Becoming a mum is hands down the best thing to ever happen to me. I love Theodore more than anything in the whole world and being a mum is who I was meant to be. That being said there’s a few things though I really wish I’d done more of in those baby and toddler free years of my life! So if you’re pregnant or planning on having a baby, take heed and make the most of the little luxuries you loose when becoming a parent.
1. Take long showers
Oh how I miss standing under the streaming hot water leisurely without keeping an ear out for my adventurous toddler or being watched through the glass doors. Taking the time to exfoliate, shave my legs, pop on a face mask and hair mask and just switch off my brain.
2. Enjoy leaving the house without thinking
I wish I’d made more of the fact I could just wander out of the house with my phone and keys with not a care in the world. Now I need to remember a change bag packed with all the essentials, coats, hats, gloves, toys, snacks factoring in being home for nap time or stopping somewhere to feed.
3. Eat slowly
Meal times are now a race against the clock to eat something before my toddler either needs help with cutting, putting food on his fork/spoon or simply stealing the food off my plate! I wish I’d enjoyed more leisurely meals pre baby!
4. Go to more restaurants
Similar to eating slowly, eating in restaurants now is a completely different ball game once you have kids. Toddlers do not like to sit still so most of our restaurant visits these days are all about wrangling a toddler to sit at the table for more than 5 minutes so I can scoff my food down.
5. HAVE ALL THE LIE INS
Once you become a mum, lie ins become a thing of the past and boy do I wish I’d made the most of them when I had the chance
6. Pamper myself
Get my nails done, spend hours at the hairdressers and beautician, all the face masks and hair masks. I’m lucky if I have time to wash my hair more than twice a week (all hail dry shampoo!) if you don’t have littles yet, get out and treat yourself, you deserve it!
7. Read more books
Although I may have time to read the odd page of a book these days I don’t really have time to immerse myself in a story the way I used to. I’d loved to have spent more of my carefree days getting lost in a book.
8. Go to the cinema
Cinemas are not a baby and toddler friendly place (unless you have designated baby showings at your local cinema but they’re limited on what film you can see) long gone are the days of heading to the cinema for a new release movie, now it’s all about waiting for a movie to be released on DVD or Netflix!
9. Take more sick days
There is no such thing as taking a sick day as a mum. You’ve got the cold, a tummy bug or flu? Your littles still need to eat and their nappy changed and played with. I wish I’d taken advantage of being ill in the past rather than trying to soldier on.
10. Travel more
Long gone are the days of hopping in the car and heading off on an adventure or booking an impromptu hotel stay or flight. I definitely had a fair few hotel visits when pregnant because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to when Theodore was born but I wish I’d had a few more.
