10-12 Months: Sleeping

10 Months

• Up around 7am
• Nap between 9:30 & 10am
• Up til around 2:30-3pm
• Bed around 7:30pm

11 Months

• Up around 7:30
• Nap between 10 & 10:30am
• Up til around 3pm
• Bed around 7:30pm

12 Months

• Up around 7:30-8:00
• Nap at 10am (sometimes took 30-45 minutes to fall asleep)
• Wake up after 90 minutes
• Nap three hours later (normally only 45 minutes to an hour if doing good, poops seemed to wake up on occasion)
• Bed around 7:30pm
  **When started doing ISR lessons Carmen took two two hour naps for the first couple of weeks because she was so tired and went down earlier than normal.

13-18 Months: C's Milestones

13 Months

• Finished ISR lessons!
• Understands the following words: Daddy, Mommy, Auntie Kali, Grandmama, Bella, food, milk, more, ball, book, bed time and shoes.
• Delay tactics to avoid nap and bed time
• Cuddling, asking for milk or water, wanting to read
• Picking up on social cues way more
• Anything that makes us laugh she does more of
• Hugs our legs (especially when upset about something)
• Fake crying as if the world is over before naps
• Frantically asks for headband (and sometimes her stuffed animals) as soon as she wakes up
• Said "Daddy" and "Doggy" first
• Plays hide-and-go seek
• Likes playing with the door stopper
• Loves wearing shoes (hers and her parents)

14-15 Months

• Discovered Siri and tries to enable it on the phone so she can 'tell' it what to do
• Loves Baby Signing Time and asks for it by signing "baby"
• Knows where her toes, nose, eyes and ears are
• Understands almost everything we say
• Hunching shoulders and daintily asking "more" when she really wants something
• Frantically grunting when the fridge opens asking for either milk or cheese
• Helped us
• Primary sign language: please, thank you, down, food, more, milk, water, ball, keys, shoes
• Now also says "cheese" and "Kali" and "hot"
• Try to get her to say "Mommy" and she just points to herself (because that's what I do and it makes me laugh)
• Blows on her food like she sees us do when we tell her the food is hot
• Squeals in delight:
• when doorbell rings and goes running to answer it
• when Geoffrey gets Bella all riled up
• when she runs and tries to throw a ball (tends to simply drop it), picks it up again and repeats the process
• when she plays with the tennis ball and Bella
• Loves squeezing daddy and mommy's noses to make us 'honk'
• Loves climbing!
• Rocks back and forth with body and/or head to ask for music
• Loves "Seeds of Faith" music online
• Loves books
• Loves being scared
• Mommy hides behind door or counter and jumps out at her)
• Loves looking out the front door when it's open as the weather cools
• Loves going outside 
• Loves bath time
• Thinks it's hilarious to pour water with cup
• Loves her dolls
• Runs to the garage to see Daddy when I tell her he's home
• Hands up in the air with a high pitched questioning noise when I ask where someone or something is
• Starting to point to my belly when I ask where baby is
• Waves hello not just goodbye'
• Understands almost all the instructions she is given now including getting her shoes, putting things away, cleaning up
• Thinks it's hilarious when she claps and we mimic her
• Makes a basket with the ball and hoop when instructed to
• Running and as a result falling more

