five lies I was told when I was pregnant

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When I became pregnant so many years ago, before Pinterest was even a thing, I read a lot of books and articles about babies. I was a new mom, so I of course, I had to do my research. Through that research, I found out a lot about babies- they cry a lot, they need to be fed all the time, they usually sleep during the first few weeks, etc, and the one thing that I kept coming across was the lists that told me what I just had to have to make life easier with my bundle of joy. In my first few months of being a mom, I found out that most of that stuff was wrong, and I felt lied to. Today I am going to share with you five things that you are told that you just have to do/buy for a new baby, but you really don't have to.

1. You have to breast feed.

Everyone knows that breast feeding is the best form of nutrition for your baby, but in all honesty, if the baby is getting fed and is healthy, why does it matter how it's being fed? I personally couldn't breast feed, but before you judge me, it wasn't for a lack of interest. I had a c-section, so my son't first bottle was formula. After we brought him home, I was trying to pump and supplement with the formula, but he wasn't having any of it. After some crying, and wanting to pull our hair out, the doctor recommended soy. We never looked back.

2. You need to buy a nursery set.

I am talking about a crib, mattress, changing table... yes, the whole shebang. But guess what- you don't need it. I live in a one bedroom apartment per say, and honestly, my child didn't even go into a crib until he was too big for a mini pack and play. Yeah, I had a changing table, but only because my mom picked one up at Goodwill. If you are strapped for cash, skip the nursery set and spring for one of the pack and plays with the newborn and changing table attachments.

3. You must buy a wipe warmer and diaper genie.

You know, cause warm wipes are the magical soothing thing in your new baby's world, right? Yeah, no. You do not need an expensive contraption that will warm up the cold wipes, because it dries them out. You know what's worse than a cold wipe? And while we're talking about diapering, you really don't need a diaper genie. Why? Because you don't want a bunch of dirty diapers smelling up baby's room. Just use a plastic bag from Target, put the diaper in it, and take it out to the trash. Simple.

4. You can only sterilize baby's things with a sterilizer.
Every thing I read stated that you can only use a sterilizer to sterilize bottles, nipples, spoons, etc... but again that is not the case. You can use boiling water, and boil the object for at least five minutes and dry on a drying rack.

5. You can only use detergent specialized for baby.

So many ads recommend that you need to have a special detergent for all of your baby's clothes, bedding, etc, but in reality you don't. As a new mom, you are not going to be with it enough or have time to separate out all of baby's clothes, and wash them by themselves. Instead of investing in a detergent that only has one purpose, I recommend grabbing a bottle of all® free clear liquid detergent or all® free clear Mighty Pacs® because they are the best for multi-purposing.

Considering that all® free clear is the #1 Sensitive Skin Brand, I believe that plays a huge role in the lives of new parents considering that it's a safe product that keeps baby’s clothes, linens, and blankets clean and free of harmful chemicals. And you don't have to worry about those precious, priceless clothes, because it also fights tough stains, whitens whites, and brightens colors.

I personally use all® free clear liquid detergent in my home, because I love the benefits: it's the #1 detergent recommended by Dermatologists, Allergists, and Pediatricians for Sensitive Skin (must include in post) meaning I can use it for every member of my family, which means that if I have some of my son's clothes to wash and some of mine, I can throw them in together; it has no dyes, perfumes, certain chemicals, or irritating residues, and it helps remove three of the top everyday allergens dust mite matter, cat and dog dander, as well as certain fragrances. *note: all® free clear is not intended to treat or prevent allergies, only to help with them. All statistics and product information provided by all®

The one thing that I love about the all® free clear Mighty Pacs® is the fact that they are so easy to use, and the best thing is that even my husband (& new dads) can get into the laundry game. All he has to do is throw one pac in for a small or not very dirty load, or two pacs for a large load. And all the all® free clear is already formulated for he washing machines (which I already have).

I usually shop for my all® free clear at Target, because it's just easier for me, but all® free clear products are available at many different retailers, so you can grab some on your next shopping trip. You can also connect with other parents by joining the all® free clear community, where you can find out first about their latest products.

What is one thing that you were told told when pregnant?

Do you use all® free clear?