Here’s What You Do and Don’t Need When You Have A Baby
Unfiltered advice for my best friend
Last week, my best friend had a baby girl.
Ever since I had mine three and a half years ago, I’ve been preparing for this day, storing away bits and pieces of advice like a squirrel. But because we live in different parts of the world, most of it remained hidden.
Now it’s time to spill the acorns and tell my friend how it’s done. Because she asked me to. And because my head will explode if I don’t find a way to pass my parenting thoughts on paper.
I think I have a publication’s worth of hacks, rants and opinions, but to begin with, here are some thoughts off the top of my head. For my friend and every other new parent out there.
What you don’t need as a new parent
More space
First of all, you don’t need a nursery. Sure, if you’re bored and have an extra room and like to decorate, by all means, knock yourself out. But no child ever came out of the womb craving personal space.
My daughter is 3.5 and was always quite independent, but she never liked being in a separate room from “mommy,” day or night. I went from having to feed her at night to having to comfort her when she woke up from…