16 & 17 Months

• Understands naps
• Loves playing with a blanket
• Stacking rings toy
• Climbed onto table
• Cleans up after herself when she spills milk
• Tries to help me with laundry
• Telling her more frequently to wait and she does not like that
• Now loves using a spoon (kind of claps to for the sign) at every meal
• Loves milk
• Now knock when we go in to get her in the mornings and she replies with "ehh?"
• Geoffrey started watching wildlife movies with and she calls it "birds" using sign language and scrunches her shoulders cutely when she asks
• Now takes pictures using my phone
• Also likes accessing the calculator on my locked phone
• Prefers hair clips over head bands
• Smiles by scrunching her nose whenever she sees me pointing the camera or phone at her
• Pushes the little tikes car around the home
• Loves swinging and can't get enough of it
• Same with spinning in circles with Daddy
• Loves climbing on the bunk bed to bounce on it
• Bailey doll and plastic keys are her favorites
• Pushes crib away from the wall using her feet and the crib slides because of the jars, discovered the clothes packed away underneath and played with it a couple times delaying naps twice before I wised up
• Basically tries to climb up anything she can
• Geoffrey showed her how to climb up the 'rock climbing wall' on the slide
• Over Thanksgiving discovered she loves playing in the sand
• Loves trying to get Bella to chase the ball and does the same with Trigger who always obliges
• Asking every meal for a spoon and almost mastering how to eat with utensils
• Becoming very opinionated about what goes on her hair and trying to set a new trend of multiple hair bows being worn at once
• Climbing on everything she can and sometimes getting stuck
• Closing any open doors, cabinets or drawers which is usually great but sometimes hinders me putting away the laundry and dishes :)
• Discovering her pjs unzip which is how she has been spending the first ten minutes of each morning lately when she wakes up
• Discovering how to honk our vehicles horns and how to ring the doorbell
• Enjoying "driving" in Daddy's car and riding in the passenger seat of the van while in the garage
• Finding it hysterical whenever anyone copies what she's doing
• Having opinions on where she wants to sit and what she wants to eat
• Helping herself get dressed
• Learning how to clean spilled milk, put dirty clothes in the hamper and knock on the door when someone's in the bathroom
• Loving getting her finger and toe nails painted by her aunts
• Mastering how to take blurry selfies using Mommy's phone
• Moved into her big girl bed
• Pretending she's talking on the phone as she walks around the house
• Randomly requesting to have her teeth brushed throughout the day 
• Rotating her square based cup 90 degrees thinking that will solve the problem of not getting water in her mouth instead of tipping it more :)
• Scrunching her nose and eyes whenever we tell her to smile
• Touching the ground in a froggy position every few steps to imitate Mommy doing squats
• Wrapping her doll Bailey in her favorite blanket and pushing her around in her doll stroller
• Every day that Christmas lights were up would tilt her head back and frantically say please to get me to turn both the tree and garland lights on

18 Months

• Doing an "oh" face when she knows she's doing something she shouldn't or an accident happens
• Telling me when her diaper is wet!
• Loving reading books and talking the full time about the 'doggy' and 'hat' and 'bird'
• Loves Jesus Is With Me
• Moved to booster seat (for training not to whine purposes)
• Play time in room with gate instead of pack-n-play
• Organizes ducky, bottle and cup on the tub shelf when taking baths
• Loves tackling her unicorn pillow
• Enjoys being goofy
• Helps with choosing her clothes and putting socks away
• Tries to tickle us now when prompted and sometimes on her own initiative
• Recognizes the food court at Costco and immediately asks for food when we pull up
• Putting any clothes I give her into her hamper when I say to put them in her room even when they aren't dirty
• Loving the basketball hoop and playing with the plastic balls
• Pushes her train, car and stroller around the house
• Loves putting her sippy cups and phone in the bottom pouch of her stroller
• Knows who Stuart and Agnes are 
• Figured out how to open and close the garage with the keys for walks
• Asks for Daddy if I'm the only one to go get her in the mornings
• Stomps her feet in excitement when she gets food she is asking for
• Grabs the dryer balls every time I open the dyer
• Makes sure Bella has her food and water full
• Loves using the stool to wash her hands
• Regularly asks to get her nails painted
• Frequently asks to go in the swing
• Finally figured out to point at me when asked where mommy is instead of herself
• Points to her 'eye's when I say 'ice'
• Enjoys taking all the letters off the ABC board and then putting them back
• Told her to clean up the water and she went and put the rag in the water bowl instead of cleaning up what was spilled on the floor
• Knock on her bedroom door and she says 'eh?' when we ask if we can come in

7-9 Months: Sleeping & Feeding

7 Months

• Up around 7am
• Nurse, solids (veggies), nurse
• Nap 9am (unless she seemed fussy then I'd put her down at 8:30)
• Sleep no more than 2 hours
• Nurse, solids (veggies), nurse
• Awake for three hours until next nap (aimed for 2pm)
• Sleep until woke up
• Nurse right after waking
• Around 5-5:30 give 2 oz of formula in pack-n-play, feed oat or rice cereal using formula, nurse
• Bed between 7 and 7:30pm

