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.

3-6 Months: C's Milestones

Independent play time each day for Carmen.  Reading books to before bed.

3 Months

• Crying 10 minutes max when swaddle and lay her down for nap times.
• Growth spurt at 13 weeks!  Up every three hours for three nights in a row.  
• Rolling from tummy to back.
• Rolling side to side on back.  
• Sleeping through the nights.
• Stopped swaddling at 14 weeks.
• Used k'tan carrier until no longer need ergo insert then switched.

4 Months

• First signs of being ticklish.  
• Letting cry out on tummy now in pac n play.  
• Pack n play for sleeping until able to roll both ways well.
• Rolling both ways.  

5 Months

• Doesn't stay put.  
• Only wanting mommy.  
• Playing and sleeping in crib.
• Up rocking on hands and knees.
• Waking up during night again to eat. 

6 Months

• Back to waking up only once during the night once started solids.  
• Crawling.
• First laugh!  
• First tooth!  On the bottom and not much fussing for the first one.
• Sitting up on her own.  
• Standing up in crib.  After a few days learned how to get back down.  
• Waking up once a night then sleeping through the night once started solids!!!

0-2 Months: C's Milestones

First Two Months

• A cute little bundle of joy that sleeps and eats.

2 Months

• 8 Weeks: Smiling in response to mommy
• 9 Weeks: Hitting at hanging pieces on bouncer and kicking in it
• 10 weeks: Actual Tears
• 12 weeks: Down to crying less than 10 minutes for each nap time

Parenting Philosophy & Principles

Don't raise voice
Don't discipline in anger
Loving them means being consistent and not enabling sin
Teach sign language to help them communicate before they can form words
Require first time obedience
Delayed obedience is disobedience
Think in multiples
Sharing: how does it work in the real world?
http://thewardrobedoor.com/2014/11/parenting-sanctification-reputation-mind.html
The best way to love my children is to love God and my husband
My example will have a much greater impact than any words I say

Parenting Resources

All Ages

Paul Tripp - Parenting Conference Notes
Centrality of the Home