First Time Mommy vs. The Seasoned Mommy

I remember spending time with my sister and sister-in-law shortly after my nephews, were born and watching how they dealt with being first time moms. I found it fascinating to watch how they dealt with being a mom and what that meant compared to me who was on my third baby. I had come a long way from where I had started.

First time mommies and seasoned mommies do things differently and all mommies will end up in each category at some point. I look back and laugh at how I was when I had my first daughter. Boy has my parenting changed.
 

• THE DIAPER BAG: 
• The first time mommy carries around the giant diaper bag with everything possible stuffed into it and overflowing. 
• The seasoned mom carries a small backpack or a large purse with a diaper and wipes. She keeps a few extra diapers in the car along with a change of clothes and a blanket.

• THE CRY: 
• Once your child starts moving and discovering they also start testing mom. The first time mom rushes to see whats wrong whenever they start crying. 
• The seasoned mommy knows that there is a whimpery cry to see if they can get mom to come running and there is a wail that means something is wrong.

• NAP TIME AND BEDTIME: 
• The first time mom reads all the books and tries to follow the advice of half a dozen experts trying to find the best way to get them to sleep. 
• The seasoned mom knows that you just need a routine that works for you and that you will probably have either a good napper or a good night time sleeper. If you have both
  you are in the minority. 

• GETTING THINGS DONE: 
• The first time mom wonders how anyone with more than one kid can get anything done. 
• The seasoned mom wonders why someone with one kid can never get anything done.

• The Paci and the Floor
• The first time mom will immediately wash the paci that has dropped on the floor. If no sink is available they use paci wipes or butt wipes.
• The seasoned mom will only "wash" the paci if it fell on a floor in a public place. By "wash" I mean brushing off any obvious dirt and then sticking it in your to "sanatize" it.

We moms have all gone through that first stage of being a new parent. It's hard and you always think you're messing things up. The truth is we are just tired and often unsure of what "right" is. Every parent has to make choices and rarely is there a clear right and wrong.

We all handle things differently because of our stage of parenting and that makes our experiences unique. I've loved having those experienced moms mentor me and loved being able to listen help those new mommies as well. Moms need to be around other moms and support not always the "right" answer. So if you have a diaper bag overflowing, embrace it. It's okay. Be the mom you are in the stage you are.