I thought that this blog was awesome on the advice on what to do and what not to do, and everything in between.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jj-keith/new-moms_b_1850227.html
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
It's not okay...
So let me start by saying that I apologize if this offends anyone. But, have you ever been in the mall and your walking past a family where the child is way too old and big to be sitting in a stroller. Why is it that some parents think that it's okay? I can understand why it happens. You're in the mall and it is so much easier to have the little ones in the stroller so you don't have to constantly do a head count or keep saying "don't touch that". But what is the cut-off point? Unless your child has physical limitations, shouldn't a walk in the mall or elsewhere be used as a tool to teach them how to behave in public? Not to mention the exercise....
Keeping a child strapped in a chair doesn't allow them to explore or learn about manners, boundaries and much more. If your child is too big for a stroller, then chances are you should already be talking to them about strangers. The mall is a great place to put those teachings to the test.
Obviously, you are not going to tell your child to roam free and see what happens when they walk up to a complete stranger. But, it is an opportunity to teach about the random stranger saying hello. We tell our daughter to look at us before she says hello to someone she doesn't know. If we say it is okay then she goes for it. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule and as parents, we deal them as we encounter them. But we try to use as many opportunities as we can to introduce our little one to real life situations.
Get the big kids out the strollers people. Let them live a little.
I can't believe that there is a whole website dedicated to children that are too big to be in strollers. Fantastic.
http://www.toobigforstroller.com/
Keeping a child strapped in a chair doesn't allow them to explore or learn about manners, boundaries and much more. If your child is too big for a stroller, then chances are you should already be talking to them about strangers. The mall is a great place to put those teachings to the test.
Obviously, you are not going to tell your child to roam free and see what happens when they walk up to a complete stranger. But, it is an opportunity to teach about the random stranger saying hello. We tell our daughter to look at us before she says hello to someone she doesn't know. If we say it is okay then she goes for it. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule and as parents, we deal them as we encounter them. But we try to use as many opportunities as we can to introduce our little one to real life situations.
Get the big kids out the strollers people. Let them live a little.
I can't believe that there is a whole website dedicated to children that are too big to be in strollers. Fantastic.
http://www.toobigforstroller.com/
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Ordered Chaos: Babycenter: Over-parenting
Ordered Chaos: Babycenter: Over-parenting: ( @babycenter) Babycenter.com published another quick article that I wrote last night that covers the topic of over-parenting. Check out...
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Can I get some sleep please?
So after nine months one would think that out of courtesy, my son would just sleep through the night. Well, that's not the case. It has been months since he has slept through the night and the last week he has been relentless. He wakes up screaming. We have to make the decision of whether or not to yyoride out the wave and "break the habit" or "give him a quick feed" and pray that he falls asleep. Either way, he seems to wake up again. What can we try?
Our latest suggestion was to reduce the amount of naps at daycare which we will see how it goes. I will admit that I am not that optimistic though. I mean nine months, really...? It makes no sense. We'll have to see what happens.
Update
So a doctors appointment later, turns out our little one needs to get his weight up. He seemed to be eating just fine with all of the new foods he was trying, but apparently not. He is actually below the 5th percentile for his weight and age. We even have to add formula to his diet. What a surprise! I have come to terms with the fact that he is not a solely breastfed baby anymore. The great thing, is that since we have been feeding him around the clock he has slept until 5:00 am for two nights in a row. Anyone who has a baby with Infant Reflux knows that this might not last that long.
It has been a couple of weeks and so far so good. He is sleeping through the night and waking up between five and six a.m which is manageable. The only problem is on the weekends.... Who wants to get up at those kind of hours...??? But let's be honest here. once you have children, sleep is a luxury.
Our latest suggestion was to reduce the amount of naps at daycare which we will see how it goes. I will admit that I am not that optimistic though. I mean nine months, really...? It makes no sense. We'll have to see what happens.
Update
So a doctors appointment later, turns out our little one needs to get his weight up. He seemed to be eating just fine with all of the new foods he was trying, but apparently not. He is actually below the 5th percentile for his weight and age. We even have to add formula to his diet. What a surprise! I have come to terms with the fact that he is not a solely breastfed baby anymore. The great thing, is that since we have been feeding him around the clock he has slept until 5:00 am for two nights in a row. Anyone who has a baby with Infant Reflux knows that this might not last that long.
It has been a couple of weeks and so far so good. He is sleeping through the night and waking up between five and six a.m which is manageable. The only problem is on the weekends.... Who wants to get up at those kind of hours...??? But let's be honest here. once you have children, sleep is a luxury.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Breast Feeding Bonus
Why breast feed....
