A little easier second time around.
Firstly, I hope I'm not jinxing myself by throwing this into the universe.
Caitlin is a pretty easy baby. Ben was generally a pretty good sleeper. Naps were a struggle at first, but that was largely due to my inexperience because once I started getting it right he was an excellent napper. So I figured we were due to have a crappy sleeper. Fortunately that's not the case.
Caitlin sleeps well at night. She's up twice to eat and is easy to settle back to sleep. Often times she drifts back off on her own in her crib after a brief rock in the chair, and doesn't always want her soother. She appears to be like Ben in that too much 'in your face' doesn't always help to settle her.
And due to my experience with Ben I now know about infant sleep cycles, and that they're only 45 minutes long. And so when Caitlin wakes up from her nap crying after 45 minutes I know she's not crying because she's hungry, it's because she needs more sleep. Fortunately, so far, after the first 45 minute nap I'm able to settle her back down for another.
It's funny how much anxiety a first-time parent feels as they're learning to swaddle a baby, to bathe, to comfort, when to feed and how often, wondering whether or not to use a soother and how much is too much, all the worries about getting it 'right', and frantically going through the mental checklist whenever the baby is crying... is she too warm, too cold, need a diaper change, hungry, tired, gassy, etc. The list goes on.
The second time around, however, these things are much more clear. I *know* when Caitlin's hungry, or tired, or uncomfortable. You could set a watch to her. Seriously! Lucky for me I have a very predictable baby on my hands. And if my experience with Ben has taught me anything it's that an infant who's needs are met quickly is much more content and a lot less work!
Caitlin is a pretty easy baby. Ben was generally a pretty good sleeper. Naps were a struggle at first, but that was largely due to my inexperience because once I started getting it right he was an excellent napper. So I figured we were due to have a crappy sleeper. Fortunately that's not the case.
Caitlin sleeps well at night. She's up twice to eat and is easy to settle back to sleep. Often times she drifts back off on her own in her crib after a brief rock in the chair, and doesn't always want her soother. She appears to be like Ben in that too much 'in your face' doesn't always help to settle her.
And due to my experience with Ben I now know about infant sleep cycles, and that they're only 45 minutes long. And so when Caitlin wakes up from her nap crying after 45 minutes I know she's not crying because she's hungry, it's because she needs more sleep. Fortunately, so far, after the first 45 minute nap I'm able to settle her back down for another.
It's funny how much anxiety a first-time parent feels as they're learning to swaddle a baby, to bathe, to comfort, when to feed and how often, wondering whether or not to use a soother and how much is too much, all the worries about getting it 'right', and frantically going through the mental checklist whenever the baby is crying... is she too warm, too cold, need a diaper change, hungry, tired, gassy, etc. The list goes on.
The second time around, however, these things are much more clear. I *know* when Caitlin's hungry, or tired, or uncomfortable. You could set a watch to her. Seriously! Lucky for me I have a very predictable baby on my hands. And if my experience with Ben has taught me anything it's that an infant who's needs are met quickly is much more content and a lot less work!
posted by Leanne at
11:27 am