8 Months

Completely stopped nursing by end of 8 months

• Up around 7am
• 8 oz bottle, solids, water
• Nap 9:30am
• Sleep no more than 90 minutes (did this because the afternoon nap was shorter than morning nap)
• 8 oz bottle, solids, water
• Up til around 2:30pm
• Sleep until woke up
• 8 oz bottle
• Around 5-5:30pm give 4 oz bottle then finger foods while making dinner
• 4-8 oz bottle
• Bed around 7:30pm

9 Months

• Up around 7am
• 8 oz bottle, solids, water
• Nap between 9:30 & 10am
• Sleep no more than 90 minutes
• 8 oz bottle, solids, water
• Up til around 2:30-3pm
• Sleep until woke up
• 8 oz bottle
• Around 5-5:30pm give 4 oz bottle then finger foods while making dinner
• 4-8 oz bottle
• Bed around 7:30pm

Mommy Reflections

• Pray.  Ask God for wisdom, patience, and joy.  Put on thankfulness.
• Let a routine serve my family.  Don't force my family to serve my routine.
• Nap time stuff became way easier around 7 months. 
• If Geoffrey's schedule ever changes make bed time 7pm.
• If naps become hard try putting baby to bed earlier than I have been doing.  Sometimes the fifteen minutes makes a world of difference.

6 Months - 3 Years Old: Teeth Care

Teeth Care

• Once teeth make their appearance start cleaning before bed.
• Can just use a washcloth with water on it to wipe them off.
• Once a couple teeth are really in can use toothbrush with toothpaste that does not contain fluoride.
• Can start using toothpaste with fluoride once kiddo is two years old.
• Make first dentist appointment at 2 1/2 - 3 years old.
• Unless see problems earlier.

10-12 Months: C's Milestones

10 Months

• Fourth tooth (2nd on top). 
• Loves emptying toys from their bin and the books off the shelf. 
• Mimicking what we do. 
• More hair. 
• Standing for several seconds on her own with confidence and without thinking about it.
• Sticking tongue out. 
• Switched to flats for cloth diapering. 
• Tilts her head to the side to make us laugh. 
• Walks when her hands are held but she loves crawling fast to get places. 
• Way more chatty.

11 Months

• A week before her birthday started climbing up the ladder without help and can come down the slide as well without help 
• Flips container in pack-n-play over and stands on it
• Lays head down frequently for a few seconds on pillows, our shoulders, etc. 
• Mastered sign language of "more"and "milk" 
• Pats our backs in excitement
• Plays with our hair while drinking bottle
• Started walking on Father's Day
• Starting to prefer Geoffrey over me 
• Super happy
• Tries to climb up the slide on her own
• Understands "It's bedtime" and normally starts whining/fussing that she doesn't want to go to bed.
• Understands "Will you put your head down?" and lays it down on my shoulder.
• Uses index finger to flick lip... Halfway into the month discovered making noise while doing it is a lot more fun.
• Finally mastered sippy cups and drinking out of a straw.  Berry smoothie from Costco did the trick with the straw.

12 Months

• Finally understands she is supposed to run when I say "I'm going to get you"... Before she would simply run to me.
• Plays hide and go seek
• Brings books over for us to read to her.  We are doing good if we get through three pages before she moves onto something else :)
• Has discovered the door stopper by the front door is fun to play with.
• Finds great delight in playing with Bella.
• Now understands what the following words mean: Daddy, Mommy, Auntie Kali, food, milk, more, ball, book, bed time and shoes
• Has mastered the sign language for: more, food, milk, water and please
• Growth in communicating when she does not like something :)
• Loves when we play music and bobs her head to the tune (even if it's slow haha)
• Understands mommy and daddy are interacting with their iPad or phone and now tries to grab the devices to look at them
• Understands the remote controls the TV
• Started ISR Self-Rescue Swim lessons.  Quickly mastered holding her breath under water and swimming to the pull up bar.
• Tries to delay bed time by resting her head against Mommy's should because I'm a sucker for cuddling
• Also tries to delay any nap or bed time by now asking for milk, water or food whenever I change her diaper

4-12 Months: Solids

Resources

• Loved this website!
• Printed this LIST and had it inside cabinet to help think through what feeding Carmen.
• Super Baby Food is an overwhelming book that friends swear by... maybe try getting through it with second kiddo.

