The pain of parenthood

Researchers have uncovered a list of things that you only learn once you become a new parent, with one third of respondents saying they believe staying at home with children is tougher than going out to work.

The nationwide study included other insights, with 33 per cent of new parents believing that most meals end up being eaten with one hand.

Thirty-nine per cent said that they always feel tired and around one quarter of respondents said that nothing compares to the pain of standing on LEGO in bare feet.

On the bright side

The revelations weren’t all doom and gloom, however, with 42 per cent of those surveyed said that having children helped them feel complete unconditional love for the first time and 32 per cent saying that the smell of their child's skin is the best fragrance in the world.

Almost half of the parents in the study said that they weren’t expecting that leaving the house would become a military operation, and 38 per cent said going to the bathroom alone was a thing of the past.

Despite all our access to information and advice via books and the internet, the research also revealed that we still rely on our mums for advice first and foremost, with 45 per cent of respondents saying they couldn’t have managed new parenthood without the support of their own mums.

And lastly, more than one third said that they would never tire of staring at their baby. Aw!