Mommyhood = Neuroticism

My good friend and writer over at My Sweet Moose posted about reading too much and whether or not ignorance is bliss and I couldn't help but write a similar post. He post really resonated with me because I often find myself wishing I didn't read and research so much.

I blame becoming a mother.  Before I was a mom I was conscience and wanted to make good choices for me and my family but I wasn't really doing any research.  The second I became pregnant it's like I was working on earning a PhD in mommyhood.  Which car seat is the safest?  What type of crib mattress should I buy?  Oh, definitely organic sheets.  Are glass bottles realistic for daycare?  How about diapers?  If I go cloth would Aaron ever change a diaper?  Bring on the research.

I had no idea the things that I would have chosen before being a mom; the idea of having a little person to care for and nurture changed the way I look at most things.  Before having a kiddos, like everyone when choosing a product, my first step would have been to read reviews on Amazon, compare prices and then buy what has great reviews and fits the budget.  Then I learned I was pregnant and when researching baby stuff you get a whole lot of feedback.  I read about mattresses and the chemicals that are used in them.  I can't let my baby breathe those nasty chemicals?  So, I bought the $300 made in the USA organic mattress.  Well heck, for my baby only the safest; no idea if it is the best but I know that it is safe.

When I was looking for car seats I looked at patterns and went off of reputation.  When I was teaching all the parents loved the Britax car seats and I really liked the cow pattern so I registered for that.  This is a great seat and I do love it, but this is one area I hadn't really researched a ton prior to just choosing the reputation and pattern.  What I later learned was about extended rear facing and shell height.  If you have a tall kiddo (which we do) then this seat is quickly outgrown rear facing.  All car seats pass the same safety ratings in  the USA so all car seats that are sold here are safe but they all have something different to offer.  Padding, self threading straps, the HUG system, wide or thin, made of steel or made of plastic, etc.  Here is my stance on this, and everyone will make the decisions that are best for their kiddos, but we can only do so many things to keep our kids safe when they are in our care and keeping them safe in the car is one of those.  Kids who rear face until age two are far more safe than those under two who do not.  When my doctor told me at Brody's 1 year visit to keep him rear facing I was so proud that Brody's doctor was advocating for him.  The information out there is so hard to understand because it says 20 pounds is safe.  If your 2 year old just hits 20 pounds then yes; if your 8 month old hits 20 pounds, no.   It's not safe.  They do not have the head control and if you want to scare yourself in to turning your kid around then youtube this topic.  I did it and it scared the you know what out of me.  Poor Brody will rear face until he goes to college.  No, probably not, but he will probably sit in the back-seat harnessed until he begins driving himself.  Again, there is very little I can do to keep him safe when he is not with me, but when I have him in my possession I will try my best to protect him.

I'm really not an uptight parent.  I seem to have chosen the things that I obsess over, such as rear facing, and let other things go.  Binky's fall on the floor, he eats canned fruit with dyes at daycare, he doesn't always have GMO free snacks, but it's all I can do to keep me sane.  I dream of packing all his food and keeping those things away from him, but again, I need my sanity.  Maybe next year I will choose something else to obsess over.

What do you obsess over?