and advertisement.” Howell says new moms can also cut back on the number of infant outfits and toys that they may only use for a short time. Kellie Case Whittemore, of Arden, raised a son and daughter and now has a 3-year-old granddaughter, Chyanna, whom she helps raise. She agrees that you can often improvise with things you have at home instead of buying all the new gadgets. “The kitchen sink is the best bathtub,” she says. “My kids loved playing with pots and pans, and I made a rattle out of jar lids and string and Chy still plays with it.” Scheduling a little quiet time in the house is a salvation for Candler mom Mindi Montgomery, who has four children — two girls and two boys — younger than 10. “If you have multiple kids, designate one hour out of each day for quiet time,” Montgomery shares. “It may be hard at first to get everyone down at the same time, but once everyone is the routine you will appreciate the hour of solitude every day. Our children are 9, 7, 4 and 2, and we have been doing this for nine years. The older ones do not take naps but they do have quiet time with books, schoolwork, art projects, or playing with their toys.” Sleep is often a key issue for new parents dealing with late night feedings and diaper changes. North Asheville mom Amy Schutz Kelso advises new moms to get a copy of the book “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child” by Marc
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Don’t stress on being perfect. Your baby needs your love. There is nothing else more perfect than your love. SUE MAGLEY
a Weaverville nurse and mom of two teens
Weissbluth, M.D. “Sleep begets sleep,” she says. “Use this book like a bible, and you will have kids who are good sleepers for life.” “Make sure to learn CPR,” says Sue Magley, a nurse and Weaverville mom of two teens. “Choking is a common problem. Children go into respiratory arrest before they go into cardiac arrest. The Red Cross offers affordable classes and Mission also offers new parent classes.” “Let them eat some dirt,” says Sandy Waldrop, whose daughter is now in college. While that comment sounds funny, she explains why she is serious. “We are getting our children and ourselves so clean that we are going to create super bugs. Every time I am told to use antibacterial anything I decline.” If you plan to breast-feed, Suzie Hein-
W N C PA R E N T. C O M
miller Boatright, of Fletcher, says it’s important to introduce formula to your infant, too. “Pick a feeding time each day to give the baby formula instead of breast milk,” she says. ”If an emergency comes up and there is no breast milk available, the baby will take the formula without a fuss because they have had the formula in a bottle. Also, another person can feed the baby, and it makes it less stressful for the baby and caregivers.” Let go of any pressure to conform to the wishes of others. Do what is ultimately best for you and your baby. Howell says she faced this lesson when she made a decision to not breast-feed her children. “When I told the lactation consultants at the hospital that I didn’t intend to breast-feed, I not only got the third degree I got a confrontation. It made me feel like a horrible mother.” April Nance of East Asheville says it’s okay to relax. “My best advice to new mothers is to resist the urge to compare your parenting style to other moms thinking they are doing everything right while you might stumble. It’s all good.” Magley agrees. “Don’t stress on being perfect,” she says. “Your baby needs your love. There is nothing else more perfect than your love.” “Make sure to rock them and hold them as much as you can,” adds Whittemore. “They are only babies for a very short time.” And don’t think you can spoil a baby, says Marcia Layton Turner. “Pick it up every time it cries. It will learn trust.”
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