10 Things I Miss About My Children Being Newborns

There’s a moment in every parent’s life in which you realize that this is it; you no longer have a newborn baby anymore. For some of us, it’s all right. We hope to have more children at some point and we know that we’ll get these moments back for just a fleeting second. For others, like myself, however, this is not the case. We have had our last babies, and we are suddenly blinded with the realization that we are never going to have another newborn baby again. For some, this is a moment of pure bliss. For me, this is the saddest moment of my life. See, unlike some moms (most moms that I know), the newborn stage is my absolute favorite. I know this is due in large part to the fact that we have four kids who all slept a minimum of 6 hours at a time through the night from day one and ended up sleeping 10-12 hours a night in the first month. Sleep deprivation wasn’t a thing in our house (and I’m sure it’s because we supplemented one bottle an evening, but I could also say it’s because God doesn’t give you more than you can handle, and he apparently does not think I can handle much).

I enjoyed the newborn phase with my oldest daughter, but I looked so forward to her being older. With my second daughter and with our twins, who are now 16-months-old, I did not take that newborn stage for granted for even a second. There was none of the, “I can’t wait until…” because our oldest daughter made us realize that there’s a lot to appreciate when babies are newborns, and life is much simpler with a newborn. Now that our twins are walking, talking and basically into everything they can possibly get into, I’m going through a little sadness that they’re no longer newborns. And there are just a few things that I’m going to miss so much now that they’re not. And for the mommas out there wishing that they were anywhere but the newborn phase, let me help you see that time will pass and that there are moments that you might not think you’ll miss that you will actually miss more than anything.

The new baby smell

Please; need I even elaborate? Aside from the occasional dirty diaper, that newborn smell is something spectacular. All kinds of sweet and wonderful and just perfect.

The naps

I miss the days when I could put the babies down anywhere and everywhere and they would sleep. They’d fall asleep in my lap, in their swing, in the car; everywhere. They’d sleep for hours on end and I could do whatever I wanted in that time frame, like laundry or work. It was so nice.

Being able to go anywhere without worrying at all

I miss the days when we could take our big girls out for a day of shopping and lunch and never worry about the twins. They’d sleep contentedly in their car seats in their stroller for hours on end, never waking up for more than just a bottle and a new diaper. Now they want food, and they want to walk and they want to be held and they talk and they sit in high chairs and make a mess; we miss the newborn phase.

The bottle fixing everything

This is the best part of newborns. If the baby is clean and not tired, a bottle would fix anything. Fussy baby? Here’s a bottle; and then the quiet returns.

The tiny feet

Again with the elaboration; need I even? Tiny baby feet are, hands down, the most adorable, sweetest, most perfect little part of any baby body. They are so cute, so small and just so amazing in every which way. Why must they grow?

Gummy smiles

I love the gummy smile stage. I love that newborns have no teeth and they smile with big, open mouths and nothing in there. Now they smile with big open mouths filled with teeth and sometimes I’m a little afraid.

The quiet

I miss, so much, the quiet of our newborn babies. They slept, they ate, they cuddled. They were so quiet, so happy and so content. Now they want, want, want, they like to hear themselves talk and they are loud. I miss the quiet. I do. But it is really cute to hear the twins give the big girls lectures in their twin speak with hands shaking every which way and serious attitude. That makes me smile.

Your clean house

Oh, how I miss the fact that newborn babies don’t play with toys. I wasn’t constantly picking things up off the floor. I actually used to have décor in my house, things on my tables and pretty objects that made our house feel lovely and elegant. Now it’s a big empty shell of toys, since that’s the only thing my kids can’t break.

The wonder

There is so much wonder with a newborn baby in the house. There are those moments when you sit down, watch your baby sleep and wonder how you are so fortunate to have this life. There are so many moments when you sit there staring at your new baby and marveling over the fact that you created this human. As they get older, you tend to look at them and wonder what the heck you were thinking wanting kids in the first place (especially when they use the contents of their diaper to create wall art).

Baby snuggles

I miss this more than anything about having newborns. I missed the days when I could snuggle my babies all the time. They’d lie in my arms and just sit so contentedly and happily. They’d snuggle up to me and sleep happily. Now it’s few and far between. At 16 months, the twins are too active and interested in anything but me to actually want to spend time with me. At 4, our middle daughter is only cuddly at 7 am and at 7, our oldest daughter is more chaste kisses on the cheek and quick hugs than anything else.

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