Will Your Only Child Accept The New Baby?

The plan was to have kids far enough apart so that the oldest would be an extra set of hands—happy to run for a diaper when I was up to my elbows in newborn-baby fun. Instead, come April, I’m looking at the prospect of having two kids under three, both of whom are relying on me for their sanitary needs.

That wasn’t the plan.

But I can adjust to changing 18 trillion diapers for the next year (and working really, really hard on potty training my 2-year-old!). It’s doable, and so are the dozens of other small worries I have about having two little ones being so close in age. However, the one thing that has been causing me to lose sleep is the fact that I’m taking my daughter’s “Only Child” crown away from her much sooner than I had planned … and sooner than I think she deserves.

My sister and I are five years apart, and I have always thought that that was a glorious amount of space between kids. We were never in the same school, and yet we were close growing up, and that has continued into adulthood. I was also old enough to understand that we were adding a baby to the family, and I prepared with my parents for my awesome responsibilities as the “Big Sister.”

My daughter, on the other hand, has absolutely no clue what is happening.

I point out every baby I see in books, television, and in real life, and exclaim, “Awww! A baby!” She repeats it mechanically and moves on. Strike one.

I lift my shirt to show her my belly (which is surprisingly large for just entering my seventh month …), point at it, and say, “Baby!” to which she replies by pointing at her own belly and repeating what I just said. Strike two.

Last week, as we were playing in her room, I picked up one of her plastic baby dolls and rocked it in my arms. As I held it out to her, she smiled, cautiously walked over, then proceeded to lean over, put her ear to the baby’s face, and pretend like it was a phone.

Strike three.

This means that, one day, approximately 12 weeks from now, I will leave my daughter with my sister, and my husband and I will return home with something that she was NOT expecting—her tiny, crying, baby brother, who will sleep in the room next to hers. I am really not looking forward to her reaction to this surprise addition.

I do know that, eventually, she will love him. She will realize that, while her bossiness has no effect on her father and me, I’m willing to bet that she will easily get her baby brother to bend to her will, and he will become her little sidekick.

She will love having a playmate. She will love making him laugh. She will love teaching him things and protecting him. I know it. One day.

I just hope we all survive those first few months.

7 Ways to Stay Awake During Middle of the Night Nursing Sessions

Nursing mamas, let's get real for a second: the ability to feed your baby by pulling out a boob is pretty convenient, but there's one part that always throws me for a loop: the middle-of-the-night feed. Simply put: getting up to breastfeed in the middle of the night is kind of a drag. Sleeping when you have little ones is highly coveted, so waking up to a crying and hungry baby puts a slight damper on that glorious sleep.

I'm no stranger to the MOTN nursing session; I breastfed my first daughter for 16 months, and I'm currently exclusively breastfeeding my six-month-old baby. I'm not a whiz at math, but I know that combined, that's almost two years of being awake a whole heck of a lot in the middle of the night.

During those early newborn days, especially if you have a baby who likes to nurse forever, staying awake when the rest of the house is fast asleep can be extremely difficult. Sometimes I even have to turn on a light just to keep myself awake, while my precious little one sleeps on the boob, gulping down her midnight (and 2 am, and 4 am) snack in her “dream feed.” (And don't worry, there are plenty of times when she comes into bed with us and I catch some zzz's while nursing her–gotta love the side-laying position!)

I have some tricks up my sleeve that may help you keep your eyes wide open when all they'd rather do is close and go back to sleep.

Here are 7 Ways to Stay Awake During Middle of the Night Nursing Sessions:

#Way 1

Read a Book. It's no secret that moms have very little time to themselves once little ones come around, but one of the things I've missed from my kid-less days is reading. I have a Kindle app on my phone, and during each MOTN feed I pick up right where I've left off. Since the beginning of this year I've already read a dozen books with this method! The books I'm reading aren't super complicated, but they're fun, easy reads that help keep me awake long enough to nurse the baby. The bonus part to this is that I recently joined a book club; so nursing in the middle of the night is essentially helping me make friends! Win/win.

#Way 2 

Clean Out Your Phone Book. In this day and age, it's probably safe to say that your Rolodex is now stored on your phone, and if you're anything like me, you have dozens of numbers stored on there you probably don't need in there anymore. It's also extremely safe to say that you reallydon't have time in your day-to-day life to do something as mundane as looking through your list of contacts for people to delete. Well, now that you're up at oh-dark-thirty, you have plenty of time on your hands to take care of business.

