Abnormal Baby
I debated writing this post for fear that it would discourage many mothers. I also debated naming this post "Freak Baby".
There are millions of mothers with normal children that have normal baby problems. There are thousands of mothers with children that have exceptional baby problems. Rather than cower in a corner and keep my mouth shut, I wanted to take a moment to publicly thank God for my healthy, happy, and abnormal baby daughter.
[Sleeping] Joanna started sleeping through the night (4-5 hours) when she was a few weeks old. (This was likely one of the contributors to her diminishing fluff in her first weeks because I wasn't waking her up for feedings.) As soon as she started formula, her sleep increased to 6-7 hours a night. She slept through the night the first time she was in her crib at 6 weeks, too. When we started solid foods at 4 months, she started sleeping a whopping 10-12 hours a night. I don't know what we did right, but hopefully we can repeat it. [Note: all of you mommies to be - don't expect your baby to sleep like this. We have a strange baby.]
[Solids] When we started solids, she took to it like cats to cream. Every food we try is greeted with an eagerly awaiting open mouth. (Avocados took a few tries, but she doesn't mind it anymore). Most children don't eat everything on the first try. Some kids have very specific taste and texture preferences, too. [I still do]. Our freak of nature enjoys everything we give her.
[Going Out] We started taking Joanna out to restaurants when she was one week old. She first went to Target at 2 weeks old. I now take her out about twice a week and she is very accustomed to strangers and new environments. She also doesn't even mind the creepy old people that come up and touch her face without an invitation.
[Schedules] We don't follow a schedule; we follow her lead when it comes to eating, sleeping, or wanting to roll around. Her body has its own schedule that she follows. When it comes to teething and growth spurts, forcing a schedule on a tiny babe seems counter productive and leaves everyone in tears. I've learned to read her so I know what she needs and when she needs it. She is also learning her own cues, like when she feels tired, it's time to go to sleep. If she rubs her eyes, I'm not going to keep her awake for another 30 minutes if she's ready to sleep now.
I think the biggest help in "training" a child to be easy going and open to change is to incorporate your child into your life rather than incorporating yourself into your child's life. If they think the world revolves around them, they will act accordingly. If they think they are a puzzle piece of a bigger picture, they will act accordingly.
There are millions of mothers with normal children that have normal baby problems. There are thousands of mothers with children that have exceptional baby problems. Rather than cower in a corner and keep my mouth shut, I wanted to take a moment to publicly thank God for my healthy, happy, and abnormal baby daughter.
[Sleeping] Joanna started sleeping through the night (4-5 hours) when she was a few weeks old. (This was likely one of the contributors to her diminishing fluff in her first weeks because I wasn't waking her up for feedings.) As soon as she started formula, her sleep increased to 6-7 hours a night. She slept through the night the first time she was in her crib at 6 weeks, too. When we started solid foods at 4 months, she started sleeping a whopping 10-12 hours a night. I don't know what we did right, but hopefully we can repeat it. [Note: all of you mommies to be - don't expect your baby to sleep like this. We have a strange baby.]
[Solids] When we started solids, she took to it like cats to cream. Every food we try is greeted with an eagerly awaiting open mouth. (Avocados took a few tries, but she doesn't mind it anymore). Most children don't eat everything on the first try. Some kids have very specific taste and texture preferences, too. [I still do]. Our freak of nature enjoys everything we give her.
[Going Out] We started taking Joanna out to restaurants when she was one week old. She first went to Target at 2 weeks old. I now take her out about twice a week and she is very accustomed to strangers and new environments. She also doesn't even mind the creepy old people that come up and touch her face without an invitation.
[Schedules] We don't follow a schedule; we follow her lead when it comes to eating, sleeping, or wanting to roll around. Her body has its own schedule that she follows. When it comes to teething and growth spurts, forcing a schedule on a tiny babe seems counter productive and leaves everyone in tears. I've learned to read her so I know what she needs and when she needs it. She is also learning her own cues, like when she feels tired, it's time to go to sleep. If she rubs her eyes, I'm not going to keep her awake for another 30 minutes if she's ready to sleep now.
I think the biggest help in "training" a child to be easy going and open to change is to incorporate your child into your life rather than incorporating yourself into your child's life. If they think the world revolves around them, they will act accordingly. If they think they are a puzzle piece of a bigger picture, they will act accordingly.
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