First vs. Second
Although I managed just fine with Dylan, now the second time around, I've been much more exposed to the newest and coolest baby items that have come out. Having so many friends that have had kids since I had Dylan, it's been great seeing what others have used and loved and even learning so much more about raising a baby.
Some of the ways we did things when Dylan was a baby, were lessons to be learned on what we DIDN'T want to do the second time around. And some things went well, so it was good practice. I was recently chatting with a friend about sleep arrangements, and I also asked my boss at work who is pregnant with her second, if they planned to do anything differently the second time around. So it had me thinking about the pros and cons of how we did things with Dylan versus how things have gone with Luke.
So far, the main change that we've done this second time around is having Luke sleep in his own bed from day one. Although I did enjoy my snuggles with Dylan when he was a baby, it made it very difficult having him in our bed as he got older, especially when I was in school. He wouldn't go to sleep without me next to him so essentially, I'd have to let him fall asleep on me when I was on the couch studying, or I'd have to put him to sleep and then get back up to study. The latter option usually was detrimental because I'd fall asleep too and sometimes not get back up again. Dylan also hated sleeping on his back. As a brand newborn, I thought he had such a hard time sleeping because we had him sleeping in a bassinet in our room and the mattress wasn't comfortable. But even when I tried moving him to his crib, he still wouldn't sleep. He slept best next to me. Even at the ages when all the experts recommended sleep training, I'd make my best effort but then in the end, have to give up because since I was in school, I just couldn't give up my sleep to spend night after night going through the sleep training process. Eventually, we were able to move him out of our bed and on to a mattress on our floor (like at age 2?) and then now he's in his own room in his own bed but it seemed like an on-going struggle from the time he was born until he was almost four years old to get him to sleep on his own! And now though he will fall asleep completely on his own, we still had to lie down with him until he'd fall asleep for quite awhile before he became capable of being alone.
So long story short, my number one goal with Luke was to get him into his own bed at night from day one. And thankfully, he was fine with it! He is totally content sleeping in his crib and I'm glad at least one of our kids is getting some use out of it! But as he's given up his nighttime feedings as he's gotten older, I recently realized I don't mind getting up to feed him the one time he still wakes up. I've read that a lot of babies are capable of sleeping completely through the night by six months of age. I've also read that babies still need one nighttime feeding until one year of age. I don't mind having to get up in the night as I really enjoy seeing his sweet face light up when I go into his room and pick him to cuddle while he eats. I like our special bonding time when it's completely quiet in the house and just the two of us are awake. So until he's ready to give up that one nighttime feeding, I won't be trying to get him to give it up either! Well, until he turns one at least.
And speaking of his crib: as you can see, my crib rail covers have become somewhat useless. Now that he's moving all over the crib, he kicks a majority of them off. For the most part, they have been for looks rather than purpose. When he was just squirming but not rolling over yet, they actually did prevent him from hitting his head but now that he has more control with his reach, he pulls them off or kicks them off when he rolls around and gets up on his hands and knees. I used to put them all back on every morning but now just pick the ones that he kicked off and have been stashing them aside.
I've compiled some of the products that I've added to our collection since Dylan was a baby and also some of my favorites that I had the first time around too.
Some of the ways we did things when Dylan was a baby, were lessons to be learned on what we DIDN'T want to do the second time around. And some things went well, so it was good practice. I was recently chatting with a friend about sleep arrangements, and I also asked my boss at work who is pregnant with her second, if they planned to do anything differently the second time around. So it had me thinking about the pros and cons of how we did things with Dylan versus how things have gone with Luke.
So far, the main change that we've done this second time around is having Luke sleep in his own bed from day one. Although I did enjoy my snuggles with Dylan when he was a baby, it made it very difficult having him in our bed as he got older, especially when I was in school. He wouldn't go to sleep without me next to him so essentially, I'd have to let him fall asleep on me when I was on the couch studying, or I'd have to put him to sleep and then get back up to study. The latter option usually was detrimental because I'd fall asleep too and sometimes not get back up again. Dylan also hated sleeping on his back. As a brand newborn, I thought he had such a hard time sleeping because we had him sleeping in a bassinet in our room and the mattress wasn't comfortable. But even when I tried moving him to his crib, he still wouldn't sleep. He slept best next to me. Even at the ages when all the experts recommended sleep training, I'd make my best effort but then in the end, have to give up because since I was in school, I just couldn't give up my sleep to spend night after night going through the sleep training process. Eventually, we were able to move him out of our bed and on to a mattress on our floor (like at age 2?) and then now he's in his own room in his own bed but it seemed like an on-going struggle from the time he was born until he was almost four years old to get him to sleep on his own! And now though he will fall asleep completely on his own, we still had to lie down with him until he'd fall asleep for quite awhile before he became capable of being alone.