Real Food for Baby

• Introducing Liquids
• Never gave juice because didn't want baby to have so much sugar.
• Use small see through cup of water to have baby learn how to sip out of it.
• Also use sippy cups: 
• Do consistently and at most meals.
• Model how to use it.
• Try a soft straw in a cup with the next one.

• Introducing Solids (Mainly Veggies)
• Tried to do a lot of various veggies and non-sweet foods before fruit.
• Month 6 & 7 only did veggies and avocados with Baby C.
• Order of foods started with Baby C: oatmeal, avocados, acorn squash, butternut squash, green beans, rice cereal, carrots, peas, apples, bananas, pasta
• Used formula with solids to make them less thick instead of trying to pump for it.
• Used oatmeal before bed for the first couple of months to help with sleeping through the night

• Introducing Fruits
• Think through what fruits are binding and which ones break down.
• No citrus, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries until after a year.

• Introducing Dairy 
• Start with whole fat yogurt (banana flavor is especially mild, watch out for berry flavors!), mild cheese (like mozzarella), then not as mild cheese...
• No milk until after a year old.

• Introducing Finger Foods
• Started at 8 months.  Maybe do earlier with next one.
• Finger Food Ideas
• Don't put finger into mouth to pull out food baby is choking on unless you can see it.  Do a hooking motion to pull out food.  Swatting baby's back is best!  Don't want to accidentally shove food further down the neck.

• Foods to Watch Out for and Avoid:
• Highly allergenic foods: dairy, eggs, peanuts, strawberries, wheat
• Peanut butter and nuts
• 6-12 months
• Maybe give baby right before doctor appointment in case swells?
• Not until after a year: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, citrus, honey, eggs, whole milk, shellfish/crustaceans
• Grapes and hot dogs are super big choking hazards!

Mommy Reflections

• Be patient!  Baby is learning!
• Know what allergies run in the family.
• Wait 3-4 days with introducing new foods to see if there are any allergic reactions.
• Baby C had big time rash with poop changing for 1-2 weeks.

Parenting

• Flick the side of baby's mouth if spitting food to nip that practice in the bud right away. Don't do it hard! Even a little flick hurts.
• From beginning of solids hold baby's hands down in lap while feeding him/her. This keeps baby from from grabbing the spoon and pulling on the bib.  Down the road as you no longer need to hold the hands he/she won't grab the spoon when being fed.

4-9 Months: Baby Food Making Supplies

Must Have Supplies

• Stock Pot and Strainer/Colander
• To steam the fresh foods.
• Used the strainer that came with our stock pot and it worked great instead of needing an additional colander.
• Blender
• To puree the steamed food in.
• If food is already frozen just follow the directions of how to cook it on the bag.
• Ice Cube Trays with Lids 
• Use initially to freeze baby food.
• Silicone Muffin Pan
• Use to freeze baby food once eating more.
• Loved this over a normal one!  So easy to pop the food out after it's frozen!  
• Use saran wrap to cover it to keep it from freezer burn.  Must be BPA free.
• Skillet
• To reheat the food up since the microwave zaps all nutrients.

Additionally Useful

• Pack of 4 oz Jars
• Place frozen ice cubes of pureed food into them to defrost the food in the fridge before heating it up.  
• Moved so quickly to the muffin pan to store the pureed food that probably would get a couple bigger glass jars instead for next baby.
• Or skip this altogether and just go straight to using the skillet to reheat the food.  It only takes a couple minutes longer :)
• Sili Squeeze
• To take homemade baby food on the go in.  
• Make sure have a way to keep the food in it cold.

Thoughts & Resources

• How to Puree & Store Baby Food
• Start with small batches to make sure there aren't any allergies first.

3-6 Months: Sleeping & Feeding

Schedule Starting at 3 Months

Did the following loosely starting around 3 1/2 months.  Should have been doing this starting at 3 months.  Around 3 months is when babies generally can no longer fall sleep whenever and wherever.  Awake no more than 2 hours initially once three months.

