Lucy Atkins - First-Time Parent - The honest guide to coping brilliantly and staying sane in your baby’s first year

Collins

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

This ebook edition first published by Collins in 2013, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers , First-Time Parent , first published in 2006.

© Lucy Atkins 2013

The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks

HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9780007269440

Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780007361069

Version: 2017-05-02

To my marvellous parents, with love and undying gratitude

Cover Page

Title Page Lucy Atkins First-time Parent

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication Introduction Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Keep Reading Contacts List of Search Terms Acknowledgements About the Publisher Collins An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk This ebook edition first published by Collins in 2013, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers , First-Time Parent , first published in 2006. © Lucy Atkins 2013 The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks HarperCollins Publishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication Source ISBN: 9780007269440 Ebook Edition © FEBRUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780007361069 Version: 2017-05-02

Dedication To my marvellous parents, with love and undying gratitude

Introduction

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Keep Reading

Contacts

List of Search Terms

Acknowledgements

About the Publisher

When I was pregnant for the first time, I found I had strong views on parenting that covered everything from what a wonderful, tolerant and inspired mother I would be, to how I would never, ever fill my house with all that depressing, tasteless baby gear. I am now a mother of three (aged six, four and one). Far from being inspired or in control, I generally feel I am living under the occupation of a force far, far greater than myself. I have, at various points in the past six years, been the owner of no less than eleven pushchairs. And my house looks like the inside of Toys ‘R’ Us. Parenthood for me–and I know I’m not alone here–is nothing like the books and magazines say it should be, and nothing like I thought it would be. It’s far harder. Significantly less ‘controllable’. And–thank God–infinitely more amazing.

My babies have had me sobbing with joy and despair. They’ve driven me to extremes of pleasure and boredom, anger and elation, pride and self-doubt. Nothing can really prepare you for all this first time around. But on a practical level, a few realistic pointers are certainly handy. And that’s where this book comes in.

I’m not covering pregnancy or birth here–you can learn about that more fully, and usefully, elsewhere. Instead, this book gives you all the basics that you need to know about your baby’s first year, starting with a shopping list (what do you really need, and what’s just pointless?), and moving swiftly on to the moment your baby takes his first breath. You’ll then learn about the feeds–How often? How much? How long? How on earth???–the crying, the sleeping, poos, burps, farts, common illnesses and developmental milestones of your baby’s first year.

Above all, though, this book is designed to keep you sane. Yes, you need to know what to do if your baby’s poo turns green; but you also need to know that feeling incompetent, confused or just plain crackers is an entirely normal and understandable part of parenthood. One, in my view, that’s largely ignored by baby books.

Once you have a baby, the world certainly does change. Indeed, the whole notion of ‘love’ takes on a new and extraordinary significance when you become a parent. But this does not mean you have turned into a completely different person. You don’t start wearing disgraceful leggings and enormous yellow T-shirts just because you’re a new parent. Nor do you lose all your other critical faculties. And this book reflects that. You may now be bonkers, but you’re not stupid. So trust yourself: though sleep-deprived and covered in baby sick, in your infant’s eyes at least, you’re the only expert that matters.

The stuff you need, and the stuff you don’t…

Clearly nothing can really prepare you for parenthood, but most of us don’t need any encouragement when let loose in the baby section of a department store. There are plenty of fabulous accessories and gizmos for you to spend your money on. But actually, babies have extremely basic requirements. They need somewhere to sleep, some sort of transport for outings, some clothes and nappies and things to wipe their bottoms with. And milk. And you.