5 Tips to Survive the Infant Stage

This post has been sponsored by Store Brand Formula. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

Over Christmas, I found out my good friend was having her first baby. While I was overwhelmingly happy for her, part of me was sad that I won’t be having another baby. I was fortunate that I had three great pregnancies and births. Now that my youngest is 7 years old and thinking of my friend’s upcoming arrival, I came up with some tips on how I survived the infant stage.

Take it one day at a time.

No matter the kid’s age, they will constantly test you and challenge you. Even for people like me to like to plan things, you have to remember that every day will be different. You basically have to be ready to adapt to whatever is thrown at you and don’t stress because you are not alone.

You are not alone.

When I had my babies the internet was not as helpful as it is today. I did feel alone especially because I had no friends at the time who were pregnant or even had kids. Today, there are Facebook groups galore for moms to talk about whatever they need to. There are also more ways to interact with other moms such as classes at the library, mall and other places.

The dishwasher and washing machine are your friend.

There are so many uses for the dishwasher and washing machine other than the typical clothes and dishes. I would throw plastic toys, bath toys, cloth books and more in whichever appliance I thought it would wash better in. I always figured if the item got ruined than it got ruined, but there was a chance it would wash up good as new!

Don’t try to keep up with anyone else.

Always do what is best for you baby and your family. There are tons of fads out there and products in general that work for some but not for all. Don’t feel that you have to do something you are not comfortable with because it is what everyone else is doing.

Name brand is not always better than store brand.

When I had my first child I bought name brand everything – clothes, diapers, formulas, everything. Then realized we were going to go broke with everything adding up so I looked where I could cut costs and started trying store brands.

Store Brand Formula was a big win for my family as it cost up to 50% less than nationally advertised brands and was something I bought frequently. I remember doing research on formula wondering if it was lacking nutrients my child would need and nope it wasn’t! Infant formula is regulated by the FDA, which means that all ingredients need to meet specific standards. Basically all formula brands contain comparearable essential nutrients to make sure baby stays healthy and recieves nutrients to grow.

Check out the Parents’ NewsFEED to get informed and have a laugh while sharing the journey of parenthood! My favorite video they feature is “The New Mom Look” which honestly I feel like I still rock somedays!