how much time will you lo spend NOT in your arms?

[esokitty]

i'm going crazy here.

J wont sleep for more than 15 minutes without me laying next to him or wearing him.

He won't siit in a bouncey or lay on a playmat even for 5!

I wear him a lot, but cant when cooking or doing dishes...


anyone else? how do you cope?

[wobblykate]

If Eden's in one of her happy moods (opportunity once or twice a day) she'll play in her play gym on her back ONLY for about 30 minutes. If I try tummy time first, it's all a no-go. She sleeps better in her swing than in bed with me and will take a 3 hour nap in the afternoon, usually. The bouncy chair is hit and miss. Sometimes she'll sit for 5 minutes while I make a quick sandwich, other times she's crying before her butt hits the chair. Do you have a swing? I try not to abuse ours, but I would never get anything done if she didn't take that one long nap during the day and she won't take it in bed.

[bodhitree]

If my baby is really deeply asleep (like limp-rag degree of being asleep) I can put her down in her bouncy chair or in the pack-n-play until she wakes up. She will sometimes also tolerate being in her bouncy chair when she's awake for maybe 20 minutes at a time. Otherwise, either DH or I are holding her all the time.

Also, she would never tolerate being put down for more than 5 minutes, awake or asleep, until she was 5 weeks old. Now she's doing a lot better with it. So maybe your lo will start dealing with it a little better?

[Sasharna]

Originally Posted by bodhitree

If my baby is really deeply asleep (like limp-rag degree of being asleep) I can put her down...

Same here. And sometimes he'll be content for 1-5 minutes lying somewhere while awake. Otherwise, LO wants to be with someone (preferably me) all of the time.

I tend to have better luck wearing or holding him 'til he's asleep vs. lying down w/ him then leaving once he's asleep... but he's getting better with the latter with age.

Carseat is usually ok, so long as he has just nursed. Prefers moving car over stopped car.

nak

[Sasharna]

Oh, and as for how we cope... (forgot that part) DP and I decided before baby was born that we would just plan on being unable to have real meals together for a few months. He cooks about 2 times a week and otherwise we eat very simply and/or grab snacks. Or I'll do a roast bird when I can and store the meat, then we'll grab from the fridge when we're hungry. This week I'm planning on making lots of individual salads when I have a bit of downtime, so I have them ready when I need them... I'd started leaning too heavily on starchy things because they're easy.

W/ DS1, who was very high needs, I'd prep meals whenever he slept, even if it was 9 am ... then at dinner time I'd direct another family member on how to put it together.

DP is very eager to help, so that cuts down on a lot of the work that I can't do with baby. I'd be lost without him. Also, I run to what needs to be done right away if baby goes down w/o me. Even if he only sleeps for 5 minutes, that's enough time to clean the litter box or switch a load of laundry.

Plus I have weird, hypermobile spider fingers , which helps w/ one-handed jobs while juggling baby.

[Peony]

About 15 minutes. All my children were like this so I didn't really expected anything different this time around. I can get to the important places in 15 minutes, I don't go farther then that. Dishes are done through out the day when I have a minute here and there. Dinner is made in stages, and usually one handed. I use the crockpot several times a week to cut down on prep time and having to watch the stove one handed. I made a whole chicken in there last night, today I will use half the leftover meat for chicken pesto pasta, tomorrow the rest will go into some type of quick soup.


I have a 6y that gets to hold baby at times so I can do things. Really I've found that there are very few things that I can't do one handed or while baby is in a sling. Though fixing my two girl's hair really does require two hands, but I can bf him on a boppy hands free and do hair.

[IncaMama]

i'm so freakin lucky this time around. #1 was in constant contact with me for about 2 years. #2 let me put her down more but when she was done, she was DONE and SCREAMED AS IF I WERE TEARING HER LIMB FROM LIMB!!!

now, #3...is my mellow chica. she doesn't always wanna be put down, as in some days she's more clingy. but i can generally get several stints of 20 minutes each a day...sometimes way more. and she often naps in her moses basket...and sleeps great at night. i FINALLY have one of *those* kids!!! those mythical creatures who are a joy from the very beginning!

i just broke the law of the internet. i bragged about my kid. she'll be a freakin lunatic tonight i'm sure. :

[wobblykate]

haha...Eden's just now going down for her nap...3 hours later than usual! That's what I get for sleeping in this morning. Now if I can just get her to stay asleep I might get a few things done before dh gets home.

[FischK]

I'm still figuring this out with DS. He used to spend more time sleeping, but now that he's almost 3 weeks, he's more needy and demands to be held more often. He often falls asleep nursing, and if I manage to burp him without waking him up, I can put him down to sleep on some days. On days like today though, he'll be awake again after 5 minutes and he'll be back in my arms.

[Murph12334]

Originally Posted by esokitty

i'm going crazy here.

J wont sleep for more than 15 minutes without me laying next to him or wearing him.

He won't siit in a bouncey or lay on a playmat even for 5!

