Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Lessons Learned

I think I’m going to try to make this a regular- possibly weekly, but probably bi-weekly- feature, at least for a while. When I post lessons learned, I’ll share the things that Luke and I have experimented with that worked for us (or didn’t), and what Ada has taught us. To a seasoned parent, I’m sure this will be nothing new. So if you’re a seasoned parent, and you have already learned how to handle what we’re experiencing, pat yourself on the back and laugh in private ☺

Ada is 7 ½ weeks old, so today I’ll be playing catch-up on everything we’ve picked up over the last 52 days. 

The swing really is your best friend. This is probably the most important lesson we’ve learned so far. Ada is, like most young babies, quite fond of snuggling. If snuggling is a nice way of saying she likes to ride around on your shoulder for most of the day.  It’s hard to get her to nap, and it’s darned near impossible to get anything done (but you’d be amazed at what I can accomplish with a baby on my shoulder and one free arm these days). We started out without a swing because we just weren’t sure we wanted to commit to all the space it takes up in our living room. Over the last couple of weeks I’d been thinking about swings. I’d even asked a friend if Ada could come over and try her son’s swing to see if she liked it. But I didn’t push it too hard, because we’re tired of spending money. Then last week my mom got it into her head that a swing would come in handy and asked if she could buy one. We said yes and it’s changed my life in just a few days. Ada is now starting to take long, uninterrupted naps in the morning. She is also starting to take an afternoon nap- something we couldn’t count on before. Get a swing and put your kid in it until they like it. 

Don’t be a hero. Get a SwaddleMe. I spent the first 6 weeks swaddling Ada for bed using our lovely Aden & Anais muslin blankets. Short of pinning her down with my knee to get a tighter swaddle, I tried everything. And it was always just a matter of time before she got her hands out. Once again, she’s not unique. All babies like to get their hands out, but it seems that all babies also wake themselves up with arms and legs on the loose. A friend loaned us her son’s SwaddleMe that he’s grown out of (it’s great to have a friend with a kid just a few months older than Ada) and I started using it last week. It’s so much easier! In the middle of the night when I change her diaper after a feeding, I can do it without unswaddling her arms. It’s invaluable. While I’m at it, don’t be afraid to double swaddle a wiggly kid. After I put Ada in her SwaddleMe, I wrap the muslin blanket tightly around her to keep her feeling snug. 

Put your kid in their crib. I think a lot of people would disagree with me on this. But our next baby (a long time from now) will be sleeping in their crib from the night we bring them home. We put Ada in her crib at 3 weeks and haven’t looked back. Here’s my theory. You’re going to be up a ton at night anyway. Why not spend that time teaching them to sleep in their crib? I know a lot of people keep the baby in their room for the first few months, but that’s not for us. I feel like I killed two birds with one stone (can’t there be a less violent expression?). We got Ada on a decent sleep schedule while also training her to sleep in her crib. It required me to sleep on an air mattress in her room for a couple of weeks, but we got through it. 

Ada doesn’t like to sleep flat on her back. Nothing new there. I don’t think she has reflux, but she’s still more comfortable on an incline. I’m talking 2-3 inches. Go ahead and crucify me, but we skipped the $15 mattress wedge and put her crib on short risers on one side. Ada went from sleeping 2-3 hours at a time to 6 hours for her first stretch of the night. I’m talking her first night. It was another big game changer for us.

Blackout shades are a must!! Ada was really enjoying waking up with the sun, and I wasn’t digging the results. I either got up with her, or brought her into bed, where nobody got much more sleep. After discussing this with a friend, it dawned on me that blackout shades might just fool her for a while longer each day. I suggested it to Luke and the shades were up that night. We just bought the cheap paper shades for this house, and they work, but I’ll put up a more permanent solution in the new house. Ada still wakes up when she’s done sleeping, and sometimes that’s still 5:30, but most days it’s between 6:30-7:00 now. 

If you’re going to cloth diaper, cloth wipe as well. It would be inconvenient to use two disposal methods. This way, everything goes in one pail together and I just wash it all at once. I may change my tune on this when Ada starts eating solids, but for now, I love it. We keep a squirt bottle with a simple wipe solution right by the changing pad and dampen the wipes as needed. I do use disposable wipes when we’re out, but that’s only because I don’t want to carry a solution bottle around with me. By the way, Ada loves the flannel wipes. They’re not as cold as disposable wipes because they’re not dripping wet. 

Speaking of cloth diapers, let me just pitch them with a few caveats. It works really well for us because it’s fairly convenient. I wouldn’t preach cloth to anybody who works, or for whom laundry on a daily basis is inconvenient (like you live in an apartment without in-unit washer and dryer, or your bedroom is on the 3rd floor and the washer and dryer are in the basement). My washer and dryer are just outside my bedroom, and will be when we move in December as well. It’s really easy for me to start Ada’s stinkers after I put her to bed and hang them to dry before I go to bed.

Wear your baby! I wear Ada in a Moby wrap quite a bit when we’re out running errands and it’s usually a great way for her to get a nap if she’s been stubborn that day. The Moby gets warm, so I don’t wear her outside. I have a Mei Tai as well, which has better air flow, but I’m waiting until Ada is a little bigger before I use it. She doesn’t really like the froggy position her legs have to be in to use it at this size.

Plan meals your husband can finish cooking. Ada frequently enjoys getting cranky/hungry somewhere around the halfway point while I’m cooking dinner. It’s nice if I can pass dinner responsibilities off to Luke at any point. 

I think that’s enough for now. I hope this helps someone besides myself. But if nothing else, it’ll be a great reminder for Luke and I when we lose our heads and do this whole newborn thing again.