When planning for a new baby to arrive there are many things you plan to do with/for your child. Maybe you want to exclusively breastfeed or you swear you will never let your toddler sleep with you.
With my first child, I planned and planned before she arrived only to find that those little babies have minds of their own! (Who knew?!) As I patiently await the arrival of Baby #2, I again find myself making a list of things I want to try with this baby. Maybe we will successfully conquer the following, maybe we won’t, but I will certainly try.
Give Babywearing More of a Chance
With my first child, I quickly bought a Moby wrap after watching a friend’s husband carry a sleeping 6-week-old through noisy brunch. I was given an Infantino carrier and figured that my daughter would love one or both. She did not. It wasn’t that Nora insisted to be held all of the time, she was perfectly content laying on the floor or in her bouncy seat, but for whatever reason, she was having NONE of the carriers. With the next baby, I will try to be more consistent with the babywearing and take advantage of the Babywearing in Columbia’s lending library in an effort to find a carrier my new little one will love.
Make My Own Baby Food
I had the best of intentions, but I didn’t try this enough with my first child. I bought the fancy baby food maker and for a few months I consistently pureed every fruit and veggie known to man…and then I got lazy. I am sure I spent a small fortune on organic jarred food when I could have spent a fraction of the cost on organic vegetables which yield so many more servings. This time around I want to make a habit of setting aside an hour every Sunday to make a week’s worth of food.
Try Cloth Diapers
This idea is still in the maybe stages, but so many friends herald the cost benefits of cloth diapering I think it is worth trying. Not to mention the environmental aspect as traditional diapers are drowning our landfills.
Limit Pacifiers
If you would have told me three years ago my kid would be paci obsessed, I would have spit in your face. But, here we are, at almost three with a girl who is nowhere near giving up her beloved suckers. With baby #2 I will try to be pacifier-free as soon as humanly possible.
Not Stress So Much Over Breastfeeding
“Breast is best.” We all know this, however, for some women, myself included, breastfeeding is extremely difficult. In my case, I never produced enough milk so supplementing was essential, but I felt such severe guilt over it. I cried in the pediatrician’s office, to the lactation consultants, and to my sweet husband who finally told me in no uncertain terms, “It doesn’t matter how you feed her, as long as she is being fed.” Once I gave myself some slack about supplementing I found that breastfeeding became a great bonding moment for my daughter and me. And since my kiddo was great with breast or bottle, it gave me the freedom to let others feed her.
Trust My Instincts
As a first-time mom, it is pretty standard to second guess yourself when it comes to baby. You will find that books, the web, doctors, friends, and family all have varying opinions on what you should and should not be doing for your child so it’s easy to mistrust your gut. I will not do this again. Mother’s intuition is real, y’all. You know your baby, you must trust that if you feel something is not right, it might not be. I refuse to spend the first six months of Baby #2’s life being made to feel like I am starving him because like his big sis, he just doesn’t like to eat much. (Although, I often pray for a real chunker this time around.) For the record, my almost 3-year-old is 26 lbs. Yeah, tiny, but totally on her curve, thank you very much, Doc.
Expecting another baby? What would you like to try differently the second time around?
