If I could do it all over

I’d like to spend some time to take a look back and remind myself of the things that I have done with my first (maybe only?) baby that I would not do again… and also all of the things I would.  I’ve learned a lot with him and I will be so much better prepared if we ever have another, even though I thought I knew it all.

I would not:
– hold him as much.  From the very first day, I would put him down any chance I could because that habit came about so fast, faster than I realized.   I would still spend a lot of time snuggling him and letting him be close to me, but 20 hours a day is not necessary.
– let him sleep with us.  I love the bonding and nursing while dozing but boy is that habit hard to break.  I mean really, really hard to break.  Brady is still mostly in our bed and I don’t know when I’ll finally get him switched over completely. 
– even bother opening the off-brand diapers I received.  They are junk.  Pampers, Huggies and also Luvs are the only diapers to use.
        
I would:
– hold him in the moby wrap more.  I feel like I should have gotten more use out of that.
– keep him from dairy at the first sign of gas and spit up.  I wish someone would have told me all about the issue of milk protein allergies. 
– stock up on gripe water.  It’s miraculous. 
– buy the best swing I could find.  I had several, but they were bought second hand and there was something not right about each of them.  I think that would have helped with putting him down if I would have had more options of places he liked.
– hire a birth photographer.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: it is a MUST have.
– pump more often.  I think that really would have helped some of my supply issues.
– have taken the full 12 weeks of maternity leaved available, even though a month would have been unpaid.
– take more naps. 

I’m sure there is much more to add to the list, but these are the things that I think are important.  Maybe you will learn from my mistakes or maybe you won’t.  You will definitely though, learn from yours.  🙂  What would you do differently?