Life can be funny. If you have a child, or you’re about to become a parent for the first time, you are going to get loads of people coming to you with advice. Whether it’s your own parents giving you a lesson on how they brought you up, or your child-rearing mates with their own titbits of advice, you are going to get inundated with guidance. So much in fact, that eventually you are going to turn yourself off to what other people are saying, and go your own way regardless. After all, your child, your rules! How dare other people tell you what to do. The trouble is, of course, there are some pieces of advice worth listening to.

No matter your situation, here are the pieces of advice we think are worth heeding. Be sure to pass them onto other mums, and if they don’t listen, well, at least you tried.

Sleep whenever you can

As a new mum, not being able to sleep is a given. Being awoken at 3 am by your child screaming the house down is going to disrupt your beauty sleep. Still, there are ways to reduce the problem. These are the perfect cots and cot beds we think you should consider, as a comfortable child is going to sleep a little better, and remember that your partner needs to take his turn looking after your little one in the early morning hours. However, you do need to face reality, so settle in with your child’s sleeping pattern. If they sleep during the day, get a power nap at the same time. Your body will need it, and you will feel better as a result.

You’re not superhuman

There are always going to be those mums who appear to know everything there is know about raising a child. Their child never has temper tantrums. Their house is always immaculately clean. They have everything under control, and nothing will ever phase them. As if! Nobody is perfect, and no matter what image they convey to you, they are not perfect! So, don’t worry if you are late on the school run. Fear not if your child kicks off in the supermarket. Who cares if your house is a mess on a regular basis! Parenting can be tough, so relax, realise you are only human and give yourself a break!

Take care of yourself

As a mum, your first instinct is to take care of your child. That’s normal, and if that weren’t the case, we’d be worried. Still, you do need to take care of yourself. Unless you want to burn yourself out, you need to take time out and still be ‘you,’ making time to do the things you enjoy. Therefore, become best friends with your potential childminders, and give yourself a night off now and then. Get your partner to take responsibility for your child while you enjoy a night with your mates. Record your favourite tv shows and watch them when you finally have a minute. In short, live your life! Your family won’t fall apart if you have some ‘me time’ occasionally, so take care of your needs as well as your child’s.

Finally

Do you have extra pieces of advice you think other mums should know? Let us know, and share your wisdom with others.

This is a collaborative post.