What are you doing with your baby?

[phrogger]

So Shane is 5 weeks, and seriously, I think he just wants to eat and be held constantly. I really don't remember what the other boys did at this age, other then my second son didn't want to be touched, but I wonder if I should be trying more with him. I have lots of "stuff" like the little play mats etc. but I just don't know what I should be trying at this point. He just seems happy to be in my arms. No one elses, just mine and on a rare occasion, dad.

Oh, and the boy didn't sleep last night, or at least it feels like that. HA. I am beat.

[maxwill129]

My DS is 5 weeks old, too, and only wants to nurse and be held. And yep, it's all me and not Daddy. It's getting trying for me, as I have a 6, 4 and 2 year old as well. My 2 year old is sad a lot because I have the baby so much, but my 6 and 4 year olds are big helpers. My best friend has come over a bunch to hold the baby so I can hold my 2 year old! My MIL has also been a great help, coming over to clean my house so I don't have to worry about doing that- so when Sam is napping I can play with the other kids!

[Erinz]

My 8 week old just wants to be held all day as well. I am so glad I have several different kinds of carriers so I can trade up the way I wear him. My 3 year old is go-go-go so it's not as if I'd really be able to do much with my infant anyway. When my 3 year old naps my little guy gets all my attention. When daddy is home to hold the little guy (for as long as he will tolerate it) or I have any other willing arms around I focus on my big boy. It's tiring!

But yes, I think in my arms with a boob from time to time (ie a LOT) is just fine. He just started holding his head up (despite no official tummy time LOL) and giggles and coos and has started reaching out for things. Meaning, he's hitting all his developmental milestones without any special play mats, etc.

[midnightmommy]

I think that if all they want is to be held then that is what they developmentally need. DD is almost eight weeks (tomorrow), and she still has no interest in laying on the floor, so we don't. When she's ready she'll be interested. She is also getting the hang of everything she "should" be doing. The only reason they say to lay them down is so they don't get flat spots. If they are being held though I don't see that as a real possibility.

As for my son I keep reminding him that soon she'll be bigger not want to lay with me so much. He's almost six though so he understands better. I told my MIL today that I've decided that until she's bigger I'm doing the minimum around here. She only little for a little while.

[Chronic Chrissy]

DS is 3 weeks and is held alot, but also lays and sleeps well in his cradle during the day. I found he never wanted to lay down when I put him on his back. Once we flipped him to his side he was fine to be put down even before he is asleep. I wear him alot when we go out and we go out walking and to the beach almost daily, but he mostly just sleeps through everything and is happy to be cooed over when he calls, I figured I'll enjoy it as long as it lasts.

[beachcomber]

Our little guy does a bunch of stuff so far:

• swinging in his swing
• hanging in his bouncy chair
• lying in the wagon while I play with his big sister
• lots and lots of walking in the sling or Snugli
• playing on his back under his exercise gym
• playing with toys leaning over my nursing pillow (tummy time)
• taking baths in the big tub with me (way easier than using a baby tub!)

DD took a long time to get interactive with her environment and spent most of her first three months asleep or cuddling. But he's been keen right from the start. He was looking around already when just his head was out! He started holding his head up at 2 weeks. He's got very strong arms and legs and likes to be held in a standing up position facing out most of the time. He's going to be a go-getter, I think.

[sunflwrmoonbeam]

DD is 4 weeks old today, and I've just started tummy time with her last week. She's been able to hold her head up for a couple of weeks now (I guess the 2 extra weeks in the oven helped a lot), and I'm trying to encourage that. She mostly likes being attached to me and spends a LOT of time in the carrier. However, when she's happy, awake, and fed she'll chill out in the bouncer, look around, and smile a lot. So, I think she's getting close to being able to "play," which makes me really excited.

I REALLY want to take her swimming soon, but I need to stop bleeding first and then find some swim diapers.

[WeasleyMum]

DS is eight weeks old.

Likes:

The Boppy
The stroller
The car seat
Left Boob
Daddy

Tolerates:

Being "worn"
Mommy
Right Boob

He spends a lot of time propped up on his Boppy pillow.. he's pretty mellow and likes just looking around at things for awhile as I do other stuff (read, computer, housework, etc). Of course he's nursing every 2 hours or so (slightly longer at night), but he doesn't comfort nurse as I have an overactive letdown and oversupply. He likes being held in arms, and walked around the apartment, but isn't crazy about being "worn" in any kind of carrier. He'll put up with it for 20 minutes/ half an hour or so, but after that gets pretty fussy, so we mainly use it for the grocery store, the farmers' market, etc. He like the stroller, so we go on a long walk every morning, before it gets too hot. He's not crazy about "tummy time" and in fact has just learned to roll from his tummy to his back, so now it's hard to keep him on his tummy unless he wants to sleep. (Is 8 weeks kinda early for that?)

