You literally just had your baby, right? You could swear it was just last week you were rushing to the maternity ward and holding your kid for the first time. Yep, the first year zooms past. It’s okay to feel a little bit sad about it — we all do. While you might be wishing you could freeze time and stop them growing up, reality check: it’s going to happen. You’ve got to look on the bright side though because where else is there to look? We’ve rustled up some reasons to stay positive about baby growing up.
They learnt it all from you
We’ll give your little rascal some of the credit — sitting upright, grabbing and holding, chewing their food all require some effort — but you were there supporting, playing with and, most importantly, feeding them. You’ve helped them develop and make progress; that’s pretty amazing.
Things are about to get a lot more fun
With turning into a toddler comes, well, toddling. Your little terror will be tearing about all over the place and that means your activities can get a bit more interesting. Whether it’s getting to know their balance bike or scaling the slide at the local playground, year two unlocks whole lot more fun and learning. It also makes you a lot more active, which we assure you is a good thing.
It wasn’t all that easy
Yes, you had a beautiful newborn but don’t glaze over the fact you didn’t get a proper night’s kip for months. There were those moments where they wouldn’t stop crying and you just didn’t know why. Truthfully, how many times did you ask yourself ‘am I really doing this right?’ Plus, we’re sure you’re more than ready to move away from dirty nappies and night feeds…
Now they’re talking
It’s not that babies aren’t great company. It’s rather that sometimes when you’re at home all day by yourself, it would be nice to have someone to chat to. And now you do. It might be absolute nonsense but it’s a start. Once your kid starts talking, there’s no shutting them up. Look at it this way, there’s less to stress about when they can actually communicate what’s wrong. They’re usually hungry.
You’ll get a bit more freedom back
No, you will not be planning wild Saturday nights out — who has the energy? While newborns are pretty full-on, there’s more of an option for family or close friends to look after them from time-to-time as they grow up. This spare couple of hours to spend with your partner start to feel a lot more guilt-free, believe us.
You can teach them a whole lot more
Remember their first steps? Once walking and talking are finessed, you can watch them master all sorts of skills beyond the basics. Remember, these moments are going to keep happening through their life. Onto the next adventure…
