7 things all mums with small kids freak out about (but really shouldn't).

It’s only natural.

All mums worry.

We worry because we care.

The freak-outs begin from the moment we first hold our babies in our arms (if not before).

But a lot of the time, we really don’t need to be freaking out at all. Read this and calm down.

1. “I’m not responsible enough to keep another human being alive.”

This is a very common early freak-out when you first come home from hospital with a baby. I went through it. But you gradually realise that you are the best parent for your baby and you will often know instinctively what to do. Also, babies are tougher than they look. Remember the babies found alive in the rubble a week after the Mexico earthquake? Your baby will be fine.

2.“I don’t know if I can deal with all that nappy-changing grossness.”

Ah, but you can. When it’s your own baby, it’s not so bad. (Some people even insist their own baby’s poo doesn’t smell as bad to them as other babies’ poo, but I don’t know about that). You will become a nappy-changing expert before you know it.

Hint 1: always point your baby boy’s willy downwards to stop leakage. Hint 2: make sure you have a huge supply of nappies and wipes (you will need way more than you think) and keep them handy. And Hint 3: invest in good quality nappies to help manage leakage - it’s amazing what they have come up with these days… And remember, your baby girl will wee on the change table. Yes, your baby boy will wee on you. Really, it’s kind of funny. Isn’t it?

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by HUGGIES, but all opinions expressed by the author are 100 per cent authentic and written in their own words.

3. “I don’t think my baby is getting enough milk.”

For breastfeeding mums, it can be hard to know exactly what their babies’ intake is. They may be feeding for less time (or more) than you expected. But if your baby is putting on weight and you’re changing at least six wet nappies a day, there’s probably no need to worry.

4. “I can’t believe my daughter just put that filthy toy/shoe/dog toy in her mouth. She’s going to catch some horrible disease.”

I was such a germaphobe with my daughter at first. I would always put a blanket on top of the carpet before I put her down on the floor, as if the carpet couldn’t possibly be clean enough for her. She still put dirty things in her mouth, and she didn’t catch any horrible diseases. And I eventually stopped freaking out.

 5. “My baby is late rolling/crawling/talking compared to other babies.”

There’s a big range of what’s considered “normal” when it comes to these kind of milestones. Of course, talk to your doctor if you’re worried about a developmental delay, but most of the time, your baby won’t have a problem. My daughter was really late at rolling and crawling but then took her first steps before she was one. My son was so late to start talking that I panicked and took him to see a speech pathologist. Now you can’t shut him up. Just remember that story about Einstein being a late talker.

6. “Everyone else’s baby is sleeping through the night and mine is never going to.”

A lot of babies take a long time to sleep right through. Some parents just get lucky. Some parents fib about their babies’ sleeping habits. Some exaggerate (midnight to 5am is “sleeping through the night”). Just remember that your baby is an individual, and what works for your friends might not work for you. Ask for help if you need it. You will sleep through the night again, someday.

7. “I just read this article about the right way to feed/play with/name a baby, and I realised that I’ve stuffed it up and my children are going to suffer for the rest of their lives.”

It is awful reading something that tells you what you’ve been doing is wrong. But firstly, just because one person is saying something, it doesn’t mean it’s true. And secondly, even if you don’t always get it right, your child will probably grow up to be a normal, functioning adult. Think of the 1950s, when parents would leave a baby outside for hours in a pram, or spank a child with a wooden spoon for being naughty. That generation still turned out mostly okay, didn’t they? So relax – because there are no perfect parents.

What did you freak out about the most when your bub came along?

Want more? Try these: 

Why didn’t anyone tell us these before we became a parent?

The changes from baby no. 1 to baby no. 3 that no one tells you about.

Aussie mums and dads will be happy to know that HUGGIES has been working very hard at taking the worrying out of nappies. Not only did HUGGIES introduce a unique 3D DryTouch Layer on all Crawler through to Junior sized Nappies, they’ve also brought back the much-loved stretchy grip tabs, thanks to feedback from people like you.

The new DryTouch layer quickly absorbs wetness away from baby’s skin and springs back perfectly dry, and now that stretchy grip tabs are back for a snug fit, baby is more comfortable than ever before – so that’s one thing you won’t need to freak out about.

To find out more about DryTouch and the return of stretchy grip tabs, visit http://www.huggies.com.au/