I wear him a lot, but cant when cooking or doing dishes...


anyone else? how do you cope?

you discribed my child as well...isn't fond of others either - mamas boy

[wobblykate]

well, i spoke too soon today. baby decided that she didn't need more than the occasional cat nap. i got NOTHING done, needless to say

[racie0417]

My ODS was like that--needed to be worn constantly and only cat-napped. I honestly didn't get much done until I felt comfortable wearing him on my back.

This LO will take 1 nap a day not in my arms, but only on his belly, so I need to be right there to watch him, so I still don't get anything done. Once a day, he is content to sit in his bouncy seat for maybe 15 minutes--that is when I eat dinner. He hates the carseat and the car, so anytime we go anywhere, he screams.

[ShineliketheSon]

Originally Posted by esokitty

i'm going crazy here.

J wont sleep for more than 15 minutes without me laying next to him or wearing him.

He won't siit in a bouncey or lay on a playmat even for 5!

I wear him a lot, but cant when cooking or doing dishes...


anyone else? how do you cope?

nak lo will sometimes go 15 min in the swing/bouncer awake but not often. LO will not sleep a wink withoutme except in the car and screams right when car stops

I don't cook much but if I have to get stuff in /out of oven I reserve swing/bouncy seat time for that. Otherwise I wear her and we just make easy stuff from teh fridge and microwave. Sometimes LO has to cry a little till I finish but I pick her up asap! Same with shower, I just have to take a quick one or I wait till DH gets home if we weren't going anywhere and take my peaceful shower then.

As for dishes, DH does those when he gets home and he does most of the other cleaning. It drives him crazy it's not done so he just does it! I'm blessed.

I'm really cherishing this infant/baby stage. I don't care if stuff doesn't get done when it should as I'm spending quality time with my baby and it won't last! This is probably our last child, so I"m really really taking every moment in.

[BennyPai]

It changes. If she falls asleep in my arms or DP's, we can put her down and she will usually stay asleep. Awake, anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes. She likes her bouncy seat if one of us is right next to her. Big sisters extend the tolerance period if they perform for her (Songs, smiles, holding her hand...).

Of course, I can't leave the immediate area if 3yo is nearby because she tried to pick the baby up once - didn't get her out of the bassinet before I caught her, but still!

[fairymom]

Caleb will go 10-15 mins in his "chair"- as long as the vibration and music is on. But the swing is a totally different story! He'll go hours in it if I'd let him.

I am starting to increase floor time for/with him- but it's still limited to just during the day hours and no more than 30 mins. His big bro and the dog make it a little nerve racking for mom still. They think they can run and jump over him.

Between all my others he gets held a lot by them- I've had to TAKE him from them just to feed him. And they all are wanting to start changing his dipes- don't wanna give that up yet- love changing CDs! (am I strange for that?)

I feel somedays he spends way too much time OUT of my arms and else where (in others arms)- GUILTY even. But I know his needs are getting meet by them and hes being loved on sooo it can't be all bad. I am the ONLY one who gets to feed him so that's our time together!

ETA: he will only nap in arms during the noonish time- he prefers to sleep laying down in the cradle or my bed.

[Gnatty]

Way more than DS. Not sure if its me or her...

She took a two hour nap in the swing today (to my surprise) and is napping in the bassinet now.

If she is awake she doesn't want put down (and I don't want to put her down! She is still sleeping a lot) but asleep if I wait until she is really out then she'll sleep for a while alone.

As long as her brother doesn't...
a. shake the bassinet
b. try to climb the bassinet
c. play the piano
d. "share" toys by tossing them in the bassinet with her...

[ShineliketheSon]

LO is actually sleeping in the car seat...she slept through our dinner out...I feel naked without her on me and almost not know what to do with myself....funny isn't it!

[dawncayden]

Ds1 and ds 2 are so different with this.
WIth ds1 I could put him in the bassinette while he was full of milk and fully asleep and he'd sleep for 15 minutes there max. Then he'd scream until he was in your arms. Its part of the reason we found attachment parenting/slings/co-sleeping etc.

Ds2 will sleep happily for 2 hours in the bassinette. He will sit happily for 30 minutes while awake in the bouncy or bassinette.
He also loves to be worn, so I feel like I have the best of both worlds

[nancy11]

Z is learning to sleep on his own now. Fall asleep, that is.
To date, he would fall asleep in my arms.

Now that he sleeps in his own room, Zack goes to bed at night and one afternoon nap by himself. I hold him a lot during the day, though, and am trying to get him to amuse himself in the play gym dangly toy mat thing. I can't wait for him to find his hands.

[goodmomma76]

I seem to have one of those children who sleeps better if I sit still and hold her, or lay her down in a quiet place that smells of me. (that only works sometimes) But if I am up and moving while she's sleeping she's very restless and fussy. Doesn't make for getting much done, or it means putting her down more than I had planned. I think it's kind of even, I spend some days holding her all day, and some days I let her sleep so I can get stuff done.