt we would be at the point we are at. Asher has unique struggles that require special considerations and thinking outside of the box to find solutions. Some of his doctors have been wrong, some of his family members disagree with our family choices, but in the end my motherly instincts kicked in and led us to where we needed to be. If you haven’t kept up with our BellaFoto Studios Facebook page, you might not know about our journey raising our son with Down syndrome. I’ll be making periodic posts about Asher so please check back in.
The journey of motherhood is sacred and ought to be respected. Unfortunately there will be people in your life who cannot wait to tell you how to raise your child. They mean well, and they think they are helping, but please don’t get bogged down. I hope you do yourself a favor and listen to your inner voice. You are capable, you are strong and you know your child best. After all, parenting in 2021 adds a whole new layer of complexities given the state our world is in. You’ve got this mama bear, trust your gut!
