How to Have Your Second Child First by Kerry Colburn

Author:Kerry Colburn
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC
Published: 2010-07-14T16:00:00+00:00

— LINDSAY, MOM OF THREE, AGES 5, 2 & 2

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[No.] 51 You Can Accomplish Things While Baby is Awake

All first-time parents feel like they have no time. They can’t manage to wash a dish, much less think about dinner. Yet second-time parents often run a busy household—including chores, meals, carpooling, and taking care of a toddler—during this same baby stage. This is because they’ve learned that you can use your baby’s waking hours to get things done.

First-timers tend to stay by baby’s side constantly while she’s awake and save all the household chores for naptime. Funnily enough, second-timers often do the opposite—saving chores for when the kids are awake, and using naptime for things they cannot possibly do with two active children, like reading a book on the couch, talking on the phone, checking e-mail, or shopping online.

If you work outside the home, you might feel an even bigger sense of guilt about even cleaning up the breakfast dishes or paying bills when the baby is awake, because every shared moment feels precious. And time with your baby is precious. But life does need to go on. It honestly doesn’t hurt for your baby to learn early on that your every moment cannot be solely devoted to her entertainment, that you are all part of a larger family and household that needs care.

Taking your baby on errands, having her “help” you around the house, and giving her safe household objects (plasticware, wooden spoons) while she watches you cook are important life lessons—for both of you. And, of course, you can make funny faces, sing silly songs, tell her stories about what you’re doing, and otherwise interact with your baby while doing all sorts of productive things. By the second child, parents learn that there are lots of ways to turn almost any task into an activity for baby—and the best use for naptime is rest.

Have a bunch of things to do and your baby is not content to play independently? Here are some ideas on how to involve her:

Put baby in your carrier of choice—sling, backpack, BabyBjörn—while putting away groceries or laundry, doing dishes, tidying up, or even vacuuming (as long as your back is okay).

Babies love laundry. They all enjoy the sensation of a clean sheet floating above their head like a parachute, playing peekaboo with a towel, tipping things out of the basket, or pulling up on it. Put your infant in the middle of the living room floor and enjoy the folding and sorting together.

Place her in the infant seat or high chair with an assortment of measuring spoons and other clattering kitchen utensils while you make dinner, load the dishwasher, or just sit and have coffee and “chat” with her.

Create a low cupboard that’s full of baby-safe items like Tupperware and aluminum mixing bowls. Let your baby go crazy while you cook, put away groceries, or do any kitchen tasks.

Keep a plastic bin of bath toys on your bathroom floor or in a low drawer.

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