 #Way 3

Play a Game. Nothing can make you doze-off faster than being bored and sleepy. Put that brain to work by playing a game on your phone. Words with Friends, Scrabble, or even that matching game you have on there for your toddler … anything that will make you think. I play games against friends, and you'd be surprised how many other moms are up right around the same time you are. Just don't be surprised if your baby finishes eating and you're still awake trying to get through just one more round. 

 #Way 4

Edit Those Pictures. I typically don't have time to post pictures during the day since I snap around a million photos on my phone just to get that one decent picture of my girls. When I'm breastfeeding I have some extra downtime to scroll through all my pictures, find the ones I like, and get them up on social media or into an email for the grandparents.

 #Way 5

Binge Watch TV. My first daughter was a marathon nurser, meaning she paced herself and was in it for the long haul for each feed. Thankfully, we had a subscription to Netflix, so I binge watched shows in the middle of the night. Consider this an opportunity to catch up on all those shows you've been meaning to watch someday.

 #Way 6

Get Some Food and Pour a Drink. Drinking water is essential to keeping up a good milk supply, so pour a tall glass of water (or keep a water bottle handy on your nightstand), to drink while nursing. During the early days when I was still establishing my supply (and ravenous any time I nursed), I even made some “booby bites” and kept several on my nightstand so I could tame my rumbling tummy during a MOTN feed.

 #Way 7

Get Out of Bed. If you're not keen on cosleeping, and don't want to risk falling asleep with the baby in your bed, get out of your bed and feed her in another room. The act of getting out of bed and walking somewhere else will help wake you up–then use one of the tips above to stay awake.

Author,

Jessica Lynn       

How To Help Your FOMO Baby Sleep

FOMO. Is that acronym new to you? Up until about a year ago, it was new to me, too. I’d never heard of FOMO (or Fear Of Missing Out) until a friend told me that she was afflicted with it. She was constantly on social media, checking in with her friends and catching up on the latest news.

But here’s something interesting – did you know your baby can have FOMO, too? It’s true; some babies just can’t seem to settle in and fall asleep, for fear that they’ll miss out on all the action!

Now, by this point in the article, your eyes may be widening as it dawns on you: “OMG, MY baby has FOMO!” And you may be right; if your baby shows most of the common FOMO symptoms, then you’ve got a FOMO baby on your hands, baby! 

6 Signs Your Baby Has FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

1. FOMO babies don’t find soothing activities very soothing. Other babies may be soothed by nursing, rocking, or patting – but not a FOMO baby!
2. FOMO babies flip over new places and people. If you think your FOMO baby’s sleep is bad, try taking her to her grandparents’ house. I guarantee it’ll get worse! A new location means tons of new things for your baby to observe and take in, and that means shortened (or non-existent) sleep.
3. FOMO babies eat actively. Hoping to nurse your baby in public, under a cover? Forget about it! Your FOMO baby won’t allow that for a minute. Trying to get your baby to hold still and focus on drinking her whole bottle? Nope! Your baby is too busy observing the world/people around her.
4. FOMO babies aren’t great at the whole “drowsy” thing. We talk a lot about “drowsy, but awake” on this blog, and in our one-on-one work with families; that’s because it’s a great way to gradually teach your baby how to fall asleep without your help. But FOMO babies don’t exactly do drowsy. In fact, FOMO babies often don’t show any tired signs until they’re already overtired – and then the sign is usually screaming.
5. FOMO babies tend to resist bedtime and nap time routines. Bedtime routines and nap time routines are designed to signal to your baby that it’s time to relax and fall asleep. Your FOMO baby gets that; the trouble is, she doesn’t want to relax and fall asleep. So she’ll fight even your best efforts at a relaxing, soothing routine.
6. A FOMO baby’s sleep is elusive – and it doesn’t last long. Many parents have told us it takes hours to put their FOMO babies to bed, and that even after sleep finally comes, it’s light.

