Epic Mom Fails Confessed By A First Time Mom

No matter how much you research every mom topic you can think of, it’s not going to prepare you for some of the mom fails you are bound to make and hopefully learn after the first time. If not, it’s okay because there are a few of these mom fails that I continue to make and probably won’t ever stop making.

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read posts like this one to laugh a little and foresee possible mom fails in your future. A mixture of sleep deprivation, a screaming baby, and self negligence truly makes for a great epic mom-fail cocktail, honestly. But that’s the joy of motherhood!

Unforgettable Mom Fails

You may or may not relate to any or some of these mom fails. But if you do or don’t see one I included, don’t forget to share and comment below.

1. Not taking advantage of naps

Taking naps isn’t as easy as it was during pregnancy. I could pass out just about anywhere when I was big and full of baby. But after I gave birth, it’s like I was hard-wired to stay awake all day and sometimes all night. Insomnia was at its worst. Needless to say, take full advantage of your baby’s nap time by sleeping when they do.

2. Wearing a grey shirt

Or better yet, any shirt other than black. Say hello to spit up, throw up, nipples leaking, spilled milk, you name it and it’s bound to make its way on your shirt. I went through my whole grocery shopping trip with leaked nipple marks on my grey shirt and didn’t even realize it until I got up to the cash register.

3. Running errands before the “first” nap

I quoted the “first” nap because that first nap is going to either make or break my day. And I’m not talking about my first nap. Imagine your baby having a meltdown, you’ve got a long grocery list, your morning coffee just hit you, and you’re not even halfway through your shopping list.

I spent a whole hour at Walmart hiding out in three different aisles trying to calm my baby down so I could finish shopping. And on top of that my anxiety and coffee hit me. I almost had an accident at Walmart and it taught me not to ever go to the store before my baby’s “first” nap.

4. Clipping fingers instead of nails

Be prepared to get your heart broken when you accidentally clip your baby’s skin instead of their nail. My husband had accidentally clipped our baby’s finger for the first time and she screamed so loud it almost made me cry.

I was too scared to clip her nails after that accident for a while that we created a routine and a different way to cut her nails. I found that a lot of moms would nibble down their nails but I wasn’t a fan of that approach. And then I came across these scissors.

Seriously, the best $5 purchase I made. You don’t have to worry about clipping the skin because you just cut around the edges of the nails. And the scissors make it easy for you to see exactly what you’re cutting.

5. Leaving the house before your morning poop

Morning poops are a big deal. Especially after a cup or two of coffee mixed with some anxiety. And the last thing you need is to have or come close to having an accident in public.

6. Changing baby’s diaper too quick

I know you don’t want your baby in a soiled diaper. But give it a few minutes before you rush your baby to the nursery to change them. I’ve had the pleasure of getting pooped on by my daughter several times because I changed her diaper too quickly.

Hahaha I’m sure this will happen over and over again. You can’t really prepare for this one rather you get better at knowing when they poop and when they’re done. And even when you think you know their poop timing and regimen, they change it up on you and you get pooped on.

7. Forcing baby to want the pacifier

My husband and I bought 10 different pacifiers for our baby and she didn’t take any of them. I was wondering what the heck was wrong with my baby because it seemed like everyone else’s baby loved their pacifiers. And quite frankly, I thought every baby was hard-wired to take a pacifier.

But just because she didn’t want to take a pacifier didn’t mean there was anything wrong with her. It was honestly beneficial for me in the future because I didn’t have to go through the challenge of weaning her off of one.

8. Buying an unnecessary amount of toys.

Newborn babies don’t exactly play with toys. So save yourself that money for more important things like diapers and wipes. And another thing I learned is that your baby is going to want to play with everything but their toys. Kitchen spoons, spatulas, and strainers were my baby’s go-to.

But when they do start showing interest in toys. I have a list of some of our favorite toys in the house. You can read that list here.

9. Clearing out the purees aisle

Did your pediatrician give you the green light to introduce solids? Before you get too excited, don’t clear out the purees aisle as I did. My baby didn’t want anything to do with purees after the first few I fed her because I started letting her taste the foods I was eating. And that completely turned her off on purees.

Also, be aware of food allergies and signs and symptoms to look for when you’re introducing new foods. According to pediatrician Natalie Digate Muth explains, “Highly allergic foods should be introduced early, between 4 and 11 months, and repeated at least three times per week. Early introduction helps to lower the risk of peanut allergy, specifically, in particular for kids who are at high risk for developing a peanut allergy.”