• Up 7:45am 
• Feeding
• Awake 90 minutes
• Sleep no more than 2 hours (this was to help ensure she was more tired for her afternoon nap, on days where I didn't think she would be able to get a good afternoon nap I would let her sleep longer in the morning) 
• Feeding
• Awake 2 hours
• Sleep until wakes up 
• Feeding
• Down after 1 hour 
• Short nap (this one she always fought and normally lasted only 45 minutes to an hour) 
• Feeding
• Down around 7pm 
• Feed when wakes up and put right back to bed (sometimes checked diaper) 

If she was up before 7am I would feed her and just put her back to bed. If it was 7am or later I would decide that morning whether or not I would try to put her back down. If I didn't I would just shift the timetable accordingly.
As Baby C got older I slowly started stretching her awake time in the morning and afternoon to drop her third nap. If she was screaming more than 10 minutes when I put her down I knew I had kept her up too long. Kept track of sleeping with sleep log below to help me figure out her nap times when I first started around 3 1/2 months. It was especially helpful seeing how if she was crying a long time she was overtired and what her typical nap length was. Keeping her up no more than 2 hours (sometimes closer to one) was a helpful guideline around 3 months.

Schedule by 6 Months

Up around 6:30am-7am. Would let her sleep until 7:30am if she wasn't awake by 7am (happened maybe twice). Didn't get her out of bed until 7am and she became used to playing in her crib for a bit before we came to get her.

• Up 7am
• Nurse and solids 
• 8:30-9am Nap (no more than 2 hours) 
• Nurse and solids 
• Awake 2-3 hours 
• Nap until wakes up 
• Nurse
• Solids around dinner time
• Nurse
• Down around 7pm 

Sleeping Log Baby C

7-9 Months: C's Milestones

7 Months

• Loves the walker!
• Second tooth.  On the bottom.
• Try to read at least one book with her (even though completely distracted) before bed. 
• Waking up happy. 

8 Months

• Finished nursing at end of 8 months.
• Running in walker.  Use with caution next baby because it can encourage improper walking on toes.
• Tons more smiles!
• 'Waving' hand.

9 Months

• Back to being clingy with mommy.
• Loves finger foods.  Still a little slow.
• Standing for several seconds on her own.
• Started shaking her head no without understanding what she is doing.
• Stopped using walker because it was causing her to walk more on her tip toes.
• Third tooth. First on top.

Practical Baby Stuff: Formula

Formula

• Formula Amounts
• When switched to full time formula Baby C had diarrhea for a week.
• Started supplementing at about 7 months.  
• Fully switched by 10 months.
• Biggest challenge was not fearing what others would think.
• Way easier to do things once no longer nursing :)

Practical Baby Stuff: Growth Spurts & Teething

GROWTH SPURTS

• Week 4 & 6: crazy eating all the time, up a lot throughout the night, get nothing done, completely exhausted and feel like going insane
• Also can happen around 3, 6 and 9 months
• Baby Growth Spurts article that was super helpful

TEETHING

• Baby will likely be miserable: unusually fussy and irritable, not sleeping as well, feverish, drooling a lot, loss of appetite (normally due to saliva in the stomach)
• Use baby acetaminophen (especially for naps and bed time)
• Banana smoothies can help as well as bread and crackers
• Frozen teething rings and little ice cubes when baby is old enough are also helpful
• Pump if doesn't seem to be nursing as much to keep supply up
• Make sure baby stays hydrated
• Helpful link about What to Expect regarding teething (especially this diagram)

Practical Baby Stuff: Diaper Rash & Diarrhea

DIAPER RASH

• Don't use baby wipes to clean as the bacteria in them can irritate the skin more.
• Rinse baby's bottom with water and pat dry.  If poopy use a little bit of mild soap to clean it off.  Can use a peri bottle to rinse bottom off.  
• Pat dry and let air dry completely.  A few times had Baby C crawl around for a few minutes on a towel on the wood floor to help with air drying.
• Use aquaphor or coconut oil to protect the skin and help it heal.  
• Note: The coconut oil draws out any bacteria in the skin so it will initially look worse but after a day it should be significantly better.
• Letting baby sit in a warm bath with a couple tablespoons of baking soda.  Do this 3x/day for 10 minutes each time. 