There are so many reasons to breast feed that benefit both mom and baby. I mean where else can you get a 300+ calorie burner without lifting a finger? Not that nursing is easy but once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad. That's not to say that the process is not demanding and frustrating. It can sometimes feel as though you are a cow in a factory and all you do is pump and feed but, it's all worth it in the long run.
Not to mention some of the hidden benefits. Now I am not sure whether anyone else has used breast feeding in this way, but, when you are a new mom, you can really feel as though all you do is pump. But when do you get time to hold and bond with your baby when you are not feeding? It seems like family, friends and dad get to have all the fun.
Well here's a tip. If you have a room full of family members, friends or otherwise and you are in desperate need to hold your baby, or, if you don't like the way someone is holding, touching or kissing your baby all over their precious new face. Take a "breast feeding" break. It's better than having to offend someone, especially your mother or someone else close. This way no one gets offended, and you can spend a few quiet moments locked away for some special bonding time.
http://www.babycenter.com/breastfeeding-basics
There are so many reasons to breast feed that benefit both mom and baby. I mean where else can you get a 300+ calorie burner without lifting a finger? Not that nursing is easy but once you get the hang of it, it's not so bad. That's not to say that the process is not demanding and frustrating. It can sometimes feel as though you are a cow in a factory and all you do is pump and feed but, it's all worth it in the long run.
Not to mention some of the hidden benefits. Now I am not sure whether anyone else has used breast feeding in this way, but, when you are a new mom, you can really feel as though all you do is pump. But when do you get time to hold and bond with your baby when you are not feeding? It seems like family, friends and dad get to have all the fun.
Well here's a tip. If you have a room full of family members, friends or otherwise and you are in desperate need to hold your baby, or, if you don't like the way someone is holding, touching or kissing your baby all over their precious new face. Take a "breast feeding" break. It's better than having to offend someone, especially your mother or someone else close. This way no one gets offended, and you can spend a few quiet moments locked away for some special bonding time.
http://www.babycenter.com/breastfeeding-basics
Monday, February 11, 2013
Baby Blogging
is still that level of shock that you will actually be coming home with a baby. You spend nine months fantasizing about what the little one will look like, what's the personality going to be like and how cute all the new baby clothes are. But, when the baby pops out then what...
With my first child I spent lots of time trying to mentally prepare myself for what I thought would be the most difficult obstacles. How do you get the baby in the 10,000 pound car seat and carry the groceries up the stairs when no one is home. On top of that, I was living on the second floor, so do you leave the baby in the apartment, lock the door, run down to the car and get the groceries, then run back up the stairs with eight bags and check to make sure that the crazy neighbor has not been window stalking and taken my baby. Ultimately, that's what I did and I still have my daughter, but as a new mom I thought that I was seriously doing something wrong.
What about taking a shower? Do you bring the baby in the bathroom with you? What if the baby is sound asleep, do you leave the baby in the crib? But if you do that, will you hear the baby crying? What if they roll over and succumb and get tangled up in the sheet? Can I comfortably take a shower if my baby is all alone? But what if I wake my baby up out of sound sleep, just to take a shower? Does that make me a bad mom? Or a really aggravated one, because now I can't shower for a long time, because there is a screaming baby in the bathroom with me.
I really could go on for days with all the crazy things that I thought about even before giving birth. The good thing is that I have picked up a few tips along the way. And through some advice, I am trying out blogging. I'm not really sure what I'm doing but we'll see how it all pans out....
See you soon.
With my first child I spent lots of time trying to mentally prepare myself for what I thought would be the most difficult obstacles. How do you get the baby in the 10,000 pound car seat and carry the groceries up the stairs when no one is home. On top of that, I was living on the second floor, so do you leave the baby in the apartment, lock the door, run down to the car and get the groceries, then run back up the stairs with eight bags and check to make sure that the crazy neighbor has not been window stalking and taken my baby. Ultimately, that's what I did and I still have my daughter, but as a new mom I thought that I was seriously doing something wrong.
What about taking a shower? Do you bring the baby in the bathroom with you? What if the baby is sound asleep, do you leave the baby in the crib? But if you do that, will you hear the baby crying? What if they roll over and succumb and get tangled up in the sheet? Can I comfortably take a shower if my baby is all alone? But what if I wake my baby up out of sound sleep, just to take a shower? Does that make me a bad mom? Or a really aggravated one, because now I can't shower for a long time, because there is a screaming baby in the bathroom with me.
I really could go on for days with all the crazy things that I thought about even before giving birth. The good thing is that I have picked up a few tips along the way. And through some advice, I am trying out blogging. I'm not really sure what I'm doing but we'll see how it all pans out....
See you soon.
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