You might have enjoyed caressing your newborn’s skin, but chances are you will never appreciate it more than once they’ve grown out of that phase. So, if you have another baby, you may end up snuggling them just a little bit more. Newborn babies are seriously the softest ever.

Teensy babies smell delicious (and there’s scientific reasons behind it). I still smell my toddler’s head and, while it's still the best smell ever, I realize that it’s not the same and I know I totally took that for granted.

Sure, sometimes moms just want a bit of silence. Of course, in those early months, you don’t always realize they’re going to be talking before you know it. When those toddler words start flying, you'll yearn for the days they made those cute little sounds.

This spans a few years (though their attention span decreases with age), but little ones are fascinated as hell by the smallest of things. I remember when a toilet paper roll was seriously exciting for my son, and when he was in love with empty water bottles for quite some time (he couldn’t care less now). Enjoy those moments because they don’t last (and that’s why everyone eventually gives in to iPads).

It’s one of those memories you really need to emblazon into your brain. Babies have this super-human grip and they always end up finding one of your fingers to latch on to. It’s the most comforting feeling.

Peek-a-boo is fun the first few times. Of course, there are the days when you definitely won’t be feeling it. Hell, you might even blow up and ask your kid to simply leave you alone, instead of asking you to play another peek-a-boo game for the fifteenth time in the span of ten freakin' minutes. Try not to, though, because this phase doesn't last that long. When it eventually ends, you’ll never have someone so into such a simple game (and want to play such a simple game with you) again.

Alright, so co-sleeping can be a pain in the butt sometimes, but holding your little one as you fall into a deep (and definitely well-earned) slumber is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Even if you don’t regularly co-sleep, chances are you’ve at least napped with your kid a few times. Do this more often because you will certainly miss it later on.

Sure, it becomes kind of a regular thing in the household. Put the kid in the tub, or bring them into your shower, and get clean as quickly as possible and with without making a gigantic mess. Cleaning your kid isn't really that "special," past the first few times you do it, when they’re newborns. Still, don’t take these fun memories of bubbles and rubber duckies for granted. It’s the most (clean) fun you’ll ever have in your bathroom.

No matter what your policy is on screen time for kids, at some point you will watch cartoons together. Sure, you’ll enjoy it at first, and then you'll inevitably get sick of the sound of Caillou or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and you’ll curse the day you ever decided to become a parent. Don’t gloss over this time, though, because eventually your kid will be older and watching those weird Disney shows where the tweens are all rich and there are no parents and you’ll regret having taken all those kid shows for granted.

Yes, you can technically read children’s books and listen to kid songs as an adult without kids around, but there’s something magical about narrating Goodnight Moon or singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Sometimes you might not be in the mood and you’ll speed through this process just to get them into bed, but try not to make that a regular thing. Relish this bit of quiet time as your child’s imagination grows with every story, and as they slumber away at the end of those songs. Save for giving a TED Talk, you’ll never have a more captive audience.

Swings. Slides. Sand. Who doesn’t love hitting the playground? While it was OK to do it when you were a kid (and maybe occasionally when no kids were around as a young adult), once you hit a certain age, folks will eye you strangely if they see you there. But having kids allows you the freedom to be a kid again. Some folks hate taking their kids to the playground (or other kid spaces) but don’t let laziness or bad moods cloud these special moments, cause eventually you’ll go back to being blacklisted.

In a short amount of time, all parents become expert problem solvers, at least for their kids. Save for serious medical problems, most of your child’s problems can be fixed with a Ninja Turtles band-aid or a silly song or a kiss on the booboo or a new toy distraction. As they get older, and encounter things like bullies and broken hearts, helping your child gets to be much more difficult.

Some of us are fortunate enough to have sitters that are loving and trusting family members or friends; people that would watch our kids willingly, and often for free. Hell, some of us even live with a parent who will babysit at the drop of a hat. Don’t take that for granted because some folks would kill for a few hours off of parenting and "adulting," (and eventually your kids hit the age where no one wants to watch them).

Had I known how loud and wild my toddler would become, I would have taken him out in public way more often when he was younger. Babies (while requiring diapers, bibs, toys, and other accessories on outings) are so easy to take on trips. They lay happily in their cribs. They sleep through anything in their strollers. They can’t really walk yet so they won’t wander far. Toddlers, though? Well, it’s not a walk in the park taking them anywhere. Maybe I’m taking this time for granted, but I’m trying not to. I’m still taking him on trips, because I know eventually he might rather go hang out with friends than go to the beach with mommy.

Young children have so much love to give. They have yet to hit the age of teen angst and rebellion, so instead they simply blow kisses and giggle at bubbles and let you kiss their little hands and feet. We all get overwhelmed as parents, and sometimes we don’t pause to pay attention to just how lucky we are. Just like you’ll never love anyone the way you love your child, you’ll never have someone love you the way your child does, and you’ll never feel it more than you do during those first few years.