Showing posts with label baby advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label baby advice. Show all posts

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Months 7-8-9 with the baby

Not too much update about our mother and baby life, isn't it? True is that in the last three months, there were a lot going on in my life, and in baby's too, and keeping a straight record of the step-by-step evolution was not always possible. Also, the summer time is here and when I am not at home cleaning and keeping the house maintenance at an acceptable level or finishing my writing assignments, I am out with the baby, enjoying the beautiful summer days.
To keep it to the point, the last three months with the baby were really amazing and every moment I am reminded how blessed I am to have such a jewel of a kid: not crying too much, healthy, most part of the time happy and pretty adaptable to various travel schedule. As an overview, not too many things happened but for him, my little - now - 10-month baby, he went through many changes.
First, the mobility developed a whole lot. He not only can seat independently for many minutes, but he is also crawling very fast. Thus, the most sensitive and dangerous parts of the house - such as corners and sources of electricity, were sealed and secured in a way to not create any harm to the baby.
The food options diversified considerably, and now he accepts more or less almost everything - except the spinach (he is my son too, after all). Solids are now an important part of his daily diet while the frequency of milk bottles decreased. 
One of the many things I've learned in the last months was to stop - definitely stop - comparing my kid with the others. We registered, for instance, for a crawling club, where every Monday together with other babies his age we do for one hour and a half various crawling exercises. At the time, he was not crawling too much, but other babies from the group, maybe one month younger or more were extremely fast at that. I made some worries for a while, thinking that maybe we, again, have a development problem. And waited and waited until one day, just like this, he crossed the entire house in less than 15 minutes, back and forth. 
During this time, we alse went away for three weeks, which meant a complete relocation for the baby, with a different temperature, food habits and bed. He coped with it very well, but there were some important challenges ahead, such as being faced with the problem of the lack of his special juice or the usual bottle food he is used with. 
Another observation for this period is that our baby grew up with very advanced social skills: he is very friendly with new people, utters cries of joy when encountering other kids in the buggy and even more loudly every time when we approach some dogs - or cats. We've been a couple of times to the zoos, and even to some goat park and every time he was very happy to see the animals.
This is all for now...More specific posts to come in the next days, covering the challenges of travelling with a toddler, foodie needs and other day by day challenges!

Sunday, July 10, 2016

The book every new parent should read

The first days with the new baby are quite a stress. You need to buy many new things you never knew it exist and get used with the sleep deprivation and, if you breastfeed, to be sure that everything is done right for offering the baby the right amount of nutrition. Written by an experienced professional and private maternity nurse, The Baby Book helps you turn a potential nightmare into an enjoyable, unforgettable experience. 
This new edition of the book published ten years ago is very well structured and written in an accessible style. You'll find personal short stories, useful hints and, especially, detailed to-do and to-have lists that helps you navigate smoothly through the first year of your baby. Wish I had this book before, but even now it is not too late to check and make eventual corrections.
The encouraging tone of the author makes you feel just normal. There is no perfect parent and what we can do the best is to follow the general rules and principles, while trying to write your own parenting book. In fact, we are quite priviledged nowadays with so may advice and available resources that can be used regardless of our geographical location. 
The book is organised in big chapters, covering important issues such as feeding, sleep, emotional development. The main approach is the importance to create routines and rules. The sooner the better as the kids need to get used not always with a lot of love and cuddling, but also with rules and respect. 'Toddlers often gain a great sense of security from routine in an ever-changing world; for example, using the same bowl for breakfast or having the same story at bedtime'. It is what I noticed myself during the last extended trip with the baby, when my baby had to cope with a lot of challenges due to a different weather and room setting. 
I strongly recommend this book to new or old parents, as a very useful guidance during the first year of baby life. It makes the integration of the baby into your life and your life in general much easier.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher via NetGalley.com