I’m a first time mum, and the last year has been a massive learning curve. In the days BB (before baby), I wasn’t the most maternal of people. Of course when my own wrinkly little newborn was handed to me, there was an instant bond and a huge rush of love, but also a certain amount of fear. I had no frame of reference when it came to babies. I’d never changed a nappy, I’d never paced the floor at 4am with a tiny person latched to my boob, and I was completely oblivious to the glamour of baby sick.
But, I muddled through. I read books, chatted to other mums, and before I knew it, I had it cracked. I was actually really quite good at taking care of my baby.
Then came his first birthday. A joyous occassion, a big party, a few proud maternal tears. Lovely.
The weeks that followed, were a shock to say the least.
Turns out, I don’t have a baby anymore. I have an upwardly mobile, increasingly curious, non-stop-action toddler. Suddenly it’s a whole new ball game, with new rules, and I feel a little like I’m starting all over again.
So far I’ve learned:
There’s no such thing as out of reach. You might think that potentially dangerous item/thing of beauty you don’t want broken is in a ’safe place’, but a toddler will do his very best to prove you wrong. Furniture is made to be clambered on, shape sorters make great step ladders and the unknown delights of a table top are just a stand, stretch & sweep away.
Everything is for playing with. I am so bored of hearing myself say ‘No, that’s dangerous… Mummy have that?… Stop that, it’s not nice to pull the dog’s tail…’ and so on.
Sharing is mandatory. Your breakfast, lunch, dinner, a cheeky biscuit, a naughty bag of crisps – your toddler will insist on trying them all, even if that means climbing up your leg to help himself. If you’re lucky, the favour will be returned by an occassional mushy rusk being squished into your face. Yummy.
Toilet breaks are banned. Remember when you could lay your baby in his moses basket for 5 minutes while you nipped to the loo or made a cuppa? Safe in the knowledge they’d be in exactly the same place when you got back? Forget that. A 30 second sprint to the loo now means either a very vocal telling off for daring to leave your little person’s sight, or a disaster zone on return. Often both.
Toddlers don’t do tidy. Where’s the fun in reading one book when you can read seven? Puzzles are no challenge unless you’re trying to complete at least three at once, and of course they want to play with whatever toy you’re trying to put away, despite not having looked at it once in the last hour.
All that said though, if you can remind yourself to chill out, breathe deep, and relax a little, it turns out toddlers are also a whole lot of fun.
The daily milestones and skills learned, the wobbly attempts at walking, trips to the park, babbley conversations and proper kisses and cuddles more than make up for the perpetual trail of destruction… honest they do.
Mumable Author: Leslieanne Barclay