DIARRHEA

• Keep baby hydrated!  
• Liquids with electrolytes (like pediasure, advocare's rehydrate or diluted gatorade) can help with rehydrating.  If doesn't like flavor try mixing with applesauce, freezing into little popsicles (use ice cube tray with little sticks)/  Baby C only liked the rehydrate and frozen little ice cubes.
• Try giving fluids (breastmilk, formula, water when able) every 20-30 minutes to get a few sips in to help keep hydrated.  If baby is refusing liquids can try a large syringe, sippy cups, soft straw out of a cup, try a drink in the tub as a fun alternative.
• If eating solids use foods that tend to bind: bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, crackers, starchy foods and yogurt (must contain live or active cultures, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum)

Practical Baby Stuff: Car Seat Safety

• Installing Your Car Seat
• Fitting baby into seat section is especially important!

Source

• 11 DEADLY mistakes you didn't know you were making!
• 8 more DEADLY Car Seat Mistakes
• Car Seat Sticker (maybe include picture?)

Practical Baby Stuff: Initial Supplies & Baby Care

TAKING CARE OF BABY

• Baby Acne: Breast milk can help.  Have to wait it out.  Make sure baby doesn't get overheated.
• Bathing: Sponge bathe until umbilical cord falls off.  Use elbow to test temperature of water.  Bathe every 2-3 days.  Don't forget to scrub behind ears.
• Checking temperature: Place thermometer under baby's armpit.
• Clogged tear ducts: Use breast milk on baby's eyes when they're all gunky and gross.
• Cradle Cap: Daily scrub baby's head with warm water to keep it at bay.  Can also massage coconut oil afterwards into scalp and then comb baby's head.
• Don't Forget Socks
• First Aid: Baby Acetaminophen (Fever Reducer), Anti-Gas Medicine, Nose Drops, Nasal Aspirator, Aquaphor and/or Coconut Oil for diaper rash.  Coconut oil draws the bacteria to the surface so it will initially look worse.
• Jaundice: Get baby in sunlight to help with it.
• Stuffy Nose: Use Nosefrida carefully.  Use nose drops first.
• Swaddling: Used to comfort and soothe baby.  
• Time in Sun: Have baby out in sun 15 minutes per week for some Vitamin D.  Use the ergo once baby's neck is strong enough to hold up.
• Trimming nails: Use scissor nail clippers.

CRYING CHECKS

• Dirty diaper
• Hair wrapped around finger cutting off circulation
• Hungry
• Over tiredness
• Upset tummy (Is it rock hard from gas? Do baby tummy massage.   Does she need to be burped?)

DIAPER BAG

• Aquaphor
• Changing pad
• Couple of burp cloths
• Diapers
• Diaper bag dispenser
• Extra change of clothes for baby (don't forget socks)
• Hand sanitizer
• Nursing cover
• Plastic or waterproof bag to hold dirty diapers
• Swaddle Blanket (especially important for doctor appointments because the rooms are cold)
• Wipes

First Year Activities

BABY ACTIVITIES

• Reading Books: Start once baby starts seeing better (around five weeks) to encourage love of reading, creativity and learning.

• Nap in Pack-N-Play: Start doing once/day around two months so baby is used to it when have to use the pack-n-play at someone else's house for naps.

• Bouncer: Use shortly after baby born to prop baby up to allow simple and safe entertainment.  Great to use while making dinner.  When outgrows bouncer switch solely to the bumbo.

• Bumbo: Around three months start trying to use. Especially use when making dinner.  Encourages neck muscles to be strengthened and is useful for baby to be accustomed to not always being entertained.

• Tummy Time: Do this shortly after baby born starting with 5-10 minute increments and then increasing the time to help baby learn to hold head up and look around.

• Play Time: Under gym in pack-n-play once baby starts seeing better start with 5-10 minutes and increase time from there.  Once baby is moving around can use a small amount of toys instead of the gym.  Do this to train baby to play by herself and encourage creativity and contentment.  Baby C at ten months was capable of playing for 30-60 minutes.  

• Time Outside: 15 minutes per week for some Vitamin D.  Use the ergo once baby's neck is strong enough to hold up.  Use stroller once baby can sit up.

Tips

• Rotate books and toys every 4-6 weeks to minimize clutter.  Put reminder in calendar.  
• Toys are overrated :)
• Practicing napping in the pack-n-play is great to do at grandmama's house.

