I still worry about this, to be honest, but at least my toddler seems to have better sense than that these days. However, I used to be overly concerned about this. Of course, you’re not supposed to let your baby have anything tiny that could get lodged in their nose. Then again, what if I forgot and looked away for a second?

I’m sure my worries were doubled because I lost my first daughter to prematurity. But still, SIDS is a very real thing and it happens to many families. I basically spent every waking hour of my son’s first year making sure he was breathing OK.

My son has always been fairly slender, so eating has always been a major cause for concern. It wasn’t so bad when he was simply drinking breast milk and formula, but once we got into solids I constantly worried that he wasn’t eating quite enough (even though, surprise surprise, he was)

My kid had some feeding delays and would often puke if he gagged on any chunky food. It caused lots of stress for me and, I’m sure, for him as well. I always worried he would choke on his food and that I wouldn’t be able to help him. But hey, he’s graduated to chicken nuggets and peas and carrots and, so far, no choking!

The potential for suffocation is huge for infants and young babies. I always made sure to keep stuffed animals away when my son slept, and he didn’t start using a pillow until after he turned 2. We did bed-share on occasion, though, and while I knew he would be fine, I sometimes worried that one of my blankets might get too close to his face (they never did).

Parents have to be concerned with their kid’s bowel movements for the first few years of life. It doesn’t stop when they become toddlers, to be sure, but at least by that point they can tell you if they feel uncomfortable or whether they’ve pooped or not. My kid’s bowel movements were ridiculously regular though, so whenever he was even a little backed up I would immediately freak out.

Cutting my son’s hair for the first time caused me some serious stress, at least initially. I don’t know why, but it was such an emotionally charged decision. I knew he would have many haircuts in his lifetime, but for that first one I was nervous it would come out poorly or he would be terrified. Fortunately, his great grandfather (who happens to be a barber) cut his hair, and he slept through most of it.

Germs! Germs are everywhere and they’re never more visible than when you’re the parent of a child who still hasn’t finished receiving all their shots. I couldn't snatch my kid up and away fast enough whenever I saw someone sneeze.

With cases of measles and scarlet fever making the rounds, it’s a pretty frightening time to be a parent. While I don’t believe there should be laws forcing people to vaccinate their kids (because of the precedent that could be set), I do wish more folks would follow the guidelines set by pediatricians. I was terrified that my child, even with his vaccines, might catch one of these strong and often deadly diseases because of someone else's personal decision. Thankfully, he never did.

A common concern among most parents of babies, of course, is the dreaded diaper blowout. It might not make sense to non-parents (“But aren’t they wearing diapers?”), but we know sometimes poop escapes the confines of the diaper. It's one of those horrible parenting mysteries we all wish we could avoid.

While this was not a personal concern (because I don’t have pets), a good number of my friends have told me they worried about their kid getting into their food. Babies have no idea they’re not supposed to touch the bowls on the floor where their dogs and cats eat. Natural curiosity can lead to many parent’s bizarre concerns.

You put your kid “behind bars” with the hope they will stay put so you can do things like pee privately, wash dishes, and throw out garbage. But babies don’t always understand (or care) about your hopes and dreams for a productive day. They often try to pull a Tommy from Rugrats and escape from their confines, which can place them in danger and leaves us parents in a constant state of “OMG.”