So long story short, my number one goal with Luke was to get him into his own bed at night from day one. And thankfully, he was fine with it! He is totally content sleeping in his crib and I'm glad at least one of our kids is getting some use out of it! But as he's given up his nighttime feedings as he's gotten older, I recently realized I don't mind getting up to feed him the one time he still wakes up. I've read that a lot of babies are capable of sleeping completely through the night by six months of age. I've also read that babies still need one nighttime feeding until one year of age. I don't mind having to get up in the night as I really enjoy seeing his sweet face light up when I go into his room and pick him to cuddle while he eats. I like our special bonding time when it's completely quiet in the house and just the two of us are awake. So until he's ready to give up that one nighttime feeding, I won't be trying to get him to give it up either! Well, until he turns one at least.
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| Napping in his crib |
I've compiled some of the products that I've added to our collection since Dylan was a baby and also some of my favorites that I had the first time around too.
These Aden + Anais blankets are amazing. They are soft and thin enough, but also rather large so they can be folded and provide extra warmth if needed. I always try to have one with me for Luke. He especially likes to chew on the edge of them now that he's teething. I also let him sleep with one at nap time and recently at nighttime too. They are thin enough that I don't feel worried that it will cover his face and prevent him from getting air.
With Dylan, I guess I didn't even think of making my own baby food. Or if it crossed my mind, I didn't have a clue on how to go about it or the time to do it. If I had the knowledge I do now, I think I would have been able to do it with Dylan. Oh, well, I can have fun with it this time! My friend, Katie, loaned me her Baby Brezza and it's an amazing product. So simple to use, steams and blends and has settings that make it so simple to choose what you are making and it automatically calculates how much time is needed for steaming. I've only had it for two weeks and find myself wanting to go to the grocery store every day to buy more fruits and veggies to make! I've made carrots, sweet potatoes, sweet potatoes with banana, apples and prunes. It's so awesome and handy to make a batch and then freeze in ice cube trays and be able to take one cube or two out at a time for a feeding. And I found some awesome little containers that I can put a cube in and send to daycare for lunchtime. Dylan even loved the applesauce I made for Luke and next time, he's requested I make a "whole bunch" so he can have some too.
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| My first batch |
I scored one of these at Ross this week for $2! Even though it says 10+ months, I gave it a try and I feel that as long as I'm keeping an eye on him, he's fine using it. So far, I've put chunks of frozen banana in it and it keeps him busy for a half hour or so. He loves it. I read about these when I was pregnant, about how much of a pain they are to clean, and yes it is, but for it's dual-purpose (snack and teething relief), it's worth the cleaning hassle.
Dylan had this cup and when Luke couldn't figure out how to tip up the regular sippy cups, I gave him this one to try. Since starting purees and cereal, his poops have been a little problematic. So I've been trying to give him sips of water during feedings to help his system adjust to all the added fiber. Like Dylan, he loves water and mastered sipping out of the straw on his first try. I think he likes that he can hold it and drink himself too. I also like that the top folds over so it can be taken on the go.
I had never heard of this product until Dylan was older, but most parents that have one for their baby, have said it's like "baby crack". There's just something about this squeaky, rubbery giraffe that babies love. Luke is no exception. I do have to hide it every once in awhile because if he's playing with it, the squeaking can get downright obnoxious, but he loves to gnaw and chew on it so it's safe to say it's one of his all-time favorites.
I found these at Ross too. Perfect-sized little containers for baby food travel. I can also anticipate using them for Cheerios, puffs, etc. in the future.
I got this at our cousins gift exchange a few years ago and it was my alarm clock but I started using the nature sounds feature for white noise when Luke was first sleeping in the Pack 'N' Play as a newborn next to our bed. When he moved into his own room, this went with him and I turn on the "waterfall" sound each night. Having the white noise when he's sleeping is really beneficial due to having a noisy older brother.
I bought some of the pre-made applesauce ones from Costco and Dylan managed to make them disappear within days so when I saw these on babysteals.com, I had to buy them. Feels a little better to be environmentally friendly and re-use things. When I make my next batch of apples, I plan to make tons so I can fill these up and have them for Dylan. When Luke gets older, I'm sure he'll love them too! I made Dylan a triple berry smoothie to test them out and he said it was sooo cool!
I cannot count how many hours of entertainment both Dylan and Luke have gotten out of this. I like to think of it as my free babysitter. Not that I plop Luke down on it all hours of the day, but when I need a few minutes to do the dishes, laundry, or just go to the bathroom, I can set him down on the mat with a bunch of toys and he can remain safely occupied while I can have a moment where I can use both hands.
What a difference compared to the Medela Swing single-pump I used with Dylan. I used to have to pump on my lunch break from school and since I could only pump one side at a time, sometimes it would take almost my entire one-hour break. I knew that going back to work this time, I would have limited time to pump and would need something faster. This does the trick, and just having more power noticeably speeds up the pumping process.
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