Resources

• Creative Family Times: Practical Activities for Building Character (compliments of my mom)

0-2 Months: Sleeping & Feeding

SLEEPING

• Only keep up 45 minutes to an hour from start of feeding time at the beginning.  
• Wait until baby has surpassed birth weight before letting her go as long as the can through the night. 
• Baby shouldn't sleep more than 5 hours during the night before 6 weeks old.
• 1st & 2nd Night = basically no sleep.
• Don't rush in as soon as she cries. When she wakes up she might not be hungry just rested.
• A good time to wake baby up is during the lighter sleep when her eyes are moving.
• Watch for cues of being tired: fussing, screaming (overtired), yawning, rubbing eyes, etc.
• Crying it out is hard.  Leave monitor on without sound and go in office so don't hear her crying.  Saw the time decrease even after just a couple days.  Started crying it out just for naps once past the six week growth spurt.  Only do the when confident that baby has been fed, burped and changed.
• Down to crying less than 10 minutes for each nap time. 
• C started sleeping through the night around 6 weeks.

FEEDING

• Don't let go more than 2.5-3 hours from feeding to feeding during the day.
• If baby wakes up earlier than the 2.5 hour mark and is hungry then feed the baby.
• Make sure burp after and between feedings.
• Last feeding would wake up for was around 11pm.  
• Put to bed earlier (around 8 weeks) with A.
• Around 4-6 weeks introduce bottle.
• Microwave water until boiling to put bottle into to defrost breast milk.  

Reflections

• If you establish good sleeping habits during the day the night time falls into place.
• Goal is to establish pattern of: Feed Time, Wake Time, Sleep Time
• It is normal for babies to cry (especially during 4-7pm they tend to be more fussy).
• You are doing your best to help baby adjust to a 12 hour time change since in the womb babies are most active and awake during the middle of the night :)

Round 2

• Did feeding times for A more like every 3-3.5 hours due to having to take care of C.
• A started sleeping 8-10 hour stretches during the night right before 3 months.

Resources

• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the GIFT of Nighttime Sleep
• Mom & Pediatrician

First Six Weeks: Mommy Reflections

DYING TO SELF. His mercies are new every morning. 

Exhausting!  Survival Mode.  IT GETS EASIER.

FIRST SIX WEEKS

Mommy Life

Round 1

• Submit to Geoffrey and do what is best for our family.  Everyone will have different opinions on how to care for your baby.  Make decisions WITH Geoffrey not on my own and not with my mom.  
• Favorite Article: To Moms of One or Two Children.  
• Miss husband even though see him everyday.
• It is hard to remember to eat.  Eat when you can.
• Showering is one of the biggest accomplishments.
• Everything is new and scary: breastfeeding in public, getting comfortable with a nursing cover, taking the baby to the store with your husband, being scared out of your mind to go shopping with just you and the baby, going to church, going to small group, etc.  Take baby to store right after feeding time, movement of cart can help lull her to sleep.
• Take prenatal vitamin daily.  Passes vitamins to baby through breast milk.
• Make sure spend some time in the sun some for Vitamin D.

Round 2

• Significantly less stressful because I felt like I knew what I was doing.
• Had A sleep in the bassinet by my bed until six weeks because she started being able to rotate and would get stuck angled weird in it at six weeks.
• C ended up sleeping through A crying during the night just fine.
• Put A down within 45 minutes to 1 hour after waking.
• Stay away from broccoli and spicy foods!

General Thoughts

Round 1

• Have a lot of frozen meals prepared beforehand. Meals during growth spurts (approximately week 4 & 6) is especially helpful.
• Fly through diapers and wipes. 
• Went through over 100 diapers/week during first six weeks.  
• Start using cloth diapers with the next one as soon as meconium poop is gone.  
• Luvs diapers seem to be best bang for your buck. 
• Pull gussets out!
• After six weeks the baby's nervous system will be more developed and calm down.  
• Rubbing head upsets baby.

Round 2

• Make tons of freezer meals.
• Stock up on cleaning supplies and toiletries so don't have to go out for awhile.
• Ask for help!
• Guard baby's need for sleep.