Whether you’re counting down the days until your first bundle of joy arrives, or you’re just about to start trying to increase your family from two to three, we’ve been thinking about the things you simply must do before it’s too late.
You’ll have heard other people say it time and time again, but having a baby changes everything. No, seriously, EVERYTHING. Think you can just pop to the shops when you have an infant in tow? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. You will never just “pop” anywhere again.
Here’s our list of things we wished we’d put on our Pre-Baby Bucket List.
- Stay up all night
OK, so as soon as that tiny human enters your world you’re going to be staying up all night regardless, but there’s something very special about staying up all night “Just because” and not “because you have to”. More importantly, it’s a lot easier to cope with when you can stay in bed for as long as you want the following day. Take it from us, you’ll miss that in a few months, so take advantage of it now. There’s so many great series on Netflix – treat yourself to a good old fashioned binge.
- Go out for romantic meals
To be honest, it doesn’t even have to be for a romantic meal. Just go out. To child-free restaurants, after dark and eat hot food. Trust us when we say this just isn’t going to happen for the first few months, or even years, of your little one’s life. You might think you’ll be cool leaving your parents in charge whilst you head out to that new bistro in town, but you won’t. And even if you do, you’ll spend the whole night talking about the baby you’ve only just left. Enjoy it all whilst you still can!
- Go for a long drive, just because
Find yourself at a loose end one afternoon? Why not go for a long drive, with no particular destination in mind? Just fill her up and go wherever the road and mood takes you. It won’t be long before every outing is planned with military precision, taking in to account service stations so you can stop to feed, change or just comfort baby. And it doesn’t end there, the older they get the more demanding they become; requesting the latest Disney CD to be played on repeat, or constantly asking “are we there yet?”
- Be spontaneous
Some of the best things happen on a whim. We all have that memory of a night out that escalated from a quiet drink in the local to dancing on tables in a nightclub hours later. OK, so maybe that’s just us. The point is, do something, anything, with little or no planning. The chance to do that will soon be behind you, and you won’t realise how much you miss it until it’s too late.
- Read
Now, we’re not saying for one second you’re not going to be able to read once you become a parent, but the reality is your opportunity to really lose yourself in a good book is going to dwindle once you share your life with a tiny human. Not only that, but you’ll quickly find that the majority of the books you read will contain cute farmyard animals, or tedious rhymes. When you do manage to pick up something slightly weightier in the literary department, your adorable toddler will spill juice on it or wander off with your bookmark!
Why not head over to our Facebook page and let us know what things you wish you’d done before you had children, or things you didn’t realise would become harder when you became a parent?
