What Was The Best Advice You Ever Got As A First-Time Mom?

Expectant parents and new parents are always flooded with advice from family and friends. This week, we asked the Tewksbury Moms Council to share some of the best advice they've received.

Question

What was the best advice you ever received as a first-time mom?

Answers

Sue Panilaitis -- This might be an easy question for some, but as for me, 6 kids and 15 years of parenting leaves me a with a slight memory problem (or is that just old age?). Given that I was parenting toddlers before I gave birth to my first biological child, the advice that I remember best is from my dad.  He has often told all his daughters that the best thing one can give their kids are "roots and wings" (the full quote is "Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them." -- Jonas Salk)

Maureen Castiglione -- We knew we were having a boy, my aunt & uncle told us "point it down" whenever we changed diapers.  This is among the very best advice we received, because it saved us from getting an unexpected shower on more than one occasion!

Linda Rowe -- The best advice someone gave me was:  Bring the baby home from the hospital and right in a crib in their own room.  Doing that, that baby will wake up less, and not have to transition into a crib in another room later on.  A newborn can sense you are in the same room and want to be held more throughout the night and not go back to sleep as well.  I did that ... our bedrooms were just across the hall.  I have two children... My first slept through the night during the second week and my second slept through the night in just a few days.  My kids never slept in our bed.  Sleeping through the night or staying in your own bed was a battle we didnt have to go through !

Do you have a question for the Moms Council? Email it to williamg@patch.com