Advent Calendar – 5 December

Day 5 of my Advent calendar is all about those little parenting tips that make a huge difference—the kind you wish someone had told you sooner (and ideally before the poo-smeared disaster happened!). Parenting is full of surprises, little victories, and let’s be honest, plenty of “Why didn’t anyone tell me this?!” moments. If you’re anything like me, you’ve learned some baby-parenting tricks the hard way or only after months of frustration. These might seem like small tips, but they’ve saved my sanity more times than I can count. So, let me spare you some of the trouble (and a few grey hairs) with three tips I’m so glad my mum friends shared with me!

1. The Secret to Bodysuits: Take Them Off Downwards

You know those adorable little vest bodysuits with the overlapping flap bits at the shoulders? Well, they’re not just a quirky design feature. It turns out those flaps are there so you can pull the whole babygrow down over your baby’s shoulders, rather than wrestling it up and over their head. I don’t know why I’d never thought about it, but I was so glad a friend told me—she had it explained to her arrogantly by a random woman in a public changing room. But it works so well; you can see why they design bodysuits that way! No more battles with a squirmy baby, and no more poop-smeared faces. Just peel the babygrow down and off—easy peasy!

2. The Truth About Swimming Nappies (Spoiler: They’re Not Magic)

Swimming nappies—let’s talk about these little wonders. Did you know they only hold the poo? Yep, that’s right. Any wee actually goes straight into the water! I’m glad a friend told me this after she found out the hard way and saved me from having to! She’d tried to be super organised by putting the swimming nappy on her little boy before the journey to the indoor pool… and let’s just say the car seat was in for a bit of a damp surprise! So, while swimming nappies do a great job at catching the number twos, don’t expect them to keep everything else contained on the way to the swimming pool. And that also means toddlers probably shouldn’t drink too much of the pool water, either! Consider yourself warned!

3. Breastfeeding Tip: Perfecting the Side-Lying Position

Learning how I could breastfeed lying on my side was a real relief for me (and my back!), and it quickly became one of my favorite positions, especially for those nighttime feeds. But here’s where it gets even better: I was complaining one day to a friend about the faff of switching sides when I wanted Little Bean to drink from the other boob. Then my friend said, “I just lean forward to swap boobs, no moving around the bed.” Huh. Why had I not figured that out? It’s such an easy trick, a lot less of a faff, and makes lying down feeding even easier. This simple tip was a blessing then and is still my go-to now when I’m half-asleep and the thought of moving feels like too much effort!

What Tips Do You Wish You’d Known Sooner?

So, be honest—did you figure these baby-parenting tips out from the start, or did it take a few too many frustrating moments (like it did for me)? Share your stories and any other seemingly little tips that made a big impact in the comments below. Let’s help each other out—because if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that parenting can be challenging enough without unnecessary struggles.

The Christmas season is all about giving—and sharing these little nuggets of wisdom is a great way to help another parent avoid unnecessary struggles. Let me know your best tips in the comments!