Some highly allergic foods are dairy products, peanuts, wheat, soy, seafood, and other nuts.

10. Assuming social life was going to resume

I’m not saying you’re never going to have a social life. But it’s going to be different this time around (at least for me anyway). My social life looks more like having a good time at home with friends, enjoying food and drinks, and letting the kids all play together.

Or if I’m out on a girls night, you bet I am thinking about my baby every second I’m away from her. And I’m about ready for bed by 9pm.

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11. Assuming all babies are the same

Every baby is different. Some babies cry more than others. And some babies hit milestones quicker than others. My point is that you shouldn’t ever compare your baby to another baby (even though it can be pretty difficult not to).

12. Trying to multitask.

Don’t eat and hold your baby at the same time. Especially when they start learning how to reach and grab for things. Or you’ll have your plate of dinner on the floor before you know it.

13. Leaving the house without the diaper bag.

This is definitely one of the easiest first-time mom fails to do. You’re not used to the extra responsibilities of packing certain items before leaving the house. And you’re probably tired, your brain is half working, and you’re most likely in a rush.

Get your diaper bag packed and ready to go the night before. Stop carrying a purse and make your diaper bag your primary bag. Read more about what you should always have packed in your diaper bag and another tip to always stay prepared here.

14. Waiting last minute to grab more diapers

Set a reminder on your phone to order more diapers. Or subscribe to a program that automatically sends you diapers every so many weeks and get discounted prices on Amazon.

15. Going the whole day without eating

Some days, you won’t even realize you haven’t eaten all day. The whole day just seems fuzzy and you’re wondering why you’re so cranky. And that’s because you’re hangry.

My tip on this is to set a timer on your phone. Or have your meals planned out the night before. And also stock up on healthy snacks that you can easily grab and eat. Read my blog post all about my list of low-calorie snacks here.

16. Putting your baby’s diaper on backward

This is pretty embarrassing to admit. But this one time, I opened up a new box of diapers and the backside looked like the front side. Although the flaps were still on the backside, I proceeded to put the backside of the diaper in the front and sealed the flap to the back (which was actually the front of the diaper).

What I just said was probably really confusing but it wasn’t my brightest moment of motherhood.

17. Giving baby sweets before bedtime

It’s all fun and games letting your baby try new things including a bite of your ice cream until you realize you just messed up. You’re ready to go to bed and wondering what drugs your hyper baby is on. That drug is called sugar that you just gave your baby before bedtime.

18. When you don’t realize your baby pooped in the bath until after

My best friend in Germany was giving her baby a bath in a baby tub. And I guess there’s an area that’s kind of hidden. Well, come to find out, after bathing her and draining the tub, a piece of poop made its appearance.

19. Leaving the house without snacks

Leaving the house without snacks or a water bottle for your baby is a huge mistake. My baby can demolish snacks and we go through bags of veggie straws like no other. There’s been plenty of times where I forgot her bag of snacks on the kitchen counter and I would have to open up a bag of snacks at the store to keep her content (and obviously pay for it).

20. Not feeding your baby before going to the grocery store

I mentioned this earlier but don’t be like me and have to hide in a random Walmart aisle trying to feed your baby your boob milk. My girl did not and would not take a bottle. She liked her milk straight from the tap.

21. Not taking safe bed sharing precautions

One of the worst (if not the worst) mom fails was not taking safe bed-sharing precautions. Because this sleep-deprived mama allowed her baby to fall off the bed twice. Read more about that here and how you can prevent that from ever happening.

22. Leaving out anything for baby to go through

Don’t set yourself up for failure. Just lock everything up that you don’t want spilled or scattered all around the house. My baby likes to hide a variety of things I use on a daily basis to where I can’t find them.

23. Not locking the kitchen cabinets

I should’ve started locking my kitchen cabinets sooner than I did. Because I was getting really sick of my seasonings getting poured out all over the kitchen floor, pots and pans getting stepped on and moved around, and more. Don’t wait until your baby is full on walking and able to pull things out of the cabinets. Get you this exact same baby proofing cabinet locks I got for our kitchen!

24. Buying WAY too many baby clothes

Baby clothes are SO cute. But you truly do not need to buy a ton of them because they grow out of them so fast. I still have a lot of baby clothes with tags attached because my baby was never able to wear them.

Check Back

Don’t forget to check back for more because I’m sure there will be plenty more mom fails to make. If you could relate to any of the mom fails above or would like to share some of your personal mom fails, comment below!