To be honest, I kind of feel that "attachment parenting" has sold me something. Everything I read implied that my baby would prefer to be worn over the stroller, would prefer to sleep with me over the bassinet, would prefer comfort nursing over a pacifier. I know every baby's different, but DS just doesn't seem to prefer any of the attachment stuff! He's cuddly, and very interactive, but also very cool with having some personal space too. Go figure.

[lexbeach]

Ds is nearly always either nursing or being worn . . . other favorites include being held in arms, co-bathing with one of his moms, and sleeping in bed next to dw at night. He does like having his diaper changed as well, and will sometimes tolerate the bouncy chair for a few minutes during dinner (though mostly likes me to wear him in a carrier and bounce on a birth ball while we eat). He has been able to hold his head up since birth (all of our babies have for some reason), and initially did great in the car, but as of the past couple days does not seem be such a fan.

Lex

[Alohamelly]

My baby is 6 weeks and prefers to be held a lot too. She will sleep in the swing in the mornings, but for the rest of the day, she's either being held or in the sling. Oh, and there are a few minutes during the day where she will tolerate laying on one of those baby gym thing where the toys hang over them.

She's a great sleeper, loves being bathed, loves nursing and is overall pretty easy going. She wasn't officially colicky, but was acting colicky over the past few weeks and it seems to be tapering off finally. She started crying around the same time every night and it would last 1-2 hours. My son was truly colicky so I am very grateful this one is not.

She hates the carseat. I wish there was something I could do about that because we have to go places and I hate staying in!

[Jayray]

My babe is 7 weeks old now. Loves to lay on his back and look around. Likes the swing and sometimes takes little catnaps there. Doesn't like being worn very much, which makes me sad. Doesn't like the carseat too much either, which also makes me sad. Is nursing every 2 hours or less, but doesn't really comfort nurse unless it's been a long or traumatizing day for some reason. Is sweet and not fussy unless he's tired or hungry or gassy.

Isn't it interesting, though, how they change week to week? How things they liked one week, they don't really like the next?

[Shy0717]

DS is 5 weeks old and prefers to spend the majority of his time in my arms or nursing which makes it hard to get the basics done (food, potty breaks, etc). He'll tolerate the swing as long as he's in the right mood. He'll also fall asleep in it sometimes. He used to tolerate the bouncer but not so much anymore. He loves diaper changes. Is ok in the car for short periods of time so long as we're moving. He pretty much won't go to anyone else if I'm around (he'll whine until I take him). He loves to snuggle in bed at night with me as well. He also HAS to be talked to (get right in his face) when he's awake.

[akichan]

Love this thread! So happy to hear about what everyone else has going on.

Z sleeps in anyone's arms, not just mine, but only in arms during the day. Driving me nuts. But nighttime sleep is going well, he sleeps 800p - midnight, then until 300a, but then stays up for the next hour grunting and trying to poop. After pooping he usually sleeps until the rest of the kids get up (around 6a), so no complaints here! I'm surprised he's on a sleeping schedule so soon! Then again, nothing's consistent with a baby except change, right? Maybe tomorrow will be different. Who knows?

[mbravebird]

A little over five weeks here -- he has some occasional mornings where he'll agree to sit in the bouncer, but most of the time it's arms, and if it's my arms, it usually involves nursing. And it's usually my arms, too, especially if he hears my voice. Sometimes he likes carriers, sometimes not. Hoping that will slowly balance so I can get more done, but I'm also loving holding him and looking at him, so it's fine for now.

Same thing, akichan, with the grunting to poop for an hour in the early AM!! The last two mornings I've flipped him over on his stomach when he does that, and that somehow helps him go back to sleep.

Blessed sleep. Come back to me!

[Erinz]

Originally Posted by WeasleyMum

DS is eight weeks old.

