Our Crew

Our Crew

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Advice Given to Me about having Happy and Good Babies

So, my friend, Amanda(sorta like a famous blogger...ha...seriously though) does this on her blog and I love reading it. I have been entertaining the thought of doing it on my blog because it is so interesting. I am starting today. It is a Top Ten Tuesday list. I will pick any subject I would like and make a list of the "Top Tens". Get it? Anyways, here it goes. Hope you enjoy. :)



1. Order and Schedules. Wow! I am a scheduled person, therefore this is KEY for me and my boys. Someone(my sister, a friend, a book) told me that God created order and not chaos. Therefore, babies need the same thing(please do not comment if you disagree..this is my Top Ten.) I could not agree more!! My boys know when to eat, sleep, and play. And they are more than happy(well, usually) to do it all.

2. Be Consistent! Enough said. Easier said then done, however, it NEVER fails with my boys. NEVER!

3. Do NOT wake a baby sleeping at night. Just don't do it. No matter what.

4. Homebound until the baby is 2 months old, but well worth it. Meaning, stay home, be consistent, keep your baby on a good schedule. Then after the first two months you will be able to go out and about when your baby is happy because you will know when he should be sleeping/eating/awake.

5. YOU(the parent) are training the baby. YOU know what is best...even if that sweet little baby is trying to tell you otherwise. Sometimes, you have to forget about your emotions and base your decisions off of what you know as a parent. For instance, if YOU know he is tired, but HE is trying to tell you otherwise. Do what YOU know. Lay him down. He will go to sleep(hopefully...at least he will be in his bed though. ha)

6. Crying is NOT going to kill him. It is true mommies...we HAVE to let our babies cry it out some. And it won't kill them. They will be ok. And hopefully we will end up with a positive result. Right?

7. Sucking his finger, thumb, or paci is really not that big of a deal...they will grow out of it. Because of this piece of advice from several of my mom's friends and her...I don't sweat the fact that both of my boys suck on their finger and have a lovie. They will grow out of it. No biggie.

8. Be balanced...clean some...and play some. I don't want to get caught up in either one too much. I want to make sure my boys grow up knowing I am a fun mommy, but I am also their mommy and not their best friend. I want them to know I keep a clean house, cook, and help them when they need it. And I will be goofy. :)

9. Babies love bath time. Kinda of random, I know. But, my boys love their baths and so do I. They play together and it relaxes them. Afterwards, I lotion them up and put their pajamas on. They are on the road towards bed time. Love a clean baby!

10. Strive for first time obedience. When I say no to my 2yo I mean no right then...not after the second or third time. This one, is HARD. However, I think he is getting it(not doing it always but getting it...ha ha). And I think it makes things better for me and him.

6 comments:

ohAmanda said...

Great list, Lindsey! I'm so happy you participated!!

That first time obedience is a hard one. And it's constant b/c I'm still doing it with Lydia.

Dana~Are We There Yet? said...

PERFECT! I heartily agree with ALL of your suggestions. I began my parenting with these principles nearly 20 (EEK!) years ago, and now I have 5 great kids who were all happy "good" babies.

Excellent post!

Rachel said...

Great list! I'm having a baby sometime this month (there is some discrepancy to my due date and it's killing me!), and this list was great to read!

Thanks!

Mary @ Giving Up On Perfect said...

GREAT list. We're still working on that first-time obedience thing at our house, though. But the rest of it? I will say it worked like a charm for us, too!

But, okay, I feel like I must give a disclaimer, too. Like...I KNOW I was super blessed with a good baby, and I KNOW my next one might be verrry different!!!! :)

meredith said...

Amen Sister! I have two really good babies because of all these things...and because God is good! :) I was afraid that my second wouldn't be as good as my first, but sweet Camp is awesome!! And just like everyone else has said...first time obedience IS hard, but we're sticking to it!

Jenn said...

Linds, I thought about you this weekend while I was talking to Stephanie (Hoskins) Stamps. Before her twins were born, someone gave her the BabyWise book in a card that said "This is the gift of sleep". She shared with me how getting the boys on a routine literally from the minute they walked in the house helped her and Brock!