Today, I'm picking up where I left off. Last week, I filled you in on a few motherhood myths that I was told when Ben was a newborn. From the site views and some of the feedback I'm getting, y'all seem to really enjoy when I do posts like this, so, lets keep it going.
You tackled those first few months and now you're starting to get the hang of this.....or so you thought!! I'll let you in on secrets that worked for Ben and myself as well as giving you advice straight from the experts. Separate fact from fiction and find out what is just a total waste of time (diaper genie) and what most moms can't live without for this particular age group. Let the learning begin.....
Newborn Nonsense - Part 2: 4-6 Month Old
Now that you've established somewhat of a routine with your baby, things start to become a bit more relaxed during this time and your baby's personality really starts to show. It's one of my favorite times during that first year. One that's filled with milestones and growth. Here's a few myths you may have been told.
- If you pick up your baby every time he/she cries, you'll spoil it! If your baby is upset and needs physical touch to feel better, it's hardly spoiling!!! I heard this one till the cows came home....I didn't listen & ANY time that baby cried, I ran to comfort him. Sometimes that's all it took, a few comforting words and a pat on the belly or two and he was fine!
- You should stop breastfeeding at six months. You should stop when you and your child are ready to stop. There's no "time limit" on breastfeeding your baby! We've all seen the Time Magazine cover....do I even need to go on???
- You shouldn't introduce solid foods until your child gets teeth. How's your kid gonna get teeth if he/she isn't eating solid food?!?! At two weeks, I started adding a sprinkle or two of cereal into Ben's bottles. It filled him up, he was happy plus he slept better and longer (he was sleeping through the night at 3 weeks old and I maybe had to get up once a night every now and then, after that, but honestly, he was an excellent sleeper - still is)! You know your baby better than anyone else. If he/she can handle food, why not give it too them? Ben cut his teeth at 3 months, by 10 months, he had all his teeth and had been eating solid foods since he was about 1 1/2 months old, mind that it was just cereal, rice and applesauce, but still, it's solid food nonetheless.
- If you let your baby sleep with you, you're gonna do emotional damage later on. Now, this one's got a tricky answer. Do I think that sleeping with your very young baby (especially if he/she does get up a lot during the night or if they have medical issues, etc.) is wrong? No, I don't. Ben has slept with me before. Did I do it every night? NO!! I made exceptions to this rule. It's NOT OK to sleep every single night with your child, because it's going to form an unhealthy sleep habit and dependency. Do you really want to be laying down with your 14 year old son because he can't sleep without you haying beside him?!? BUT I think if your child is sick or needs attention/medicines/treatments during the night, it may be easier for the both of you. The rule in my house is, if your sick (especially a high fever), moms sleeping with you. Every now and then, on a weekend, I'll watch a movie and fall asleep in there with him and that's fine too, just not every night.
- If your baby is not starting to make sounds by 6 months, get his/her hearing tested. Lots of babies start to make noises other than cries around 3-6 months, but its perfectly normal for babies to NOT start verbalizing anything until after 6 months. Every baby develops differently. Every baby will talk, crawl, walk eventually....don't rush a natural progression. Trust me, silence is golden!
Every child and parents will do things that work for them. Trial and error were what worked for me, well, its a work in progress...we ALL (Karl, Ben & myself), learn new things about ourselves and each other everyday. Ben's 7 and we're still trying to figure this whole "parenting" thing out!
Milestones: 4-6 Months Old
There's quite a few things that happen during these months. Your baby will be developing motor skills and learning new things almost daily, it almost feels like everyday, they learn a new skill! It's a very exciting time for growth and development.
During months 4, 5 and 6, babies are growing and learning at record pace. They probably have started "tummy time" and can hold their head up. They can now laugh, respond to you and follow you with their eyes. Teething normally starts around four months, although some babies begin teething sooner, some later. Your baby has now doubled in weight since birth and some may be able to bear weight on their legs by standing with assistance. Usually by six months, babies have started "scooting", the prequel to crawling, some even have started to crawl!
But, don't use the milestones as a guide to development. So many factors have to be taken into consideration when assessing babies. If your child was born premature, they may not reach these milestones as quickly as a baby full term. Do not put expectations of develop on your child, or compare to other people's babies or your own! You can't guarantee for sure if your new baby will crawl at 6 months just because your older child did. Just roll with the punches and you and your baby will be just fine!
* Information about milestones came from www.thenewparentguide.com check out this site!
Complete Waste Of Time Products:
Here's a list of baby items that I had while Ben was a baby and found them to be completely USELESS! My advice, don't waste your money on these nonsense items.
- Diaper Genie - Just take your plastic bag stockpile (yes, we all have the cloth bags, but EVERYBODY has tons of old grocery store plastic bags lying around) and use those to bag stinky diapers - they mask odor in the trash completely and nobody can tell there's a poo-poo mess in there!
- Specialty Diaper Bags - Bags come in every size, shape and design these days. When you have a baby, most hospitals send you and baby home with a diaper bag that's small and compact. I had a big diaper bag that matched his bed accessories and car seat. It got used maybe 3 times! You will quickly learn less is more with babies. A few onesies and some spare diapers, wipes and bottles, your good to go! Don't waste your money on a designer diaper bag that will loose its novelty very fast.
- Pacifier Clips - I don't really have anything bad to say about them, Ben just never used a pacifier. My logic behind not using it on the rare occasion he did have a lu-lu (that's what my family has always called them), I figured its gonna need cleaned whether its attached to his clothes or not, i just went without....it seemed a little ridiculous.
- Novelty Snack Holders - Many companies offer awesome-shaped containers for snacking on the go or to transport food to school and home. Cute but a complete waste of money. Throw some Gerber Fruit Puffs into a baggie - then you can toss, if your worried about the environment (I did this when Ben was little), use reusable containers! Either buy ones or save old sour cream and cream cheese containers, wash and reuse! Not as stylish, but who is really keeping score? You or the world that's so interesting in what kind of container your infant's food is in? ;-)
These products were just simply things I didn't like. It's not to say that they are awful products or anything, I just didn't like using them. Everything I write about is purely my opinion, unless otherwise stated. Send me feedback! I Love hearing from you!!
I hope that everyone has enjoyed part two of Newborn Nonsense. Next week, we'll be moving on to part three, months 7, 8 and 9! Should be pretty interesting! Also, I don't know if I'll be posting on Wednesdays....it's hard to get it all in with that being cub scouts night. It's my busiest day, so I think I'll be doing it on Thursday morning/afternoon now. Anywho, until next time....
Check out these great parenting sites:
parents.com
www.parenting.com
Peace, Love and Light
Katie
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