How To Help Your FOMO Baby Sleep

That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? How do you help your FOMO baby sleep? Unfortunately, there is no magic bullet that’ll fix this problem for you. Remember, this is part of your baby’s temperament. There’s no changing it! (Take comfort, though, in the fact that the really tough effects of FOMO will lessen as your baby grows.) Simply accept that your baby won’t be one of those “easy” sleepers who just falls asleep effortlessly and slides right in to a perfect eating and sleeping schedule, and you’ll save yourself a lot of wasted effort and frustration.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you have to live with a sleepless, overtired child in your home. There ARE steps you can take to help your FOMO child lengthen his naps and sleep longer at night:

• Be consistent and persistent. FOMO children thrive with consistency (as do so many others!), so be sure to keep sleep and feeding schedules as consistent as you can. Even if your baby isn’t ready for a clock-based schedule, you can still work towards consistent sleep/feeding cycles. Additionally, you’ll need to be persistent with your child’s sleep. FOMO children are themselves very persistent when it comes to resisting sleep, so you’ll have to “out-persistent” your persistent child in this arena.
• Make your child’s sleeping area as boring as possible. Many parents of FOMO babies and toddlers report that it’s only when their children are confined to bed, with nothing to see or hear or do, that they will finally fall asleep. You can achieve this kind of boring, sleep-inducing ambiance with black-out blinds and a white noise machine.
• Sleep coach, but be ready for it to take awhile (and for some fussing to be involved). If your baby’s sleep-fighting has reached the point that you’re both exhausted, then it may be time to take action and sleep coach. Sleep coaching is a great way to help your baby learn healthy sleep habits! Just be advised that sleep coaching may take longer if your baby suffers from FOMO; what takes other parents two weeks may take you four (or maybe even six). Additionally, keep in mind that your FOMO baby’s persistent nature means that there will likely be at least a little bit of fussing involved with sleep coaching.

Sleep Help For Your FOMO Baby or Toddler

Getting your FOMO baby or toddler to sleep well can feel like a monumental task. Fortunately, we can help! Connect with one of our expert consultants today; she’ll craft a Personalized Sleep Plan™ just for your baby, walk you through every step of sleep coaching and schedule-making, and provide detailed answers to your most pressing sleep training questions.

Baby Care Tips for New Moms

Taking care of a newborn baby is such a stressful thing to deal with, yet the joy still overcomes the tiredness you may feel. There are tricks and baby care tips you must know to make the burden lighter. These simple baby care tips can help you handle your baby properly while still being a beautiful wife to your husband.

Crying Can Mean Many Things

Specialists once thought that when a baby cries, it means they are experiencing stomach ache. Now, studies have shown that it may also be the cause of acid reflux. Experiencing this is painful for adults, let alone for babies. When your baby does constant screaming, back arching, and spitting up, these may be a sign of acid reflux. It's of utmost importance to go to a pediatrician to know what really causes your baby to cry.

It's Okay to Hold Your Baby

There has always been this rule that you can't hold your baby too much because he or she might get over dependent. Ignore this because you can't spoil a baby just by holding him or her. In fact, babies who are held often are more satisfied because their needs are met right away. They are more likely to have a higher self-esteem while growing up. It's the natural thing to do, so don't hesitate doing it.

Don't Depend On Baby Wipes

Baby wipes are costly and may cause irritations for sensitive bums. Instead of risking your baby's smooth skin, just use a damp cloth. Studies say that breastfed babies don't need baby wipes because their feces and urine are low in acid and bacteria. You can easily clean them off with a damp cloth.

Faster Sterilization

You might think that sterilizing the baby bottles is time-consuming and stressful, but it isn't anymore. Doing it the old-fashion way with an expensive home sterilizer is not the only way to do it anymore. Just toss everything inside your dishwasher, put some soap, and run it on a short and hot cycle.

Babies like Music

Although you might think that babies can't appreciate symphonies and melodies, they can. The sound of soothing instruments and a warm voice can calm your baby down. You can turn on the CD player while on the road and it can even put a baby to sleep.

No Rush for Shoes

You don't really need to put shoes on your toddler's feet until he or she can walk. Socks are the only feet accessory babies need just to prevent their feet from getting dirty. It's more practical to save the money until your baby really needs them.

With a little bit of pediatric help and online research for baby care tips, you can take care of your baby with ease and assurance. Don't make the task harder than it should be so you could enjoy a good night's sleep along with your newborn.


Author,
Kate Q Wills