To be honest, I kind of feel that "attachment parenting" has sold me something. Everything I read implied that my baby would prefer to be worn over the stroller, would prefer to sleep with me over the bassinet, would prefer comfort nursing over a pacifier. I know every baby's different, but DS just doesn't seem to prefer any of the attachment stuff! He's cuddly, and very interactive, but also very cool with having some personal space too. Go figure.

Keep in mind that attachment parenting isn't a set of rules, it's paying attention to your child's cues and responding. I think it's helpful for the large majority of people to have some ideas of what that might look like, but we're all different so it looks different for different people. You ARE attachment parenting if you are doing what makes your baby happy instead of trying to get them to do what makes you happy. kwim?

[lexbeach]

Originally Posted by Erinz

Keep in mind that attachment parenting isn't a set of rules, it's paying attention to your child's cues and responding. I think it's helpful for the large majority of people to have some ideas of what that might look like, but we're all different so it looks different for different people. You ARE attachment parenting if you are doing what makes your baby happy instead of trying to get them to do what makes you happy. kwim?

Well, and ideally, with AP, what makes your baby happy is ALSO what makes you happy, because you're following your instincts and don't have any of the "mama guilt" that some mainstream parents seem to suffer from, and you're also getting all the good hormones that come from loving on your baby and being with him/her all the time.

All babies have the same needs: to be held (worn), to be near their parents 24 hours a day, to be fed on cue. Some babies are more insistent about having these needs met as they would have been thousands of years ago (i.e. without strollers, pacifiers, baby swings, cribs), and some babies are more laid back about it and will happily accept a substitute. But that doesn't mean that their needs are any less real or significant than the babies who refuse strollers, pacifiers, swings, cribs, etc.

We practice AP because it makes our babies happy AND it makes us happy. If there ends up being some added benefit of more secure, better-adjusted kids, then that's just an added bonus. We don't practice AP because of anything we've read, but rather just because it feels right.

Lex

[gruver]

DS is 8 weeks and his favorite things are nursing, sleeping on top of me, and hanging out/sleeping in the moby wrap. when he is awake he wants to be upright, but he will do tummy time for 10 minutes or so. before he would tolerate tummy time on the floor, i would lay back and let him do it on my chest.

he is giggling and laughing quite a bit, will hang out in his bouncy chair to watch us cook dinner or shower, and has just barely started to sort of reach for things. that has been my only developmental concern with him, although we haven't been great about holding things out in front of him to reach for. i'm not terribly worried about it.

he will do short naps in the bassinet, and usually when he wakes up from those he'll hang out and coo and look out the window.

[annekh23]

Thankfully Grace is ok with both car seat and stroller and being taken in and out of them! That's life when you have older siblings! In the evenings she does like to be held a lot and if she dozes off will not be put down, when at other times of the day she ok with that.

For various reasons she's not been worn as much as my other two were, partly because one of the positions she likes to be held in is face down with her back being patted, which you can't do in a carrier! Also, times when I would have worn the others aren't quite so easy when there are 2 other children to deal with. DH tends to wear her in the house between her morning feed and him going to work. It's also too darn hot to wear a baby comfortably right now!

My parents are here at the moment and she definitely likes sleeping on Grandad, Grandad seems to like it too!

[blumom2boyz]

MaKenna is 7 1/2 weeks now and pretty much spends all her time either nursing or sleeping in arms/carrier. She enjoys hanging with her brothers too and will chill with daddy for a bit, but momma still gets to hog her most of the time She doesn't care too much for the stroller or the carseat (it seems 50/50 now as to whether she will cry the entire time or pass out cold). She will sleep in the swing if 1.) she is really full 2.) really tired 3.) it has the vibrating seat on AND the nature sounds (ocean) on She loves her diaper changes, being talked too (we get so many smiles) and is starting to enjoy her baths.

[rivkah]

Nina is 6 weeks, and she pretty much like to be worn/carried/slept next tp 24 hours per day. If she is in a mellow mood, she hangs out in the swing for about 30 minutes in the evening so the rest of the family can eat dinner without spilling all over her.

She actually likes the carriage we got (very old pram). This surprises me because DD and DS wanted nothing to do with strollers. We just got the carriage because it was cool--old and made in Italy. We live sort of out in the country and have about a mile walk to the mail box. So she will ride along in it at night (whenever temperature goes under three digits), but she usually wants to be carried back home.

I find it so funny others have the grunt hour ever morning! We do too. It actually drives me crazy, because i can't sleep through it. She'll grunt and squeak until she poops. Then I change her and she goes back to sleep for an hour!