The Famous Last Words Before your Baby was born?

It was a sunny summers day. We were meeting up with our friends, Rob and Olga, to share our happy news.

“Guys, we wanted to tell you first: We’re pregnant!!”

Rob and Olga, seasoned parents of a 5-year-old son, exchanged a knowing glance. Then came their reply:

“Oh boy, are you in for a shock. The first year is SO tough. Actually, the first six months are the toughest. But really, the absolute worst are the first three months.”

Their response didn’t dampen our excitement. If anything, we brushed it off.

“How hard can it be??” we thought to ourselves....Famous last words...

***

Fast forward nine months. Our perfect firstborn arrives safely into the world.

We’re packing, getting ready to head home from hospital, when I say:

“Ryan, I’m going to take a shower before we leave. Can you please change the baby’s nappy and get her dressed?”

Fifteen minutes later, I emerge from the shower into what looked like a Stephen King horror scene.

There’s my husband, crouched over our tiny three-day-old. She’s screaming uncontrollably, legs kicking in protest. His hands are trembling. His sunglasses have slipped down to the tip of his nose, sweat dripping from his forehead.

And—oh yes—he’s got a full-on nosebleed.

He’s trying to stop the bleeding while fumbling with a newborn onesie and flailing baby legs.

I stood frozen for a moment. What does one do in that moment?? Laugh? Cry?

All I could hear echoing in my head was our earlier bravado:

“How hard can it be?”

At that moment: Baby: 1 – Parents: 0.

We brought her home, and for the first six months, we didn’t know what we were doing. We had prepared so much for the birth—yet never stopped to prepare for the baby.

And then one morning, after another sleepless night, I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror. Exhausted. Overwhelmed. Lost.

“That’s it,” I thought. “I need to understand what’s happening with her—and how I can actually help.”

That decision changed everything.

After that, I went on to train as a Montessori teacher, and I never looked back. Understanding how my baby was developing—and having the tools to support her—transformed me as a parent. It gave me clarity, confidence, and a sense of calm I didn’t know was possible in those early days.

✨ My advice to parents-to-be (if you will have it;):

Don’t just prepare for labor. Prepare for the baby too.

If there is one thing I regret about those early months: I didn’t spend the time being present with my first baby. Instead, I wasted hours frantically trying to read up on milestones, second-guessing every little cry, and questioning whether I was doing it “right.” Looking back, I wish I had spent less time doubting—and more time just soaking in those newborn moments with my firstborn.

That’s exactly why I created the Baby 101 Workshop.

It’s a Newborn Care Class in Zurich – with Everything You Need to Know About Bringing Your Baby Home, where you’ll not only learn what to expect in those early weeks, how to take care of baby, but also meet other parents-to-be whose babies will arrive around the same time as yours.

✨ My advice to parents-in-the-thick-of-it (with kids 0-3yrs):

It is not too late to learn about your child.

Don’t forget—being a parent is a learning journey for everyone. No one has all the answers from day one, and the truth is, you’re learning right alongside your little one.

To make that journey a little more organized (and a lot more joyful), we run weekday & weekend Sensory for Babies & Sensory for Toddlers classes, where you get insights into your child´s development and great ideas for meaningful activities you can also do with them at home!

...And when that nasty feeling of overwhelm or regret starts sneaking up on you, in the midst of a hectic day, full of high emotions and never-ending-to-do lists and that familiar guilt whispers that you should be a better parent—pause for moment and

do this:

Get down to your child's level. Look them straight in the eyes. Notice the awe in the way they look back at you.

They don’t care if you’re perfect.

They don’t care how much you’ve achieved, how clean the house is, or whether you’ve ticked off your list.

They love you now. They want to connect with you—right here, right now.

Because if there’s one lesson I’ve learned in my five years of raising my own kids, it’s this: Connection over perfection. Always.

Here's to raising smarter, more confident & independent kids - one activity at a time!

Mags Salton

Mum of 3, Montessori Educator, Linguist, Academicus Founder